Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project Environmental Impact ......Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project...

Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project Environmental Impact Assessment

China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Go., Ltd. China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd.

October 2008

E2008 V1

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Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1

1.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND................................................................................................1 1.2. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA) PREPARATION .......................................................3

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION...................................................................................................4

2.1. PROJECT CONTENTS AND SCALE ...................................................................................4 2.2. RAILWAY ALIGNMENT ....................................................................................................5 2.3. SUBGRADE EMBANKMENT .............................................................................................6 2.4. BRIDGE WORKS............................................................................................................6 2.5. TUNNEL WORKS ...........................................................................................................6 2.6. STATIONS.....................................................................................................................6 2.7. ELECTRIFICATION WORKS .............................................................................................6 2.8. AGGREGATE, SPOIL AND BORROW MATERIALS ...............................................................7 2.9. TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION WORKS ............................................................................7

3 LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ......................................8

3.1. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES.............................................8 3.2. NATIONAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS...............................................................................8 3.3. WORLD BANK SAFEGUARD POLICIES ........................................................................... 14 3.4. ASSESSMENT SCOPE AND APPLICABLE STANDARDS ..................................................... 14

3.4.1. Assessment Scope................................................................................................ 14 3.4.2. Assessment Standards ......................................................................................... 15

3.5. DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS ................................................... 20

4 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES....................................................................................... 22

4.1. NO PROJECT SCENARIO.............................................................................................. 22 4.2. MACRO-LEVEL CORRIDOR SELECTION.......................................................................... 23 4.3. ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENT FOR SECTIONS..................................................................... 25

4.3.1. Alternative Alignment for CK13+000-CK41+400 within Longli ............................... 26 4.3.2. Alternative Alignments for CK194+800-CK381+700 within Zenleng–Sanjiang....... 29 4.3.3. Alternative Alignments for CK327+000-CK399+000 in Longsheng-Guilin.............. 33 4.3.4. Alternative Alignments for CK453+000-CK587+000 in Guilin-Hezhou ................... 36 4.3.5. Alternatives Comparison for Access Line to Guiyang City ..................................... 39

5 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................. 42

5.1. BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................... 42 5.1.1. Climate and Air Quality.......................................................................................... 42 5.1.2. Geology and Soils ................................................................................................. 42 5.1.3. Water .................................................................................................................... 44 5.1.4. Vegetation and Wildlife Biodiversity....................................................................... 45 5.1.5. Protected and Special Management Areas ........................................................... 49 5.1.6. Aesthetic Resources ............................................................................................. 67 5.1.7. Noise..................................................................................................................... 67 5.1.8. Vibration................................................................................................................ 70 5.1.9. Electromagnetic Frequency Sensitive Sites........................................................... 70

5.2. SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................ 70 5.2.1. Social-economic status ......................................................................................... 71 5.2.2. Land Use............................................................................................................... 71 5.2.3. Cultural Property ................................................................................................... 72

6 IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION MEASURES ................................................ 75

6.1. CONSTRUCTION STAGE............................................................................................... 75 6.1.1. Air Quality ............................................................................................................. 75 6.1.2. Soil Erosion ........................................................................................................... 75 6.1.3. Water .................................................................................................................... 78 6.1.4. Vegetation and Wildlife Biodiversity....................................................................... 81 6.1.5. Protected and Special Management Areas ........................................................... 89 6.1.6. Aesthetic Resources ............................................................................................. 96 6.1.7. Noise and Vibration ............................................................................................... 98 6.1.8. Impact of Land Acquisition and Resettlement........................................................ 99 6.1.9. Cultural Property ................................................................................................. 102 6.1.10. Social Disturbance........................................................................................... 103

6.2. OPERATION PHASE ................................................................................................... 105 6.2.1. Noise Impacts ..................................................................................................... 105 6.2.2. Vibration Impact .................................................................................................. 114 6.2.3. Electromagnetic Frequency Impact ..................................................................... 117 6.2.4. Water .................................................................................................................. 120 6.2.5. Solid Waste......................................................................................................... 126 6.2.6. Socio-economic Impact ....................................................................................... 126

7 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .................................................................... 130

7.1. MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES................................................. 130 7.2. ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERVISION ................................................................................. 132

7.2.1. Environmental Supervision Plan.......................................................................... 132 7.2.2. Content of Environmental Supervision................................................................. 133

7.3. MANAGEMENT OF CONTRACTORS .............................................................................. 134 7.4. ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION MEASURES................................................................... 135 7.5. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TRAINING ................................................................... 135 7.6. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN ............................ 135

8 PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE.................................... 137

8.1. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 137 8.2. OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................. 137 8.3. SCOPE ..................................................................................................................... 137 8.4. CONSULTATION RESULTS AND RESPONSES................................................................ 137

8.4.1. Public Consultation at Early Stage of EA Preparation.......................................... 137 8.4.2. Environmental Impact Assessment – Public Consultation ................................... 146

8.5. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE ....................................................................................... 148

List of Tables Table 2-1: Key technical parameters of the Gui-Guang Line...................................................................... 4 Table 2-2: Key Project Components and Land Occupation ........................................................................ 5 Table 2-3: Location of Stations ................................................................................................................... 6 Table 2-4: Temporary Construction Works ................................................................................................. 7 Table 3-1: Key Environmental Laws and Regulations and Project Compliance......................................... 9 Table 3-2: Applicable World Bank Safeguard Policies and Project Compliance ...................................... 14 Table 3-3: Environmental Factors and Assessment Scope ........................................................................ 15 Table 3-4: Summary of Regulatory Limits and Standards Used in the Environmental Assessment ......... 16 Table 4-1: Main Technical and Economic Indicators of Macroscopical Route Schemes.......................... 24 Table 4-2: Alternative Comparison for Longli Section ............................................................................. 27 Table 4-3: Alternatives Comparison for Zenleng-Sanjiang Section.......................................................... 30 Table 4-4: Alternatives Comparison for Longsheng-Guilin Section ......................................................... 34 Table 4-5: Alternatives Comparison for Guilin-Hezhou Section .............................................................. 37 Table 4-6: Alternative Comparison for Access Line to Guiyang............................................................... 40 Table 5-1: Main Climate Data in the Project Area .................................................................................... 42 Table 5-2: Area of Vegetation in Assessment Scope ................................................................................. 45 Table 5-3: Distribution of Protected Plants in Land Acquisition Area ...................................................... 46 Table 5-4: Ancient Trees and Valuable Trees within Land Acquisition Area ............................................ 46 Table 5-5: Nature Reserves in Project Corridor ........................................................................................ 49 Table 5-6: Scenic Areas in Railway Corridor............................................................................................ 53 Table 5-7: Forest Parks in the Railway Corridor....................................................................................... 60 Table 5-8: Drinking Water Source Protection Areas along the Railway Line ........................................... 65 Table 5-9: Statistical Analysis of Current Noise of Schools and Hospitals............................................... 68 Table 5-10: Analysis of Current Noise of Schools and Hospitals ............................................................. 68 Table 5-11: Analysis of Current Noise Situation of Residential Areas...................................................... 69 Table 5-12: Analysis on Current Noise Situation of Residential Areas..................................................... 69 Table 5-13: Socio-Economic Data of Cities in Project Corridor............................................................... 71 Table 5-14: Current Land Use within Assessment Scope.......................................................................... 72 Table 5-15: Cultural Properties along the Railway Line ........................................................................... 73 Table 6-1: Access Roads in Ecological Sensitive Areas............................................................................ 77 Table 6-2: Impact Assessment for Main Protected Animals...................................................................... 85 Table 6-3: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Schools in the Near Future.................. 106 Table 6-4: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Schools and Hospitals in the Near Future

(Hezhou-Guangzhou) ...................................................................................................................... 107 Table 6-5: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Areas along the Main Line in

the Near Future (Guiyang – Hezhou) .............................................................................................. 108 Table 6-6: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Areas along the Connecting

Line in the Near Future (Guiyang-Hezhou) .................................................................................... 109 Table 6-7: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Area in the Near Future

(Hezhou-Guangzhou) ...................................................................................................................... 110 Table 6-8: Protection Distance of Acoustic Environment of the Project..................................................111 Table 6-9: Summary of Noise Mitigation Measures ............................................................................... 112 Table 6-10: Vibration Standard-compliance Distance............................................................................. 115 Table 6-11: Budget Reserved to Cable TV Installation ........................................................................... 118 Table 6-12: Wastewater Treatment at Stations ........................................................................................ 122 Table 6-13: Statistics of Permanent Alteration of Land Use ................................................................... 127 Table 8-1: Public Consultation Questionnaire for ................................................................................... 138 Table 8-2: Summary of Public Participation along the Proposed Railway Line ..................................... 140 Table 8-3: Questionnaire Form of New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line.......................................... 146 Table 8-4: Feedback from the Second Phase of Public Consultation...................................................... 147

Environmental Impact Assessment of Guiyang Guangzhou Railway Project

Introduction

Project BackgroundThe proposed Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project (Gui-Guang Line) is a new 857 km double track railway line starting from the city of Guiyang in Guizhou Province, running through the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and ending at Guangzhou in Guangdong province, south China. The total investment of the entire project is RMB 79.97 million Yuan (US$ 11.75 billion), including a World Bank loan of US $300 million. The construction period is expected to last six years, commencing in late 2008. Commissioning of the line is proposed by early 2015.

Under the China Railway Medium and Long-Term Development Plan (2005-2020), the railway network is to be expanded from 75,438 km in 2005 to 100,000 km by 2020. The proposed network expansion would provide rail connectivity to areas not currently serviced by railways, particularly in Western China. Provision of railway infrastructure in these areas would help accelerate economic development by provision of efficient, relatively lower cost and faster transportation connectivity with the rest of the country.

The proposed Guiyang-Guangzhou line is part of the Ministry of Railway’s (MOR) network expansion plan. This line would provide a direct link between the relatively less-developed region of northwestern China with the Pearl River delta region, one of the most developed areas in China. It would access Sichuan Province, Chongqing and northwest China via the Sichuan-Guizhou Railway Line and Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway Line to the north, link to Yunnan Province via the Guiyang-Kunming Railway Line in the west, stretch to Pearl River Delta and the developed areas of Hong Kong and Macao. It will also link to the Economic Zone in Fujian and Taiwan via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Passenger Dedicated Railway Line and the Coastal Express Rail Link in the south, and reach the coastal areas of Guangxi and Hainan via the Hengyang-Nanning Railway Line and the Litang-Zhanjiang Railway Line (see Figure 1-1). The Guiyang-Guangzhou line will be a high standard inter-regional trunk railway line for both passenger and freight transportation, with passenger transportation as priority.

The proposed project will pass major cities of Guiyang, Duyun in Guizhou Province, Guiling and Hezhou in Guangxi, and Foshan, Zhaoqing and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.


Figure 0-1: Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Project

Guiyan

Guiyang

Guangzhou


EnvironmentalAssessment EA PreparationAccording to World Bank Operational Policy OP 4.01 Environmental Assessment, the proposed project is classed as a Category A project, due to the scale of potential environmental and social impacts and environmental sensitivities. As a result, the Bank required a full environmental impact assessment report. Chinese environmental assessment laws and regulations also required preparation of a full environmental assessment report.

MOR retained China Railway Second Survey and Design Institute (SSDI) and China Railway Fourth Survey and Design Institute (FSDI) for EA preparation. Both institutes have Class A environmental impact assessment accreditation by Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). SSDI was responsible for EA preparation for the section from Guiyang to Hezhou (CK0+000-CK597+650), and FSDI was responsible for EA preparation for the section from Hezhou to Guangzhou (CK567+200-CK823+513).

Two separate EIA reports were prepared in accordance with relevant provisions specified in Chinese EA laws/regulations and technical guidelines, as well as consideration of World Bank safeguard policies. A Consolidated EIA was then prepared by SSDI to synthesize the two separate EIA reports into one comprehensive summary and submitted to the World Bank.

The final English EA documents submitted to the World Bank include:

• Consolidated Environmental Impact Assessment Report• Environmental Management Plan• EA Executive Summary

This report is the English version of the Consolidated Environmental Impact Assessment, which includes a summary of the main text and the following Annexes:

Annex 1 List of Main Applicable Laws and Regulations Annex 2 Biodiversity Survey of Surface Vegetation Annex 3 Distribution of Protected Plants and Old Trees Annex 4 Wildlife Biodiversity Annex 5 Kasre Cave Ecological Survey Report Annex 6 Baseline Noise Monitoring Results Annex 7 Baseline Vibration Monitoring Results Annex 8 Borrow/Disposal Sites Annex 9 Key Tunnels and Mitigation Measures Annex 10 Noise Impact Prediction Results Annex 11 Noise Mitigation Measures Annex 12 Vibration Impact Prediction Results Annex 13 Vibration Mitigation Measures Annex 14 Public Consultation List

The Chinese EA reports were approved by the China Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on May 14, 2008.


Project Description The Gui-Guang Line is an important inter-regional railway corridor between southwest China and south China coastal areas. The alignment traverses through mountainous terrain except for a small eastern section of about 100 km that lies on relatively flat terrain. The total length is 857.3 km.

The total investment of the entire project is RMB 79.97 million Yuan (US$ 11.75 billion). The construction period is expected to be six years, commencing in late 2008. The railway line is expected to be commissioned by early 2015.

The proposed alignment of Gui-Guang Line is shown in Figure 2-1. Key project technical parameters are presented in Table 2-1 below.

Table 0-1: Key technical parameters of the Gui-Guang Line

Parameter Unit

Length 857.3 km Right-of-way Width Distance in center line of two tracks 4.6 m Minimum curve radius 3500m; in difficult locations sharper curves shall be

tolerated Maximum grade 18 in 1000, between Guiyang and Hezhou and 9 in

1000 between Hezhou and Guangzhou Effective length of departure track 850m for freight and 650m for passenger trains Traction Electric 25kV 50 Hz Train type Electric Multiple Units for 200 km/h trains and electric

locomotives for slower passenger trains and freight trains

Train operation control Automatic Traffic management control Centralized Traffic Control Minimum headway between trains 4 minutes for passenger trains and 5 minutes for

freight trains Axle load 25 tons Rail New 60 kg/m rails of 100m length, continuous welded

(CWR) Structure gauge Meets the requirements of transportation for double-

deck container train Connecting lines

Project Contents and Scale


A description of key project works and land occupation is summarized in Table 2-2.

Table 0-2: Key Project Components and Land Occupation

RailwayAlignmentThe Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway crosses Guizhou Province, Guangxi Province and Guangdong Province and is a major inter-regional railway passage linking the southwest coastal areas of the South China. The line starts from the Guiyang North Station in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, crosses Doupeng Mountain to Duyun via Longli and then enters from Sandu to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The line follows along the Duliu River via Rongjiang and Congjiang, crosses the Rongjiang River and then the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway Line. It then crosses the Lijiang River in Guilin, and passes Gongcheng, Zhongshan and Hezhou arriving at

Total area of land occupation 4472 Marshalling station 0

Permanent occupation 2484.7

Main passenger stations

5

Temporary occupation 1987.7 Intermediate stations 15

Land occupation

(km2) In which

Cultivated farmland 1285

Stations

Overtaking stations 15

Large temporary works and construction camp

372.9 L 3000m 167.3 km/200 (Nr.)

Borrow pits 40.4

Disposal sites 1099.7 L 3000 to 10000m 191.2 km/31 (Nr.)

Access road 474.8 L >10000 m 118.1 km/9 (Nr.)

2

Land occupation of ancillary

facilities (km2)

Total 1987.7

Tunnels

Total 476.7 km/240 (Nr.)

3 Bridge Total 317/171411m

Access road 1182.8km Rail assembling yard 4

Material plant (point) 19 Beam pre-casting yard 14 4Temporary

works Pre-cast yard 7 Large-scale rail laying base 4

II. Earth/stone works (unit: 106 m3)

Cross section Construction

S/NType of works Excavated Backfill

Reused from subgrade excavation

Reused from

tunnel excavation

Reused from

excavation of stations and yards

Amount of utilization as building material

Borrowamount

Spoil disposal

1 Subgrade 40.7 23.4 21.4 0.6 19.2

2 Tunnel 73.6 10.6 5.6 57.4

3Bridge & culvert

3.3 0.61 3.2

4Stations

and yards25.3 21.1 9.0 2.8 16.2

Total 142.8 45.1 21.4 10.6 9.0 5.6 3.4 96.1


Guangdong Province. Subsequently it enters into New Guangzhou Station of Guangzhou terminal via Huaiji, Zhaoqing, Sanshui and Foshan. The main line is 857.3 km in length.

SubgradeEmbankmentOf the total 857.3 km of main line, the length of embankment subgrade is 218.4 km, in which the subgrade of Guiyang North (included) - Hezhou (included) section is 127.3 km long; that of Hezhou (excluded) - New Guangzhou section is 91.1 km long. Subgrade of connecting lines and other auxiliary works is 95.5 km long.

BridgeWorksA total of 317 bridges (including connecting lines) will be constructed along the whole railway line, for a total length of 171.4 km, accounting for 20% of the total line length.

TunnelWorksA total of 240 tunnels (including connecting lines) will be constructed along the whole railway line, with a total length of 476.6 km, accounting for 55.6% of the total line length.

StationsThe Gui-Guang line will have 35 stations, including 5 main passenger stations, 15 intermediate stations and 15 bypass stations. Among these stations, 8 stations will be using existing stations with necessary expansion, and 27 will be newly built. The stations include the following locations shown below in Table 2-3.

Table 0-3: Location of Stations Guiyang North Guiyang Longli North Changming Duyun East Sandu Zenleng Rongjiang Bangtu Congjiang Tongle Sanjiang Shangyue Wutong West Guilin North Guilin Lingtian Nanxu Gongcheng Liang’an West Zhongshan Hezhou Hejie Guangning Huaiji Daling Sihui New Zhaoqing New Sanshui New Foshan Qicha Sanyanqiao West Guangzhou Guangzhou and New

Guangzhou

There is no locomotive depot or maintenance workshop to be constructed in the project.

ElectrificationWorksA 25kV single-phase industrial frequency AC system will be adopted along the whole railway line, and 20 traction substations will be constructed.

A GSM-R system will be used for radio communication, with carrier frequency of 885-889 MHz and 930-934 MHz. Radio signal relay stations will be installed along the length of the railway line, with average interval of 6 km. Each station will occupy an area of 100 m2.


Power will be sourced from the local grid under an electricity purchase agreement between Gui-Guang Railway Company and local electrical grid companies. Each company will be responsible for constructing a transmission line to each railway traction substations prior to operations. They will also prepare environmental assessments of their transmission line in accordance with national EIA regulations and technical guidelines and submitted to local environmental authorities for review and approval.

Aggregate Spoil andBorrowMaterialsThe project requirement for earth and stone works is about 187.91 million m3, including 142. million m3 of excavation and 45.1 million m3 of fill. The total amount of spoil material about 95.5 million m3, and total borrow material is 3.41 million m3.

At the preliminary design stage, six borrow sites and 347 spoil disposal sites were identified to accommodate the demand for borrow and spoil materials. The locations of borrow pits, spoil disposal sites and main temporary works are shown in Figure 2-2.

TemporaryConstructionWorksTemporary works along the whole line are summarized in Table 2-4. Of particular note to the environmental assessment is the total length (1182 km) of access roads that will be needed for construction.

Table 0-4: Temporary Construction Works

Name of work Unit Quantity

1. Material storage and processing plant Nr. 19

2. Beam fabricating (storage) yard Nr. 14

3. Rail assembly yard Nr. 4

4. Large-scale ballast storage yard Nr. 18

5. Small-scale ballast storage yard Nr. 300

6. Track slab prefabrication yard Nr. 7

7. Construction access road Km 1182


Legal Framework for Environmental Assessment

EnvironmentalAssessment Purpose andPrinciplesThe purpose of the environmental impact assessment is to evaluate the rationality and feasibility of construction of the new Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line, by analyzing current local and regional environmental conditions, assessing the range and magnitude of project impacts, and developing practical environmental protection mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts. The EA is expected to provide a credible basis for input to engineering design, environmental management and environmental planning, and be a vehicle to promote public participation throughout the project.

The assessment is comprehensive and addresses key environmental concerns related to project construction and operation. An emphasis has been placed on the evaluation of civil works such as tunnel and bridge construction, areas of cut and fill etc. and also project impacts on environmentally sensitive areas such as protected areas, scenic areas, forest reserves, cultural and historical sites. A key component of the environmental assessment is the incorporation of mitigation measures into Environmental Management Plan that will be implemented during project construction and operation.

National Laws andRegulationsThe preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed project fully complies with the provisions of relevant Chinese national laws and regulations for construction projects. A list of relevant laws and regulations are listed in Annex 1.

Table 3-1 summarizes some key provisions of applicable laws and regulations and project compliance relative to the preparation of environmental impact assessment and project design.


Table 0-1: Key Environmental Laws and Regulations and Project Compliance

Laws and Regulations Key Applicable Provisions Project Compliance

Environmental Protection Law “Construction projects that would cause environmental pollution must follow theprovisions of relevant environmental protection rules and regulations. The environmentalimpact assessment document must assess the pollution the project is likely to produce andits impact on the environment, and stipulate the preventive and mitigation measures. TheEA documents shall, after initial examination by the authorities in charge of theconstruction project, be submitted to the environmental protection administrationauthorities for approval following specified procedure.”

“Pollution mitigation measures of a construction project must be designed, built andcommissioned at the same time with the main part of the project. No permission shall begiven for a construction project to be commissioned or used, until its installations for theprevention and control of pollution are examined and considered up to the standard by therelevant environmental protection authority which had originally reviewed and approvedthe environmental impact assessment documents.

• EIA is prepared according torelevant laws/regulations andtechnical guidelines.

• Mitigation measures are developedin an EMP, incorporated intoproject design, and are to beimplemented and supervised duringconstruction.

• Final acceptance inspection will becarried out before commissioning.

Environmental ImpactAssessment Law

“The State adopts a categorized management approach for environmental impactassessment of construction projects according to the extent of environmental impact ofconstruction projects ……The Project proponent shall prepare Environmental ImpactAssessment Report, or Environmental Impact Assessment Form, or Environmental ImpactRegistration Form according to the follow criteria:

1) An Environmental Impact Assessment Report is required for a constructionproject that may cause major impact on the environment, giving comprehensiveand detailed evaluation of the pollution generated and environmental impactcaused by the construction project;

“Catalog for the Categorized Environmental Impact Assessment Management forConstruction Projects shall be compiled and published by the environmental protectionadministration under the State Council.”

“For construction projects that involve water conservation and soil erosion control, aWater and Soil Conservation Plan must be prepared and approved by relevant waterresource authorities.”

• A full EIA report is prepared, andapproved by Ministry ofEnvironmental Protection.

• A dedicated Water and SoilConservation Plan is developed andapproved by water resourcesauthorities.

Noticeon Strengthening EIAManagement for Construction

“The construction project must abide by environmental protection laws, regulations andstandards of China, and subject to EIA policies. With precondition of compliance with

• EIA and EMP are prepared incompliance with World Bank



ProjectsFunded by Loansfrom International FinancialInstitutions

China EIA provisions, consideration should be given to technical requirements of the IFI.” OP4.01 and in consideration ofWorld Bank Safeguards.

Environmental ProtectionManagement Regulations forTransport Projects

“All environmental protection facilities in transport projects must be simultaneouslydesigned, constructed and put into operation with the main body project…After projectcompletion, the project proponent shall submit application for acceptance inspection to theenvironmental protection authority which had originally reviewed and approved theenvironmental impact assessment documents.”

• Mitigation measures are developedin the EMP and incorporated intoproject design, and are to beimplemented and supervised duringconstruction.

• Final acceptance inspection will becarried out by MEP beforecommissioning.

Solid WastePollutionPrevention and Control Law

“It is forbidden for any units or individuals to dump or pile solid waste into rivers, lakes,canals, channels, reservoirs and flood lands and bank slope below the highest water leveland other places where laws and regulations stipulate to be forbidden to dump or pile solidwaste.”

“The construction units shall timely remove the solid waste produced during theconstruction of the project and shall utilize or dispose of the solid waste in accordance withthe requirement stipulated by the relevant administrative department in charge ofenvironmental sanitation.”

• A Water and Soil ConservationPlan is developed, and incorporatedinto EMP and contracts forimplementation

• Waste will be recycled or properlydisposed of in preselected andapproved disposal sites with a re-vegetation plan.

Water Pollution Preventionand Control Law

“It is forbidden to discharge or dump industry waste residues, urban refuse or other wastesinto any water body…. It is forbidden to pile or deposit solid wastes and other pollutantson flood land and bank slopes below the highest water level of rivers, lakes, canals,irrigation channels and reservoirs”

“Domestic and drinking surface water sources protection zones shall be divided into Class1 protection zone and Class 2 protection zone…. It is forbidden to construct or expand anyprojects that have noting to do with water supply facilities and protection of water sourceswithin the Class 1 zone. It is forbidden to construct or expand projects that woulddischarge sewage into water bodies within the Class 2 zone.”

• Mitigation measures regardingwaste management are built intothe EMP.

• The alignment is carefully chosento avoid drinking water resourceprotection areas.

Forestry Law “Construction project, survey and mining operations shall not occupy forest land or occupyas little forest land as possible. If forest land is to be occupied or acquired, projectproponent shall submit a land use application to the forestry authority of the people'sgovernment of or above the county level, and, after examination and approval, pay forest

• The alignment is designed withtunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme tominimize occupation of forestryland.



restoration fees according to the standard stipulated by the state.” • Legal procedures will be followedfor land acquisition andcompensation for restoration.

WildlifeProtection Law “The State protects wildlife and its habitats. It is forbidden for any one to illegally hunt ordestruct wildlife habitats.”

“If a construction project produces adverse effects on the environment for the survival ofwildlife under special state or local protection, the construction unit shall submit a reporton the environmental impact. The department of environmental protection shall, inexamining and approving the report, seek the opinion of the department of wildlifeadministration at the same level.”

• Alignment is carefully chosen toavoid protected natural habitats

• Tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme isadopted to minimize fragmentationimpacts.

• Potential impact is thoroughlyaddressed in the EIA, andnecessary mitigation measures aredeveloped in the EMP.

Wild PlantsProtectionRegulations

“The State protects wild plants and their habitats. All units and individuals shall beforbidden to illegally collect wild plants or damage the environment for their survival.”

“If a construction project may produce adverse effects on the environment for the survivalof the wild plants under special state or local protection, the construction unit shall makean assessment on the effects in its submitted report on the environmental impact; ……”

• Alignment is carefully chosen toavoid protected natural reserves.

• Protected wild plants are identifiedand protection measures developed

NatureReserveProtectionRegulations

“Nature reserves are classified into three zones, known as the Core Zone, Buffer Zone andExperimental Zone ….No unit or individual are allowed to enter the Core Zone, exceptthose who have been approved.….”

“A certain amount of area at the periphery of the Core Zone can be designated as BufferZone where only scientific research and observation activities are allowed. The area at theperiphery of the Buffer Zone is designated as Experimental Zone where scientificexperiments, teaching training, visit and observation, tourism and taming and breeding rareand endangered wild animals and plants and other activities are allowed.”

“Production facilities shall not be constructed in the Core Zone and Buffer Zone of naturereserves….For projects to be constructed in Experimental Zone, the discharge of pollutantsof projects shall not exceed the pollutant discharge standards stipulated by the state or thelocal government.”

• Alignment is carefully chosen toavoid protected natural reserves

• For un-avoidable reserves,alignment is arranged inExperimental Zone using tunnelscheme to minimize impact

• Other necessary measures aredeveloped in EMP

Scenic Area Management “All the scenic spots and natural environment in the scenic area shall be protected strictly • Alignment is carefully chosen to



Regulations and shall not be damaged or changed at will. …All the construction inside the scenic areaor its peripheral protection area shall be harmonious with the landscape…. Trees inside thescenic area and its peripheral protection area shall be cultivated and managed according tothe planning regardless of its tenure rights and shall not be felled. ……It is forbidden tofell ancient and famous trees. ……”

avoid scenic areas as much aspossible

• For un-avoidable scenic areas,alignment is arranged to avoidmain scenic spots

• Greening plan and special design ofstations are developed to beharmonious with the landscape

Water and Soil ConservationLaw

“In the construction of a rai1way, highway or waterway project, the disturbance ofvegetation shall be minimized; waste sand, rocks and earth thus created must be disposedof in an area specially designated for the purpose, and shall not be dumped out into anyriver, lake, reservoir or any ditch or canal other than the specially designated area; slopeprotection must be built or other land management measures adopted on hill-slopes withinthe frontage of the railway and highway; after the project is completed, trees must beplanted and grass grown on the earth--fetching area, excavated land surface and theexposed land surface for the disposition of waste sand, rock and earth, in order to preventsoil erosion. ”

• A Water and Soil ConservationPlan is developed, and incorporatedinto EMP and contracts forimplementation

Urban Old and FamousTreesManagement Method

“No units or individuals shall, for any reason or by any means, fell old and famous trees ortransplant old and famous trees without approval….If for special need that the Class 2 oldand famous trees should be transplanted, it should, after being examined and approved bythe urban greening authorities, be submitted to the provincial construction authorities forapproval; the transplanting of Class 1 ancient and famous trees should be examined by theprovincial construction authorities and be submitted to the provincial government forapproval….”

• Alternative alignment is studied toavoid old and famous trees to theextent possible

• Un-avoidable trees will berelocated following applicable legalprocedures

Noticeon StrengtheningNational Green CorridorConstruction by StateCouncil

“Green Corridor Construction is a major part of national greening campaign, and its mainobjective is to build green belt along roads, railways, rivers/canals and embankment….”

“Green Corridor must be planned together with overall planning of roads, railways andwater resources facilities, and be designed, implemented and finally accepted prior tocommission at same time with main projects”

“By 2005, all expressways, 60% of existing railway lines….shall be greened. By 2010, allroads, railway lines, rivers/canals and embankment that have the possibility of greening

• Extensive greening plan is designedalong the railway line followingrelevant technical guidelines



shall be greened”

Cultural Property Law “For large scale infrastructure projects, project proponent shall submit application toprovincial and municipal cultural property management authorities which will organizespecialized institutes to conduct archeological survey and investigation within the projectscope.”

“During project construction or agricultural activities, if cultural relic is found, one shouldimmediately stop to protect the site, and report to local cultural property authorities. Whena cultural authority receives such reporting, it shall, under normal situation, visit the sitewithin 24 hours and provide decision within 7 days. The cultural property authority canreport to local government to mobilize police department to protect the site. Chance find ofimportant cultural relics shall be immediately reported to national cultural propertyadministration which shall issue decision within 15 days since receipt of such reporting.”

• Cultural property survey along thewhole line has been conducted bylicensed archeological institutes.

• Alignment is fine-tuned to avoidexisting cultural relics sites

• Chance-find procedure will bestrictly followed.

Noticeon Strengthening NoisePollution Control of Railway

“New railway project must be subject to EIA procedure. …In urban areas, interchangeshall be adopted and the railway tracks shall be fully-fenced to eliminate horning noiseimpact during operation. …Mitigation measures shall be adopted to ensure compliancewith Railway Border Noise Limit Standard.”

“Urban planning department shall, in accordance with Urban Regional NoiseStandard,avoid planning of noise sensitive buildings such as schools, hospitals, residential areas,governmental or research institutes near the railway.”

• Noise impact is thoroughlyassessed following EIA technicalguidelines

• Noise mitigation measures (noisebarriers, sound-insulation windows,seamless rail, noise dampingsystem etc.) are designed tomitigate noise impact


World BankSafeguard PoliciesThe preparation of environmental impact assessment documents also follows the requirements of the World Bank’s safeguard policies. Ten World Bank safeguard policies were screened for the project. Of the ten policies, five are triggered: (1) OP4.01 Environmental Assessment; (2) OP4.04 Natural Habitats; (3) OP4.11 Physical Cultural Resources; (4) OP4.12 Involuntary Resettlement, and (5) OP 4.10 Indigenous People. The EIA documents have been prepared according to the requirements of these safeguard policies, which are summarized in Table 3-2.

Table 0-2: Applicable World Bank Safeguard Policies and Project Compliance

Safeguard Policies Actions

Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) • Category A project. Full EIA and EMP are prepared.

Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04)

• Alignment alternatives to avoid natural habitats • Adequate assessment of impacted protected areas and

mitigation measures incorporated in EMP.

Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11)

• Archeological survey conducted along alignment. • Alignment alternatives to avoid cultural relics sites. • Chance find procedures developed in EMP

Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) • RAP is prepared.

Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10)

• Social Assessment is conducted. • Indigenous People’s Plan is developed.

Assessment Scope andApplicable StandardsThe overall project scope considers the following:

• The entire Guiyang Guangzhou main line km in length including Guiyangand Guangzhou terminals and auxiliary works at Duyun Guilin and Hezhou

• Construction period construction will commence in late and completed inwith a total construction time of years

• Operation period from commencement of operation until for the near futureand for the far future

Assessment Scope

The assessment scope of each environmental factor is determined as shown below in Table 3-3, according to the relevant stipulations of Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of Railway Construction Projects (TB10502—93) and regional environmental features.


Table 0-3: Environmental Factors and Assessment Scope

Environmental factors

Assessment Scope

Area within 300m at the both sides of the center lines along the outer rails of the railway line.

Area within 100m out of boundaries of stations, sections and posts.

Area within 100m out of boundaries of temporary sites.

Area within 30m at the both sides of the center line of the construction access road.

Ecological environment

For the environmental sensitive areas, like natural reserve, scenic area, source water protection area, forest park and cultural relics protection unit, the assessment scopes shall be extended to cover the whole areas.

Acoustic environment

Area within 200m at the both sides of the railway line.

Waster water discharge outlets at stations along the railway line

Discharge of waste water produced in construction of key works during the construction period

Water environment

Assessment scope for source water production areas along the railway line shall be from bridge locations to downstream intakes

Electromagnetic frequency

Assessment scope for impact on televisions shall be within 80m from the center lines along the outer rails of the railway line, assessment scope for impact on traction substations shall be within 50m from the boundary walls of the traction substations, and focus area for analysis of impact on GSMR base station shall be the area of 50m in radius from the antennas.

Vibration Area within 60m from the center lines along the outer rails at the both sides of the railway line.

Assessment Standards

Standards for the project environmental assessment are presented below in Table 3-4. The standards were established in response to the official reply from the environmental protection bureaus of GuiZhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guangdong province to the Letter of Request for Verification of the Environmental Standards Proposed for the New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line. These standards are based on general national standards as well as local regulations and planning.


Table 0-4: Summary of Regulatory Limits and Standards Used in the Environmental Assessment

Environmentalfactor Standard Standard grade Applicable place and scope

Water body categorySection at Xiaobi township, Huaxi district of GuiyangcityClass I Drinking Water Source Protection Area

Water body categorySurface water body along the line (Guiyang-Hezhousection)

Water body category

Gushui river, the receiving water body at GuangningStationDabao water system, the receiving water body atZhaoqing StationNanshayong, the receiving water body at New SanshuiStation

Qu

alit

y st

and

ard

Environmental Quality Standards forSurface Water (GB3838-2002)

Water body categoryManing river, the receiving water body at HuaijiStation

Water body category Discharge forbiddenWater body category,Guangning Station, NewZhaoqing Station, NewSanshui Station

Grade one standard

Water body category, HuaijiStation

Grade two standard

Wa

ter

en

viro

nm

ent

Dis

cha

rge

sta

nd

ard

Integrated Wastewater DischargeStandard (GB8978-1996) Discharge into sewage

treatment plant, New FoshanStation, West GuangzhouStation, Guangzhou Station,Qicha Station, SanyanqiaoStation

Grade three standard



Standards for Irrigation Water Quality (GB5084-92)Agricultural irrigation canal (within Guangxi andGuangdong provinces)

Grade one Sensitive areas, like Longjiashan Forest ParkQ

ua

lity

stan

da

rd

Ambient Air Quality Standard(GB3095-1996) Grade two General area along the line

Grade one Longjiashan Forest Park

Am

bie

nt a

ir

Dis

cha

rge

stan

da

rd

Emission Standard of Air Pollutants(GB16297-1997)

Grade two

Sensitive area, like General area along the line

Boundaryalongsiderailway line

Emission Standard andMeasurement Methodsof Railway Noise onthe BoundaryAlongside RailwayLine (GB12525-90)

Daytime: Leq70 dBANighttime: Leq70 dBA

Place at 30m away from the center line along the outerrails

Dis

cha

rge

sta

nd

ard

Noise Limits for Construction Site (GB12523-90)

En

viro

nm

en

tal n

ois

e

Qu

alit

y st

and

ard

Residentialbuilding(includingteachers’dormitory inschools)

Standard ofEnvironmental Noise ofUrban Area (GB3097-93)

Class 1 zone:Daytime: Leq55dBANighttime: Leq45dBA

Areas more than 80m away from the center lines alongthe outer rails within Guangxi Zhuang AutonomousRegion (including schools and hospitals)Areas more than 70m away from the center lines alongthe outer rails at the both sides of the CK810+700-CK814+400 section in Guangzhou city



Class2 zone:Daytime: Leq60dBANighttime: Leq50dBA

Areas more than 60m away from the center linesalongthe outer rails within Guizhou provinceAreas more than 60m away from the center linesalongthe outer railsat the both sides of GMCK0+150-GMCK1+400 in Guangzhou cityAreas more than 60m away from the center linesalongthe outer railsat the both sides of CK761+000-CK810+700 and CK815+600-CK820+300 in FoshanCityOther areas temporarily without noise functiondivision along the railway line

Class4 zone:Daytime: Leq70dBANighttime: Leq55dBA

Areas within 30m-80m away from the center linesalong the outer rails within Guangxi ZhuangAutonomousRegionAreas within 30m-60m away from the center linesalong the outer rails within Guizhou provinceAreas within 30m-80m away from the center linesalong the outer rails (areas within 30m-70m inGuangzhou city), with the neighboring function zoneas the class1 zoneAreas within 30-60m away from the center linesalongthe outer rails, with the neighboring function zone asthe class2 zone.

For the area with acoustic environment function division, the corresponding standardshall be implemented.Daytime: Leq55dBANighttime: Leq45dBA

Special sensitive points, like school and hospital,within the class1 zone

Specialsensitivepoints, likeschool andhospital

Notice on MattersRelated toEnvironmental Noise inEnvironmental ImpactAssessment forConstruction Projectsof HighwaysandRailways (includinglight rail) (HF [2003]No.94)

Daytime: Leq60dBANighttime: Leq50dBA

Special sensitive points, like school and hospital, outof the class1 zone



“Residential andculture andeducation area”

Daytime:70dBNighttime:67dB

Rural area

Assessmenton existingconditions

“At both sides ofmain lines ofcommunication”“hybrid area,centralcommercial area”

Daytime:75dBNighttime:72dB

Urban area

Vib

ratio

n e

nvi

ron

men

t

Standard of Vibration inUrban AreaEnvironment(GB10070-88)

Predictiveassessment

“At both sides oftrunk railways”

Bothdaytimeandnighttime:80dB

Place more than 30m away from the both sides of thenew railway line

Regulations forElectromagnetic RadiationProtection(GB8702-88)

Limit value of public exposure Be healthy to human body

Signal-to-noise ratio not less than 35dB Radio television reception for inhabitantsRegulations for Electromagnetic Radiation Protection (GB8702-88)

Frequency range(MHz)

Electrical fieldstrength(V/m)

Magneticfieldstrength(A/m)

Power density(W/m2)

0.1�3 40 0.1 40

3�30 67/f

0.17/f 12/f

30�3000 12 0.032 0.4

3000�15000 0.22f

0.001f f/7500

Ele

ctro

ma

gn

etic

env

iron

me

nt

15000�300000 27 0.073 2

Electromagnetic radiation at GSMR base station


Definition of Environmentally SensitiveAreasAlthough the project made a significant effort to consider alternative alignments to avoid environmentally, socially and culturally sensitive areas, the proposed alignment will inevitably pass through some nature reserves, forest parks, scenic areas, drinking water resource protection areas which are all considered as environmentally sensitive areas.

According to Chinese laws and regulations, the definition of these terms is as follows:

Nature Reserve

“A Nature Reserve is legally protected land, surface water body or sea area which features a typical natural ecological system, natural concentrated habitats for rare or endangered wildlife, or natural relics with special meaning.”

Nature reserves are classified into three zones, known as the Core Zone, Buffer Zone and Experimental Zone. No one is allowed to enter the Core Zone without approval. For the Buffer Zone, only scientific research and observation activities are allowed. The area at the periphery of the Buffer Zone is designated as Experimental Zone where scientific experiments, teaching training, visit and observation, tourism and taming and breeding rare and endangered wild animals and plants and other activities are allowed. Road (including railway) project within Experimental Zone is allowed, subject to approval of the nature reserve management authority.

Forest Park

“A Forest Park is an area with beautiful forest view, concentrated natural view and human cultural landscape designed for the purpose of tourism, rest, or science, cultural or

educational activities.”

There are three levels of forest park, i.e. national, provincial and city/county level, whose establishment shall be approved by national, provincial and municipal forest bureau respectively.

A Railway project is allowed, subject to agreement of the forest park management authority and approval of corresponding level of government.

Scenic Area

“A Scenic Area is an area with view, cultural or scientific value, features concentrated natural or human landscapes and beautiful environments and serves the purpose of tourism, scientific or cultural activities.”

Construction projects within a scenic area should be consistent with scenic area planning and compatible with the surrounding landscape.

A Railway project is allowed subject to approval of the scenic area management authority.

Water Resource Protection Area


“A Water Resource Protection Area is a certain area of water body and land designated for prevention of pollution on drinking water sources and protection of environmental quality of the area.”

Surface water resource protection area normally includes Class 1 protection area and Class2 protection area. Local governments determine the boundary of the protection areas. The general guideline is, for water intake in normal rivers, Class 1 protection area includes river section between at least 1000m upstream and 100 m downstream, and river bank within no less than 50 m; Class 2 protection area include river section extending 2000m upstream and 200 m downstream from the border of Class 1 area. A semi-protection area can be determined outside the Class 2 protection boundary.

A Railway project is allowed in Class 2 protection area and semi-protection area.


Analysis of Alternatives

NoProject ScenarioAt present, there is no express railway between Guiyang and Guangzhou. The traveling distance from Guiyang to Guangzhou is 1,400 Km through Guizhou-Guangxi Railway and a transfer to Hengyang-Nanning Railway. The time required for travel is 20 hours.

Passenger flow along this route is comprised of local and transferring passengers, with the former in smaller proportion than the latter. Main travel purposes are tourism, business and family visits. Guizhou and Guangxi possess rich tourism resources in China, and tourism has become the mainstay of these two provinces in recent years. With improvement in living standards, more and more people accept the idea of tourism aimed at recreation, sight-seeing, and being on vacation. As a result of this, the numbers of tourists have increased rapidly in recent years. Meanwhile, with the continuous improvement in national economy, visiting relatives and friends, and business activities have become more frequent day by day, and local passengers keep increasing steadily.

Guizhou is among the poorest provinces in China, but is rich with natural resources, while Guangzhou is the one the most developed provinces. With rapid economic development in China, the demand for transportation between the resource rich Southwest and Northwest China is increasing rapidly. Demand forecast has identified the significant demand of improving infrastructure of regional transport network to facilitate social and economic development in the long run. Therefore, improving passenger and freight transport infrastructure along the corridor must be sought to achieve balanced development in southwest China, and this is clearly reflected through planned Giu-Guang corridor in the Mid and Long-Term Development Plan of MOR.

Without the proposed Gui-Guang railway project, the increasing passenger and freight transportation demand would have to be met through widening of the existing highway network and construction of new high-grade highway, which will have larger environmental footprint and social impact given its wider ROW. Furthermore, vehicles will have higher emission of air pollutants and green house gases, compared to the railway for equivalent transportation capacity of passenger and freight, and poses higher risk of traffic safety in Chinese context.

The proposed Gui-Guang railway will substantially shorten the travel distance between Guiyang and Guangzhou from 1,400 km to 857 km, and reduce the travel time from 20 to 5 hours. It will also provide convenient access to the southeast Guizhou and north Guangxi people where there is no railway network in the region. The Gui-Guang railway will significantly improve mobility and accessibility in the project area. During the construction and operation period, the supporting industries along the railway line such as, building materials and the power industry will be stimulated, the quantity of employment will be increased, development of local economy will be accelerated, social resource allocation will be optimized, and sustainable development of regional social economy will be promoted.

The proposed Gui-Guang railway project will have adverse environmental and social impacts, while these impacts can be avoided, minimized, mitigated or otherwise


adequately compensated through careful alignment selection to avoid environmentally and social sensitive sites and development of a strong environmental management plan.

In general, the proposed Gui-Guang railway is a rational option to achieve the overall project development objective of reducing transport time and costs from the relatively poor provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan in southwest China to the ports and economic growth centers of the Pearl River delta.

Macro level Corridor SelectionDuring the project proposal and feasibility study, three corridors at the regional level were studied, namely Northern, Central and Southern line schemes (Figure 4-1). Comparative analyses of these three corridors were carried out considering the current situation and development planning of the regional railways. At this stage, the main factors considered are regional economic and social development as well as financial and technical aspects, as specific environmental concerns could not be meaningfully examined at this macro-scale analysis.

The three macro level corridor schemes include:

z Northern line Scheme via Huaihua and Yongzhou, partially following existing Zhuzhou-Liupanshui Railway and Beijing-Guangzhou Railway

z Central line Scheme via Guilin and Hezhou, and

z Southern line Scheme via Liuzhou and Wuzhou, partially following existing Guiyang – Liuzhou railway.

Figure 4-1 Macroscopical Route Schemes of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway

Comparative analysis has been conducted in terms of technical and financial indicators, network layout and scoping, social poverty alleviation, and tourism development.

Technical and Financial Considerations

Central Line Scheme Northern Line Scheme

Southern Line Scheme

Guiyang

Guangzhou

Guilin

HezhouLiuzhou

Wuzhou

Yongzhou

Huaihua


The technical and financial indicators of the three corridor schemes are summarized in Table 4-1.

Table 0-1: Main Technical and Economic Indicators of Macroscopical Route Schemes

Item Unit Northern line scheme

Central line scheme

Southern line scheme

Operational length Km 1116.6 857.300 942.3

Construction length Km 1115.3 833.365 941.0

Total length of bridges and tunnels km 694.05 465.752 502.62

Cost estimates (static) RMB 10 thousand Yuan 9121274.61 7997116.61 6960786.34

The central scheme has the shortest length and moderate investment compared to Northern and Southern schemes. It provides the most efficient passage from Guiyang to Guangzhou, and will be a convenient passage connecting Sichuan, Chongqing and the Northwest part of China to the Pearl river delta area after opening for traffic on Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway Line. The proposed railway line is also an integral part of rail route between southwest and northwest of China and Hujian and Taiwan economic regions.

Potential Service Area

With varying length of lines to be newly constructed, the lines in the proposed three schemes pass through different areas, which would result in an increased level of service, passenger, and freight traffic volume. Analysis shows that the Central line scheme will improve the level of service, i.e., a total of 13 cities and counties direct and indirectly compared to 6 for the Northern and 7 for the Southern line.

Poverty Alleviation and Local Economic Development

Both Northern and Southern schemes will occupy large portions of existing railway, where economic structure and industrial distribution along the line is relatively developed. On the contrary, the areas that the Central scheme passes are remotely mountainous. The counties in this region lack basic infrastructure and the absence of railway line has increased accessibility problems leading towards poor economic development and weak industrialization.

However, there is rich tourism potential in Duyun, Sandu, Congjiang, Guilin, Yangshuo, and Zhaoqing due to well preserved natural and cultural resources. Development of tourism has been significantly restricted by accessibility problems. The Central line will play an important role in connecting all these scenic areas, attracting more tourists, and driving tourist resource development along the line. Therefore, the Central scheme will have significant benefits leading to poverty alleviation, economic development and improvement in the lifestyle of local people along the railway line. This was clearly reflected through the eagerness and support from local government and the public during consultation process.


In summary, the Central line scheme is the most efficient express passage connecting the southwest and northwest part of China and Pearl River delta area. It can effectively expand regional railway network, and will bring potential benefits to the region, alleviate poverty and improve socio-economic development. These developments are consistent with the Ministry of Railways policies and therefore, it is recommended for further feasibility studies.

AlternativeAlignment for SectionsThe railway line is located in the east of Guizhou plateau and between the mountains and hilly areas in the northeast of Guangxi. The topographic conditions in the region are complicated with unfavorable geological conditions and environmentally sensitive areas. The proposed railway line will be constructed in the economically underdeveloped regions of Guizhou and Guangxi. The region lacks waterways, highways, and airline facilities. The economic hubs along the railway line are Guiyang, Duyun, Rongjiang, Congjiang, Sanjiang, Guilin, Gongcheng, Zhongshan and Hezhou, etc., and these hubs are located far from each other (40-50 km in average). Stations shall be set up for each economic hub, because it is extremely difficult to select routes and locate stations. Based on special geographic location, geological conditions and functional / technical standards of the railway, the concept of environmental protection was seriously considered in the alignment location during the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies. Utmost effort has been made to avoid the environmentally sensitive areas as much as possible to ensure environmental feasibility of the alignment. In this regard, alternatives analysis has been regarded as one of the most important mitigation measures to minimize potential adverse environmental and social impact.

Field surveys were conducted along the Central scheme corridor to identify environmentally sensitive areas that could be potentially impacted, including natural reserves, scenic areas, forest parks, geological parks, source water protection areas and cultural relics, as well as urban planning. There are 47 environmentally sensitive sites identified along the project corridor. Various alternatives were studied and the final proposed alignment successfully avoided 40 environmentally sensitive areas. However, due to the distribution of economic hubs and special natural conditions along the line, there are 8 environmentally sensitive areas that will be impacted. These include: (1) Longjiashan National Forest Park, (2) Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area at the provincial level, (3) Congjiang Scenic Area at the provincial level, (4) Liping Dongxiang National Scenic Area in Guizhou, (5) Shoucheng Natural Reserve at the level of autonomous region, (6) Yangshuo National Forest Park, (7) Gongcheng class I source water protection area, and (8) Lianhua-Gulou cultural relics protection unit at the county level in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Potential impact and mitigation measures for these sites are addressed in Chapter 6.

Alternative alignments for various sections have been extensively studied, during which acomprehensive comparison was conducted to choose the optimal scheme in terms of environmental and social impacts, technical feasibility, and financial and economic benefits. Consultation with local governments and relevant authorities of environmentally sensitive areas were conducted and fully incorporated into the


alternative selection process. Several key sections alternative comparison processes were summarized below:

Alternative Alignment for CK13+000-CK41+400 within Longli

This section passes through economic hubs of Guizhou Province, Longli County, and is limited by several environmentally sensitive areas, including the overall urban planning of Longli County, Longjiashan National Forest Park, military restricted area and Houzigou Drinking Water Source Protection Area. The railway line cannot bypass Longjiashan and Xiangshuihe Scenic Area in Longjiashan National Forest Park. Two alternatives were considered:

• Detour line (red line in Figure 4-2)

• New line (blue line).

The main comparative factors are summarized in Table 4-2.

Based on comprehensive comparison analysis, it is concluded that scheme of a detour line has the overall advantage of less civil works (22 km shorter), less land acquisition, avoidance of core scenic area and core natural forest area, and agreement with local governments. Hence, the detour line was recommended for construction.


Table 0-2: Alternative Comparison for Longli SectionFactors Detouring line New line Recommended

scheme

Engineering andeconomic conditions

The line is28.939km long (including utilization of theexisting line, i.e. the line to beconstructed is shorterthan the line in theschemeof anew line by 21.975km,and theamount of investment isRMB 1,164,484,950Yuan.

Due to complicated engineering conditions andlong distance, the amount of investment is higherthan the line in thescheme, making use of thedetouring lineof passenger trains by RMB706,359,460 Yuan, and therewill bemuch largercivil works.

Schemeof makinguse of detouring line

Environmentalrationale

The linewill pass through Longjiashan Forest Parkmainly through tunnels, without significantsegmentation of thewholescenic area.

It will occupy more land than the line in thescheme, making useof the detouring lineby18.53ha.The linewill pass through LongjiashanScenic Areaby a connecting line, which will crosstheconcentrated distribution areaof naturalforests, with only 800m from thecorescenic spot,Baxian Cave, so it will have impacts onenvironment, vegetation and landscape in thescenic area.

Schemeof makinguse of detouring line.

Impact on socialenvironment

Less work in land acquisition, restoring demolishedhouses and relocation of communities

Morework in land acquisition, restoringdemolished houses and relocation of communities

Schemeof makinguse of detouring line

Suggestions fromlocal government

The route isconsistent with opinions provided by thelocal government of Longli County. Longjiashan ForestPark wasagreed by the Forestry Department of GuizhouProvince in the form of a written letter.

The local government of Longli County andForestry Department of Guizhou Provincedisagreed with thescheme.

Schemeof makinguse of detouring line.


New line

Detour line

Longjiashan ScenicArea

Houzigou ScenicSpot of

Xiangshuihe ScenicArea

Core scenict

Core scenict

Houzigou Source WaterProtection Area of Longli

Core forest

BaxianCave

Longli

MilitaryAdministrative

zone

Figure 4-2 Alternatives for Longli Section


Alternative Alignments for CK194+800-CK381+700 within Zenleng–Sanjiang

The railway line passes through Rongjiang County, Congjiang County, Liping County in Guizhou and Sanjiang County in Guangxi. It is impossible to avoid sub-areas in the Congjiang Scenic Area due to some limitations: technical conditions of the line, natural topographical conditions, distribution of environmentally sensitive areas and the planned protection scope, as well as location of stations determined according to demands of local economic development.

Three alternatives lines proposed for the study are (shown in Figure 4-3):

z Northern line (red line)

z Central line (blue line)

z Southern line (purple line).

A detailed comparative analysis is summarized in Table 4-3.

Based on comprehensive comparison, it is concluded that the Northern line option has the overall advantage of smallest civil works, avoidance of core scenic spots, broader benefits on Li(ping)-Cong(jiang)-Rong(jiang) region, and agreement from local governments and Congjiang Scenic Area management authorities. Therefore, the Northern line was recommended for construction.


Table 0-3: Alternatives Comparison for Zenleng-Sanjiang SectionScheme

IndexScheme of Northern Line Scheme of Central Line Scheme of Southern Line

Recommendedscheme

Engineering,technical andeconomicconditions

Earth and stoneworksare8,170,700 sqm., smallest in the candidateschemes.Bridges and tunnelsare168.557km long,shortest in the candidateschemes.

Earth and stone worksare8, 736, 700sq.ms, and bridgesand tunnels are178.985km long.

Earth and stoneworksare9,230,800 sq.m., and bridgesand tunnels are168.622kmlong.

Schemeof northernline

Environmentalrationality

The line will pass through RongjiangGurong Scenic Areaand CongjiangScenic Areaat the provincial level, andLiping National Scenic Area, producingno damage to thescenic spots at all levelsin thescenic areas. Impact on thescenicareas issmaller than the other twoschemes.

The linewill pass through RongjiangGurong Scenic Areaand CongjiangScenic Area at theprovincial level,Congjiang bashaNatural Reserves atthecounty level, Rongjiang Class IISourceWater Protection Area.120Tong ethnic households will berelocated, and the linewill produceunrecoverable damage to thescenicareas.

The line will pass throughRongjiang Gurong Scenic Areaand Congjiang Scenic Areaatthe provincial level, RongjiangClass II SourceWaterProtection Area, involvingmany grade II and III scenicspots. 110 Tong ethnichouseholdswill be relocated,and the line will produceunrecoverabledamage to thescenic areas.


Impact onsocialenvironment

Economic development and developmentof tourist resources at Li(ping)-Cong(jiang)-Rong(jiang) region inSoutheast Prefectureof GuizhouProvince, Guizhou Provincewill beaccelerated, and development of regionaltourism will bedriven.

Economic development anddevelopment of tourist resources atRongjiang County will beaccelerated,but will affect other economic hubs.

Economic development anddevelopment of touristresourcesat Rongjiang Countywill be accelerated, but affectother economic hubs.


Opinions fromthe localgovernment

The route is consistent with theopinionsof local governments of RongjiangCounty, Congjiang County, SanjiangCounty, Southeast Prefectureof Guizhou

Theroute is inconsistent with theopinionsof local governments ofRongjiang County, Congjiang County,Sanjiang County, Southeast Prefecture

Theroute is inconsistent withthe opinionsof localgovernments of RongjiangCounty, Congjiang County,



Province, Guizhou Province, LiuzhouCity.The routepassing through threescenicareaswas agreed by thecompetentauthority in the form of awritten letter.

of Guizhou Province, GuizhouProvince, Liuzhou City.

Sanjiang County, SoutheastPrefecture of GuizhouProvince, Guizhou Province,Liuzhou City.


Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village Scenicspot

Zengchong Gulou Scenic Spot

Congjiang bashaNatural Reserves

Zhaoxing Diping Scenic Spot

Rongjiang SourceWater Protection

Yintan-Xiaohuang Scenic Spot Longtu Scenic Spot

Figure 4-3 Alternatives for Zenleng-Sanjiang Section


Alternative Alignments for CK327+000-CK399+000 in Longsheng-Guilin

This section is located in Longsheng and Lingui County in Guangxi. Due to the limitation of topography and geological conditions and the connection with existing Guilin North station, the alignment alternatives cannot avoid environmentally sensitive sites in the area, i.e. Choucheng Nature Reserve, Huaping Nature Reserve, Qingshitan Nature Reserve and Qingshitan water resource protection area.

Three alternatives proposed for detailed study are (shown in Figure 4-4):

z Northern line (blue line)

z Central line (green line)

z Southern line (red line).

A detailed comparison analysis is summarized in Table 4-4.

Based on comprehensive comparison, it is concluded that the Southern line option has the overall advantage of least impact on Shoucheng Nature reserve (Experimental Zone) through a tunnel scheme, avoidance of the core zone of Huaping Nature Reserve and Qingshitan Nature Reserve and water resource protection area, and is consistent with national regulations and agreement from the reserve management authority. Therefore, the Southern line option is recommended.


Table 0-4: Alternatives Comparison for Longsheng-Guilin SectionScheme

IndexScheme of southern line Scheme of central line Scheme of northern line

Recommendedscheme


Low investment, bridges andtunnels accounting for 84.83% ofthe total length of the line, andstrong engineering feasibility

Heavy investment, bridgesandtunnelsaccounting for 92.29% ofthe total length of the line. Therewill be many long tunnels alongthe line, which will increaseengineering risks and constructiondifficulties, so theengineeringfeasibility is low

Heavy investment, and bridges and tunnelsaccounting for 86.55% of the total lengthof the line. Construction of tunnels withinthe reservemay cause loss of waterresources.

Scheme ofsouthern line


The line in theschemewill crosstheexperimental area inShoucheng Natural Reserveat thelevel of autonomous regionmainly through tunnels, generateless impact on environment.

The line in theschemewill crossthecore area and buffer areaofHuaping National Natural Reserveof Guangxi, and will haveadverseaffects on silver fir, one of thefirst-classprotection treespecies,and habitatsof somerare wildanimals.

The line in theschemewill crossQingshitan Natural Reserveat the level ofautonomous region, Qingshitan ScenicArea at the level of autonomous region,and Qingshitan Drinking Water SourceProtection Area, mainly through bridgesand sub grades, so the construction oftunnels in the reserves may cause lossofwater resources.



Lesswork in land acquisition,building demolition and relocationof inhabitants

Morework in land acquisition,building demolition and relocationof inhabitants

Morework in land acquisition, buildingdemolition and relocation of inhabitants


Opinions from thelocal government

Passing through theexperimentalarea in Shoucheng NaturalReserveat the level ofautonomousregion was agreed bytheForestry Bureau of GuangxiZhuang AutonomousRegion

Theschemebreaches theregulationson NatureReserveProtection in thePeople’sRepublic of China.

The line in theschemewill produce hugeimpact on sensitiveareas, so thecompetentauthority disagreed with it.



Figure 4-4 Alternative Comparison for Longsheng-Guilin Section

Huaping NatureReserve

Core ZoneBuffer Zone

Experimental Zone

Shoucheng Nature Reserve

Core Zone

Experimental Zone

Geological hazard area

Qingshitan Nature Reserve,Qingshitan water resources protectionarea

Northern line

Southern line

Central Line


Alternative Alignments for CK453+000-CK587+000 in Guilin-Hezhou

The alignment will pass through Guilin city, Lingchuan, Yangshuo, Gongcheng, Zhongshan County and Hezhou city. There are three environmentally sensitive sites in this area, i.e. Lijiang Scenic Area, Yangshuo Forest Park, and Haiyangshan Nature Reserve.

Three alternatives proposed for detailed are (shown in Figure 4-5):

z Northern line (pink line),

z Central line (red line)

z Southern line (blue line).

A detailed comparative analysis is summarized in Table 4-5.

Based on comprehensive comparison, it is concluded that the Central line option has the overall advantage of least impact on Yangshuo Forest Park by passing through the peripheral regions of the park, avoidance of world famous Lijiang Scenic Area (to be passed by Southern line), avoidanceof Haiyangshan Nature Reserve within Yangshuo Forest Park and is less of an engineering challenge. This plan is consistent with local planning and agreement from local governments. Therefore, the Central line is recommended.


Table 0-5: Alternatives Comparison for Guilin-Hezhou SectionScheme

IndexSchemeof Central Line Scheme of Southern Line Schemeof Northern Line

RecommendedScheme

Engineering,technical, andeconomic conditions

Theamount of constructioninvestment is the lowest comparedto other lines.

The bedrock is soluble rock, andthe total length of soluble rockreaches 122.7km withdeveloped karsts, so theengineering geologicalconditions areunfavorable.

About 18 km long tunnel will beconstructed, and theconditionsareunfavorable.

Schemeofcentral line


The line will crossYangshuoNational Forest Park, and produceno damage to scenic spotsat alllevels in the park, so the impact issmaller than the line in other twoschemes

The linewill cross LijiangNational Scenic Area. It will cutacross thenatural landscape,and will to conflicts on otherlandscapes

The linewill cross Haiyangshan NaturalReserve at the level of autonomous regionand Yangshuo National Forest Park,producing impact on rare animals andplants in the reservesduring constructionand operation period.



Less work in land acquisition,building demolition and relocationof affected people

Moreworks in land acquisition,building demolition andrelocation of affected people

Moreworks in land acquisition, buildingdemolition and relocation of affectedpeople


Opinions from thelocal governmentofficials

The line passing through thesoutheast marginal zoneofYangshuo Forest Park wasagreedby the Forestry Bureau of GuangxiZhuang Autonomous Region in theform of a written letter.The local government agreed withthe route.

No formal replay wasmade totheoverall planning of GuilinLijiang Scenic Area, and theschemebreaches the ScenicSpotsand Historical SitesRegulations.

No formal replay was made to theoverallplanning of Haiyangshan Natural Reserveat the level of autonomous region, and thescheme breaches theRegulations onNatureReserveProtection in thePeople’sRepublic of China.The local governmentsof YangshuoCounty, PingleCounty and ZhongshanCounty disagreed with the location ofstations.



Figure 4-5 Alternatives Comparison for Guilin-Hezhou Section

Central line

Southern line

Northern line

Lijiang Scenic Area

Yangshuo Forest Park

Haiyangshan Reserve


Alternatives Comparison for Access Line to Guiyang City

Two alternative schemes were studied during the feasibility stage (shown in Figure 4-6):

z Guiyang Station scheme (red line): through existing Guiyang Station to Guiyang North terminal

z Bypassing scheme (pink line): bypass existing Guiyang Station with the new construction line leading to Guiyang North terminal

Based on comprehensive comparison, it is concluded that Guiyang Station scheme has the overall advantage of less civil work and land acquisition (18 km less than Bypassing scheme), least impact on Yangshuo Forest Park by passing through the edge of the park, avoidance of world famous Lijiang Scenic Area (to be passed by Southern line), avoidance of Haiyangshan Nature Reserve within Yangshuo Forest Park, less engineering challenge, consistent with local planning and agreement from local governments. Therefore, the Central line is selected.


Table 0-6: Alternative Comparison for Access Line to GuiyangScheme

IndexThrough Guiyang Station scheme Bypassing Guiyang Station scheme Recommended

scheme


The line to benewly constructed isshorter. Theamount of workinvolved is less compared to other schemes, and amount ofconstruction investment is lower than thedetouring schemebyabout RMB 2.35 billion Yuan. It will connect Guiyang Stationleading to flexible operation, and provideconvenient transfer topassengers.

The line to benewly constructed in thedetouringscheme is longer than the other scheme by17.838km, so theamount of work is larger.

Ground lead-inscheme


The linewill be constructed along theexisting railway passage inGuiyang City, bypassing several environmentally sensitiveareasand it involves theplanning land of Qianling Park and ProtectedAreas on theoutskirts of thepark, wherea largequantity ofresidential buildings, factory workshops and warehousesarelocated. But there’s a lack of landscape resource, so the line willproduce lower impact on the planning scenic area.The line will be constructed in the urban area of Guiyang City inparallel with the existing railway, detours many high-graderesidential areas under construction or to be constructed, andnoise impact can be reduced as much as possible after measuresare taken on the sensitive points of concentrated residential areas.

The line in the scheme will bypass the existing landand the planning land of Qianling Park, producinglower impact on the existing urban area, but it willcross Aha Reservoir Class I Source WaterProtection Area, which is not permissible.The line in the scheme will involve several large-scale commercial and residential buildings underconstruction or to be constructed.



Less works in land acquisition, building demolition and relocationof affected people

More works in land acquisition, buildingdemolition and relocation of affected individuals.


Opinions from thelocal government

Development and Reform Commission of Guizhou Provincedefinitely gave its consent to the ground lead-in scheme in theform of a written letter.

Development and Reform Commission of GuizhouProvince expressed clearly in the form of a writtenletter that the line lead-in from Guanshan Stationshall bypass Aha Reservoir Class I DrinkingSource Water Protection Area and the formerGuizhou University of Technology



Figure 4-6 Alternative Comparison for Access Line to Guianyang

Aha ReservoirDrinking

Water Source

��

QianlingParkShengquan Cultural

Relics Protection Unitat the municipal level

Caijiaguan Campus ofGuizhou University

Residential area

Through Guiyang scheme

Detouring

Residentialarea

Residentialarea

Guiyang

Guiyang

North

Class I SourceWaterProtection


Baseline Environment

Biophysical Environment

Climate and Air Quality

The project area belongs to sub-tropical humid monsoon climate region, with year round mild temperature and humidity, and abundant precipitation (about 1200mm - 1900mm). Precipitation is mainly concentrated in flood season, i.e. April – September. The major meteorological data is summarized in Table 5-1.

Table 0-1: Main Climate Data in the Project Area

Parameters Range Annual average temperature (oC) 15.3 – 22.2 Max. temperature (oC) 35.7 – 40.6 Min. temperature (oC) -9.5 – -1.0 Annual average precipitation (mm) 1316.9 – 1926.1 Annual average evaporation (mm) 1043 – 1580 Annual average relative humidity (%) 76 – 82 Average wind speed (m/s) 1.0 – 2.3 Frost-free period (day) 280 - 320

Air quality data along the railway corridor has been collected and analyzed. Due to most of the alignment occurs in mountainous and rural areas, the air quality is fairly good, in compliance with Class I and II standards of Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-1996). Air quality in major cities, i.e. Guangzhou and Guiyang, may fall into Class III (slight pollution) for 19-30 days a year, with main pollutant of PM10.

Geology and Soils

Landforms

Generally, there are five geological landform units between Guiyang and Guangzhou, i.e. (1) Yunnan-Guizhou plateau denuded middle and low solution mountains, (2) plateau slope erosion middle and low tectonic mountains and hilly area, (3) denuded middle mountains, karst low mountains and hilly area in the northeast of Guangxi, (4) middle, low mountains and hilly area belonging to branches of Nanling Mountain, and (5) alluvial plain of Pearl River. Detailed topography of the railway alignment corridor is shown in Figure 5-1, and a sketch of landforms is shown in the following Figure 5-2.

Figure 5-2 Typical Landforms along Gui-Guang Railway Line

Guiyang Sandu Wutong Hezhou Zhaoqing Guangzhou

Yunnan-Guizhou plateau denuded, middle and low solution mountains

Plateau slope erosional,middle and low tectonic mountains and hilly area

Denuded middle mountains, karst low mountains and hilly area in the northeast of Guangxi

Middle, low mountains and hilly area belonging to branches of Nanling Mountain

Alluvial plain of Zhujiang River


Lithology

Guiyang – Hezhou Section: Geological formation features mainly sedimentary rock ranges from Sinian to Quaternary system, in which the Guiyang-Sandu and Wutong-Hezhou features soluble rock and clastic rock, and Congjiang-Wutong section features sandstone and shale. There are also Yanshanian granite distribution in Gongcheng – Liang’an section, and metamorphic rock of pre Sinian system.

Hezhou – Guangzhou: Rock formation between Hezhou – Sihui includes metamorphic rock and sedimentary rock of Paleozoic Erathem, granite of Yanshanian and Cretaceous red rock, while Sihui – Guangzhou section is Pear River plain with alluvial soft soil.

Soil

There is complex soil in the construction area, beside the complicated geological, topographical and climatic conditions. The main regional soil on plateau areas are yellow soil, and there are also varied types of soil, like cabook, red earth, yellow brown earth, meadow soil under montane thicket, limestone soil, purple soil and paddy soil, etc.

The total soil erosion potential for Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangzhou was studied, with emphasis on the project assessment scope along the alignment. Remote sensing maps were analyzed, combined with field survey to assess the soil erosion potential of the project area, according to criteria stipulated in National Soil Erosion Survey Technical Guideline. (See Figure 5-3.1 – Figure 5-3.5).

It is concluded that the area susceptible to soil erosion in the Guiyang - Hezhou section is 7574.76 ha, accounting for 21.29% of the assessment scope, indicating relatively light soil erosion due to good forest coverage. The area susceptible to soil erosion in the Hezhou – Guangzhou section is 7522.82 ha, accounting for 48.59% of the assessment scope area, indicating a worse situation than the Guiyang - Hezhou section, due to less surface vegetation and more farmland cultivation.

Geological Hazard

The unfavorable geological conditions along the railway line mainly are karst, mining areas, landslide, harmful gas, dangerous rock and rockslide, radioactivity and bedding etc.

Special rock and soil are mollisol, soft soil, swelling (rock) soil and red clay, as well as liquefiable foundation soil. The general distribution of geo-hazard areas is shown in Figure 5-4.


Figure 5-4 Distribution of Geological Hazard

Guizhou and Guangxi are the main distribution are of karst in China. The karst area in Guizhou is 109,100 km2, mainly in middle, northern, southern and southwest part. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 karst caves in Guizhou. The project alignment passes through the southeast of Guizhou, which is not the main karst area in the province. Within assessment scope, there are only 58 caves identified. Karst area in Guangxi is about 89,000 km2, mainly in southwest and Guilin area, estimated as several thousand in number. The railway passes through the middle and eastern part of Guangxi, and not main the karst distribution area (except Guilin). There are 10 caves identified within the assessment scope (300m from both sides of alignment). As a basic engineering principle, the alignment has been carefully selected to avoid these karst caves as much as possible. The final recommended alignment will pass only one cave at DK560+520m.

Seismology

According to China Earthquake Parameter Zoning (GB18306-2001), the earthquake peak acceleration is 0.10g for Foshan-Guangzhou, 0.05g for Guiyang-Duyun, Zhongshanxi- Hejie, and Guangning-Foshan section, and less than 0.05g for the rest.

Water

Ground water

For the Guiyang-Sandu section, karst water is prevailing, and the second is crevice water. The Sandu-Wutong section is generally featured with reticular crevice water in the weathering belt. In the Wutong-Hezhou section, crevice and pore water accounts for 46% of karst water in terms of distribution area, which is of strong water yield property. There are karst water, pore water in loose rock mass and crevice water in bedrock of the Hezhou-Guangzhou section.

Based on geological survey, it is concluded that karst formation is prevalent in the sections of Guiyang – Sandu and Wutong – Hezhou where tunnel construction may have interaction with groundwater. A detailed assessment was carried out for major tunnels in terms of such impacts and is discussed in Chapter 6.

Surface water

The railway line crosses two major water systems, i.e. Yangtze River Basin and Pearl River Basin. Divided by Miaoling Mountain, the area in the north pertains to the Yangtze River Water System, where the railway line mainly crosses the Qingshuihe

Guiyang Sandu Wutong Hezhou Zhaoqing GuangzhouMollisol

Soft soil

Karst

Mollisol

Soft soil Mollisol

Soft soil

Karst

Karst

Mining area Mining areas Mining areas

Liquefia

ble soil


River and the Qingshui River. The area in the south of Miaoling Mountain belongs to the Pearl River Water System, where the railway line mainly crosses the Duliu River, Rongjiang River, Lijiang River, Hejiang River, Beijiang River etc.

The alignment will cross 52 rivers/canals, mainly including Nanminghe (CK10+511), Sanyuanhe (CK44+284), Jianjiang (C1K114+711), Pingyonghe (CK200+675), Gantangxi (CK412+796), Lijiang (K421+039), Chajiang (CK507+353), and Beijiang river (CK765+000).

The monitoring data of water quality in the main rivers indicates that the water quality of Shuikousi section in Nanming River within Guiyang City exceeds the standard of class III in GB3838-2002, with the hypermanganate index, ammonia and oil and grease exceeding the standards. For water quality of the Jianjiang River within Duyun City of Guizhou Province, the pH value exceeds the standard, but other indexes are satisfactory. For water quality in the Lijiang River within Guilin City of Guangxi Province, the BOD5 exceeds the standard in high water period, but complies with the standard in both normal water period and low water period, and other indexes are satisfactory. Water quality in other rivers along the railway line is in compliance with their function zoning requirements.

Vegetation and Wildlife Biodiversity

Vegetation

Current situation of vegetation biodiversity has been studied based on field survey, ecological sampling plot analysis, collection of existing data, satellite image interpretation, consultation with local public and relevant governments and institutes.

A special biodiversity baseline survey has been conducted by Guizhou Normal University and Guangxi Forestry University. In total, there are 332 ecological sampling plots selected along the alignment for vegetation survey (The locations of ecological sampling plots are shown in Figure 5-5.1 – Figure 5.5.3). The size of the plot is 30X30 m or 20X20 m for trees, 4X4 m for bushes and 2X2 m for grassland. The types of various plants and biomass was surveyed and calculated. The analysis is conducted based on field survey results and application of 3S technology.

In general, there are varied types of vegetation in the areas along the railway line, which mainly are warm coniferous forest, mixed broadleaf-conifer forest, subtropical evergreen seasonal rain forest, subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest and subtropical coniferous forest. With complicated topographical conditions, unique landform and advantageous hydrothermal conditions, there are abundant and varied habitats in the areas, providing good growth conditions and resulting in a rich species assemblage. Within the assessment scope, there are 144 families of vascular plants (443 genus, 706 species) in Guizhou, 186 families of vascular plants (612 genus, 1144 species) in Guangxi. The surface vegetation along the alignment is shown in Figure 5-6.1 to Figure 5-6.5. A statistic analysis of surface vegetation distribution within assessment scope is presented in Table 5-2. Detailed survey results are included in Annex 2 and Annex 3.

Table 0-2: Area of Vegetation in Assessment Scope Unit: ha

Area Forest Shrub Shrub-grassland Paddy field Dry land


vegetation vegetation vegetation vegetation vegetation Guizhou 246 200 158 124 263 Guangxi 10196 1865 485 2680 4219

Guangdong 4154 912 608 1373 2550 Total 14596 2977 1251 4178 7032

It is concluded that the plant species in the project alignment are mostly common species of the sub-tropical region, with no stenok plants (specifically endemic species) found within the assessment area. There are two types of national class II protected plants, i.e. camphor tree (17 trees) and Cibotium barometz (50 trees) found at Datian, Qingchi, Dayuan Hydroelectric Plant and the Shoucheng Natural Reserve. In addition, there are 10 old tress (banyan, sweetgum, Castanopsis hystrix, Michelia foveolata var.cinerascens and Schima Superba Gardnet Champ) found in Chaolidong and nearby Rongjiangyue Village. See Table 5-3 and 5-4, and Figure 5-6-6 to 5-6-8 Distribution of Protected Plants and Wildlife in Project Corridor.

Table 0-3: Distribution of Protected Plants in Land Acquisition Area

Plant name Quantity Protection level

Diameter of breast height (cm)

Height

(m) Altitude/latitude and longitude

Location relation with the railway

line


Cibotium barometz

50 National level II

290m

N24°46 09.66"; E110°58 40.68"

In the middle of the CK366+800-

CK383+100 section

Choucheng

Camphor tree 12 National level II

12-20 8-12

135m

N24°34 14.70"; E111°17 36.48"

At 15m right of the CK568+433

section Datian


20 8

132m

N24°33 05.04"; E111°20 17.64"

At 2m left of the CK573+469

section Qingchi


20-25 9-10

220m

N25°01 04.31 "; E110°33 30.82"

At 20m right of CK468+252

section

Dayuan Power Plant

Aquilaria sinensis

11 National level II


section

Wanggoukengwangtang of Foshan City

Table 0-4: Ancient Trees and Valuable Trees within Land Acquisition Area

Plant name Quantity


Age*

(year) Protection

level

Location/Altitude/latitude and

longitude


line



Plant name Quantity


Age*

(year) Protection

level

Location/Altitude/latitude and

longitude


line


Sweetgum 1 140 140 Level III

Chaolidong, 616m

N25°57 49 ; E108°44 29


Hillside sparse forest

Sweetgum 1 100 100 Level III

Chaolidong, 519m

N25°57 49 ; E108°44 34

At the CK237+387


Schima S-perba Gardnet Champ

1 100 100 Level III

Chaolidong, 616m

N25°57 49 ; E108°44 29



Michelia foveolata

var.cinerascens 3

153

110

140

160

110

140

Level III

Chaolidong, 519m

N25°57 49 ; E108°44 34

At the CK237+387


Castanopsis hystrix

1 140 140 Level III

Chaolidong, 519m

N25°57 49 ; E108°44 34

At the CK237+387


Banyan 3

161

137

171

161

140

175

Level III

Rongjiangyue Village, 260m

N25°59 25 ; E108°32 11

The CK215+932 crosses it by a

bridge

Close to the village

Wildlife

Fauna resources were analyzed based on existing data from research institutes, nature reserve management authorities and other relevant local governments, as well as consultation with local villagers, forest guards, animal protection organizations and herb medicine collectors during field survey.

It is concluded that, along the Guiyang-Hezhou section corridor, there are 27 species of rare and endangered animals under protection, among which 5 species are large mammals and 22 species are birds. These protected animals include national class1 protected animals such as Moschus berezovskii, Syrmaticus ellioti, Tragopan caboti,and national class II protected animals, like macaque, Macaca thibetana, Viverricula indica, Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsang, Glaucidium brodiei, Glaucidium cuculoides, Falco tinnunculus common kestrel, Aviceda leuphotes syama, glede, Accipiter nisus, Greater Coucal, Lesser Coucal, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Greater Coucal, Asio flammeus, Otus bakkamoena, Tyto capensis, Otus spilocephalus, Accipiter soloensis, Accipiter virgatus, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Chrysolophus pictus, Treron sieboldii, Lophura nycthemera, etc. The main habitats for these protected animals are core zones of Longjiashan National Forest Park and Shoucheng Natural Reserve. They may also occur occasionally elsewhere along the alignment.

Along the corridor of Hezhou-Guangzhou section, there are totally 6 species of rare and endangered animals under protection, including two national class II protected animals,


i.e. tiger frog and rasse, and four protected animals at the provincial level of Guangzhou, i.e. Chinese Pond-Heron, aigrette, porcupine and ocelot. These animals are occasionally found in the assessment area, and it is concluded that the project alignment area is not in key habitats for these animals. The wildlife baseline survey results are presented in Annex 4, and also shown in Figure 5-6-6 to 5-6-8 Distribution of Protected Plants and Wildlife in Project Corridor.

The richness of wildlife biodiversity varies according to the types of habitats. In general the richness is high in evergreen broad-leaf forest, followed by conifer/broad-leaf mix forest, conifer forest, bushes, grassland, farmland and village land.

Within the land acquisition of the railway alignment, most of the broad-leaf forests and conifer/broad-leaf mix forests have been destroyed by human activities, with only small patches left. Therefore, the most and biggest habitats are conifer forests. However, these conifer forests are planted, with single tree species of either masson pine or China fir. In such single specie forests, the wildlife biodiversity is low, with only small mammals (mostly Murine spp. and Sciuridae) and some bird species such as Corvidae,woodpecker, cuckoo etc. The vegetation in bush and grass land are considered secondary in nature, as primary vegetation has been destroyed, as are the habitats of small mammals and small birds that are strongly adaptive species. In general, the wildlife biodiversity along the railway alignment is low, and consists mainly of common regional species. There is no localized endemic species.

Karst cave ecology

There are 68 karst caves identified within the assessment scope (300m distance from both sides of railway). A special ecological survey has been carried out by Geography and Bioscience Institute of Guizhou Normal University which has been studying karst biodiversity for decades. The detailed survey report is included as Annex 5 of this EIA report.

Among 68 caves, the project will pass through one cave (Longshan Cave, DK560+520m). Two other caves are identified that may receive wastewater from alignment construction though the caves will not be physically affected. The survey has been carried out for ten caves, including 5 caves mentioned above; the other five caves will not be directly affected by the construction.

There are more than 3000 specimens collected including both plants and animals. Based on laboratory identification and classification, it is concluded that there are 147 species of plants (belong to 147 phylum, 13 classes, 43 orders and 63 families), and 163 animal species (belong to 5 phylum, 13 classes, 25 orders and 60 families). For details see Annex 5.

According to specimen identification, there are no Class I and II protected plants and animals found in these caves. Four animal species are considered as important economic or scientific research value animals according to national regulations, which are: Oreolalax rhodostigmatus, Bufo melanotictus, Rana Limnochari and Apus pacificus kanoi. Of these four species, only Oreolalax rhodostigmatus (a kind of frog) belongs to genuine cave animals, while the other three species are temporary inhabitants in caves. The survey results indicate that none of these four species are found in the Longshan Cave.


There were no cultural relics found in the caves surveyed.

Aquatic Ecology

Fish species data were also collected from fishery agencies and consultation with local communities. Based on available data, there are about 50 fish species in the rivers that the railway will cross. These are common fishes in the region which can also be found in other areas rather than the construction area. There are no endemic species or wild fishes under national key protection in the project area. It is concluded that there are also no fish spawning sites, breeding areas, or feeding areas near bridge locations. The fish species data is included in Annex 4.

Protected and Special Management Areas

5.1.5.1 Nature Reserves

There are 8 nature reserves of various level that were identified in the project corridor during feasibility study and EIA preparation. The alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid these sensitive sites to the extent possible. The final alignment avoided 7 reserves by at least 300 m, and has to pass Shoucheng Nature Reserve (provincial level) through tunnel. See Table 5-5.

Table 0-5: Nature Reserves in Project Corridor

Name of natural reverse

Area (ha)

Main protection object

Location relation with the railway line

Arha Reservoir Natural Reserve (City level)

19,000 water resources �1.5 km

Duyun Doupengshan water conservation forest Natural Reserve (County level)

4,233 water conservation forest and rare wild animals and plants

�2 km

Guiding Doupengshan water conservation forest Natural Reserve (County level)

2,038

Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved deciduous forest and rare wild animals and plants

�2 km

Duyun Luosike water conservation forest Natural Reserve (county level)

4,500 water conservation forest

�1km

Huaping Natural Reserve (national level)

17,400

Silver fir and typical evergreen broad-leaved forest ecological system

�1km

Haiyangshan Natural Reserve (provincial level)

90,400

Monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, water conservation forest

�300m

Shoucheng Natural Reserve (provincial level)

75,900


CK366+800-CK383+100 section will pass through the natural reserve by tunnels, subgrade and bridges


Yindianshan Natural Reserve (provincial level)

48,000


No zoning plan. There is obvious boundary of the reserve, the railway line is out of the reserve boundary, and agreed by reserve management authority.

Shoucheng Natural Reserves

1) General introduction

Shoucheng Natural Reserves was set up in 1982, with the approval of the People’s Republic of China of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and was upgraded in 2002 to be a natural reserve at the level of autonomous region. The reserves is located at the border between Yongfu County and Lingui County of Guilin City, neighboring to Huaping National Natural Reserve and Longsheng Gezu Autonomous County in the north and adjacent to Anxian County and Sansuo Natural Reserve in the west, with the geographical coordinates of 109°3807 - 109°56 32 at east longitude and 25°02 23 - 25°3015 at north latitude, and the total area of 75,900 ha.

2) Protection objectives

Shoucheng natural reserves was set up, to keep stability, integrity and primordial quality of the subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest ecological system, biotic population resources and natural landscapes in the natural reserves, to recover forest cover at the habitat degradation areas in the reserves, to protect wild animals and plants resources and their native areas and habitats, and to improve ecological environment in the reserves. Its purpose is to increase population quantity of rare species, by taking protection measures, species introduction, breeding and domestication.

3) Relation with project alignment

The line (CK366+800-CK383+100) of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway will cross the Experimental Zone of Shoucheng Natural Reserves by tunnels, subgrade and bridges, with the total construction length within the reserves of 16.3km, including 4 tunnels of 15.264km, 5 bridges of 668.4m; and subgrade of 367.6m. See Figure 5-7.


Portal of Tianpingshan Pingtu No.2 Bridge

Existing access road Tingjiang creek in the reserve


6-1 Figure 5-7 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway and Functional Areas of Shoucheng

Natural Reserves

Railway to be constructed

Legends

Railway Zenia insignis Chun

Yellow-bellied Tragopan

Cibotium barometz Syrmaticus ellioti

Moschus berezovshii Rhoiptelea chiliantha

Macaca thibetana

Camphor tree Macaque

Water deer

Pangolin

Viverra zibetha

Viuerricula indica

Silver pheasant

Hawks

Owls

Semiliquidambar cathayensis

Camptotheca acuminata Decne

Experimental area

Core area

Buffer area

Scale

Guangzhou

Guiyang

Experimental area

Core area

Core area

Buffer area


5.1.5.2 Scenic Areas

There are 7 scenic areas of various levels that were identified in the project corridor during feasibility study and EA preparation. The alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid these sensitive sites to the extent possible. The final alignment avoided 4 scenic areas, and will pass through Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, Congjiang Scenic Area and Liping Scenic Area. See Table 5-6.

Table 0-6: Scenic Areas in Railway Corridor

Name of scenic area Area (ha)

General situation and scenic spot


Doupengshan-Jianjiang scenic area (National level)

6,180

It is a virgin forest, and there are ridges and peaks, gorges, solution cavities, brooks and waterfalls

�1 km

Luobeihe Scenic Area (Provincial level)

A natural ecological resort at the banks of Luobei River �1 km

Duliujiang Scenic Area (Provincial level)

A natural ecological resort at the banks of Duliu River, with steep and green mountains and the two banks

�100 m

Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area (Provincial level)

22,000

There are hundreds of ancient banyans planted during Qianlong Period in the scenic area, along the dike of Rongjiang river. Several scenic spots feature Dong ethnic cultural buildings

CK 213+900-CK219+300 section crosses Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village Scenic spot CK220+860-CK230+450 section crosses Zaidang Dong Village Dage Scenic spot

Congjiang Scenic Area (Provincial level)

12,200

Dong ethnic minority buildings. There mainly are Basha scenic spot, Yintan scenic spot, Xiaohuang scenic spot, Zengchong scenic spot

CK 272+500-CK276+700 section crosses Longtu Scenic Spot

Liping Scenic Area 45,000 Dong ethnic minority buildings. There mainly are Zhaoxing and Diping scenic spots

CK276+280-CK283+200 section crosses Zhaoxing-Diping scenic spot

Guilin-Lijiang Scenic Area 6,767

Lijiang River landscape, Xiangbi hill, Diecai hill, Fubo hill, Duxiu peak, Ludi Cave, Qixing Cave etc.

The railway line is out of the range of Guilin-Lijiang Scenic Area, and is in consistency with the overall planning requirements of Guilin city.

The detailed description of Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, Congjiang Scenic Area and Liping Scenic Area are as follows:


(1) Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area


Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area is located within Rongjiang County, south of the Southeast Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province. It was approved by as a scenic area of provincial level in 2000, with a total area 210.0km2 in the Overall Planning of Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area. According to the plan, Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area is composed of the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village Sub-area, the Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area, 72-Dong Village sub-area, the Longtang Qiguan sub-area and 39 independent scenic spots outside of the scenic areas, covering an area of 210 km2.

According to planning, Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area features special Dong-style buildings and Dong ethnic people cultures, as well as beautiful landscape.

2) Relation with the project alignment

The proposed railway line will pass through the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area and the Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area. These two areas feature Dong village buildings and Dong cultural activities. The alignment section within the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area is 5.7 km, including Gaoxing Tunnel, Guiyuanhe Bridge, Yuezhai Tunnel, Zhaihaohe Bridge, Rongjiang Station and entrance part of Yanshan Tunnel. The alignment within Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area is 9.59 km long, mainly through Yanshan Tunnel.

The Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area has an area of 56km2, with 6 key scenic spots of Dong ethnic village buildings and old banyan trees. The Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area has an area of 50 km2, with 5 key scenic spots of Dong ethnic village buildings.

Though the alignment falls into the boundary of the scenic area, it avoids key scenic spots in the area with distance of 1 – 3 km, except in the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area where the alignment has been shifted 50m away from the old banyan trees on the river bank. The relation between the railway and the scenic area is shown in Figure 5-8.

Old Banyan Trees Location of Rongjiang Station


Figure 5-8 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation Between Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway and Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village Scenic Sub-area and Zaidang Dongzhai Dage Scenic Sub-area

Recommended Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Scheme (Location of Xiaobao Station)

Sanbao 1000-household Dong VillageScenic area

Zaidang Dongzhai Dage Scenic area

Legends

Grade I scenic spotGrade II scenic spotGrade III scenic spotCore scenic site

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Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village Scenic spot, represented by Ancient banyan community and 1000-housand Dong village, is located Chejiang Township of Rongjiang County, covering an area of 56km2. There are 6 scenic spots, including the grade I scenic spot of Sama Festival, and grade II scenic spots of Dual Banyans, Ancient banyan-surrounded stone-tablet and Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village, and grade III scenic spot of Banyans Dike-dam. The scenic area is featured with the ensemble beauty of ancient banyans, and individual banyans in varied shapes, and ethnic customs of Dong villages. Zaidang Dongzhai Dage Scenic Spot is located at Zaima Township of Rongjiang County, covering an area of 50km2. There are 5 scenic spots, including the grade I scenic spot of Zaidang Dage, grade II scenic spot of Miaolan Drum Tower, and grade III scenic spots of Guiliu Drum Tower, Zaidang Sedan Chair and Zidang Drum Tower, with Zaidang Dong Dage, Dong Sedan Chair and Drum Towers as the main tourist objects.

Dual banyans

Sama Festival

Drum Tower

Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village

Ancient banyan-surrounded stone tablet

Banyans Dike-dam

Endless love tree

Banyans Dike-dam

Rongjiang Station

Yue Village

Kou Village

Zaidang Sedan chair

Zaidang Dage

Zaidang Drum Tower

Guiliu Drum Tower

Miaolan Drum Tower

To Guangzhou

To Guiyang


(2) Congjiang Scenic Area


The Congjiang Scenic Area is located within the Congjiang County in the Southeast Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province, which was approved as one of the 5th group of scenic areas at the provincial level by the People’s Government of Guizhou Province with the document of QFH [2003] No.421 in 2003.

The Urban & Rural Planning Design Institute of Guizhou Province finished the compilation of the Overall Planning of Congjiang Scenic Area (2003-2020) in 2003, and the planning was approved by the People’s Government of Guizhou Province with the “Reply of the People's Government of Guizhou Province to the Overall Planning of Congjiang Scenic Area” (QFH [2006] No.100).

The Congjiang Scenic Area has an area of 122km2, with 23 villages within the area. It has four scenic sub-areas, i.e. Zengchong Gulou, Yantan-Xiaohuang Dong Village, Longtu, and Duliujiang). The key features of Congjiang Scenic Area are Dong ethnic minority buildings, cultural tradition and landscape which are suitable for cultural and eco-tourism as well as research on ethnic culture.

2) Relation with project alignment

The line (CK272+500-CK276+700) will cross the Longtu sub-area by bridges, culverts, and tunnels, and the Congjiang Station will be constructed within the scenic area, with a crossing length in the scenic area of about 4.2 km, among which the ground sections are 2.66 km long, accounting for 63.3% in the total length of the scenic area. See Figure 5-9 for location relation between the railway line and Longtu Scenic Area.

Longtu sub-area has a total area of 19 km2, with 12 scenic spots of old buildings, karst caves and cultural activities. The railway alignment avoids all these scenic spots, mostly with distance of over 1 km. The nearest scenic spot, i.e. Liangweigan Tomb, is 236m away from the railway alignment.

The location for proposed Congjiang Station is in the middle of agricultural farmland where there are intensive human activities and convenient road network connections. The location is selected through consultation with local government and is in line with overall master plan.

Location of Congjiang Station


Figure 5-9 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou

Railway and Longtu Scenic Area

Longtu Scenic Area

Core scenic spots

Legends

Grade II scenic spot Grade III scenic spot Grade IV scenic spot

To Guiyang

To Guangzhou

Daxiang Mountain Camp

Shili orchard

Kuanbing armet

Shiniu Well

Zhanghonggan Tomb

Luyan Tomb

Huilong Bridge

Xianglugang Camp

Liangweigan Tomb

Bagalu Camp

Ethnic customs of “Sasui sacrifice” and "Taiguanren" Carnival

Community of solution cavities

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(3) Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area


Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area was listed by the State Council as one of the 5th group of national key scenic areas in January 2004. With the total planning area of 153 km2., the scenic area is divided into four scenic sites of Zhaoxing-Diping, Bazhai-Jiuchao, Yandong-Koujiang and Tianshengqiao-Bazhouhe, and one scenic community of Liping Qiaojie Ancient Building Structures and two independent scenic spots of Shangzhong and Hongzhou.

The main features of the Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area are the well-preserved Dong ethnic minority villages, cultures and historical heritages and the natural ecological environmental.

2) Relation with railway alignment

The railway line will cross the Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area by the 12030m long Luoxing Tunnel (central mileage of the tunnel of CK282+995). Entrance to the tunnel will be located outside of the scenic area, and crossing length of the railway line within the scenic area is 6.4 km (mileage scope of CK276+280-CK283+200). There is no shaft planned within the scenic area for construction of the tunnel. Please see Figure 5-10 for location relation between the railway line and the Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area.

Dong villages and relation with Luoxiang Tunnel


Figure 5-10 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou

Railway and Zhaoxing-Liping Scenic Site

Zhaoxing-Diping Scenic Site

Luoxiang Tunnel

Layout plan of Luoxiang Tunnel Crossing Jitang

Luoxiang

Censuo

Batang

Cenni

Guima

Zhaoxing

Jitang

Dengjiang

Jilun

Xiage Tang’an

Denggang

Jitang Lusheng Festival Zhaoxing Drum-tower Forest

Xiage Clay Figure Festival

Tang’an Dong Ecological Museum


5.1.5.3 Forest Parks

There are four national level forest parks that were identified in the project corridor during feasibility study and EA preparation. The alignment has been carefully shifted to avoid two parks, and will pass Longjiashan park and Yangshuo park. See Table 5-7.

Table 0-7: Forest Parks in the Railway Corridor

Name of forest park

Area (ha)

General situation and main scenic spot


Changpoling Forest Park

1075

There are five scenic spots in the park, i.e. Yinghua lake, woods and grassland, Duxi Wood Yard, and two ethnic villages.

�100m

Longjiashan Forest Park

2031 The park is composed of three scenic areas, Longjiashan, Houzigou and Xiangshuihe

CK37�524.68-CK41+000 section crosses Longjiashan scenic area and CK45+850-CK48+100 section crosses Xiangshuihe scenic area

Qingyunfu Forest Park 2980

The park covers Qingyunhu scenic spot, Shimenhu scenic spot and Luosike scenic spot

�2 km

Yangshuo National Forest Park

3391 There are more than 10 gorges, 26 brooks and 19 waterfalls of different sizes in the park

CK475+416-CK476+153.05 section crosses the southwestern edge of the forest park

(1) Longjiashan National Forest Park


Longjiashan Forest Park, covers a total area of 6,079 ha and is composed of three scenic areas, i.e. Longshanjia, Houzigou and Xiangshuihe. At the end of 2006, it was approved as a national forest park by the State Forestry Administration.

According to a forestry survey conducted in 1999, the forest area within the park is 1,653 ha, including 1,442 ha planted masson pine forest, 168 ha natural evergreen broad-leaf forest and 43 ha bushes.

Surface vegetation in the park is relatively rich, with bushes and grasses above 1400m elevation and forest under 1400m. The forest is dominated by planted masson pine trees, with patches of broad-leaf forest. There are also various protected plants in the park and wildlife.


The railway line leaves from the detouring passenger trains line of the Guizhou Guangxi railway at CK 37+524.68, which is under construction, and then crosses Longjiashan Scenic area of Longjiashan National Forest Park (CK37+524.68 - CK41+000) by bridges, tunnels and embankment. It will generally follow an existing railway line in the area.

The railway line will also cross the Xiangshuihe scenic area of Longjiashan National Forest Park at (about CK45+850-CK48+100) by tunnel.


In total, the railway alignment within park boundary is 5.72 km, in which tunnel and bridges account for 70%. The total land occupation will be 9.83 ha, which includes 1.3 ha dry land, 0.81 ha rice field and 7.72 ha of planted woodland.

Construction sites within the park have good rural roads network as access roads. Construction camps, material storage yards and spoil disposal sites are all located outside the park boundary.

The alignment is more than 3 km away from the scenic spots in the park.

The relation between the alignment and the park is shown in Figure 5-11.

Camp sites outside the park Existing rural road as access road

Spoil disposal sites outside the park (CK45+40)

Spoil disposal sites outside the park (CK49+90)


Figure 5-11 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway and Longjiashan National Forest Park

New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway

Longjiashan National Forest Park

Xiangshuihe Scenic Spot


(2) Yangshuo National Forest Park


Located in Xingping Town, northeast of Yangshuo County in Guangxi, Yangshuo National Forest Park covers an area of 3391.7 ha, and was approved by the State Forestry Administration as a national forest park in 2006. Before, it was a state-owned forestry farm.

The main features of the park are forestry resources and mountainous landscape. Most of the mountains within the park are between 600 – 1300 m, with the highest peak of 1593m. There are rich plant resources in the park area, with more than 1700 vascular bundle plant species and 243 wildlife species. At low elevations, there are mainly planted forest and orchards.


The railway alignment will pass through the edge of the Park, with total length within the boundary of Park of only 587.05m, in which 574 m is tunnel and 13 m is bridge. The area of this 13 m section is orchard land. The relation of railway alignment and the Park is shown in Figure 5-12.

The Figure 5-12 also shows an original route scheme which will pass through the Park with a length of 737 m, including a 269 m tunnel, 260 m bridge and 208 m embankment. This scheme was further optimized later to the currently recommended alignment.


Optimized route scheme

Original route scheme

Boundary of Yangshuo National Forest Park

Figure 5-12 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway and Yangshuo National Park



4.1.5.4 Water Resources Protection Area

There are more than 30 water resources protection areas (drinking water intakes) along the project corridor (See Table 5-8). The alignment has been shifted to avoid as much as possible these areas. As a result, the final alignment avoided most of the areas, and will pass through the protection area or semi-protection area of four water intake areas.

Table 0-8: Drinking Water Source Protection Areas along the Railway Line

City Name of water area Location relation with the railway line

Guiyang City

Arha Reservoir, Huaxi Reservoir, Xiaoguan Reservoir, Wangjiadajing, Beijiao Water Plant, Hongfeng Lake, Baihue Lake

Railway line does not fall into any protection areas of these intakes. Distance from the railway line is more then 1.5km, and no impact is expected.

Longli County

Houzigou Reservoir Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced

Guiding county

Luohe River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced

Duyun city Chayuan Reservoir Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced

Sandu county

Duliu River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced

Rongjiang county

Guijiu Brook, Yongping River

After route optimization, the railway line will detour the source water protection area. Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Congjiang County

Duliu River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Sanshi River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Liping county

Wulijiang Reservoir Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Xunjiang River The railway line will pass by at about 10km downstream of the intake of Xunjiang River by Xunjiang double-track super major bridge (CK321+800), and the source water protection areas at varied levels will not be involved, and no impact will be produced.

Sanjiang county

Linxi River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Longshen County

Xunjiang River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Lingchuang County

Gantang River The railway line will pass by at about 12km downstream of the intake of Gantang River by Gantangxi double-track super major bridge (CK412+796), and the source water protection areas at varied levels will not be involved, and no impact will be produced.


City Name of water area Location relation with the railway line

Lijiang River The railway line will pass by at about 32km upstream of the intake of Lijiang River by Wangjia Lijiang double-track super major bridge (CK421+039), and the source water protection areas at varied levels will not be involved, and no impact will be produced.

Guilin City Lijiang River The railway line will pass by at about 4km upstream of the intake of Lijiang River by Wangjia Lijiang double-track super major bridge (CK421+039), and the source water protection areas at varied levels will not be involved, and no impact will be produced.

Yangshuo County

Lijiang River Railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Gongcheng County

Gongcheng River (also called Chajiang River)

The railway line will cross the existing class I source water protection area by Chajiang Bridge (CK507+353). However, the water protection area has been revised by Guangxi Provincial Government (by issuing document of GZH (2007) No.129). The new water intake will be moved to 1840m upstream of the railway line. After adjustment, railway line does not fall into protection areas of the intake, and no impact will be produced.

Zhongshan County

Guishi Reservoir, Jizaiyan ground water source area

The railway line does not cross the reservoir and ground water source water, not involving the source water protection area at varied levels and producing on impact

Hezhou City

Guishi Reservoir and Hejiang River

The railway line does not cross the reservoir and river, not involving the source water protection area at varied levels and producing on impact

Foshan City Beijiang River semi-protection area (Sixianjiao)

The railway line will cross Beijing semi-protection area by Sixianjiao Super Major Bridge (center mileage CK765�000)

Foshan City Dongping Waterway quasi source water protection area

The railway line will cross Dongping Waterway semi-protection area by Dongping Waterway Super Major Bridge (center mileage CK782+850)

Guangzhou City

Pearl River Basin grade two source water protection area in Guangzhou city

The subgrade and bridge works will be within the land area of the class II source water protection area

Guangzhou City

Pearl River Basin semi- protection area in Guangzhou City

The bridge work will be within the land area of the semi-protection area

The four water source protection areas involved are:


(1) Gongcheng River Class I Source Water Protection Area

The project mainly crosses the Gongcheng River (also named Chajiang River) Class I Source Water Protection Area in the form of a bridge at 340m upper from the intake. The bridge (CK507+353) crosses the water of the water source protection area for 480m, and crosses the land area of the water source protection area for 300m.

(2) Beijiang River

The railway will cross Beijiang River via the Sixianjiao Bridge (CK765+000). The location of the bridge is within the semi-protection area of Beijiang River Water Resource Protection Area. There is no water intake within 1000m in both upstream and downstream directions.

(3) Dongping Waterway

The railway will cross the Dongping River via the Dongping Waterway Bridge (CK782+850). The location of bridge is within the semi-protected area of the Dongping Waterway Water Resource Protection Area. The nearest water intake is located 2.5 km upstream of the bridge site.

(4) Guangzhou Water Resources Protection Area

The railway will pass through the land area of Class 2 and semi-protected area of the Guangzhou Water Resources Protection Area. There is no water intake within 1000m distance from railway alignment.

Aesthetic Resources

Aesthetic resources were assessed following the classification criteria of aesthetic resources into seven categories (patches): forests, bushes, paddy field, dry land, water surfaces and urban areas.

According to analysis, it is concluded that the dominant landscape form in the assessment scope is forested land, and especially the dominance of forest patches within the Guangxi Autonomous Region that reaches as high as 92.45%. Forest is important in the regional environment under the assessment, and plays an important role in the maintenance of the ecological quality.

The areas along the railway line are dominated by forest ecological systems and farmland ecological systems, and land is mainly used for agricultural purposes, with a lower proportion of non-agricultural land; there are varied types of vegetation, which mainly are warm coniferous forest and mixed broadleaf-conifer forest.

There are also valuable aesthetic resources of ethnic minority community buildings along the alignment. These are mainly located in the Rongjiang, Congjiang and Liping scenic areas.

Valuable natural landscape resources are mainly located within nature reserves, forest parks and scenic areas along the line.

Noise

There are 304 sensitive points in the assessment scope along the whole railway line, including 261 residential areas, 41 schools and 2 hospitals. In Guiyang-Hezhou section,


there are 147 sensitive points, including 131 residential areas and 16 schools; in Hezhou-Guangzhou section, there are 157 sensitive points, including 130 residential areas, 25 schools and 2 hospitals. Current noise level monitoring has been conducted for these sensitive sites identified following EIA technical guidelines. Locations of monitoring points are shown in Figure 5-13 and the monitoring results are included in Annex 6. The baseline noise monitoring results are assessed as follows:

4.1.7.1 Schools and hospitals

(1) Guiyang-Hezhou section

There are totally 16 schools in the section. Most of schools have generally good ambient noise levels, except Xiangya Primary School and Guiyang No.12 Middle School which are located at the junction area between Huaxi Avenue and the existing railway, but is subject to train and traffic noise. Monitoring results on the current situation of the classroom building and students’ dormitory exceed standards. A statistical analysis of current ambient noise of schools is summarized in Table 5-9.

Table 0-9: Statistical Analysis of Current Noise of Schools and Hospitals (Guiyang-Hezhou Section)

Classroom building

Students and teachers’ dormitory Total

Item Day Day Night Dayt Night

Range of results values (dB) 51.4-74.2 51.5-62.4 40.2-57.3 51.4-74.2 40.2-57.3

Exceedance (dB) 2.8-14.2 2.4 7.3 2.4-14.2 7.3

Number of monitoring points 17 4 4 21 4

Number of points exceeding standard 3 1 1 4 1

Non-compliance rate (%) 17.6 25 25 19.0 25

(2) Hezhou-Guangzhou section

There are totally 25 schools and 2 hospitals in this section. A statistical analysis of current ambient noise monitoring data for schools in Hezhou-Guangzhou section is summarized in Table 5-10.

Table 0-10: Analysis of Current Noise of Schools and Hospitals (Hezhou-Guangzhou Section)

Classroom building

Dormitory Out-patient department

In-patient department

Total Item

Day Day Night Day Day Night Day Night


Range of monitoring values (dB)

47.8-64.2 48.5-69.4

42.0-69.7

52.7 49.2 40.3 47.8-69.4

40.3-69.7

Exceedance (dB) 1.5-4.2 9.0-9.4 4.4-19.7

/ / / 1.5-9.4 4.4-19.7

Number of monitoring points

27 9 9 1 1 1 38 10

Number of points exceeding standard

5 2 4 0 0 0 7 4

Non-compliance rate (%)

18.5 22.2 44.4 0 0 0 18.4 40.0

5.1.7.2 Residential area

(1) Guiyang-Hezhou section

There are a total of 121 residential areas in the assessment scope of the main line, and 10 residential sites near the connecting lines. Monitoring results indicate that noise levels generally exceed standards for sites in urban areas and along transport corridors, and are fairly in rural areas. The statistical analysis of the monitoring results is summarized in Table 5-11.

Table 0-11: Analysis of Current Noise Situation of Residential Areas (Guiyang-Hezhou Section)

Unit: dB Noise at boundary alongside existing

railway line Class 4 area Class 2 area Class 1 area Total

Item

Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Range of monitoring values

72.5-73.5 71.5-72.1 56.8-74.6 43.5-73.4 46.3-68.3 38.9-67.4 46.4-56.5 37.9-50.9 73.5-74.6 38.9-73.4

Exceedance 2.5-3.5 1.5-2.5 0.3-4.6 4.6-18.4 0.9-8.3 5.2-17.4 0.4-1.5 3.7-5.9 0.3-5.2 3.7-18.4 Number of monitoring points (point)

3 3 7 7 43 43 81 81 132 132

Number of points exceeding standard (point)

3 3 4 6 5 8 4 2 13 16

Non-compliance rate (%)

100 100 57.1 85.7 11.6 18.6 4.9 2.5 9.8 12.1

(2) Hezhou-Guangzhou section

There are a total of 130 residential areas in this section. Analysis of noise monitoring results are summarized in Table 5-12.

Table 0-12: Analysis on Current Noise Situation of Residential Areas (Hezhou-Guangzhou Section)


Unit: dB

Boundary alongside

railway line Class 4 area Class 2 area Class 1 area Total

Item

Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night

Range of monitoring values (dB)

62.8-67.0 62.4-63.0 56.4-65.0 47.0-62.5 45.4-63.9 37.7-58.7 46.7-53.4 39.3-48.0 45.4-76.0 37.7-73.8

Exceedance / / / 1.0-7.5 0.3-3.9 0.5-8.7 / 0.1-3.0 0.3-3.9 0.1-8.7

Number of monitoring points

3 3 17 17 110 110 21 21 161 161

Number of points exceeding the standard

0 0 0 16 5 27 0 5 5 48

Non-compliance (%) 0 0 0 94.1 4.5 24.5 0 23.8 3.1 29.8

Vibration

There are a total of 209 sensitive sites in the assessment scope, including 202 residential areas, 7 schools and kindergartens. Baseline monitoring has been conducted at all these sites during EA preparation in accordance with relevant technical guidelines. The detailed monitoring results are included in Annex 7.

According to analysis on the baseline monitoring results, it is concluded that vibration level of these sites are in compliance with the applicable standards, Standard of Vibration in Urban Area Environment (GB10070-88).

Electromagnetic Frequency Sensitive Sites

There are a total of 206 sensitive points in the assessment scope where local TV signals are potentially impacted by electromagnetic frequency from operation of the Gui-Guang line. Baseline monitoring has been conducted for these sites, of which16 monitoring points can receive 60 TV channels with antenna, with signal in 9 channels reaching the nominal usable field strength (57dB V/m in section V and 67dB V/m in section U) stipulated by Ministry of Radio, Film and Television for service areas, and signal-to-noise ratio of 21 channels reaching 35dB, which is required in normal receiving, accounting for 35% of the total channels.

Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway crosses mountainous regions mostly, where there is poor wireless TV signal coverage due to obstruction of mountains. There is no TV signal emission station or relay station in many counties, and most people can get access TV programs with cable TV network or satellite antennae. Only in the regions of Guangdong Province, there is comparatively good signal coverage, and some users can make use of normal TV antennae.

Social Environment


Social-economic status

The proposed Gui-Guang Line will run through Guizhou Province (one of the least developed provinces in China), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (province), and Guangdong Province (one of the most developed provinces in China).

The project area experiences a serious unbalance of social and economic development, where the eastern part in Guangdong is much developed, with a GDP per capita of 69,286 yuan (10,190 USD) and the western section in Guizhou and Guangxi poor in comparison, with a GDP per capita of 3,277 yuan (480 USD) in Qiandongnan Prefecture in Guizhou. The main socioeconomic data for cities along project corridor is summarized in Table 5-13.

Table 0-13: Socio-Economic Data of Cities in Project Corridor

Guizhou Guangxi Guangdong Index Unit

Guiyang Qiandongnan Guilin Hezhou Zhaoqing Guangzhou

Land area 104km2 0.8 3.0 2.8 1.2 1.5 0.38

Population 104 353.1 441.7 495.1 213.0 398 760

Non-agricultural Population

104 156.5 96.6 112.7 29.4 97 520

GDP 100 million RMB

525.7 144.7 536.9 164.3 622 7050

GDP per capita RMB 14887 3277 10858 8692 16818 72274

Gross Agriculture Output

100 million RMB

54.8 74.8 191.2 85.8 250 201

Gross Industrial Output

100 million RMB

212.7 28.9 507.2 160.4 500 8000

Guizhou and Guangxi feature multiple ethnic minority people living in autonomous counties and prefectures. Based on the Social Assessment conducted during project preparation, there are two minority townships, four minority autonomy counties and two minority autonomous prefectures along the project corridor. These minority groups include Buyi, Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong and Shui people, with a total population of more than 125,000. (Details are included in the Social Assessment and Minority People Plan)

Land Use

Land along the railway line is mainly forested and cultivated land, with a relatively small portion of unused land. Detailed land use was analyzed using 3S technology (i.e. Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS) for the assessment scope along the project alignment. (See Figure 5-14.1 – Figure 5-14.5)

Based on the updated standard for classification of types of land use of the State, land use in the assessment scope along the railway line is divided into nine land use types, i.e. cultivated land, garden plots, forested land, grassland, residential land, roads and urban areas, waterbodies, irrigation facilities and other land. The detailed land use status is summarized in Table 5-13.


Table 0-14: Current Land Use within Assessment Scope

Type of land use Hezhou-Guangzhou

section (ha) Guiyang-Hezhou

section (ha) Total (ha)

Percentage

Cultivated land 6642 3649 10291 20.2%

Garden plot 2771 968 3739 7.3%

Forest land 20576 5539 26115 51.2%

Grass land 4213 0 4213 8.3%

Urban built-up area 871 2082 2953 5.8%

Unused land 376 1975 2351 4.6%

Water area 120 1268 1388 2.7%

Total 35569 15480 51049 100.0%

Table 5-14 shows that the area for forested land, 26115hm2, is the largest within the assessment scope, accounting for 51.2% of the total area of the assessment scope; the second is cultivated land, 10291hm2, accounting for 20.2% of the total area of the assessment scope. The proportion of garden plot, land use for construction, water area and water conservancy facilities land within the assessment scope is respectively 7.3%, 8.3% and 6.3% of the assessment scope.

Cultural Property

Cultural property survey was conducted for project alignment by entrusting local archeological institutes, combined with consultation with local cultural property management authorities/general public and field survey during EA preparation.

In total 10 cultural property sites were identified, and the alignment was shifted to avoid 9 of them. The alignment will have to pass through the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area at CK556+100-CK556+700 section via embankment. The distribution of these cultural properties is shown in Table 5-14.


Table 0-15: Cultural Properties along the Railway Line

S/N Name Protection area Construction control boundary

Location of railway alignment

1 Shengquan Spring (Municipal level)

/ / 10m north out of the construction control boundary

2 Liangweigan Tomb (County level)

The area from the centre of the tomb until 30m outward Extension of 20m based on the boundary of the protection area

236m north of control boundary

Designated area within Beijietouling of Wutong Town Same with the protection area

10m north out of the construction control area

3 Wutong Ancient Tomb Forest (provincial level)

Designated area within Niuling of Zhongyong Township Same with the protection area

3km south out of the construction control area

4 Jingjiang King Mausoleum (national level)

Within 25m from the outer boundary wall of the Mausoleum or 50m outward from the centre of the Mausoleum

Extension of 15m based on the boundary of the protection area

more than 200m away from the construction control area

5 Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area (County level)

The area reaches Mailing and Huangjiang in the south, Sanlian Village, Chiling in the north, within 5m of the boundary for sealing forest land and cultivated land.

Extension of 5m based on the boundary of the protection area

CK556+100-CK556+700 section cross by embankment

7 Lianhua Theatrical Stage (provincial level)

The area cover 10m outward from the boundary wall Same with the protection area


8 Longgui Temple of Lianhua Village (County level)



9 Shaping Longgui Temple (County level)



10 Huangtian Ancient Theatrical Stage (Municipal level)

The area reaches the eastern end of the boundary wall of Huangtian Chemical Plant in the east, underground stone base line of more than 3m west from Yu Stone-tablet Pavilion in the west, northern side of the boundary wall of Huangtian Chemical Plant in the north and southern side of the boundary wall of Huangtian Chemical Plant in the south.

Other part rather than the protection scope within the boundary wall of Huangtian Chemical Plant



Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tombs Area

Located at the west foot of the eastern mountain ridges stretching from Longyan Village of Honghua Township to Sanlian Village of Liang’an Township in Zhongshan County, the cultural relics protection unit is composed of more than 200 tombs of local inhabitants from the Han Dynasty to the period of six dynasties, and was ranked as a cultural relics protection unit at the county level in July 1980.

Through field survey, it is observed that no ground evidence exists for these ancient tombs due to frequent human activities at the surrounding areas. It is assumed that these tombs are scattering around the terraces at both sides of Siqin River. The railway line will cross the protection area at (CK556+100-CK556+700, 600m long) the east side of Siqin River by embankment (see Figure 5-15).

Figure 5-15 Schematic Diagram of Location Relation between Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway and Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tomb Forest Cultural Relics Protection Unit

New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway

Distribution area of ancient tombs


Impact Assessment and Mitigation Measures

Construction Stage

Air Quality

Impact Assessment

The project construction will generate air borne dust and particulate emissions due to the large amount of civil works. The resulting air pollution, a common issue for similar projects, will have the potential to be a nuisance in nearby residential areas and especially for scenic areas, parks and nature reserves. In addition it may also affect the photosynthesis reaction of vegetation near the construction. The impact is only possible during construction and can be mitigated by good construction management practices.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize the adverse impact:

• Water-spraying will be carried out on the construction site and access roads to minimize air-borne dust generation;

• Bulk material hauling vehicles will be covered during transportation and vehicles will be cleaned before leaving the construction site;

• Construction vehicles and machines will be properly maintained;

• Bulk material storage and processing sites will be properly managed and covered in dry weather or windy locations; and

• Slopes, borrow pits, and spoil disposal areas will be promptly re-vegetated.

Summary

Air pollution during construction period is a temporary impact, and can be mitigated by good construction management practices. With effective implementation of EMP, the impact will be minimized.

Soil Erosion

Impact Assessment

During construction, the opening of construction sites, borrow pits, disposal sites, access roads, and other permanent and temporary land uses will all result in the clearing of vegetation and potentially causing an increase in soil erosion. Some agricultural land will be lost due to spoil disposal. During the project feasibility study, a total of 6 borrow pits and 347 spoil disposal sites were identified to accommodate material supply and spoil disposal. Initial environmental screening and assessment has been carried out for all these sites. The findings of the screening activities are summarized in Annex 8. The locations of the borrow pits and spoil disposal sites are shown on Figure 2-2.


Borrow pits and disposal areas

The length of the haul road for the CK74+750, CK111+800, CK118+550 and CK187+500 spoil areas will be increased to bypass paddy fields and discard the spoil on nearby waste land.

A total of 28 spoil areas remain on paddy fields, because certain sections of the alignment have many paddy fields, few waste land areas and traffic constraints. A new construction access road totaling 227 km in length would be required to reach suitable spoil disposal sites on waste land. This road would require 91 hm2 of new temporary ground and would mostly occupy forest land and paddy land. Because building the construction access road would destroy additional farmlands, forests and vegetation, the locating of 28 spoil areas in paddy fields is reasonable, under the condition of re-cultivation of spoil areas.

There are two borrow pits and 101 spoil areas at the Hezhou-Guangzhou Section. Certain spoil areas will be combined. The total number of spoil areas after combination is 54.

Residents are sporadically distributed within 200 m upslope of 11 spoil areas. To mitigate the impact to the residents, quick-growing arbors will be planted at the upslope of spoil disposal areas prior to discarding spoils. Additional mitigative measures include covering spoil material during transport and watering of access roads will be implemented to reduce impact of airborne dust from construction. A total of 47 spoil disposal sites are located within 250 m upslope of residents, river gullies, paddy fields and other sensitive areas. The spoil retaining walls will be designed on the basis of the H1/100 flood control standard. The spoil retaining walls for the other spoil areas will be designed on the basis of the H1/50 flood control standard. The spoil piles will be stabilized, drainage facilities will be established and the areas will be revegetated.

Since the project is presently in the feasibility study stage, the site selection and design of access roads, borrow pits and spoil areas are preliminary. Further evaluations will be carried out to optimize locations of access roads, borrow pits and spoil areas on the basis of the following principles:

Borrow pits: The borrow pits are to be located on waste lands such as hills where the vegetation is sparse. Borrow pits will not be located in farmland, forests, area vulnerable to debris flow, or other sensitive areas. The borrow pits shall be located away from civil houses, transmission poles and towers and industrial & agricultural production facilities, and shall not endanger public safety. Borrow pits will not be located in sensitive areas as the natural reserve and scenic areas.

Spoil disposal areas: Spoil disposal areas will be low-lying and easily protected lands with large storage capacity as well as waste lands not vulnerable to soil movement or scour. Spoil areas will not be established adjacent to a river, lake or reservoir unless the spoil storage has been properly designed and constructed. Spoil areas will not affect the flood drainage and irrigation functions of water bodies. At the same time, the safety of downstream receptors and properties will be protected. Spoil areas shall be established neither on the upslope side of established residential areas.

Construction access roads: According to the survey data, a rural road network exists at portions of the railway line, and in particular at sensitive areas. However, the existing roads will be inadequate for use by large construction machinery during the construction period. The total length of construction or reconstruction of construction access roads is estimated to be 1182.8 km. Construction of the access roads will potentially lead to soil loss due to rainwater


scour. A framework addressing the plan, review and approval of new access roads is presented in the EMP.

Access roads at environmentally sensitive areas are summarized in Table 6-1.

Table 0-1: Access Roads in Ecological Sensitive Areas Sensitive Areas Access Road Status

Longjiashan National Forest Park Existing rural roads in the Park can be used as construction access roads. Both the engineering material yard and the construction camp will be located on the waste land outside the Park. The project, will temporarily occupy only a small amount of land within the Forest Park.

Rongjiang Gurong Provincial-level Scenic Spot

Existing rural roads in the Scenic-Spot can be used as the construction access roads.

Congjiang Provincial-level Scenic Area Existing rural roads in the Scenic Area can be used as the construction access roads.

Shoucheng Natural Reserve CK381+775 - CK383+100 is interconnected with the existing rural roads, which may be utilized for construction of the works. The construction at Tianpingshan Tunnel Exit needs a 5 km long new access road which occupies 2.0 hm2 of land in total.

Liping Dongxiang National-level Scenic Area Existing rural roads around the Scenic Area can be used as the construction access roads.

Yangshuo National-level Forest Park Existing roads in the Park can be used as the construction access roads.

County-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit for Gulou Lianhua Ancient Tombs

Existing rural roads can be used as the construction access roads.

Mitigation Measures


• A Soil Erosion Control Plan has been developed as part of EA preparation, including mitigation measures for borrow pits, spoil disposal areas, access roads, temporary works, embankment, slope, etc. For instance, the Plan includes the recultivation of 575ha of disposal sites, the construction of retaining walls with 613,862 m3 of M7.5 mortar rubble, the construction of drainage ditches with 414,516 m3 of M5 mortar rubble, and the planting of 490,000 shrubs and 223,400 trees. For the borrow pits, 12.11 hm2 of grasses, 10,800 trees and 18,400 shrubs are to be planted.

• Spoil disposal sites selection will be further optimized during the detailed design stage to minimize potential environmental impacts. Selection criteria for borrow pits and spoil disposal sites are developed in the EMP.

• Existing roads will be used as much as possible for access roads, with necessary improvements. A framework for opening new access roads has been developed and will be followed during construction.


• Access road construction will take into account the Village Connection campaign which is a national initiative for rural road construction for remote villages. Some access roads will be transferred to local communities as village roads. Some access roads will be fully reclaimed subsequent to construction completion.

• Design specifications for access roads are proposed in the EMP .

• For other temporary works, site selection will use idle land or waste lands as far as possible. Proper drainage will be adopted to minimize soil erosion. Top soil will be reserved aside for reclamation after project completion.

Summary

Due to the scale of construction, the project will have large environmental impact unless adequate mitigation measures are developed and implemented for construction sites, borrow pits, spoil disposal sites, access roads and other works. Such impacts have been thoroughly assessed during EIA preparation, and adequate mitigation measures have been developed in the EMP. If the EMP is properly implemented, the impact related to construction sites, borrow pits and spoil disposal sites and access roads can be effectively mitigated.

Water

6.1.3.1 Impact on Surface Water

Impact Assessment

The railway alignment will cross many surface water bodies, including three water resources protection areas.

The potential impact on surface water results mainly from sediments and contaminants in wastewater from construction sites, bridge foundation construction, and sewage from camp sites. Such impact can be adequately mitigated with well known construction methods and good construction management.

There are 9 identified tunnels where rivers exist near the portals. These include: Jiahui Tunnel exit (CK200+170), Ganyan Tunnel entrance (CK201+015), Gaoxing Tunnel exit (CK215+363), Yuezhai Tunnel entrance (CK215+500), Yuezhai Tunnel exit (CK215+780), Tianbaling Tinnel entrance (CK422+287), Liang’an Tunnel exit (CK542+970), Tongpen Tunnel entrance (CK557+655) and Datian Tunnel exit (CK320+425). Wastewater from tunnel construction has the potential to impact nearby rivers. Such impact will be mitigated by treatment prior to discharge.

The potential impact to the four water resources protection areas are summarized below:

(1) Gongchenghe River Class I Source Water Protection Area

The project will cross the Gongchenghe River (also named the Chajiang River) Class I Source Water Protection Area by bridge. The bridge will cross 480 m of land and 300 m of water within the protected area.

According to the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, construction projects are not allowed within Class I source water protection areas. Close consultation with local government


and provincial government has been carried out, resulting in the Guangxi Autonomous Region Government issuing a document (GZH [2007] Doc No.129) that permits the plan of moving a water intake upstream and adjusting the protection area boundary accordingly. After the water intake is moved further upstream, the railway alignment will cross the Gongchenghe River 1,840 m downstream of the water intake, and out of the protection area. Thus, construction impact at the water intake is not expected.

There will be four bridge piers inside Gongchenghe River. The construction of these piers has the potential to create suspended solids and impact the water quality of the Gongchenghe River. In order to minimize such impact, steel cofferdams (for 2 deep water piers) and bag cofferdams (for 2 shallow water piers) will be constructed and wastewater/slurry will be transferred to sedimentation ponds on the river banks for treated before discharged into the river.

Wastewater from construction activities (such as cement mixing), sewage from construction camps, hydrocarbon pollution from equipment maintenance areas etc. has the potential to impact surface water. Such impact can be readily mitigated by adoption of adequate sedimentation ponds and septic tanks.

In summary, the impact on surface water quality during construction will be readily mitigated by good construction methods and good construction management. Moreover, any impact is temporary during construction and will disappear once the construction is completed.

(2) Beijiang River Semi-Protected Area

The railway will cross the Beijiang River via the Sixianjiao Bridge (CK765+000). The bridge is located within the semi-protected area of the Beijiang River Water Resource Protection Area. There is no water intake within 1,000 m in the upstream and downstream directions.

The main potential impact would be the construction of 2 piers in the water and construction activities on both river banks. The jacket casing method will be adopted for pier construction and all wastewater and slurry will be treated by sedimentation ponds before discharged. This is a proven construction method that will effectively minimize the impact of construction on river water quality during construction to an acceptable level.

(3) Dongping Waterway Semi-Protected Area

The railway will cross the Dongping Waterway via the Dongping Waterway Bridge (CK782+850). The location of the bridge is within the semi-protected area of the Dongping Waterway Water Resource Protection Area. There is no water intake within 1,000 m in the upstream and downstream directions.

There will be 14 piers in the river. The main potential impact will be the construction of the piers and construction activities on both river banks. The mitigative measures adopted at the Beijing River crossing will also be implemented the Dongping crossing.

(4) Guangzhou Water Resources Protection Area

The railway will pass through the Class 2 land area and semi-protected area of the Guangzhou Water Resources Protection Area. There is no water intake within 1,000 m in the upstream and downstream directions.


The main potential impacts are related to the construction of in-stream piers and construction activities on both river banks. Similar mitigation measures as discussed above will be adopted to mitigate the potential impact.

Mitigation Measures

Measures for water source protection areas and general mitigation measures that will be implemented during construction are summarized as follows:

• The water intake of Gongcheng Miao Autonomous County will be relocated to 2.2 km upstream of the existing location.

• The cofferdam method will be used for bridge pier construction, and slurry will be transferred to the sedimentation ponds on both banks of the rivers for treatment prior to discharge. Sediment will be properly disposed in dedicated disposal sites.

• No temporary construction site, storage site, and washing and maintenance facilities for construction vehicles, construction camp and borrow/spoil disposal site is allowed within the water source protected areas.

• Sedimentation tanks will be used for cement mixing and pre-casting plants where water will be reused as much as possible.

• Construction sites will have temporary drainage ditches and sedimentation tanks to treat construction wastewater and surface runoff

• Sewage at the construction sites will be collected and discharged into the nearby town drainage systems. The discharge of domestic sewage at the construction sites is prohibited.

• Sedimentation and filtration ponds will be adopted at the 9 tunnel construction sites to treat wastewater before it is discharged to nearby irrigation ditches.

• Training for environmental protection and environmental management and supervision shall be intensified.

• River water quality monitoring will be conducted during construction period to monitor the effectiveness of mitigation measures

Summary

Construction activities will have the potential to cause temporary impact to surface water quality, especially in the water source protection areas. However, these impacts will be mitigated by the use of proven construction methods and good construction management. The mitigation measures will be effectively implemented and potential impacts will be mitigated to an acceptable level.

6.1.3.2 Impact on Groundwater

Impact Assessment

The potential impact of railway construction on groundwater mainly results from tunnel excavations, while embankment and bridge construction will have relatively little potential impact. The greatest potential for impact is where bedrock has well developed fractures, cleavage or karst topography.


Tunnel excavations may potentially alter the hydrogeology and impact the groundwater used as a drinking water source by villages. An example of a potential impact is the possibility that dewatering activities during tunnel construction could lower the water table and thereby affect the drinking water sources for villages.

The dewatering activities may also have the potential to impact surface vegetation; however, such impact is likely to be localized and minimal because the surface vegetation depends more on rain water.

The geological survey along the line has identified 10 locations where tunnel excavation may encounter groundwater with the potential to result in impact to drinking water supplies or nearby rivers. Assessments have been conducted for each of these tunnels to identify potential impacts and necessary mitigation measures, as presented in Annex 9.

Mitigation Measures


• Alternative water sources will be identified prior to construction commencement for eight tunnels where there are villages that use groundwater as drinking water sources. Dedicated budgets will be developed to supply water from backup sources;

• Geological investigation and modeling will be adopted during construction. In the event that excessive groundwater is encountered, grouting will be used to retard the flow and minimize water discharge. The tunnel liner will be promptly and properly installed;

• The water table in drinking water wells, springs or ponds in the vicinity of the tunnels will be closely monitored during construction; and

• Tunnel spoils will be properly disposed of in dedicated disposal sites

Summary

Construction of tunnels may have the potential to impact drinking water quality and quantity at nearby communities. With proper construction techniques, timely monitoring and provision of backup water sources, such impact can be adequately mitigated.

Vegetation and Wildlife Biodiversity

6.1.4.1 Vegetation

Impact Assessment

There are varied types of vegetation in the areas along the railway line, which mainly are warm coniferous forest, mixed broadleaf-conifer forest, subtropical evergreen seasonal rain forest, subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest and subtropical coniferous forest. Land occupation of the railway will impact a vegetated area of 3,382.47 hm2, representing about 7.1% of the total area of the assessment scope. The subsequent biomass loss will reach 112,571 t/a, approximately 5.8% in the total biomass of vegetation in the assessment scope. Based on an extensive ecological survey, it is concluded that the plant species in the project alignment are mostly common species of the sub-tropical region, with no stenok plants (specifically endemic species) found within the


assessment area. Given the linear status of the project and the large proportion of tunnels and bridges (more than 75%), the loss of surface vegetation is very limited in the regional context. The project will not cause loss of plant biodiversity in the region.

Field surveys have identified some protected plants, i.e. 17 camphor trees and 50 Cibotium barometzs in the vicinity of Wutong, Longwei, Datian, Qingchi and Dayuan Power Station that will be directly affected. Since camphor tree and Cibotium barometz can be transplanted easily, the camphor trees and Cibotium barometzs will be relocated to the nearby areas and indentified on signboards as a “national secondary protection plant”.

There are also 10 old trees identified within the occupied land of the railway at Chaolidong and Rongjiangyue Village. There are 7 old trees near to Chaolidong, among which 5 (1 sweetgum, 3 Michelia foveolata var.cineras and 1 Castanopsis hystrixs) stand below the Chaolihe Double-track Extra-large Bridge, and 2 (1 sweetgum and 1 Michelia foveolata var.cinera) stand at 22 m right of the Chaolihe Double-track Extra-large Bridge. The Chaolihe Double-track Extra-large Bridge is 80 m high, and the distance between the bridge deck and top of the trees is greater than 20 m, so once proper measures of construction management and on-the-spot protection are taken, the railway will produce no impact on the old tress.

There are 3 old banyans close to Rongjiangyue Village, where the Zhaihaohe Four-track Extra-large Bridge will be constructed. Subsequent to discussions with the design institute the line will be moved leftward by 50 m to avoid impacting the three old banyans.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to further minimize the adverse impact:

• Protected plants will be relocated to the adjacent areas with similar ecological environment, and warning signs will be attached to each of them for effective protection

• Warning signs marking “old and famous trees” shall be attached on old trees within the assessment scope

• Education on environmental protection and identification of key protected plants located in the area will be provided to construction personnel. In case any other national key protected plants should be detected during the construction process, they will be reported to the local Forest Department to take remedial measures as required.

• Intensive landscaping will be carried out to plant trees, shrubs and grass along the railway line and for reclamation of borrow/spoil disposal sites. The total landscaped area will reach 1,598.32 hm2.

• Temporary land acquisition will be minimized. For construction in forested areas, activities will be restricted to the acquired land.

• Access roads will utilize existing rural roads as much as possible to minimize opening of new access roads. A framework for opening new access roads is developed in the EMP.

• Embankment slopes, borrow and spoil disposal sites will be re-vegetated or reclaimed in a timely manner with local plant species.

• Fires will be strictly managed at construction sites near forested areas.

Summary


This linear railway project will have limited impact on surface vegetation in terms of loss of biomass and impact on biodiversity in the regional context. Adequate mitigation measures have been developed in the EMP and will be implemented to minimize adverse impact.

6.1.4.2 Wildlife

Impact Assessment

The railway construction project will have the potential to impact local animals, as a result of damage to original vegetation caused by land occupation by the railway, construction activities and noise, as well as the illegal hunting by construction personnel.

Within the assessment scope of Guiyang-Hezhou section, there are 27 species of rare and endangered animals under protection, among which 5 species are large mammals and 22 species are birds, living mainly in Shoucheng National Reserves, Yangshuo National Forest Park and the core area in Longjiashan Forest Park. Within the assessment scope of Hezhou-Guangzhou section, there are 6 species of protected animals at the national or provincial level, including two national class II protected animals and four protected animals at the provincial level.

Impact assessment has been carried out for each of these main protected animal species, as summarized in Table 6-2.

As described in baseline, within the land acquisition of the railway alignment, most of the broad-leaf forests and conifer/broad-leaf mix forests have been destroyed by human activities, with only small patches left. Therefore, the most and biggest habitats are conifer forests. However, these conifer forests are planted, with single tree species of either masson pine or China fir. In such single specie forests, the wildlife biodiversity is low. The vegetation on bushes and grass land are secondary vegetation after the destroy of primary vegetation, and are the habitats of small mammals and small birds that are strong adaptive species. In general, the wildlife biodiversity along the railway alignment is low, with common regional species. There are no localized endemic species. The project adopted a tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme that minimizes the potential impact on segmentation of habitats, and leaves enough passageways for wildlife in local area. It also avoids the main habitats where rich wildlife biodiversity is present. Therefore, the project will not lead to significant loss of wildlife biodiversity.

Based on survey data, there are about 50 fish species in the rivers that the railway will cross. These are common fishes in the region. There are no endemic species or wild fishes under national key protection in the project area. It is concluded that there are also no fish spawning sites, breeding or feeding area near bridge sites. The construction of bridge foundations and railway sections along the river may have potential impact of sediments discharged into riverand, can cause impact on aquatic wildlife. However, such temporary impact will be minimized with proper construction method (e.g. cofferdam, steel pipe jacket) and management practice. During operation stage, such impacts will disappear.

Among 68 caves identified along the project line, only one cave will be physically passed by the railway alignment through tunnel. Two other caves are identified that may receive wastewater from alignment construction though the caves will not be physically affected. According to specimen identification, there is no Class I and II protected plants and animals found in these caves. Four animal species are considered as important economic or scientific research value animals according to national regulations, which are: Oreolalax rhodostigmatus, Bufo melanotictus, Rana Limnochari and Apus pacificus kanoi. Of these four species, only Oreolalax


rhodostigmatus (a kind of frog) belongs to genuine cave animals, while the other three species are temporary inhabitants in caves. The survey results indicates that one of these four species are found in the Longshan Cave.

The impacted cave is Longshan Cave is a water cave. Passing by tunnel, the project will affect the water flow, and will damage the water ecology of the downstream side. According to the specimen analysis, there is no protected or unknown species in this cave. In a regional context, partial loss of water ecology in this cave will not have impact on regional water aquatic species biodiversity.

Two caves that could potential receive wastewater from construction sites are Wangtian Cave (DK74+910m) and Shuiniu Cave (DK61+255m) due to their lower position compared to the alignment. Such potential impacts could be avoided by proper construction management measures.

The operation of railway may also impact some bats in the nearby caves that use HF sound wave in 30-100KHz to echolocate. However, these bats are common and strong adaptive species that can avoid lines tunnel and inhabit in other similar cave environment.

It is further noted that these are 10,000 – 20,000 caves in the Guizhou and Guangxi area, with similar ecological environment. The project will only affect one cave which, according to biodiversity survey, has no special value of biodiversity implication and cultural or aesthetic value. With good construction management practice, the potential wastewater impact to the other two caves at lower altitude and human disturbance to other nearby caves can also be adequately avoided or minimized. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed railway project will not result in obvious impact on karst cave biodiversity in the project region.


Table 0-2: Impact Assessment for Main Protected Animals Type Species name Distribution Area and Impact Analysis

Mammals Moschus berezovshii (class I) Moschus berezovshii (forest deer) can be found at four areas along the railway. (1) Houzigou Scenic Area of Longjiashan National Forest Park; (2) Duyun Doupengshan Natural Reserves; (3) Tongni-Shijiaoneng (CK165+000-CK170+000), and (4) core area of Shoucheng Nature Reserve. The alignment is far from the deer distribution area of Houzigou Scenic Area, Duyun Doupengshan Nature Reserve and core zone of Shoucheng Nature (at least 3 km). For Tongni-Shijiaoneng section (CK165+000-CK170+000), the alignment is passing through long tunnel, where the entrance of the tunnel is 8 km from this section. Due to far distance of alignment and construction activities, the impact on Moschus berezovshii is negligible.

Macaque (class II) The main habitats of Macaque (monkey) are the above-mentioned four natural reserves. Macaques are also occasionally found at the northeast (east of Gaopei Village) of Tongle Township in Sanjiang County, i.e. stone-hill area at the north of CK301-CK305 section of the proposed railway line. The alignment does not pass through the Macaques distribution area in these nature reverses; therefore will have no impact on Macaque. For CK301-CK306 section, the alignment will pass through two tunnels, in between there will be a 110 m long embankment. This section is at the south edge the Macaque distribution area. The alignment does not segment the distribution area. The construction activities will have temporary impact on Macaque which will retreat from the areas. Since macaques have strong adaptability and mobility, they live in a large territory, so such impact is temporary. After project completion, macaque will gradually return to the original territory, and adapt to life at a place not far from the railway line.

Macaca thibetana (class II) The main habitats of Macaca thibetana (monkey) are: (1) Doupengshan Nature Reserve and (2) Shoucheng Nature Reserve.


Type Species name Distribution Area and Impact Analysis The railway alignment is 4 km away from Douepengshan Nature Reserve. In the Shoucheng Nature Reserve the alignment will pass through a tunnel where the entrance is 2.4 km away from the Macaca thibetana distribution area, on the other side of mountain. Therefore there no impact is expected.

Viverricula indica (class II) The main habitats of Viverricula indica (cat) are the core zone of: (1) Shoucheng Nature Reserve, and (2) Yindianshan Nature Reserve. The alignment will pass by the south end of the Yindianshan Nature Reserve through the north edge of the Shoucheng Nature Reserve via tunnel. Viverricula indica has been reported at these two sections. Since Viverricula indica has strong adaptability and mobility, and the main habitats are far from the alignment, the impact of railway construction will be limited and temporary. Upon project completion and restoration of ecological system, Viverricula indica are expected to adapt at a location not far from the railway line.

Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsang (class II)

The main habitat of Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsang (cat) is in Yindianshan Nature Reserve. Habitat has been reported at the area between Shanpatang and Youzhuchong (CK524+000-CK530+000) past the southern edge Yindianshan Natural Reserve. The railway alignment at this section includes Dongkeshan Tunnel (7670.00m long) and two bridges. However, this section is outside of the nature reserve at a location where there are villages, farmland and human activities, so it cannot be a proper habitat for Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsang. With strong adaptability and mobility, the railway construction and operation will have very limited impact on any Prionodon pardicolor spotted linsangs in the area.

Birds Protected birds in Longjiashan Forest Park and Shoucheng Nature Reserve.

These include Glaucidium brodiei, Falco tinnunculus common kestrel, Aviceda leuphotes syama(Hosgson), glede, sparrow-hawk, Greater Coucal, Centropus toulou, Accipiter soloensis, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Asio flammeus, Otus bakkamoena, Accipiter virgatus, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Glaucidium cuculoides, Tyto capensis cape barn owl, Glaucidium brodiei, Otus spilocephalus. They are mainly distributed in


Type Species name Distribution Area and Impact Analysis Longjiashan Forest Park and Shoucheng Nature Reserve. These birds have strong flying ability and can live in large territories. Because it does not enter the core areas of the Longjiashan Forest Park and Shoucheng Nature Reserve, the railway will have negligible impact on these birds.

Chrysolophus pictus (class II) and Syrmaticus teevesii (class II)

These birds are mainly distributed in areas near the sections of CK46+000-CK80+000, CK131+000-131+800, CK167+000-CK168+000 and CK233+000-CK243+000. The railway line within these sections is mainly tunnels and bridges. The distance from the railway line to the habitats is less than 1,000 m. Because of the distance from the railway line and the flying ability of these birds, the construction and operation of railway will have limited impact on these bird species.

Treron sieboldii (class II) It is mainly distributed in the CK165+170 section. The railway line will pass by in tunnels, with the entrance and exit of the tunnels located at more than 2 km from the habitat, so the habitat will not be damaged. There is not expected to be any impact.

Lophura nycthemera (class II) Lophura nycthemera at the following locations will be affected during the construction period of the railway: (1) A 78m long exposed portion of the railway line between the exit of Qiling Tunnel at CK368+927m and the entrance of Taipingshan Tunnel at CK369+005m. Since the exposed portion of the railway line is comparatively short, impact during operation of the railway will be largely reduced by the installation of a noise barrier. (2) There are several tunnel portals and bridges, and an approximately 995 m long exposed portion of the railway line between the exit of Taipingshan Tunnel and the entrance to Jiangjiashan Tunnel. Since this section is comparatively long, impact on Lophura nycthemera will occur not only during the construction period, but also during the operation period. (3) At the area between Shanpatang and Youzhuchong (CK524+000-CK530+000),


Type Species name Distribution Area and Impact Analysis outside of the southern edge of Yindianshan Natural Reserve of Gongcheng County, there are several tunnel entrances and exits and bridges. During the construction period, Lophura nycthemera may be scared by noise of construction machinery and vehicles and construction personnel. In cases of poor management, some construction personnel may illegally hunt animals in the Natural Reserve. Lophura nycthemera, which is a physically large ground bird and has a large population, is an ideal hunting object. After completion of the railway, it is anticipated that Lophura nycthemera, with strong adaptability, can quickly adapt to the changed environment. Impact on the species during operation is not expected to be significant. At the area between the exit of Taipingshan Tunnel and the entrance to Jiangjishan Tunnel, due to noise disturbance of running trains it is expected that Lophura nycthemera will retreat from the two sides of the railway line and its habitat will be reduced. However, these areas are just a very small part of the whole natural reserve. With strong adaptability, Lophura nycthemeras live in a large territory, and there is a significant population living in the natural reserve. As a local common bird, the population of Lophura nycthemera in the natural reserve will not likely be significantly impacted.


Mitigation Measures

The following measures have been developed and will be implemented to minimize adverse impacts:

• A tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme has been adopted to the maximum extent possible to minimize faunal disturbance;

• Education on animal protection will be provided to the construction workers;

• Illegal hunting will be strictly forbidden;

• Blasting mode, quantity and timing will be well planned, and efforts will be made to avoid blasting in the morning, in the evening and at mid-day when most birds and animals are feeding;

• Embankments and bridges within Shoucheng Nature Reserve will be fully enclosed to minimize noise impact during operation;

• Intensive green belts will be adopted on the edge of the forest land and tunnel portal to minimize light and noise impact on animals. Natural landscapes at the tunnel portals and under-the-bridge vegetation are to be restored, which is conducive to adaptation of animals to a new environment;

• Wild animal monitoring will be conducted during construction in Shoucheng Natural Reserve and Longjiashan National-level Forest Park, with an earmarked budget in EMP of RMB 3,500,000;

• For construction sites above the two karst caves, construction wastewater will be treated with sedimentation ponds and diverted from the cave entrance areas to avoid wastewater flowing into the caves; and

• Workers will be educated not to enter the caves nearby the railway alignment.

Summary

The detailed assessment of impact on the main protected animals concludes that the railway alignment will not segment the main habitats of the protected animals located in core areas of the nature reserves. Due to the distance from the railway line to the main habitats and the strong adaptability and mobility of the animals, plus mitigation measures to be implemented, the impact from construction and operation will be limited. The project will not lead to any significant conversion or degradation of habitats, and will not cause loss of plant and wildlife biodiversity.

Protected and Special Management Areas

6.1.5.1 Impact on Nature Reserves

Shoucheng Nature Reserve

Impact Assessment

The alignment will pass through the Shoucheng Nature Reserve by tunnel. The relation between the alignment and the nature reserve is shown in Figure 5-7. The line will cross the Experimental Zone of the reserve at (CK366+800-CK383+100) by tunnels, subgrade embankment and bridges.


The total construction length within the reserve will be 16.3km, including 4 tunnels of 15.264 km; and 5 bridges of 668.4 m; and subgrade of 367.6 m.

The natural vegetation at the locations of bridges, subgrade embankment and construction access roads are mostly common plants species, like arbors of Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis fargesii, Castanopsis fabri, Castanopsis eyrei, moso bamboo, etc. Approximately 50 Cibotium barometzs plants (national grade II protected plant) have been identified in the area that will be affected. The total land occupation of subgrade embankment and foundations of bridges will be 4.64 ha, which is mainly Castanopsis carlesii forest, moso bamboo forest, fir forest, Castanopsis eyrei forest, sweetgum forest, Mallotus japonicus forest, slash pine forest and rice paddy. Protected plants will be relocated to reduce the potential impact.

The railway will cross Shoucheng Natural Reserves mainly by tunnels, and only a 1,036 m long section will be exposed between the exit of Tiaopingshan Tunnel and the entrance to Jiangjiashan Tunnel. This section will include 4 bridges (668.4m in total length). The bridge height will range from 8.5 m to 23 m to allow free passage of animals. The tunnels will not impact the animals’ habitats or movement.

For the section of CK381+775 - CK383+100, the existing rural road will be used as the access road after improvement. The portal of Tianpingshan Tunnel will require 5 km of access road.

A total of 1,000,000 m3 of spoil will be removed from the Qiling Tunnel. A total volume of 318,100 m3 will be utilized during construction (including 217,400 m3 as embankment fill material and 100,700 m3 as general construction material), the remaining 688,700 m3 will be disposed at two spoil areas located outside of the natural reserves. The spoil from Taipingshan Tunnel will total 1,920,000 m3,of which 289,800 m3 will be utilized (98,200 m3 as embankment fill material and 191,600 m3 as general construction material), the other 1,630,000 m3 will be disposed at a spoil area located 10 km away (waste land of 6.05 ha), outside the boundary of the natural reserve.

Opinions of Reserve Management Authority

In order to better protect Shoucheng Natural Reserves, the Design Institute consulted with Guangxi Forestry Bureau who developed the procedures for assessment and approval, the Forestry Bureau required that a special study to completed. To satisfy the requirements of the Forestry Bureau, in September 2007 Guangxi University was retained to compile the special study report. The report was finished at the end of March 2008 and was reviewed by an Expert Panel organized by Guangxi Forestry Bureau. The “Letter on Giving Consent to the New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway to Cross Shoucheng Natural Reserves”( GLH [2008] No.165) was subsequently issued to confirm the official agreement of Guangxi Forestry Bureau on the recommended alignment.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize any potential impact:

• The 50 affected Cibotium barometzs will be transplanted to nearby similar environments;

• Spoil materials will be disposed at pre-identified disposal sites outside the reserve, mortar rubble spoil-retaining walls will be constructed to fence the spoil area, and trees will be planted for reclamation;


• Trees of native species (fir, moso bamboo, Castanopsis carlesii, Castanopsis eyrei, etc.) will be selected according to the local soil and climatic conditions and planted, to restore vegetation on the construction access roads;

• A full enclosure will be constructed on bridges (581.82 m) and embankments (413.18 m) within the natural reserves to minimize noise impact; and

• Publicity and education regarding the protection of wild animals will be carried out to prevent construction personnel from hunting animals and to reinforce protection of animal habitats.

Summary

The alignment will pass through the edge of the nature reserve mostly by tunnel with a small proportion of bridges and embankments. Effective implementation of mitigation measures will minimize the impact of the railway construction and operation on the Shoucheng Nature Reserve.

6.1.5.2 Impact on Scenic Areas

Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area

Impact Assessment

The railway line will pass through the Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area and Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area, which features Dong village buildings and Dong cultural activities at various scenic spots. The relation between the railway and the scenic area is shown on Figure 5-8.

The railway line will cross Zhaihaohe Bridge at the edge of a Grade-III scenic spot which features banyan trees. Three old banyans will be transplanted. Due to the higher elevation of the bridge, the railway will visually impact the landscape. According to the site survey, the design of the existing highway bridges complements the banyans in Rongjiang Scenic Area and forms a new highlight in the scenic area. In a similar manner, the impact of the bridge on the scenic spot landscape will be mitigated by design features so that the railway bridge can also become a new view point of the scenic area.

Rongjiang Station will be constructed within the Sanbao-1000-household Dong Village sub-area. Special attention has been paid to the design of the station so that it will complement the surrounding Dong style buildings to enhance the local landscape. The station will also be designed with adequate sanitary infrastructure to manage waste generated during operation.

The alignment is more than 500 m away from other scenic spots in the scenic area, and will have little impact on the visual landscape of those areas.

As the area is well developed, there is no need for new access roads during construction.

Opinions of Management Authority

At the request of the management authority of the scenic area, the Construction Department of Guizhou Province, the SSDI retained the Urban & Rural Planning Design Institute of Guizhou Province to conduct research on the impact of the Guiyang - Guangzhou railway on the Rongjiang Scenic Area. The research report was reviewed by an experts panel organized by the Construction Department of Guizhou Province, and was approved in the document “Reply Letter


of Construction Department of Guizhou Province on the Report about Impact of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway to Cross Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area”. This official document confirmed the limited environmental impact of the railway alignment and consented to the proposed railway alignment and mitigation measures.

Measures of environmental protection

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize any potential impact:

• The excavation spoil material will total 3.52 million m3. Of this total, 738,700 m3 will be utilized as building material and subgrade material for station and yard construction, and the remaining spoil of 2.78 million m3 will be transported to a dedicated disposal site outside of the scenic area;

• Landscape design and ecological restoration will be conducted on Rongjiang Station and other main works to be compatible with the surrounding ethnic cultural landscape and to reduce secondary environmental problems;

• Waste water from the station will be treated using constructed wetlands to reach the class 1 standard stipulated in the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB8978-1996); and

• Solid waste from the station will be gathered and transferred to the urban environment sanitation bureau for disposal.

Summary

The railway alignment avoids the valuable scenic spots in the area. Special design will be carried out for Rongjiang Station and bridge structures to ensure that they complement the local Dong ethnic culture, and to enhance the visual landscape in the area. Therefore, the railway impact on the Rongjiang Scenic Area is not significant and will be well managed.

Congjiang Scenic Area

Impact Assessment

The railway line will cross Longtu scenic sub-area by bridges & culverts, and tunnels at the CK272+500-CK276+700 section. The total length in the scenic area is about 4.2 km, including embankment sections that are 2.66 km long (See Figure 5-9).

Based on field surveys, the alignment is located greater than500 m from the main scenic spots of the scenic area and will not have any impact on the landscape environment of these scenic spots. The location of the Congjiang Station within the scenic area is presently cultivated land. Proper design of the station site, including embankment slope and tunnel portal slope can greatly reduce the impact of the proposed railway line on the landscape of the scenic area.



According to the opinions of the management authority of the scenic area, the Construction Department of Guizhou Province, the SSDI has retained the Urban & Rural Planning Design Institute of Guizhou Province to carry out a study of the impact of the railway on Congjiang Scenic Area. The research report was reviewed by an Expert Panel organized by the Construction Department of Guizhou Province and was subsequently approved by the document


“Reply Letter of Construction Department of Guizhou Province on the Report about Impact of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway to Cross Congjiang Scenic Area”. Consent was given for the railway line to cross Congjiang Scenic Area.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize any potential adverse impacts:

• Spoil material will be utilized as fill material for construction of an industrial development zone of Congjiang County;

• The design of Congjiang Station and other main works will be compatible with local cultural and landscape features;

• Waste water from the station shall be treated using constructed wetlands to reach the class 1 standard stipulated in the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB8978-1996), and then discharged into Luoxiang River; and

• Solid waste from the station shall be gathered and transferred to the existing municipal landfill for disposal.

Summary

The railway alignment avoids valuable scenic spots in the area. The Congjiang Station and bridge structures will be specially designed to complement local cultural and landscape features. The railway impact on the Congjiang Scenic Area is not significant and can be well managed.

Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area

Impact Assessment

The railway line will cross Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area by the 12,030 m long Luoxing Tunnel (central mileage of the tunnel of CK282+995), as shown on Figure 5-10. The tunnel entrance and exit will be located outside of the scenic area. No shafts or spoil disposal areas will be located within the scenic area.

Since the railway line will cross Liping Dongxiang Scenic Area by a tunnel, there will not be any visual impact or land acquisition in the scenic area.

Extremely developed karst is located at the entrance section of Luoxiang Tunnel and there are several branched caves developed in the solution cavity. The excavation of the tunnel may have the potential to impact groundwater flow, which may affect inhabitants located near the tunnel. Such impact will be mitigated by hydrogeological modeling, proper sealing of tunnel liners, and preparation of alternate water resources for communities in the area.

Spoil produced by construction of the tunnel will total 1.80 million m3, among which 210,300 m3 will be utilized as embankment fill material and general construction material. The other 1.59 million m3 will be disposed at three spoil material areas outside of the scenic area, i.e. right of CK276+300 (dry land of 2.2 hm2), a more distant place (waste land of 4.71 hm2) and right of CK288+500 (waste land of 4.84 hm2). Any impact resulting from spoil disposal will be properly managed.




At the request of the management authority of the scenic area, the Construction Department of Guiyang Province, a special report on the impact of the railway on the scenic area was prepared and submitted to the Construction Department of Guizhou Province. The report was reviewed by an Expert Panel organized by Construction Department of Guizhou Province, and was approved by the document “Reply Letter on Related Matters of Incorporating Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway into the Overall Planning of Liping Tongxiang Scenic Area”. Consent was given to the railway line to cross Liping Tongxiang Scenic Area. The Overall Planning of Liping Tongxiang Scenic Area was revised to accommodate the railway line and was subsequently approved by the Ministry of Construction.

Mitigation Measures


• Spoil material will be transported to three dedicated soil disposal sites located outside of the scenic area;

• Modeling and observation will be used to predict tunnel construction issues and adequate sealing of liners will be carried out;

• Alternative water resources for potentially impacted communities will be arranged, with a budget of RMB 1 million reserved for alternative water supply; and

• Water table levels and flows at local communities will be closely monitored during tunnel construction.

Summary

The railway line will pass through the Liping Tongixang Scenic Area via tunnel. No visual impact is envisioned. There is a potential impact to groundwater due to tunnel construction; however, proper engineering and environmental mitigation measures have been developed to adequately mitigate such impact.

6.1.5.3 Impact on Forest Parks

Longjiashan National Forest Park

Impact Assessment

The railway crosses the Longjiashan Scenic Sub-area of Longjiashan National Forest Park (CK37+524.68 - CK41+000) by bridges, tunnels and embankment, and crosses the Xiangshuihe Scenic Sub-area at (about CK45+850-CK48+100) by tunnel. See Figure 5-11.

The length of railway in the forest park is 5,725.32 m. Bridges and tunnels will comprise 70% of the length. The railway line will occupy 9.83 ha of land in the forest park, including 1.3h m2 of dry land, 0.81 ha of rice paddy fields, and 7.72 ha of forest land, and accounting for 0.16% of the


total area of the park. The railway will have only a small impact on the land resources of the park.

The existing country roads in the park will be used as the construction access roads. The material yards and construction camps will be located on waste land outside of the park, so temporary land occupation in the forest park will be small and the potential impact of the construction on land resources of the park will be minimized.

The construction will mainly affect warm evergreen coniferous forest, including redpine plant formations and cypress plant formations. Construction of embankments, excavation of bridge piers and tunnel slopes will damage vegetation to some extent. Vegetation will recover gradually within 1-2 years, after the re-vegetation measures (including planting trees on slopes) are taken.


The Forestry Department of Guizhou Province and the direct management authority, Longli Forest Farm, were consulted regarding crossing Longjiashan Forest Park by the new Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line.

The Forestry Department of Guizhou Province issued the “Letter of Feedback on the New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Crossing Longjiashan National Forest Park” ([2007] QLYH No.228) to confirm their agreement with the proposed railway alignment.

Longli Forest Farm of Guizhou Province issued the “Reply to Opinion Solicitation about the Route of New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line Crossing Longjiashan National Forest Park” (QLLB [2007] No.70) to confirm their approval of the alignment and committed to including the transport corridor in the overall plan of the forest park which is being developed.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize any potential adverse impacts:

• Construction camps and spoil disposal sites will be located outside of the park area;

• Existing rural roads will be used as access roads; and

• A landscape design featuring intensive greening will be developed for embankment slopes, areas under bridges, tunnel portals and spoil disposal sites.

Summary

The railway line will cross the park mainly through tunnels and on bridges. The localized land occupation by the railway will not have a significant impact on land use and plant resources.


Impact Assessment

A 587 m long portion of the alignment will be located in the park, of which 574 m is tunnel and the remaining 13 m part of a bridge. See Figure 5-12.

The land occupation in the park is of 0.026 ha and includes a portion of an orchard with 8 orange trees. Because of the very limited land occupation in the park the impact of the railway on the vegetation and land use in the park is considered to be negligible.


Spoil produced from construction of the Xingfuyuan Tunnel will reach 486,600 m3 in total, among which 102,900 m3 will be utilized as fill material for embankments, 48,700 m3 will be utilized as building material, and the other 335,000 m3 will be disposed at a low-laying disposal location outside of the park. The disposal site occupies an area of 3.91 hm2.


The preparation team of the Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway consulted with the management authority of the forest park, Forestry Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, regarding the crossing of Yangshuo Forest Park by the new Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line.

The Forestry Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region subsequently issued the “Reply to Opinion Solicitation about the Route of New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line Crossing Longjiashan National Forest Park” ([2008] GLH No.103) to confirm their approval of the railway alignment.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize any potential adverse impact:

• Special landscape designs will be developed for the Xingfuyuan Double-track Extra-large Bridge and trees shall be planted on the slopes at the exit of Xingfuyuan Tunnel;

• Construction camps and spoil disposal sites will be located outside of the forest park; and

• The existing roads in the park will be used as the construction access roads.

Summary

The railway line will only occupy very small part of the park area which is a piece of orange orchard. Thus, it is concluded that, with effective implementation of mitigation measures, the impact of the railway on the vegetation and land use in the park is negligible.

Aesthetic Resources

Impact Assessment

There are two major types of impacts on the aesthetics from the construction and operation, including damage of natural landscape due to loss of surface vegetation, and visual impact in context of culturally sensitive areas (e.g. scenic areas). Analysis has been conducted in Chinese EIA report to address these two types of impact from aesthetics perspective.

Based on baseline survey and analysis, the dominant landscape form in the assessment scope is forest and farmland. The project construction will result in loss of surface vegetation (forest and bushes), and could create bare patches at places such as cutting slopes, access roads, borrow/disposal sites, tunnel portals and embankment slopes. Such human disturbed places could have substantial negative impact on the local aesthetics in the project areas which are relatively less disturbed, with fairly good natural and rural landscape. While, both project design and EIA have paid close attention to such impacts, and a series of measures are designed in the project to avoid, minimize and mitigate the potential adverse impact. This include intensive greening plan for tree planting along the alignment, re-vegetation of cutting/filling slope, reclamation of borrow/disposal sites, special environmental design for tunnel portals.


The railway alignment will pass through three scenic areas and two forest parks where potential aesthetic value is high. Detailed aesthetics impact has been assessed for each of these scenic areas in the original Chinese EIA report, and key findings are summarized as follows:

Rongjiang Scenic Area: The proposed railway line will pass through Sanbao 1000-household Dong Village sub-area and Zaidang Dongzhai Dage sub-area by bridge, tunnel and embankment. The Rongjiang Station will be located in the middle of farmland. Local Dong culture (i.e. typical building style) is fully considered in the design of the station building to ensure it is compatible with local culture and landscape of the scenic area. The design was welcome and accepted by local government. Tunnel portals are design with intensive re-vegetation plan to minimize visual impact. Bridges will also be designed with consideration of landscape which could be a new scenic spot upon completion. The embankment in the scenic area section is low embankment (1-2m). With proper re-vegetation (for slope protection as well) along the line, the visual impact will be minimized.

Congjiang Scenic Area: The railway line with cross Longtu sub-area by bridges & culverts, and tunnels, with total crossing length of 4.2 km. Like Rongjiang Station, the Congjiang Station is also located in an open farmland and low hill area. Design of the station building fully incorporated local ethnic minority culture to ensure compatibility with surrounding landscape. The design was also accepted by local government. Similar greening design will also apply to the portal of tunnels here. The embankment within the scenic area section is also low embankment (1-2m), which will not have significant visual impact, especially with proper re-vegetation upon project completion. One Luoxiang bridge site is farmland area, without any valuable aesthetic resources. There is no significant adverse visual impact expected.

Liping Scenic Area: The project will pass through the area through Luoxiang Tunnel, both portals are outside the boundary of the scenic area. There is no visual impact envisioned to the scenic area.

Longjiashan Forest Park: The railway will pass the park mainly through tunnel, bridge and some embankment. The Xinzhai Bridge is about 100 m from a scenic spot, i.e. Wolongxi Creek. Special landscape design will be conducted for the bridge to minimize visual impact. The alignment is far from other key scenic spots in the park, and the visual impact on the park is limited.

Yangshuo Forest Park: The railway alignment will pass the park mostly in tunnel and 13m embankment. The tunnel portal and embankment area is a piece of orchard land with local road without valuable aesthetic resources. With proper greening design of tunnel portal, the project will have little visual impact on the park.

Mitigation Measures

• The project is designed mainly in a tunnel-bridge-tunnel scheme (more 75%) which will minimize damage of existing surface vegetation and natural landscape.

• The railway alignment is carefully assessed to avoid environmentally and culturally

Example of Greening Plan for Tunnel Portal


sensitive area with potential high aesthetic values to the extent possible.

• An ambitious reclamation plan has been developed in the Soil Erosion Control Plan for re-vegetation of embankment/cutting slopes, tunnel portals, borrow pits and disposal sites to restore the ecological environmental along the railway alignment. (Section 6.1.2)

• Rongjiang Station and Congjiang Station are designed with special consideration of local ethnic minority culture and building style to enhance the local aesthetic landscape.

Summary

With implementation of all mitigation measures designed in the project, the project will not have significant adverse impact on aesthetic resources in the project areas. The temporary visual impact during construction will be largely restored during operation stage with implementation of intensive ecological reclamation plan.

Noise and Vibration

Impact Assessment

Construction activities will result in noise and vibration impacts to nearby communities and environmentally sensitive receptors. The impact will include noise and vibration from blasting and operation of construction machinery (e.g. bulldozer, material hauling vehicles, roller, compressor, generator etc.).

Given the long alignment and the distribution of villages, schools and hospitals, and sensitive areas (nature reserves, parks, scenic areas) along the line, construction noise and vibration are anticipated to impact receptors located within 50 m during daytime hours. However, night-time construction will have the potential to impact receptors located within 200 m and could be a major nuisance.

Mitigation Measures


• High noise equipment will be located as far as possible from sensitive receptors. The equipment will have regular maintenance and will follow specified operating procedures to minimize the noise produced. If a distant location cannot be found machines will be provided with noise insulation.

• Construction will be rescheduled where possible to minimize night construction and to carry out only low-noise work at night. Construction machinery with high noise levels (e.g. pile-driver) will not be operated between the hours of 22:00pm and 6:00am. If possible construction with high noise levels will be scheduled to coincide with school holiday time or summer/winter vacation.

• In the event that night-time construction is unavoidable, such construction will be subject to approval by local environmental authorities. Prior consultation will be carried out with staff and occupants of local residential quarters, schools or hospitals nearby. Adequate notice of construction will be provided.

• The temporary access roads will be located as far as practicable from sensitive populations such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes and residential areas, etc. The rush


hours will be scheduled to minimize traffic jam. Haul during night must follow requirements such as low speed running and no whistling, etc.

• The impact of construction noise will be mitigated by an optimized schedule and reasonable arrangements. During the pre-bidding process contractors will be required to list the noise mitigation measures they propose so that these measures can be incorporated into the contract.

• According to Announcement For Noise Control During Matric issued by National Environmental Protection Administration on April 26, 1998, during the matric period and the period half a month before matric, construction with noise exceeding the standard will not be allowed.

• For construction in nature reserves, blasting will be well planned and efforts will be made to avoid blasting when most of the birds and animals are feeding.

• Contractors will consult with the general public along the railway line to discuss the mitigation of noise and vibration impacts and will carry out training programs on environmental protection for workers to increase awareness and minimize construction noise and vibration impact.

• Noise monitoring will be carried out during the construction period.

• Monitoring including ground subsidence and building deformation of the buildings located at the top of the Gelaoshan Tunnel will be carried out during the construction period. A budget of RMB100,000 yuan is allocated in the EMP.

• During the construction period, the construction team will carry out timely communications with local inhabitants and other receptors and will monitor the construction impact to the buildings and ground surface. If any abnormality related to the construction arises in buildings, the related personnel and properties will be evacuated immediately. The building or structure will be assessed for damage and reasonable compensation will be established.

Summary

Construction activities will cause temporary noise and vibration impacts on nearby communities and other sensitive receptors. However, with effective implementation of good construction practices and mitigation measures, such impact can be effectively mitigated.

Impact of Land Acquisition and Resettlement

Impact

Minimizing land acquisition and resettlement to the maximum extent possible has been the key criterion for alignment selection during the project feasibility study and EA preparation. A number of efforts have been made to achieve this objective, including adoption of tunnel and bridge construction for more than 75% of the entire line, alternative alignment analysis for several sections where the final selected alignments have further reduced potential land acquisition of about 53 ha, and resettlement of 40,000 m2. Proposed locations of railway stations, borrow pits/spoil disposal sites and other works were carefully studied to minimize potential land acquisition and household resettlement.


Despite these efforts to minimize the impact, the final alignment will affect 226 villages in 87 townships of 26 counties in Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong. The total land acquisition will be 2,197 ha, including 1,448 ha of cultivated land. In addition, about 1,614 ha of land will be temporarily occupied during construction. It is estimated that 7,916 households and 32,439 persons as well as a number of enterprises and shops will need to be relocated. An estimated total of 63,164 persons will lose land. These values have been calculated based on field investigations at selected villages combined with estimates determined from aerial maps. Accordingly, these estimates are subject to change as the project design evolves and more accurate investigation of resettlement will be conducted prior to project commencement.

The impacts of land acquisition and resettlement include loss of land, restriction to livelihood activities, temporary loss of agricultural production, loss of house or family/production facilities, loss of life quality during the transition period, loss of community and long-term restoration of livelihood. The land acquisition and resettlement impact can be substantial. These impacts have been addressed through a separate instrument, i.e. the Resettlement Plan (RP), which has been developed during project planning. Detailed information regarding the impact is contained in the Resettlement Plan.

Mitigation Measures

Alternative alignments where studied during the feasibility study and EA preparation to minimize the impact. The land acquisition and resettlement issues resulting from the selected alignment have been addressed by a separate instrument, the Resettlement Plan (RP). A brief summary of the mitigation and compensation measures is provided in the following section. Details of impact and mitigation measures are presented in the Resettlement Plan included in the safeguards document package.

• Livelihood development: The RP develops two types of methods of livelihood restoration for the affected farmers and workers/business owners. The first type is cash compensation for the affected farmers who lose less than 10 percent of their farmland; the second goes to land redistribution and/or cash compensation for those who lose more land. Land compensation as set out in the RP will be disbursed to the affected villages prior to any land acquisition. The correct method will be determined by meeting with villager representatives during the land acquisition process. In addition, impacted parties will also have the opportunity to receive job training from the township government. In addition to compensation for assets and relocation costs, the RP includes a transitional subsidy covering any lost wages or profits during relocation. Most enterprises are expected to relocate in nearby industrial parks and the shops are expected reopen nearby with full compensation. All workers/business owners are expected to maintain their present employment with enterprises or shops. If any workers are to lose employment because of the relocation, they will be informed three months in advance. Structure and equipment, moving allowance and transition subsidies will be paid according to commercial evaluation.

• Household relocation: A replacement price defined in the RP will ensure households acquired on residential land will be provided with adequate public facilities by local governments. Urban households will purchase their new dwelling in the local real estate market with their house compensation based on a commercial evaluation price. Both will


also receive a moving allowance and transition subsidies. Vulnerable households are entitled to obtain additional assistance from local governments.

• Infrastructure restoration: Facilities such as roads, canals, power lines, telecommunication lines, etc. will be damaged during project construction and will need to be restored. In the RP these facilities are divided into three types. The first one relates to large facilities, including power and telecommunication facilities, where compensation will be paid to local sector authorities who are in charge of restoration; the second covers simple facilities, like paths and small canals, which will be restored by contractors working under construction contracts. The third type goes to others, which will be contracted to their owners. The compensation for the restoration has been estimated and integrated into the project budgets and will be managed and monitored.

• Vulnerable households: Through socioeconomic survey and participatory resettlement planning, the RP has identified households which are vulnerable due to disability or diseases, and has proposed additional measures for them in the RP, which includes cash or pension.

• Allocation of adequate budget: The RP contains a detailed resettlement budget and funding plan developed on the basis of the resettlement impact investigation and the agreed compensation rates. The total resettlement budget is estimated at RMB 3.69 billion, which is integrated into the project total cost. The MOR confirmed that all resettlement activities under the project will be financed by provincial governments who will provide the Bank with commitment letters on resettlement investment share. The resettlement budget is itemized in the RP.

• Organizational Management: Three joint-venture companies for the three sections between the MOR with the three provincial level governments will be established to implement the project on behalf of the MOR. Each resettlement office in each company will be responsible to coordinate the resettlement implementation. The specific assignments of resettlement in each province will be conducted by a resettlement office, which will be specially setup for the project by the provincial government as per their agreement with the MOR, prior to commencement of the project construction.

• Resettlement monitoring: The project office has designed internal and external monitoring mechanisms for RP implementation. Internal monitoring, to be conducted by the management office within the project companies, focuses primarily on physical progress. An external monitoring agency will be engaged to report on resettlement implementation progress every six months. Apart from physical progress, external monitoring reports will semiannually assess household relocation and livelihood restoration and transitional measures for affected enterprises and shops. The RP describes monitoring purposes, responsibilities, indicators, methodology, procedures and reporting requirements.

Summary

The project will have substantial impact on land acquisition and resettlement due to its large scale. Such impact has been addressed through technical design, public consultation and development of the Resettlement Plan consistent with national laws/regulations as well as World


Bank safeguards policies. With effective implementation of the RP, the impact will be mitigated to an acceptable level.

Cultural Property

Impact Assessment

The alignment will pass through the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tomb Group, which is a county level protected cultural property designated in 1980. According to historical data, there should be around 200 tombs of normal local inhabitants from the Han Dynasty to the period of six dynasties scattering around the terraces on both sides of the Siqin River. The railway will cross the protection area at CK556+100-CK556+700 (600 m long) on the east side of the Siqin River by means of an embankment (see Figure 5-13).

According to the field survey, it was observed that no ground evidence exists of these ancient tombs due to frequent human activities at the surrounding areas. The site is not significant in terms of protection level, as the “county-level” is the lowest level in the cultural property protection regime in China.

Consultation with the property management authority, the Cultural Relic Bureau of Zhongshan County, was carried out. An official document “Statement on Cultural Relics in the Section within Zhongshan County of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway” was issued by the Cultural Relic Bureau of Zhongshan County, confirming that: no known tombs at this moment will be impacted by the project; that the project will not have serious impact on the relics; and that further investigation will be conducted once the alignment is fixed.

Mitigation Measures


• A detailed relics investigation funded by the project budget will be carried out for the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tomb Group area by Zhongshan County Cultural Relics Bureau prior to commencement of construction. Protection and preservation of any valuable relics found will be carried out if necessary following the conclusion of the investigation.

• Chance-find procedures in the EMP will be enforced during construction, as required by the China Cultural Property Law.

• Construction workers will be provided with education on cultural property protection and chance-find procedures.

• For other cultural properties near the project alignment (as identified in Table 4-8), consultation with relevant management authorities will be carried out prior to construction and adequate precautions will be taken during the construction period.

Summary

The alignment has been selected to avoid cultural properties to the maximum extent possible. Based on the findings of an investigation of the Gulou-Lianhua Ancient Tomb Group area, the proposed protection measures, and enforcement of chance-find procedures, the project’s impact on cultural property will not be significant.


Social Disturbance

Impact Assessment

Impact of population increase on local people’s life

The construction of the railway line is expected to result in a large number of working people rushing to the areas along the line. This will result in price increases, an increase in the volume of domestic refuse and domestic sewage, and competition between the constructors and local people for water supply. In addition, after the completion of the project, the population of the towns will likely increase and bring additional pressure to housing and water supply. The noise resulting from construction may also impact some local people.

Impact on services

The railway construction will require the removal of some pipelines, power transmission lines, lighting circuits, communication links and closed circuit television lines along the alignment, which will affect local people who depend on such facilities. These are normal issues for similar projects, and will be mitigated with proper planning and coordination with relevant management authorities and users.

Impact on local traffic and safety

The project construction will result in an increase in road traffic at the locations of construction activities. This may be a major disturbance in nearby communities, especially for small and remote villages and those without good road infrastructure. Such impacts include blocking the limited roads, damaging road surfaces, increasing traffic accident possibilities, and creating noise and dust impacts in nearby communities. Such impacts, if not well managed, could cause substantial disturbance to local people during the construction period.

Impact on the customs of ethnic minorities

Along the Gui-Guang railway line, there are ethnic minorities, including Miao, Yao, Zhuang, Dong, Shui and Buyi, etc. Their economic development and social culture can have differences from those in the mainstream society. These areas are relatively less developed due to inconvenient accessibility and agriculture-dominant economic structure.

Social Assessment was conducted as a tool to address potential impact to these minority people areas. In summary, the proposed railway line will significantly promote the economic development of these areas by providing convenient accessibility to/from outside regions, promoting mobility of both passenger and commodity, stimulating tourism development, improving infrastructure and creating employment opportunities. There is a broad support from these ethnic minority areas for the railway project, as the project was seen as an once in a blue moon opportunity for the development of the areas.

Despite the significant positive benefits, the project may also have social and cultural impact, potentially including damage of culturally valuable buildings and landscape, worker activities in conflict with local cultural tradition, cultural impact from induced increase of tourists, etc. Introduction of large numbers of construction workers into the ethnic minority areas will have the potential to create social disturbance due to conflicts with cultural and social customs. If not


well-managed, such impact may result in significant social issues in the local area and could potentially lead to a major delay in project construction.

As the project design has paid full attention to the alignment selection to avoid damage local village buildings and special design of stations/infrastructures in consistent with ethnic minority culture styles, the impact of physical building and landscape will be insignificant, and to some extent, even enhanced.

The construction camps will adopt closed management approach, as commonly adopted in China, and workers will be educated with knowledge and respect to ethnic minority cultures. Therefore, the cultural conflict impact from construction workers can be managed, and the impact will not be significant.

For the increase of tourists, the cultural impact should be very limited, since there is a strong incentive for these areas to maintain and enhance its local cultural features as an asset to promote tourism. It is evident that many counties/townships are building and planning ethnic cultural resorts and villages, and enhancing local cultures with more active cultural activities and propaganda. Therefore, it is concluded that the project would be an opportunity to further enhance the ethnic cultures top some extent in local areas as part of economic development.

Mitigation Measures

The following mitigation measures will be implemented to minimize the potential adverse impacts:

• Contractors will set up construction camps in a proper way in consultation with local governments and the public, without affecting the local people’s life as far as possible.

• Contractors will be required to develop detailed construction plans including rational transportation routes and traffic diversion plans. Close coordination with traffic management authorities will be conducted to minimize traffic impact on local roads.

• Dedicated staff will be positioned at key spots for traffic direction. Adequate safety signage will be established near residential areas.

• Bulletin boards will be established at major construction sites informing the public of contact persons for complaints and suggestions.

• Access road plans will consider the road development of local communities, i.e. where appropriate, local roads will be widened and improved as permanent roads with the capacity to accommodate construction traffic as well as local traffic.

• Land acquisition and resettlement compensation will be implemented following the RP.

• Relocation of tombs or culturally sensitive structures will fully respect local cultures.

• Utilities will be properly maintained and restored in a timely manner.

• Safety education for the nearby residents will be done in advance, including prevention and control of diseases transmission (e.g. HIV/AIDS).

• Local labors will be hired to increase the income of local people

• Construction workers will be educated on the special cultures and social customs of the local ethnic minority people.


• A Minority People Plan (MPP) has been developed during project preparation and will be implemented. The main actions included: providing railway stations at the minority counties; Careful resettlement planning and implementation in minority people areas; ongoing consultation during construction; consideration of local culture during construction; building access to the railway; tourism development plan in ethnic minority areas; and capacity building training for minority people.

Summary

The project construction will create social impacts on the communities along the line. Such impacts can be effectively mitigated by good construction management practices, respect of local culture and adequate implementation of mitigation measures developed in the EMP. Through recruiting local laborers and improving road infrastructure, the project can provide positive benefit to the local societies.

OperationPhaseNoise Impacts

Impact Assessment

1. Forecast Model

Noise impacts were determined using a forecast model, consisting of the following parameters:

The predictive quantity is equivalent continuous sound level A of day (6:00-22:00) and night (22:00-6:00).

Forecast method: The forecast is to be carried out on the basis of the model specified in TJH [2006] No. 44 Document.

The basic forecast calculation equation of forecast equivalent sound level (LAeq,p) of the railway noise is shown as Equation (6-1).

+= ∑∑ ++

i

CLi

i

CLii

iiii ttnT

L )(1.0f,

)(1.0,eqpAeq,

f,,f,0p,t,t,0p 10101

lg10 (6-1)

Where: T - Specified evaluation time, s; ni - Number of the ith kind of trains passed within time T; teq,i - Equivalent passing time required by the ith kind of trains, s; Lp0,t,i- Maximum strength of noise radiation source of the ith kind of trains in the

vertical direction, dBA; Ct,i - Noise correction term of the ith kind of trains, dBA; tf,i - Action time of fixed sound source, s; Lp0,f,i - Strength of noise radiation source of fixed sound source, dBA; Cf,i - Noise correction term of fixed sound source, dBA.

Forecast mode of environmental noise of forecast points during day and at night:

[ ]AeqAeq LL

AeqL1.01.0

101010 += (6-2)

Where:


AeqL -Forecast value of railway noise at forecast points during day and at night, dBA;

AeqL

- Background value of environmental noise at forecast points, dBA.

2. Forecast Results

The above mentioned model was used to forecast noise level during operation stage for all the 304 sensitive points in the assessment scope along the whole railway line, including 261 residential areas, 41 schools and 2 hospitals. Detailed results are summarized in Annex 10.

A brief analysis of noise forecast results is summarized as follows:

(1). Schools and hospitals

1). Guiyang-Hezhou Section

There is an increase in all predicted noise values at schools over actual values. Due to the combined impact of existing railways and the proposed railway project, the predicted values of Guiyang No. 12 Middle School and Xiangya Primary School exceed standards by a large margin. Except for predicted values of the teaching buildings of Jingxin Primary School, Xinmin Primary School, Luoxiang Primary School, Primary School of Lijia Village and Jin’an Primary School that meet standards, the predicted values of the teaching buildings of the rest of schools exceed standards. Predicted values of the students’ dormitories of Luoxiang Middle School meet standards, while the predicted values of the dormitory buildings of No. 3 Junior Secondary School of Huangtian Town exceed standards. Predicted noise values at the teaching buildings of schools, the students’ dormitories and the teachers’ dormitories in the near future are shown below in Table 6-3.

Table 0-3: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Schools in the Near Future (Guiyang – Hezhou)

Item Teaching building

Students & teachers’ dormitory

Total

Day Day Night Day Night Range of predicted values (dBA)

54.8-74.4 55.1-62.6 47.6-57.5 54.8-74.4 56.4-57.5

Exceedance (dBA) 0.5-14.4 2.6-4.5 7.5-11.1 0.5-14.4 7.5-11.1 Number of predicted points

18 5 5 23 5

Number of standard-exceeding points

11 3 4 15 4

Exceedance rate (%)

61.1 80.0 80.0 65.2 80.0

Predicted value-actual value (dBA)

0.2-13.6 0.2-8.0 0.2-16.2 0.2-13.6 0.2-16.2

2). Hezhou-Guangzhou Section


A statistical analysis of predicted noise values in schools and hospitals is presented in Table 6-4.

Table 0-4: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Schools and Hospitals in the Near Future (Hezhou-Guangzhou)

Teaching building Dormitory Out-patient

Department Inpatient

Department Total Item

Day Day Night Day Day Night Day Night

Range of predicted values (dBA)

54.8-71.9 54.4-66.6 50.8-66.2 66.7 59.8 56.8 54.4-71.9 50.8-66.2

Exceedance (dBA) 0.1-11.9 3.7-6.6 0.8-16.2 6.7 / 6.8 0.1-11.9 0.8-16.2

Number of predicted points

27 9 9 1 1 1 38 10

Number of standard-exceeding points

16 3 9 1 0 1 20 10

Exceedance rate (%)

59.3 33.3 100 100 0 100 52.6 100


-1.7-22.4 -3.1-9.9 -3.5-13.4 14.0 10.6 16.5 -3.1-22.4 -3.5-16.5

(2). Residential area

1). Guiyang-Hezhou Section

At present, Kangjia Nanqiao Garden in Guiyang City and its adjacent residential areas are seriously affected by urban traffic noise. The City Garden, Huinong Business-living buildings, Huinong Lane Community, Zhongfu Mansion, residential buildings around Xiangya Primary School, Yaxiangju, Teachers’ Apartments and the section of railway located in the vicinity of Guiyang Station are affected by the existing railway noise, in particular, train whistle noise. Upon completion of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway, its noise contribution value to these sensitive points is less than 0.8dBA. Other sensitive points located in rural areas will be mostly affected by the noise of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway.


Table 0-5: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Areas along the Main Line in the Near Future (Guiyang – Hezhou)

Inside the boundary alongside

railway line

Boundary alongside

railway line

Category IV Area

Category II Area

Category I Area Total

Item

Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night

Range of predicted value

50.1-74.8 42.7-73.5 40.2-69.0 36.1-66.6 49.1-73.3 43.6-71.6 48.9-68.9 43.3-67.7 50.3-65.3 43.2-62.5 40.2-74.8 36.1-73.5

Number of predicted points (Nr.)

75 75 116 116 103 103 37 37 81 81 412 412

Number of standard-exceeding predicted points (Nr.)

/ / 0 0 4 84 17 24 47 75 68 183

Exceedance rate

/ / 0 0 3.9% 81.6% 45.9% 64.9% 58.0% 92.6% 16.5% 44.4%

Exceedance / / 0 0.0 0.4-3.3 0.3-16.6 0.2-8.9 3.0-17.7 0.4-10.3 0.7-17.5 0.0-10.3 0.0-17.7

Increase in predicted value over actual value

0.0-23.8 0.0�29.9 0.0 0.0 0.1-18.6 0.0-24.6 0.1-15.7 0.1-22.5 0.3-17.2 1.5-23.2 0.0-17.2 0.0-23.2


Table 0-6: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Areas along the Connecting Line in the Near Future (Guiyang-Hezhou)

Inside the boundary alongside

railway line

Boundary alongside

railway line

Category IV Area

Category II Area

Category I Area

Total Item


Range of predicted value

53.3-67.7 46.6-65.9 44.9-65.0 42.5-64.4 52.6-67.7 44.1-63.6 51.8-59.4 48.0-57.9 50.3-61.2 41.6-58.5 44.9-67.7 41.6-65.9

Number of predicted points (Nr.)

6 6 11 11 10 10 4 4 5 5 35 35

Number of standard-exceeding predicted points (Nr.)

/ / 0 0 0 5 0 1 1 3 1 9

Exceedance rate / / 0 0 50% 25% 20% 60% 2.9% 25.7%

Exceedance / / 0 0.0 0.4-8.6 0 7.9 1.4-6.2 5.4-13.1 1.4-6.2 0.4-13.1

Increase in predicted value over actual value

0.5-7.4 0.2-10.5 0.0 0.0 0.3-5.4 0.2-8.6 0.4-7.0 0.8-16.1 0.3-0.8 0.2-1.3 0.0-17.2 0.0-23.2


2). Hezhou-Guangzhou Section

A statistical analysis of the predicted value of noise in residential areas is shown in Table 6-7.

Table 0-7: Statistical Analysis of Predicted Results of Noise in Residential Area in the Near Future (Hezhou-Guangzhou)

Inside the boundary

alongside railway line

Boundary alongside railway

line Category IV Area Category II Area Category I Area Total

Item


Range of predicted

value (dBA)

63.4-81.1 60.4-78.1 59.4-75.5 57.0-72.5 56.9-73.7 53.8-70.7 54.6-69.3 51.3-66.2 54.7-69.0 51.3-65.9 54.6-81.1 51.3-78.1

Exceedance (dBA)

/ / 3.2-5.5 0.2-2.5 2.1-3.7 0.2-15.7 0.4-9.3 1.3-16.2 1.6-14.0 6.3-20.9 0.4-14.0 0.2-20.9

Number of predicted

points 82 82 130 130 106 106 107 107 21 21 446 446

Number of standard-exceeding

points

/ / 7 7 4 105 44 107 20 21 75 240

Exceedance rate (%)

/ / 5.4 5.4 3.9 99.1 41.1 100 95.2 100 16.8 53.8


-3.6-31.2 -4.5-33.4 0.3-1.0 0.4-1.4 -1.0-26.1 -2.3-31.4 -0.2-16.8 -0.1-20.4 6.5-21.4 8.7-26.6 -3.6-31.2 -4.5-33.4

(3). Protection distance of railway noise

Based on modeling results, the distance corresponding to various noise standard levels compliance is summarized in Table 6-8.


Table 0-8: Protection Distance of Acoustic Environment of the Project

Acoustic environment

Standard value (dBA)

Standard-compliance distance (m) Section

Category of Area Day Night Day Night


line 70 70 �30 �30

Category IV 70 55 �30 105

Category II 60 50 83 200

Guiyang-Duyun

Category I 55 45 160 430


line 70 70 �30 �30



Duyun-Guilin

Category I 55 45 155 420


line 70 70 �30 �30



Guilin-Hezhou

Category I 55 45 150 410


line 70 70 �30 �30



Hezhou-Guangzhou

Category I 55 45 172 427

Notes: (1) Conditions for determination of the noise protection distance are an open and block-free area as well as 4m high embankment line; (2) The prediction takes into account this railway noise impact only, without considering other noise sources and environmental background noise; (3) The prediction is based on the train flow of the near future.

Mitigation Measures

1. Noise Abatement Measures

The noise reduction measures are based on the predicted values of railway noise and predicted values of environmental noise expected in near future.

For the sensitive sites within 30m from rail track, the noise barriers are to be adopted to ensure the noise level complies with Category IV in accordance with GB12525-90, or the function of residential buildings are to be changed to non-residential buildings. Sound insulating windows are to be supplemented depending on the actual conditions.


As for railway noise at a distance of 30m from the outer rail centerline of the railway, whose predicted value exceeds day and night 70dBA in GB12525-90, relevant measures will be taken to meet required standards.

Effective measures are to be adopted for such sensitive points as schools, hospitals and senior care houses to alleviate railway noise impacts and meet required standards.

The noise barrier works located in Guiyang City, Guangzhou City and other scenic areas shall be combined with landscaping measures.

In the next stage of design and construction process, noise protection measures shall be further adjusted in response to alignment changes for partial railway lines.

2. Noise Mitigation Measures

Noise reduction measures will be implemented for those residential areas, schools and hospitals whose predicted ambient noise values are predicted to increase over the actual values due to railway noise impacts. Upon technical and economic comparison, mitigation measures for noise pollution at sensitive points along the full line are developed and shown in Annex 11. Table 6-9 provides a general summary of proposed mitigation measures.

Table 0-9: Summary of Noise Mitigation Measures

Quantity Noise countermeasures Qty. Length(m) Area(m2)

Investment (million RMB)

Noise barriers 127 55220 131755 163.67

Housing function replacement

380 households & 3 schools

540 62.75

Sound-proof wall 3 300 900 0.72

Sound insulation window in ventilation system

198 80335 36.67

Demolition and relocation in engineering design

4 0

Damping rail 1 400 0.6

Total 264.41

In addition to the mitigation measures developed in the EMP, other noise pollution control suggestions are recommended as follows:

1). Reasonable planning, architectural layout and controlling land use at both sides of the railway.

The local administrative department controls land use along the railway right-of-way. According to planning requirements, it is prohibited to build residential buildings, schools or hospitals etc. with sensitivity to noise within 30m200m from the centerline of the outer rail to the railway.

2). Noise reduction by source intensity control


The railway operator shall regularly carry out track polishing and train wheel polishing etc. so as to keep the railway in optimum conditions for smooth operation. During operations, the railway management institution shall intensify noise monitoring at the sensitive points along the railway, and carry out mitigation measures in accordance with monitoring results.

Among railway noise sources, locomotive whistles are the main interference source. Controlling random whistle noise shall be important in improving the acoustic environment in the vicinity of railway stations..

3). Building up a green belt

A green belt will not only provide a pleasing visual environment to train passengers and residents along the railway, but will also help in noise reduction function to a certain degree. With reference to monitoring results related to existing railways, a 1030m green belt can reduce noise by 13dBA. It is proposed that the local planning authority and the railway operation/management institution, according to State Council Announcement For Further Improving National Green Channel Construction (Ref. No. 31[2000]) and State Council Announcement For Intensifying Railway Noise Pollution Control (Ref. No. 108[2001]), with combination with town planning and railway green channel construction program, carry out joint consultation to establish a green belt on both sides of the railway. Meanwhile, in view of State Council Urgent Announcement For Banning Tree-planting In Occupied Farmland( Ref. No. 1[2004]), the width of the green belt along the railway shall strictly controlled, and planting and spacing shall be optimized to ensure that the green belt is compatible with surrounding landscapes.

4). Establishing railway line safety protection area

In view of Provision 10 of the Railway Traffic Safety Protection Rules (State Council decree Ref. No. 430), a railway line safety protection area should be established on both sides of railway line. The range of the safety protection area from toe of embankment side slope, top of road cut or border of railway bridge toward outside is determined as follows:

1. No less than 8m in city proper;

2. No less than 10m in suburban residential quarters;

3. No less than 12m in town residential quarters;

4. No less than 15m in other areas.

Provision 11 stipulates that within railway line safety protection area, except for necessary construction or emergency maintenance, such construction operations below are not allowed as:

1. Constructing buildings or structures;

2. Soil excavation, sandstone cutting or trenching;

3. Material excavation;

4. Materials and supplies stockpiling and storage.

Provision 12 stipulates that within the railway line safety protection area, the existing building, structure or superstructure affected by railway operation safety shall be provided with necessary safety protection in accordance with the relevant rules issued by State Council Railway Administration Division, railway management authority or above county-level local government.


If the item fails to meet safety requirements after applying safety protection measure, a time limit shall be established for demolition in accordance with relevant government decrees. Except for unlawful building or structures, all buildings and structures to be demolished within the railway line safety protection area shall be reasonably compensated according to relevant laws.

Summary

Operation of Gui-Guang railway will have a noise impact on nearby sensitive receptors such as residential areas, schools and hospitals. However, such impacts can be effectively mitigated by proven technology to acceptable levels.

Vibration Impact

Impact Assessment

1. Method of Prediction

The predicted measurements include day(6:00am 22:00pm) and night(22:00pm6:00am), as well as railway ambient vibration level VLZ.

Carry out prediction calculation by the formula described in accordance with Ref. No. 44 [2006].

The formula for calculating railway ambient vibration VLZ is below:

( )∑=

+=n

iiiZ CVL

nVL

1,0Z

1 (formula 6-3-1)

In the formula:

VLZ0,I - strong vibration source, the maximum Z weighting vibration level during train pass-through, which is marked by the unit of dB;

Ci - correction term of the first train vibration, which is marked by the unit of dB;

n - number of the train up to standard through.

2. Prediction Results Analysis

With reference to the prediction mode and running speed, the standard distance data of vibration environment impact in the typical railway sections have been predicted and are shown in Table 6- 10. Vibration impact for specific sensitive sites are predicted and listed in Annex 12.


Table 0-10: Vibration Standard-compliance Distance GB10070-88 standard(80dB)

Railway Section Embankment Roadcut Bridge

Guiyang-Duyun 23 35 12

Duyun-Guilin 22 34 11

Guilin-Hezhou 23 35 12

Hezhou-Guangzhou 20 32 11

(1). Guiyang-Hezhou section

After construction, all sensitive points will be affected by the proposed railway line vibration. The predicted value of vibration in the range 30m within outer rail centerline shall be kept between 62.3 83.1dB in day, while kept between 65.784.0dB in night; and the predicted value of vibration at 30m shall be kept between 60.581.3dB in day, while kept between 63.9 82.3dB in night; and the predicted value of vibration beyond 30m shall be kept between 64.5 80.5dB in day, while kept between 67.080.5dB in night. If the sensitive points located at Tuanzhai, Luxin, Tongpen, Gaozhai and Paomuzhai etc exceed standards for both sides of trunk railway (80dB in day while 80dB in night) specified in Urban Area Environmental Vibration Standards(GB10070-88), the Exceedance shall be kept between 0.51.3dB in day, while kept between 0.52.3dB in night. But other sensitive points shall meet the required standards.

The prediction results for Xiazhai and Laowuji located at the top of the tunnel are kept between 76.0~79.7dB�which meet required standards.

(2). Hezhou-Guangzhou section

Showed by prediction results: Vlzmax in the range 30m from outer rail and the area beyond are kept between 66.3~81.4dB in both day and night. Among 123 predicted points in the range 30m from outer rail and the area beyond, 4 predicted points exceed 80dB standard 0.1~1.4dB.

Vlzmax in the range 30m from outer rail and the area within the range are kept between 70.8~83.9dB in day and night, of which, except for the parall section to Wuhan-Guangzhou passenger dedicated line being affected by the vibration from high-speed motor train units, the predicted results within 30m shall be kept between 2.2~3.9dB, while 73% prediction results to other sections shall exceed 80dB standard 0.3~1.9dB.

The section of Guangzhou Station-West Guangzhou Station shall be supplemented with alternate railway lines, the distance between the sensitive point and the rail shall change along with the change in newly-built alternate railway lines or track change, which kept within 5m. Along with the change in proportion of train type after the construction, the vibration from the supplementary alternate railway lines in the section of Guangzhou Station-West Guangzhou Station shall be kept between 0.1~3.1, less than 80dB.

Above the tunnel, the prediction results to the point buried 60m deep at Luowei Village (No.158) are kept between 54.6~54.7dB, which was far off from 80dB.

Mitigation Measures and Recommendations


1. Vibration Mitigation Measures

By laying seamless track, the assessment report proposes to adopt resilient sleepers at vibration sensitive points with vibration predicted value exceeding 80dB, which will reduce railway vibration more than 3dB. After that, the predicted value of railway vibration at the sensitive point shall be kept less than 80dB.

Resilient sleepers will be laid at the sections of 79 sensitive sites, with a total length of 32.38 km. The total investment is estimated as RMB26,742,700 yuan. The vibration mitigation measures for sensitive sites are presented in Annex 13.

During next phase of design and construction any change to sensitive points due to the change in partial railway lines, the vibration control measures shall be duly rearranged with reference to the vibration impact standard distance data stated in Table 6-10.

2. Vibration Control Recommendations

The fast running speed of the train shall bring about greater vibration to the environment along the railway line, especially to sensitive points located within 30m from the outer rail. The majority of the sensitive points located beyond 30m range at both sides of the proposed railway line meet standards of Both Sides of Trunk Railway to Urban Area Environmental Vibration Standards(GB10070-88). To reduce the impact of track vibration, the assessment report puts forward several vibration reduction proposals.

(1). Urban planning and control measures

As the range of influence of railway noise is usually wider than that of railway vibration, the distance for noise reduction can also meet the demand of vibration reduction. Therefore, it’s proposed that local planning authorities carry out land use planning on both sides of the railway in accordance with the noise reduction distance specified by the Acoustic Environment Impact Assessment Report.

(2). Enforcing Railway Traffic Safety Protection Rules

There shall be relatively many more sensitive buildings located within 30m of the railway line, but the railway vibration value is relatively higher in the range 30m from the outer rail centerline. To reduce the impact of railway vibration toward the sensitive buildings, the assessment report proposes gradually demolish or relocate these buildings in the vicinity of the railway, or convert the housing function by Railway Traffic Safety Protection Rules. Due to approximately 3,820 households located within 30m from the outer rail centerline, the investment for housing function conversion approximately needs RMB879,750,000 yuan.

(3). Operation management

During the operation period, the track the wheels of rolling stock shall directly be correlated with the amount of the railway vibration. The use of new trains shall aid in reducing the intensity of the vibration source. Such good railway conditions as smooth tracks and standard wheels etc shall reduce 5 10dB vibration more than that reduced in the ordinary railway conditions. Therefore, during the operation period, the wheels and tracks should be put in regular maintenance and servicing by track polishing and wheel cleaning/calibration, so as to secure good running state with minimized extraneous vibration.

Summary


Operation of Gui-Guang railway will cause vibration impact on nearby sensitive receptors such as residential areas, schools and hospitals. However, such impact can be effectively mitigated by proven technology to acceptable levels.

Electromagnetic Frequency Impact

Impact Assessment

1. Television signal reception

On completion of the newly-built Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway, the electromagnetic radiation resulted from train operations is predicted to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio in different channels along the railway. Among 60 television channels with aerial-mode signal reception at 16 monitoring points, 21 television channels enjoyed normal TV signal reception with a signal-to-noise ratio of 35dB before the construction. After construction, only 6 television channels can meet the standards of signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, as trains pass by, the reflection and shielding impact of the train coaches on TV signal reception is also predicted to reduce TV picture quality (with aerial reception) to the inhabitants residing along the railway.

Due to the fact that the majority of the Guiyang - Zhaoqing section to the newly-built Guiyang - Guangzhou Railway is located in mountainous areas which are unfavorable for radio television signal transmission, many counties have not been provided with TV signal transmitting stations or interpretation stations. With reference to the monitoring data, before the construction, most areas enjoy very weak TV signal transmission or no TV signal transmission. Thus, most watch TV programs by cable television network or satellite dish. The area east to Zhaoqing has been enjoying relatively good TV signal transmission, but due to the relatively developed local economic situation, local households enjoy high coverage rate in closed circuit television possession. Therefore, construction shall not result in causing a significant effect to TV signal reception by residents along the railway.

2. Traction substation

EMF impact has been calculated carefully for the traction substation, and it is concluded that the power frequency electric field and power frequency magnetic induction density at the fencing wall boundary are very low, and meet the related standards specified in EIA Guideline for EMF Impact of Ultra-high Power Transmission Line (HJ/T24-1998).

The 220KV power transmission line from the grid to traction substation is not part of the project. It will be provided by local power grid companies under power purchase agreement, i.e. local grid companies are responsible for construction of the transmission line to the substation following relevant EIA regulations.

3. GSM-R base station

According to calculation analysis, beyond the boundary of antenna (32m-long in the direction of the railway, and 20m-wide), the radiation power density meets the standard of the value less than 8 W/cm2 (Electromagnetic Radiation Regulation GB8702-88 and EMF Assessment Guideline and Standard HJ/T10.3-1996).

Mitigation Measures


• On completion of the newly-built Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway, the impact of electromagnetic radiation from train operation on TV signal reception can be eliminated by installing cable television network. Meanwhile, it can eliminate the impact of reflection and shielding resulted from train coaches. It is proposed to provide RMB500 yuan subsidy for closed circuit television network subscription for every household with significantly affected TV signal reception. The compensation range only includes those permanent residents who watch TV programs by ordinary aerial, excluding migrant workers or street-side store owner/operators, which will cost an estimated RMB252,500 yuan. This budget is reserved for communities listed in Table 6-11. After the railway completion and railway operation commencement, the TV signal reception shall be monitored. If any resultant impact is identified, the special compensation fee shall be paid to the affected household.

Table 0-11: Budget Reserved to Cable TV Installation sensitive point

name Mileage Prospected affected household

Compensation amount(yuan)

Shaping Village CK542+960�CK543+300 6 3000

Xingzhai CK545+100�CK545+400 2 1000

Yankou CK546+400�CK546+600 4 2000

Huilong CK547+500�CK547+850 6 3000

Longwo CK548+100�CK548+600 4 2000

Litou CK549+100�CK549+500 6 3000

Zhuzhizhai CK549+620�CK549+720 2 1000

Maozhang CK550+300�CK550+800 6 3000

Chilling CK551+600�CK552+000 2 1000

Lianhua CK552+600�CK553+350 10 5000

Taojia CK554+050�CK554+600 4 2000

Dongxin CK555+000�CK555+350 6 3000

Tongpen CK556+700�CK557+250 3 1500

Dayankou CK563+500�CK563+700 1 500

Yangniudi CK566+500~CK566+800 1 500

Laozhai CK574+480~CK574+520 1 500

Boba CK585+350�CK584+550 4 2000

Jipotang CK590+570�CK590+750 1 500

Youmayan CK593+500�CK593+900 1 500

Baimenlou CK594+600�CK594+750 2 1000

Lijiatang CK595+200�CK595+450 1 500


sensitive point name

Mileage Prospected affected household Compensation amount(yuan)

Huangtianzhen Town

CK596+500�CK597+650 10 5000

Mazhipu LYK2+700�LYCK3+400 LZK1+500�LZCK2+400

2 1000

Gaozhai LZCK1+650�LZCK1+900 1 500

Paomuzhai LZCK2+300�LZCK2+480 3 1500

Xiaxiaozhai LYCK3+350�LYCK3+460 LZCK2+750�LZCK2+830

2 1000

Dafengdong LCK1+900~LCK2+300 4 2000

Dutian Village LCK4�450�LCK4�570

LYCK350+900�LYCK351 2 1000

Dulingshan LYCK350�450�LYCK351�800

LCK4+650~LCK5 3 1500

Luxi LCK404+700�LCK405+150 4 2000

Xiaoshui Village CK720+450~+600 2 1000

Futian & Sencun Village

CK729+300~+800 4

2000

Honglian CK732+150~+470 2 1000

Bailong Village CK733+700~+900 2 1000

Rencun Village CK734+860~CK735+200 2 1000

Zhongbu CK750+750~+850 2 1000

Dagangshe & Dabugang

CK755+090~+600 2

1000

Nanhua CK756+300~+550 1 500

Lujia Village CK764+900~CK765+180 4 2000

Xixin Village CK772+530~+700 4 2000

Zhoubian CK773+100~+750 4 2000

Hengjiang Villa CK778+100~+180 4 2000

Shangbai CK790+230~+900 20 10000

Henggang Village CK796+750~CK797+400 20 10000

Xuanwan CK794+800~+960 10 5000

Xicun Village CK796+550~CK797+000 15 7500

Caotang Village CK797+600~CK798+030 15 7500

Lianghao CK798+680~+940 10 5000

Hongwei Village CK800+050~+370 6 3000


sensitive point name

Mileage Prospected affected household Compensation amount(yuan)

Shangyi Village CK800+700~CK801+230 4 2000

3rd Longxi Village CK801+570~CK802+080 8 4000

Yanbian Village CK803+660~CK804+050 6 3000

Zhoubian Village CK804+050~+270 2 1000

Shaobian Village CK804+650~CK805+170 10 5000

Gehai Village CK805+420~+730 15 7500

Yongjing Club to Yajvle Housing

Estate CK808+850~CK809+200

15 7500

Dahe CK811+070~+320 4 2000

Zengjiaonanyue CK811+660~+950 15 7500

Zengjiaohongshifang CK812+050~+530 15 7500

Jvshuditangfang CK812+780~CK813+260 30 15000

Chigang CK813+590~CK814+400 30 15000

Yongyuan CK816+100~+500 30 15000

Xintiandi CK818+150~+520 30 15000

Qingtang L1CK2+250~+450 10 5000

Xubian L2CK3+900~L2CK4+050 8 4000

Wangshengtang GMCK0+180~+930 20 10000

Residential building in North Keshan St.

GMCK1+160~+210 20

10000

Total 252500

• Substations will be located more than 10m away from residential areas.

• A GSM-R base will be located far away residential areas, beyond the impact scope of 32m X 20m.

Summary

An electric railway has a limited impact on electromagnetic frequency. Such impact can be effectively avoided by proper location of relevant facilities away from nearby residential areas. Impact on TV signal reception of some communities will be mitigated with provision of cable TV access.

Water

Impact Assessment


During the operation phase, wastewater discharges from railway stations are the main concern to the aquatic environment.

There are 35 railway stations along Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line. Wastewater discharge is estimated to be 2,526m3/d in total, including domestic sewage - 2,236m3/d, sewage from train coaches - 275m3/d, a small amount of oil-containing wastewater - 5m3/d and train washing wastewater - 10m3/d. Wastewater at stations will be treated to applicable standards before discharge to the municipal sewage network or environment.

Mitigation Measures

Depending upon the final discharge destination, wastewater treatment facilities have been specifically designed for each of the stations, as summarized below in Table 6-12.


Table 0-12: Wastewater Treatment at Stations

unit: m3/d

Name of the station Nature of sewage Amount of sewage

Designed method for sewage treatment

Treatment method proposed through EIA

Discharge direction

Domestic sewage 588 SBR

Sewage from coach 160 Sewage acidification ,SBR

Oily waste water 5 Small separation tank for waste water

Guiyang North Station

Watsewater from car washing

10 SBR

As per sewage treatment design measures

To Jinzhong River, a Category III water body, via agricultural irrigation ditches

Guiyang Passenger Station

Domestic sewage 36 Bringing into existing sewage treatment system


To urban sewage pipeline for treatment in sewage treatment plants

Longli North Station Domestic sewage 45 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system


To Hongqi dam, a Category III water body

Changming Station Domestic sewage 39 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system


To Puzi River, a Category III water body

Duyun East Station Domestic sewage 77 SBR As per sewage treatment design measures

To Qingshui River, a Category III water body, via 500m agricultural irrigation ditches.

Sandu Station Domestic sewage 54 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system


Into Pu’an River, a Category III water body, via 500m agricultural irrigation ditches. agricultural irrigation ditches

Zenleng Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system

Considering the narrowness of the station site in of geographical position, it is proposed to use the sewage for landscape irrigation after treatment in biogas digesters

It is proposed to use it for landscaping after treatment in biogas digesters


Rongjiang Station Domestic sewage 124 SBR As per sewage treatment design measures

To the existing town drainage system for unified discharge. Conditions for access to urban sewage pipeline network shall be reserved.

Bangtu Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system

It is proposed to use biogas digesters.

To the nearby agricultural irrigation ditches

Congjiang Station Domestic sewage 55 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system


To Luoxiang River, a Category III water body, via agricultural irrigation ditches. Conditions for access to urban sewage pipeline network shall be reserved.

Tongle Station Domestic sewage 17 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system

Considering the narrowness of the station site in geographical position, it is proposed to use SBR

To Miaojiang River, a Category III water body, via agricultural irrigation ditches

Sanjiang Station Domestic sewage 87 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Shangyue Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system


To Daluo River, a Category III water body, via agricultural irrigation ditches

Wutong Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Guilin West Station Domestic sewage 80 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Domestic sewage 34 Septic tank Connecting to urban sewage pipeline network after being treated in septic tank. Guilin North Station

Sewage drain of motor coach

115 Acidification tank ,Connecting to urban sewage pipeline after being treated in the acidification tank.

To municipal sewage treatment plant.

Lingtian Station Domestic sewage 7 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system




Nanwei Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Gongcheng Station Domestic sewage 103 SBR As per sewage treatment design measures

To Hongyuan River, a Category III water body, Via agricultural irrigation ditches

Liang’an Station Domestic sewage 12 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Zhaongshan North Station

Domestic sewage 63 Constructed wetland sewage treatment system



Hezhou Station Domestic sewage 154 SBR Originally designed 20m3/h SBR for Luo-Zhan line will be enlarged to 30m3/h.


Hejie Station Domestic sewage TWZ buried-type sewage treatment equipment


No outward discharge

Daling Station Domestic sewage

Used for inner

greening TWZ buried-type sewage treatment equipment


No outward discharge

Huaiji Station Domestic sewage 115 SBR


To the nearby natural ditches, and after going through them for 1.5km, afflux to Maling River, a Category IV water body.

Guangning Station Domestic sewage 100 SBR


To the nearby natural ditches, and after going through them for 1.0km, afflux to Gushui River, a Category III water body.

Sihui Station Domestic sewage Used for

inner greening

TWZ buried-type sewage treatment equipment

As per sewage treatment design measures No outward discharge


New Zhaoqing Station Domestic sewage 90 SBR


To the nearby natural ditches, and after going through them for 1.0km, afflux to Dabao Water System, a Category III water body.

New Sanhui Station Domestic sewage 100 SBR


To the nearby natural ditches, and after going through them for 1.6km, afflux to Nanshayong, a Category III water body

New Foshan Station Domestic sewage 105 TWZ buried-type sewage treatment equipment

Bringing into municipal sewage treatment plant for further treatment

To the nearby planned pipeline network.

Qicha Station Domestic sewage / Bringing into the existing sewage treatment system


The existing sewage is discharged to the nearby pipeline network, and then brought into Shuitouyong .

Sanyan Bridge Station Domestic sewage / Bringing into the existing sewage treatment system


The existing sewage is discharged to nearby pipeline network, and then brought into Yanbuyong .

Guangzhou West Station

Domestic sewage / Bringing into the existing sewage treatment system


Guangzhou Station Domestic sewage 20 Bringing into the existing sewage treatment system


The existing sewage is discharged to nearby pipeline network, and then brought into urban sewage treatment plant of Liede.

New Guangzhou Station

Domestic sewage 50 Bringing into the existing sewage treatment system


The sewage is discharged to nearby pipeline network, and then brought into urban sewage treatment plant of New Guangzhou Station.


Summary

With implementation of proper wastewater treatment facilities at all railway stations, the wastewater impact from railway operation will be effectively mitigated.

Solid Waste

Impact Assessment

The amount of domestic waste at railway stations is calculated on the basis of the number of newly added staff. It is estimated that the domestic waste output of newly added staff on the whole line is 3,113.33t/a.

According to design indices, such as the short-term passenger volume of large stations and intermediate station, etc., the estimated volume of domestic waste from passenger train and passengers in the station area is 18,130t/d.

Mitigation Measures

• Domestic waste along the railway line will be collected and stored at approved locations, and delivered to the local Environmental Sanitation Departments for treatment; waste should have no effect on the ambient environment.

• Waste from passenger trains shall be collected by train attendants and transferred to thet Guiyang North Station, Guiyang Station, Guilin North Station, New Guangzhou Station and Guangzhou Station for treatment. The existing Guiyang Station, Guilin North Station, New Guangzhou Station and Guangzhou Station have been equipped with proper storage and transportation facilities for passenger waste. The newly added passenger waste will be brought into the existing waste storage and transportation system.

• Guiyang North Station is a newly built station, and it shall be provided with waste storage equipment. After passenger waste is sorted and classified, some wastes can be recycled, and the rest are to be compressed and transferred to the local Environment sanitation Departments for treatment. It is predicted that the newly added facilities for temporary storage of waste in New Guiyang Station will increase the investment by RMB 300,000 Yuan.

• The sludge from sewage treatment plant is stored in sludge drying field and periodically delivered to the Urban Environmental Sanitation Departments for treatment; therefore it will not cause pollution to the ambient environment.

Summary

Solid waste from railway stations and passengers will be properly collected and disposed of in municipal landfills, and impacts can be adequately mitigated.

Socio-economic Impact

Impact

1. Land Use

As a new railway, the project will change the existing land use within the assessment area by occupying land in the area, among which permanent land occupation includes subgrade and construction access roads (most will be connected with villages along the railway and will act as


local traffic roads after construction is completed), and will result in alteration of the type of land use for traffic during construction. Except for land use for construction, of which the area will be increased, land use in other types will be decreased in terms of area. The land use change within assessment scope is presented in Table 6-13.

Table 0-13: Statistics of Permanent Alteration of Land Use Unit: hm2

Prefecture and city Cultivated

land Garden

plot Forest land

Grass land

Land use for construction

Water area and water conservancy facilities

land

Total

Before construction

6641.8 2770.9 20589.

0 4212.

8 879.6 496.4

35590.5 Guiyang -

Hezhou After construction

5605.8 2651.9 20186.

7 4164.

8 2506.8 473.5

35589.5

Before construction

3648.64 967.50 5538.7

4 0 2082.06 1267.81

13504.75 Hezhou -

Guangzhou After construction

3398.91 962.85 5360.0

6 0 1954.67 1177.18

12853.67

Total land occupation of the railway is 4472.44hm2, among which permanent land occupation is 2484.72hm2 and temporary land occupation is 1987.74hm2. The railway will occupy cultivated land of 1285.73hm2 permanently, including the basic farmland of 850.12hm2, which will reduce grain yield by 9,128t/a.

As a linear project, railway will not significantly change the land use in a regional context. The land use change impact may be significant in terms of individual households or communities, while, such impact is addressed through the Resettlement Action Plan as a separate process required by World Bank safeguards policies (as summarized in Section 6.1.8).

2. Safety and Community Severance

Safety is a major concern for the operation of a high-speed railway line. In this regards, the Gui-Guang railway line will be fully fenced to restrict random access of pedestrian or vehicles to the railway tracks. This will effectively minimize potential accidents due to random railway crossings.

Due to fully-fenced operation of the line, the impact on traffic and social isolation could be a potential issue. Such impacts were fully considered during the project design. All crossing of local roads are designed with interchanges. A total of 303 interchanges, 21 pedestrian overpasses and 15 underpasses, and more than 900 culverts are designed, in close consultation with local communities. With these designs, the impact on local traffic, community fragmentation and agricultural irrigation systems will be effectively minimized.

3. Urban Planning

The Gui-Guang railway line will pass through major cities of Guiyang, Duyun, Guilin, Hezhou, Zhaoqing, Foshan and Guangzhou, and a dozen of counties. Location of these railway stations as well as induced development will be a major concern for local governments.


During project feasibility study and EA preparation, urban master plans as well as environmental protection plans for all these cities/counties were carefully studied to determine the final railway alignment. For major cities such as Guiyang, Duyun, Guilin, Hezhou and Zhaoqing, alternatives were thoroughly compared in terms of compatibility with existing urban planning. Meanwhile, intensive consultation with local governments was carried out. The final selection and determination of the railway alignment and station locations are fully compatible with urban planning efforts and supported by local governments.

The construction and operation of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line will bring needed economic development and raise living standards, resulting in positive social and economic benefits. The cities and counties along the line will adjust accordingly their industry structure, industrial distribution and town planning on the basis of the construction of the Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway line, in the expectation that the railway will improve the local economic development. The construction and operation of Gui-Guang Railway Line is of great significance in local resource development, improvement of investment, and helping poverty alleviation. The Gui-Guang line provides local economic development with good opportunity. Especially in the areas adjacent to the stations, it will provide a good development space for local businesses, transportation and infrastructure improvement, greatly promoting the development of local industries. As a secondary development, the areas adjacent to the stations will become the central hub of local transportation and development of tertiary industries, and form new urban areas, however, it will also result in increased pollution problems, such as, urban expansion, population increases, as well as degradation of environmental quality. Firstly, land use will be changed due to the municipal infrastructure requirements, land for administration purpose, resident housing and land use for construction of tertiary industry, etc. Construction will cause soil and water impacts and also result in increased oise, fugitive dust and construction waste. Residential and recreational developments will result in impacts from domestic sewage, vehicle emissions and refuse, and environmental pollution such as noise, reduced air quality and dust. Such induced environmental issues are common issues associated with urban development. Local governments are expected to take these into consideration in their urban environmental management programs.

4. Economic Development

The income and consumption level of residents in the areas of Guizhou and Guangxi along the line is relatively low and urban construction, medical and health facilities are relatively lacking compared with economically developed regions. The construction of the railway will provide necessary conditions for local economic development and prosperity of commerce, and will also improve people’s income level.

There are rich tourism resources along the corridor, which was not well developed due to poor access. The operation of Gui-Guang railway line will provide a great opportunity for tourism development in the region, which will significantly benefit local people, especially ethnic minority communities.

Meanwhile, economic development will enable these areas to invest more financial resources on social development such as town construction, culture & education, medical services, etc., all of which will bring great changes and benefits to local people’s physical and cultural standards.

Summary


Overall, the proposed railway line will significantly promote economic development in the project area by providing convenient accessibility, promoting mobility of both passengers and goods, stimulating tourism development, improving infrastructure and creating employment opportunities. The railway alignment is selected to be consistent with urban development plans of all major counties/townships along the line, and adequate cross-traffic facilities have been designed (interchanges, bridges, culverts and pedestrian crossing facilities) to restore road and traffic network in the areas.


Environmental Management Plan A stand-alone Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is a requirement of the World Bank along with an approved EIA by Chinese government authorities. The EMP specifies the mitigation, monitoring, and institutional measures to be taken during construction and operation to eliminate adverse environmental and social impacts, offset them, or reduce them to acceptable levels. Full details are provided in the attached EMP. A summary of that document follows below.

ManagementOrganization andResponsibilitiesEnvironmental management during construction involves the project proponent (Project Office of Guiyang - Guangzhou Railway Corporation), Contractors and Environmental Supervision Engineers (See Figure 7-1). During operation, the environmental management responsibilities will rest with Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation.

Figure 0-1: Environmental Management Organization During Construction

Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation

Environmental Supervision Engineer (ESE)

Contractors

Environmental Monitoring Stations (EMS)

Environmental Consultant (ES)


The main responsibilities for environmental management are as follows:

Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation

The Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation is responsible for overall environmental management during construction. An environmental protection division (EPD) is to be established and managed by dedicated environmental staff. There will be 1-2 dedicated person(s) in the environmental protection division established under the Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation. Their responsibilities are as follows:

• Under administration of the Project Office and supervision and guidance from the provincial, local (municipal) environmental protection bureau, forestry bureau, and water resources bureau, the EPD are responsible for overall environmental management of the project, submitting the monthly reports on environmental management and preparing the environmental monitoring statement during the construction period;

• Entrust the environmental monitoring institutes to carry out environmental monitoring during the construction period. Support the work of environmental monitoring during the construction period;

• Ensure that the Environmental Management Plan is included in the Bidding Documents and construction contracts. Supervise the construction unit to carry out pollution prevention measures. Inform the construction team of any violation of these regulations immediately and report this violation to the project office. In case of a pollution incident, assist the construction team in clean up and remediation;

• Ensure that the Environmental Management Plan is included in the Bidding Documents and the contracts of Supervision Engineer. Supervise and participate in environmental supervision of the project; and

• Recruit the Environmental Consultant to offer technical support for environmental protection during the construction period, provide the contractor with technical guidance on environmental protection, and support on-the-post training on environmental protection for the project managerial personnel, supervision personnel and contractor.

Contractors

Contractors are responsible for implementing the environmental mitigation measures as specified in the EMP and contract documents: developing a contractor specific environmental protection plan as part of contract provisions, reporting to Supervision Engineer new environmental issues or chance-finds of any cultural relics encountered during construction and carrying out continued public consultations throughout construction. Each Contractor will be required to appoint one to two full time environmental staff responsible for environmental management under its contract.

Environmental Supervision Engineers (ESE)

Each Supervision Engineer company will be required by contract to assign one Environmental Supervision Engineer to the project. The Environmental Supervision Engineers will:

��Assess whether the construction design meets the requirements of the EIA and EMP, particularly with regard to site environmental management and impact mitigation measures required;


��Supervise site environmental management system of contractors including their performance, experience and handling of site environmental issues, and provide corrective instructions;

��Review the EMP implementation by the contractors, verify and confirm environmental supervision procedures, parameters, monitoring locations, equipment and results;

��Report EMP implementation status to Project Office; and

��Approve invoices or payments with consideration of EMP performance.

Environmental Consultant (ES)

The Project Office of the Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation will recruit an Environmental Consultant to offer technical support for environmental protection and EMP implementation during the construction period. The Environmental Consultant will provide the contractor with technical guidance on environmental protection, and support on-the-job training on environmental protection for the project managerial personnel, supervision personnel and contractors.

Environmental Monitoring Stations

Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation will entrust environmental monitoring stations to carry out the environmental monitoring plan as developed in EMP.

Environmental SupervisionEnvironmental supervision is an important instrument to ensure effective implementation of Environmental Management Plan commitments. In line with contract management, each Supervision Engineering company will be required by contract to assign at least one professional Environmental Supervision Engineer, to supervise, on a daily basis, contractor environmental performance.

Environmental Supervision Plan

The Environmental Supervision Engineer (ESE) shall prepare the project environmental supervision plan prior to environmental supervision according to the codes and standards for environmental protection, design documents, construction contracts and supervision contracts and EMP, etc. The supervision plan shall mainly include the following content:

Scope, stage and time limit of environmental supervision

��Scope of environmental supervision: the area of the project and the area impacted by the project;

��Scope of work: construction sites, camps, construction access roads, attached facilities, as well as any area with environmental pollution and ecological damage resulting from project construction;

��Stage of work: environmental supervision of construction preparation, construction, project maintenance; and


��Time limit of supervision: from the onset of project construction preparation until expiration of the maintenance period of the project. The warranty period will last one year following completion of construction.

Objectives of Supervision

The objectives of environmental supervision are to independently verify environmental performance of the project and that it is in compliance with all environmental protection and management requirements in terms of design, construction and operation according to Chinese laws, regulations and policy World Bank technical standards and specifications, as well as the approved design documents, tender documents and the supervision and construction contracts.

Working Procedures

The working procedures include a working recording system, staff training, reporting, correspondence, and regular environmental meetings. There shall be one environmental protection supervision meeting each month. Meeting minutes will be taken.

Preparation for Work Commencement

The ESE shall prepare the environmental supervision work plan and submit it to the Preparatory Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation prior to entering the field. The plan shall include the organization of the environmental supervision team and a list of environmental supervision staff. The ESE shall be familiar with the relevant contractual provisions and technical specifications, and carry out field surveys to gain an understanding of the environmental setting.

The Preparatory Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation shall approve the work plan for environmental supervision and the provisions of environmental supervision.

Quality Control

The ESE shall carry out overall inspection, supervision and management of construction and implement quality control procedures to improve environmental management.

Coordination, Information Collection and Management

Coordination among various parties will be mainly achieved through project coordination meetings.

Content of Environmental Supervision

Environmental Supervision Prior to Construction

Prior to construction, the ESE will ensure the following:

��Review of pollution prevention mechanisms and ensure that all treatment anddisposal equipment is in place and

��Review of environmental protection clauses in the Construction Contract and informthe construction contractor of legally binding environmental commitments

Environmental Supervision During Construction


The ESE will conduct daily on-site supervision, including the following:

��Soil conservation and control of water pollution;

��Industrial and domestic wastewater disposal;

��Atmospheric pollution abatement;

��Noise;

��Solid waste disposal;

��Vegetation and wildlife conservation;

��Worker and community health; and

��Construction and installation of environmental protection facilities.

Supervision at Completion

The ESE shall supervise and manage restoration of the environment and the operation of all pollution prevention equipment, including the following:

�� Supervise the preparation of as-built documents.

��Organize the initial inspection.

��Assist the Owner in the organization of final acceptance of construction.

��Organize the as-built data of the environment supervision

��Prepare the final report for the environment supervision of the project.

Management of ContractorsDuring construction, the contractor, shall be responsible for controlling and reducing environmental impacts and that environmental protection measures are fully implemented, including consideration of the following measures:

��During pre-qualification, the environmental management shall be included in the authentication clause when the contractor’s qualifications are reviewed. Under the same condition, priority shall be given to the bidders who are ISO9001 and ISO14001 certified;

��At least one full-time and dedicated person shall be assigned in each construction phase to carry out environmental supervision and environmental inspection and monitoring;

��In preparation of the Bid Document, the project proponent shall incorporate each environmental protection measure (as stipulated in the project approved Environmental Impact Assessment and EMP) into contractual clauses, so that the details and responsibility of environmental protection can be fully understood, including corresponding budgetary estimates;

��Prior to the commencement of construction, the Contractor shall receive relevant environmental training. Such training shall be carried out 2-3 days prior to signing the contract, and include:

- Relevant national and local laws and regulations and discharge standards;

- Technical guidelines for environmental protection;


- Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan of the Project;

- Specific requirements, methods and parameters of all monitoring locations;

- Specific requirements on the monitoring reports and feedback of monitoring data;

- Applicable mitigation measures;

- Emergency measures for any releases of hazardous materials;

- Public participation during construction and resolution of public complaints;

- Contractor responsibility for environmental protection;

��A Construction supervision unit shall be assigned with environmental supervision responsibility through designation of Environmental Supervision Engineer.

EnvironmentalMitigationMeasuresA set of action-oriented mitigation measures have been developed in a stand-alone Environmental Management Plan, which specifies project activities, potential impacts, mitigation measures, implementation entities, monitoring entities, budget allocation and monitoring indicators. (For details see the attached EMP).

Environmental ProtectionTrainingBefore construction, all the environmental management staff of the environmental protection division of the Project Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation Project, supervision engineers and contractors shall receive training in environmental protection at least once. Major environmental protection managerial personnel and Environmental Supervision Engineers shall receive on-post training, and the time of training and study shall be 1-3 months. A training program has been developed and included in Environmental Management Plan. (For details see the EMP).

Legal Implications of the EnvironmentalManagement PlanThe Environmental Management Plan is not only a guideline for the construction unit to implement environmental protection and mitigation measures, but also forms the basis for the environmental administrative department to inspect and accept the environmental protection works. Therefore, the EMP shall have same legal status as the Construction Contract and Bid Documents etc.

When the project owner - Preparatory Office of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Corporation Project - invites bids from the public, it shall provide the EMP to the bidder as one of the basic documents. The related mitigation measures in the EMP are to be included in the Bid Document while environmental protection costs shall be included in the proposed budget by the Bidder.

When the project owner reviews the Bid Documents, they shall consider the commitment for implementation of the EMP as legally binding. When the engineering contract is signed, the EMP shall be implemented as one of the services provided by the contractor and one of the conditions of project quality acceptance. Construction contractors shall be responsible for the environmental damage due to a failure to implement the EMP. Prior to the commencement of the project, the environmental management staff of the project owner shall have a comprehensive


understanding of the EMP and shall be responsible for explaining its significance to the construction unit.

During supervision works, the Environmental Supervision Engineer will consider the EMP conditions as binding for the contractor. If environmental protection measures fail to be implemented, relevant works will not be accepted.

Prior to commencement of construction works, the construction unit shall assign dedicated personnel, who shall be responsible for EMP implementation. Each environmental protection measure shall be implemented as per the EMP schedule.


Public Consultation and Information Disclosure

MethodologyPublic consultation was carried out throughout the EA preparation process, using a combination of consultation methods with groups representing typical stakeholders, and through random surveys. This includes meetings with relevant local government units, public meetings with affected people, distribution of questionnaires, and random individual interviews. Internet and newspapers were used to provide project information.

Objectives

The objectives of public consultation are:

• Collect public opinion on design and construction. • Investigate environmental problems and come up with mitigation measures. • To understand the attitude of public on this project. • Identify possible environmental issues and significant impacts. • To gather suggestions and advice on noise-prevention measures implemented during the

operation period. • Identify potential requirements for demolition and relocation, land requisition (including

knowledge of policies and acceptable forms), and relevant mitigation measures and precautions.

ScopeThe public consultation was carried out in areas along the proposed railway line, including: Guiyang City, Autonomous Prefectures of Buyi and Miao nationalities in south Guizhou Province, Autonomous Prefectures of Miao and Dong nationalities in southeast Guizhou Province, Liuzhou City, Guilin City, Hezhou City, Zhaoqing City, Foshan City, and Guangzhou City. Areas covered in the project include, residential areas of Han nationality, Dong nationality, Shui nationality, Miao nationality, and Buyi nationality. The participants were teachers, students, workers, individual merchants, farmers, government staff, and local farmers, with different age groups and educational qualifications, so the results have good representation and randomness.

ConsultationResults andResponses

8.4.1. Public Consultation at Early Stage of EA Preparation

1. Consultation with local governments

Relevant administrative agencies in China and in each city along the line such as National Land Resources Bureau, Environment Protection Bureau, Water Conservancy Bureau, Forestry Bureau, Planning Bureau, Traffic Bureau, and Tourist Bureau etc. were consulted during EA preparation. The EA team provided relevant information about the project to these agencies, and


collected suggestions from them on environmental protection, water and soil conservation, land resource protection, city planning, and protection of cultural relics.

The findings are incorporated in the EIA report based on the information collected from government agencies. The feedbacks from these findings were given to the design institute, which in turn incorporated the consultation results into project design. The results include:

1) The railway alignment was shifted to avoid environmentally sensitive areas, such as the source water protection area of Aha Reservior in Huiyang City, Yunguan Mountain Forest Park in Guizhou Province, Basha Natural Reserve in Guizhou Province, Jingjiang Mausoleum Cultural Relics Area in Guilin, Haiyang Mountain Natural Reserve in Guangxi Province, Huaping National Natural Reserve in Guangxi Province, Ancient Site Protection Area in Linhe, and Zhuhai National Forest Park in Guangning, achieving initial success in environment protection. For some environmentally sensitive areas, alternatives were studied to select rational and optimized scheme with overall comparison of environment, social, technical and economic perspectives.

2) In order to reduce the quantity of farmland and forest land occupied, bridges are designed instead of high embankment and tunnels instead of deeps trenches.

3) Based on the layout of each city and town, the development plan of scenic spots, and on the environment-protective concept of “being adjacent but not interference”, the stations were set rationally to leave necessary space for future development and integrated with general layout, for the convenience of tourists and local people.

2. Consultation with general public

A series of public meetings were held in selected villages along the railway alignment, and public questionnaire survey was conducted for quantitative analysis. The format of questionnaire used in the process is shown in Table 8-1.

Table 0-1: Public Consultation Questionnaire for New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line (first round)

Name Gender Age Nationality Education

Occupation Address or work unit

1. How did you hear about this project?

a. Net b. TV c. Newspaper d. Special promotional materials e. Other sources

2. Do you think it is necessary to construct Guiyang-Guangzhou railway line (significance)?

a. High significance to expedite construction b. Some significance c. Insignificance

If you choose option c, please explain:

3. What is your perception on the construction of the project? a. Quite necessary b. Not sure c. Not required

4. What are the positive impacts do you of think this project will have?

a. To promote economic development b. To expedite tourism development c. To complete transportation system

d. To increase flexibility of road network e. To enhance communication between inland and coastal areas f. To

benefit from tourism g. To increase job opportunity h. To improve transportation i. other

5. What are the negative impacts do you think this project will have? a. land acquisition b. affecting vegetation c.

landscape destruction d. noise pollution e. water pollution f. disturbance on sidewalks g. electromagnetic

interference h. other


6. What is your perception of impacts during the construction period?

a. Understandable b. Understandable but mitigation measures required c. No comments

7. In the aspect of environmental protection, what do you think is the major impact during construction of Guiyang-

Guangzhou Railway Line?

a. Noise b. Vibration c. Wastewater d. Garbage from station f. Other

8. What do you think would affect the health and wellness of the people?

a. Noise Pollution b. Surface water pollution c. Air pollution d. water and soil loss e. electromagnetic pollution

g. other

9. How do you get your TV signal? a. cable TV b. radio TV

The railway line will impact the TV signal, so what is your opinion? a. rational economic compensation b. to

install cable TV device c. other

10. If your living is affected by this project, what measures do you hope us to take?

a. control measures b. optimize the project scheme c. economic compensation or relocation d. whatever

11. What is your belief on land requisition in this project?

a. economic compensation b. to move to another plot c. to settle employment d. other

12. What are your thoughts on demolition and relocation of houses in the project area?

a. compensation b. to restore demolished houses c. to improve living conditions d. other

13. The Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway will go through environmentally sensitive areas, such as natural reserve,

scenic area, source water protection area, and cultural & historical sites, what is your opinion or suggestion? (The

Owner will obtain procedures of approval for “areas under protection” as per relevant regulations).

14. Based on the project conditions, please give us your advice and suggestion in the aspect of environmental

protection.

Note: Please mark a “�” on the option that you agree with. If you have any suggestions or comments, please write it on a separate paper and attach it to the questionnaire.

3. Results Analysis

This round of public consultation was carried out along the proposed Guiyang - Guangzhou Railway line, covering residents in Guiyang City, Autonomous Prefectures of Buyi and Miao nationalities in south Guizhou Province, Autonomous Prefectures of Miao and Dong nationalities in southeast Guizhou Province, Liuzhou City, Guilin City, Hezhou City, Zhaoqing City, Foshan City, and Guangzhou City and local people in towns and villages along the line.

In this phase of public participation, 1000 copies of questionnaires were distributed and 922 copies were returned, with a high response rate of 92.2%. People consulted include teachers, students, workers, farmers, government staff, and company personnel etc. From the statistics point of view, the occupations and education levels of interviewees are heterogeneous. People from 11 nationalities with different age groups, occupations, and education levels were involved. Therefore, the results truly reflect the opinions and suggestions on environment from the people influenced by this project.

Based on the analysis of returned questionnaires, most of the interviewees showed their support to the newly-built railway line. They perceived that the proposed Railway Line will improve their local economy. However, cultivated lands will be occupied, ecosystem will be impacted, and environment will be polluted through different sources. Table 8-2 shows the summary of public participation process along the proposed railway line


Table 0-2: Summary of Public Participation along the Proposed Railway Line

S/N Questions Options Population Percentage (%) Network 152 11.75

TV 234 18.08

Newspaper 274 21.17

Special promotional materials 279 21.56

1 How did you hear about this project?

Other Sources 355 27.43

High significance to expedite Construction

596 64.64

Some significance 272 29.5 2

Do you think it is necessary to construct Guiyang-Guangzhou railway line (significance)?

Low significance 54 5.86

Quite necessary 741 77.1

Not sure 129 18.4 3 What is your perception on the construction of the project?

Not required 52 4.5

to promote economic development

644 20.57

to expedite tourism development

408 13.03

to complete transportation system

243 7.76

to increase flexibility of road network

213 6.8

to enhance communication between inland and coastal areas

418 13.35

to benefit from tourism 385 12.3

to increase job opportunity 385 12.3

to improve transportation 400 12.78

4 What are the positive impacts do you of think this project will have?

other 35 1.12

land acquisition 364 15.35

Affecting vegetation 356 15.01

Landscape destruction 197 8.31

Noise Pollution 557 23.49

Water pollution 345 14.55

disturbance on sidewalks 216 9.11

electromagnetic interference 253 10.67

5 What are the negative impacts do you of think this project will have?

other 83 3.5

understandable 459 49.78

understandable but mitigation measures required

390 42.3 6 What is your perception of impacts during the construction period?

no comment 73 7.92

noise 524 38.61

vibration 234 17.24

waste water 242 17.83

garbage from station 331 24.39

7

In the aspect of environmental protection, what do you think is the major impact during construction of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line?

other 26 1.92

Noise pollution 573 45.26

Surface water pollution 190 15.01

Air pollution 153 12.09

8 What do you think would affect the health

and wellness of the people?

water and soil loss 168 13.27


S/N Questions Options Population Percentage (%) electromagnetic pollution 155 12.24

other 27 2.13

Cable TV 548 55.19 How do you get your TV signal?

Radio TV 445 44.81

rational economic compensation

407 43.34

to install cable TV device 438 46.65

9 The railway line will impact the TV

signal, so what is your opinion:

other 94 10.01

control measures 415 37.73

optimize the project scheme 293 26.64

economic compensation or relocation

329 29.91 10

If your living is affected by this project,

what measures do you hope us to take?

whatever 63 5.73


615 54.67

to change another plot 168 14.93

to settle employment 305 27.11

11 What is your belief on land requisition in

this project?

other 37 3.29


326 27.35

to restore demolished houses 467 39.18

to improve living conditions 370 31.04

12 What are your thoughts on demolition and relocation of houses in the project area?

other 29 2.43

13

The Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway will go

through environmentally sensitive areas,

such as natural reserve, scenic area, source

water protection area, and cultural &

historical sites, what is your opinion or

suggestion? (The Owner will obtain

procedures of approval for “areas under

protection” as per relevant regulations).

� Generally, teachers think it will impact the daily operation of school, and they suggest relocating the school to create a good study environment for students. 14

Based on the project conditions, please give us your advice and suggestion in the aspect of environmental protection. � Local residents think it will impact water reserve, TV signal

and traffic safety.

Based on the analysis of results obtained from survey, major suggestions and inputs from the public are:

(1) Knowledge and opinion about the proposed Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line

According to the survey, 21.56% of the interviewees got to know this project from special promotional materials, majority of them were officials and government staff; 21.17% of the respondents learnt about this project from the newspapers; 27.43% of the respondents heard about this projects from other sources; 18.08% got to know this project from TV; and 11.75% of the interviewees heard from network of students. The general public came to


know about the railway line project through several means of communication. They were open to participate in public consultation programs and to give feedbacks and suggestions.

The proposed railway line covers Guizhou Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Guangdong Province. This project could boost the development of local and regional economy. It can also improve the economic development of other regions. Based on the survey results, it is evident from the fact that 64.64% of the interviewees think the construction of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway has greater significance and could expedite regional construction; 29.5% of the interviewees think it has some significance; and 5.86% think the railway line is not required.

(2) Public’s perception on newly-built Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line.

Based on informal consultation with local people in the project area, the interviewers understood that people supported the proposed railway line. This project could improve present traffic situation and increase per capita income.

We can conclude from the survey results that 77.1% of the interviewees showed their support to the proposed Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway line; 4.5% of them expressed dissatisfaction; and 18.4% of them did not react. People who were not satisfied were mainly the residents of Guiyang City along the railway line, who think noise and vibration from overhead line will impact their daily life. Another concern is about real estate prices, people living along the proposed line are worried whether they would be rationally compensated for demolition and relocation.

What are the positive impacts do you of think this project will haveAccording to the survey, 20.57% of the interviewees think it could promote economic development; 13.03% of the interviewees think it could improve tourism development; 7.76% of them think it could help transportation; 6.8% think it could increase flexibility of road network; 13.35% perceive that railway line could improve communication between inland and coastal areas; 12.3% think it could benefit the tourism industry; 12.3% think it could increase job opportunity; 12.78% think it could improve transport conditions; and 1.12% has other opinions. The Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway will help in transportation of goods, which will be a bridge the economic cooperation among different regions.

What are the negative impacts do you of think this project will haveThe survey indicates that 15.35% of the interviewees choose land occupation as one of the problems; 15.01% thought the project would affect vegetation; 8.31% choose to say that the railway line would affect the landscape of the area; 23.49% choose noise pollution; 14.55% choose water pollution; 9.11% choose disturbance on sidewalks; 10.67% choose electromagnetic interference; and 3.5% had other opinions. Some of the participants along the proposed line receive water from Mountain springs and they believe that the water could be contaminated by construction and excavation of tunnels.

It is clear from the survey that people are worried about loss of agriculture and vegetation. During construction period, many farmlands and forests would be occupied, ultimately leading to loss of ecosystem diversity.

(5) Public opinion on the degree of environmental impacts due to construction of New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line.


Based on the survey, 49.78% of the interviewees expressed that impact on environment by New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line is understandable; 42.3% think it is quite understandable, but mitigation measures are required; and 7.92% show had no comments. People along the line think that construction of railway line would affect their living conditions.

(6) Public opinion of major problems during operation of Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line

The project team conducted a detailed survey of public opinion on noise and water pollution, vibration, and garbage from the station, which are the major source of pollution during the operation period. 38.61% think the major problem is of noise pollution, and 17.24% worry about vibration; 17.83% think the pollution is from the waste water, and 24.39% think it is garbage from the station.

(7) Public opinion on the influence of TV during operation period of railway line

The survey results indicate that 55.19% of the interviewees had cable TV and 44.81% had radio TV. This is an electrified railway line, so non-cable TV may be impacted during railway operation. 46.65% choose to change cable TV, and 43.34% choose compensation.

(8) Public opinion on land requisition along the line

During the construction of new Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway line, land requisition, house demolition and relocation are unavoidable. Upon the settlement of land requisition, 54.67% of the interviewees choose compensation as per regulations; 14.93% choose to move to another plot; and 27.11% choose to opt for jobs. According to the survey, majority of the participants choose compensation hoping that they will get a good price in return. The participants were skeptical of whether compensation would be provided according to their needs.

(9) Public opinion on settlement based on demolition and relocation

The settlement issue on house demolition and relocation concerns vital interests of the people along the line. The survey shows that 27.35% of the interviewees believe their demolished houses would be restored; 39.18% hope there would be an improvement in living conditions; and 31.04% hope to get compensation as per regulations.

Suggestions from public on New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway line:

(1) Measures should be taken to reduce impacts of noise at sensitive points.

(2) Restoration of roads after the completion of project.

(3) Safety of teachers and students must be considered by taking some concrete measures such as, pedestrian bridge and underpass with warning plates. If the school zone is near the railway line, the school has to be relocated.

(4) Farmers’ interests should be put in the first place, and any land occupied for project activities must be reasonably compensated.

(5) Regions along the line would suffer from water shortage and, the construction of the rail and tunnel may impact domestic water. Therefore, the tunnel environment should be monitored during design and construction, to avoid any harm to the local people.

4. Public Consultation in Ethnic Minority Areas


This project covers Guizhou Province, Guangxi Province, and Guangdong Province including 1 minority Autonomous Prefecture, 2 Autonomous states, 4 Autonomous towns, and 10 more Autonomous regions. The Rail length takes up approximately 80% of the total length of minority regions. For this purpose, the Central University for Nationalities was entrusted with the task of analyzing and evaluating Gui-Guang Railway project. The minority residents in 24 towns and 30 administrative villages within 20 km on both sides along the proposed railway line were interviewed. About 50 meetings were held with different people involved, including more than 180 educated persons, government staff, and resident representatives from Buyi Nationality, Miao Nationality, Dong Nationality, Yao Nationality, and Hui Nationality, and 500 questionnaires were collected from in-house residents.

Based on the analysis of survey results, it is evident that the information collected represents a wide range of participants which helps in understanding the requirements of within the project regions.

(1) Public suggestions and opinions:

A number of minority residents are involved in this project. Questions concerned were related to demolition and relocation, land requisition, and other problems during the construction phase. Some of their opinions are:

1) Rural residents living close to city & town emphasize that prices among city and rural areas are almost the same and, a high percentage of minority people make their living through land resources, therefore, compensations for land requisition should be same for both city and rural areas.

2) If the embankment of railway line goes through back mountains (water supply source) and residential areas of the community, attention should be given to water source from being contaminated by construction materials. If there is any damage to the property, it should be repaired and compensated accordingly.

3) Most of the residents along the proposed railway line follow the concept of Feng Shui. If there are worship places and graveyards in the project area, the residents should be notified of the development to avoid conflicts.

4) Some of the minority communities expect the project officials to provide financial help and personnel training with bonus.

5) The residents in the rural area should avoid farming during peak construction activities and should avoid country roads and water systems.

(2) Analysis on statistics of suggestions/opinions from minority residents

The proposed project will cover villages of Buyi Nationality, Miao Nationality, Shui Nationality, Dong Nationality, and Yao Nationality. Other residents include Zhuang Nationality, Maonan Nationality, Hui Nationality, and Menggu Nationality, which are distributed into towns and villages. The Hui Nationality community in the rural area of Northern Guilin, Guangxi Province, which is far from the railway line, does not suffer from construction activities.

The similar issues and concerns expressed by other residents are:

1) Construction of access roads shall help the development of the community.


2) Compensation for land requisition, property demolition and relocation should be complete and direct.

3) Notification should be provided before moving graveyards and worship.

4) Fragmentation of villages and communities is not acceptable. If unavoidable, necessary access should be built.

5) Try not to destroy existing water system and transport conditions (roads). If unavoidable, compensation or repair work should be provided.

6) Residues from construction activities should be stacked and treated carefully to maintain cleanliness, disturbance to residents should be reduced all the time, consideration should be given to noise and vibration, local people should be educated about safety, and local labor should be employed during construction.

7) In Guangxi Province, representatives of Yao Nationality from Liang’an district in Zhongshan County and Babu district in Hezhou City have this suggestion: villagers or residents must be notified beforehand if the “Dragon root” (or “village dragon”) is involved in the project, so as to reduce uneasiness of local people.

The project proponent is supposed to protect the rights of local people as per national policies and enhance the supervision and management of construction unit, preventing incidents that damage local peoples’ rights.

5. Response to Public Suggestions:

Based on opinions and suggestions above, concrete measures have been taken in the environmental assessment process:

1) According to the public participation program, the issue concerning people is that whether they could get compensation for cultivated lands and house demolition and relocation. We will adopt optimized design scheme to minimize the occupation of farmland, fruit woods, and houses. And compensation will be distributed strictly as per national laws and local regulations. A specific department for the compensation will be established to answer questions from public and to help people to protect their interests.

2) Measures have been taken to reduce noise and vibration problems. For adjacent sensitive points, measures of functional replacement or full-closed noise barriers have been taken.

3) The project proponent promises that the compensation for land acquisition and house demolition and relocation will strictly conform to national and local regulations, and RAP.

4) The report has specified compensation for electromagnetic interference; each family will get around 500 RMB.

5) For the railway line going through existing Guiyang downtown, comparison of alternative schemes were carried out to confirm an optimized scheme. The railway line will avoid some residential areas that are built, proposed to be built or under construction, such as Shengquan Liuyun Garden, Kangjia Nanqiaoyuan, Cuihua Jindu, and Biyuyuan, so as to reduce the influence on centralized residential areas during construction and operation. Especially, for the Shengquan Liuyun Garden, the railway


line will be 311m away from the project site. For the question of whistling influence in Guiyang pivotal district, the problem could be solved by reduce the number of whistles. For unavoidable residential areas, noise barriers and sound insulation windows will be installed to reduce the influence of noise.

6) In the early phase of design, the concept of “environmental line location” shall be followed. The railway line will avoid Changlingpo Forest Park, Luobeihe Scenic area, Duliu Riverscenic area, Huaping National Natural Reserve, Wutong Ancient Grave Area, Lijiang Riverscenic Area, Jingjiang King’s Grave National Cultural Area, Haiyangshan Natural Reserve, Yindianshan Natural Reserve, Lianhua Longguian Cultural Area, Huangtian Guxitai Cultural Area, Hejieshou Mountain Grave National Cultural Area, and the 2nd Strategic Source Water Protection Area, without affecting them.

7) For the sections with karst rock, the construction shall follow the principle of “to seal first, and limit the discharge” with engineering measures. Loss of ground water shall be avoided or reduced during construction of tunnel; meanwhile, surface water shall be monitored during construction period, without influencing the domestic water supply to the local people. The construction shall be organized to avoid traffic jams during construction periods. Finally, dedicated personnel shall be assigned with warning signs, to ensure the convenience and safety of residents, teachers, and students.

8.4.2. Environmental Impact Assessment – Public Consultation

Each measure in the environment impact assessment (EIA) report was based on suggestions from both experts and public. From May 2008 to June 2008, a second round of public consultation was conducted through site interviews, public participation meetings, and survey with local people along the line. In this phase of consultation, 1060 copies of questionnaires were distributed and 993 useful copies were returned, with a rate of 93.7%. People consulted include teachers, students, workers, farmers, government staff, and company personnel etc. The analysis shows that the occupations and education levels of interviewees are heterogeneous. People from 11 ethnic nationalities with different ages, occupations, and education levels were involved. Therefore, the results represent wide range of groups that participated in the survey.

Table 0-3: Questionnaire Form of New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway Line (Second Round)

Name Gender Age Education

level Nationality

Occupation Address or work unit

1. The noise, dust and rubbish in construction period may have affected nearby areas. Therefore, construction near

residential areas shall be carried out in specific time, avoiding disturbance to local people; dust shall be controlled

by watering, and construction waste shall be collected and treated. What is your opinion?

a. satisfied b. agree c. disagree

2. To reduce the affect of noise and waste gas on the environment, noise barriers will be installed in railway sections

which are close to residential areas, and Tridimensional Afforestation will be carried out in proper places. And

subsequently the noise levels could be reduced. What is your opinion about these measures? a. satisfied b. agree

c. disagree


3. In some parts, house demolition and relocation are unavoidable. Compensation for land requisition and house

demolition and relocation will be paid as per national regulations. What is your opinion about these measures? a.

satisfied b. agree c. disagree

4. Once the project is completed, there will be a discharge of domestic sewage. Such sewage will be discharged into

sewage system or treated as per requirements of local EP department before discharging. What is your opinion

about these measures? a. satisfied b. agree c. disagree

5. After the completion of the project, TV and satellite signal will be affected by the railway, so the option would

be: to compensate or to change signal receiver. What do you think on measures above: a. satisfied b. agree c.

disagree

6. What other suggestions or advice do you have?

Note: Please mark a “�” on the option that you agree with. If you have any suggestions or comments, please write it on a separate paper and attach it to the questionnaire.

The proposed project covers many environmentally sensitive areas, such as Shoucheng Natural Reserve, Rongjiang Gurong Scenic Area, Congjiang Scenic Area, Yunguanshan Forest Park, Longjiashan Forest Park, and Yangshuo National Forest Park etc, which will probably suffer from the construction of Railway Line. And, the project covers many minority residential areas. Therefore, second consultation was based on measures taken and suggestions provided from public in the 1st phase. Major feedback information is shown in Table 8-4.

Table 0-4: Feedback from the Second Phase of Public Consultation

S/N Name of suggestion Option No. of people

Percentage (%)

satisfied 586 59.01

agree 407 40.99 1

1. The noise, dust and rubbish in construction period may have affected nearby

areas. Therefore, construction near residential areas shall be carried out in

specific time, avoiding disturbance to local people; dust shall be controlled by

watering, and construction waste shall be collected and treated. What is your

opinion?

disagree 0 0

satisfied 581 58.51

agree 397 39.98 2

To reduce the affect of noise and waste gas on the environment, noise barriers will be installed in railway sections which are close to residential areas, and tridimensional Afforestation will be carried out in proper places. And subsequently the noise levels could be reduced. What is your opinion about these measures? disagree 15 1.51

satisfied 517 52.06

agree 411 41.39 3 In some parts, house demolition and relocation are unavoidable. Compensation for land requisition and house demolition and relocation will be paid as per national regulations. What is your opinion about these measures?

disagree 65 6.55

satisfied 665 66.97 4 Once the project is completed, there will be a discharge of domestic sewage. Such sewage will be discharged into sewage system or treated as per requirements of local EP department before discharging. What is your opinion about these measures?

agree 328 33.03


about these measures? disagree 0 0

satisfied 585 58.91

agree 400 40.28 5 After the completion of the project, TV and satellite signal will be affected by the railway, so the option would be: to compensate or to change signal receiver. What do you think of these measures?

disagree 8 0.81

6 What other suggestions or advice do you have?

Based on the results of survey, public opinions and suggestions are as follows

z�Majority of the people interviewed showed their satisfaction (59.01�) and understanding (40.99) to the environmental protection measures that would be taken during the construction period.

z�Among the interviewees, 58.51% mentioned they were satisfied, 39.98% think the noise barriers and afforestation could reduce the noise from railway; and 1.51% selected the option “disagree”, because they worried about the effectiveness of noise barriers. Noise-reduction measures will be different for different places, so design unit shall take proper and various noise-reduction measures depending on the environmental conditions to meet the requirements of different groups.

z�Among the interviewees, 93.45% people supported the construction of railway and showed their satisfaction for complementary measures for land requisition and house demolition and relocation; only 6.55% people were worried whether the compensation would be distributed on time, and whether their living would be affected.

z�A large amount of domestic sewage would be discharged once the construction is completed. Such sewage will be discharged into a sewage system or treated as per requirements of local EP department before discharging. On this note, 66.97% of the interviewees showed their satisfaction, and 33.03% agreed to this measure.

z�TV and satellite signal will be affected by the electrified railway, so measures will be taken to compensate or to change signal receiver. On this measure 58.91% of the interviewees showed their satisfaction, 40.28% of them agreed, and 0.81% showed their disagreement. Public hope that the amount of compensation to be properly determined and effectively implemented.

InformationDisclosure


On April 30th, 2007, the general information of environmental impact assessment for Guizhou-Guangzhou Railway Line was published on http://www.crssdi.com/, the website of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Go., Ltd.

After the completion of draft of EIA, information was published in China Environment, a

Newspaper in March 2008. It was a simplified version of Environmental Impact Assessment Report. It was also available on the website: China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (http://www.crssdi.com), to collect opinion and suggestions from people along the line and public in the society. People could provide their suggestions via telephone, fax and e-mail.


The Environmental Impact Report for New Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway has been reviewed by Ministry of Environmental Protection in July 2008, and it would be published in “China Environment Newspaper” on August1st, 2008. The content of the report is publicly accessible on China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., website and the Environment Protection Bureaus in all cities and provinces.

From April 2007 to March 2008, the project information was published in the local news papers and websites. This project has received good reputation from the public with their active participation.

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