Direct and indirect impacts of the project will mainly occur in the immediate surrounding

(few km) of the power generation facility and along the transmission line corridor with
the exception of some borrow areas and quarries for construction materials situated at
larger distance. To understand the impacts of proposed developments, an area of 5 km
upstream and 10 km downstream of the dam has been studied during the ESA. In
addition, about 500 m wide corridor along the proposed transmission line route has been
taken as the study area for the present ESA. Most negative environmental and social
impacts of the project will be experienced during the period of construction, and will
mostly be temporary and reversible in nature.
Negative impacts during operation and maintenance of the project will be very limited.
The project is also not expected to contribute to any cumulative impacts since operational
regime of Tarbela will not change by the T5HP. However, the positive impacts of the
Project will be very substantial due to production of clean and cheap low-carbon hydro
power. This is especially true when compared with alternative means of generating
electricity through thermal power stations (coal, oil, gas fired). The direct adverse social
impacts of the project are also expected to be relatively minor. Most of these impacts will
occur during construction and are associated with the contractor’s operations and the
interaction of the work force with the local communities.
The terms of reference for the ESA study is given in Annex 1. purpose of this ESA is to
present the main aspects of the environmental and social assessment process, and to
define the key management, mitigation and enhancement measures for predicted impacts.
The environmental and social assessment process outlined in this document aims to
satisfy the following objectives:
• To comply with the requirements of provincial Environmental Protection Acts as
well as WB standards for undertaking an ESA for Category A projects
• To identify and assess environmental and social impacts (including labour, health,
safety and security), both adverse and beneficial in the Project’s area of influence
• To avoid, or where avoidance is not possible, minimize, mitigate or compensate
for adverse impacts on workers, affected communities, and the environment
• To ensure that affected communities are appropriately engaged on issues that
could potentially affect them
• To promote improved social and environmental performance through the effective
use of natural resources, social networks and management systems.
1.4 Project ESA Study Area
The ESA study area comprises an Area of Direct Impact (ADI) and an Area of Influence
(AoI):
• ADI: The ADI for the Project is defined as the location of all constructionand spoil
disposal areas, including workers camp and batch plant areas, plus a 1km buffer
(Figure 1.2), and also the right of way of power evacuation route and grid station site
to account for any direct impacts during installation of new conductors, foundation
strengthening, and also O&M activities.
• AOI: The AoI of the project covers an area about 5km upstream, 10km downstream
of the dam and 2km on each side of the Indus River (right and left banks), and also
the length of the power evacuation route plus a 500m buffer (Figures 1.3 and 1.4).
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Figure 1.2:Area of Direct Impact – Power Generation Facilities
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Figure 1.3:Area of Influence - Power Generation Facilities
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Figure 1.4:Area of Influence –Power Evacuation Facilities
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1.5 Composition of Study Team
WAPDA engaged a team of independent consultants – Dr. Venkata Nukala (team leader),
Mr. Abdul Hameed (social) and Mr. Mohammad Ali Durrani (Environment) – to assess
the environmental as well as social impacts of the project, to prepare the environmental
and social management plan, and to compile the main ESA report as well as the
Summary ESA report. In addition, Mr. Ayaz Asif (environment), Dr. Ali Nawaz
(ecology), and Prof. Zahid Beg Mirza (birds) were also engaged for this ESA. The
environmental and social staff of Project Management Unit (PMU) of Dasu Transmission
Line Project - Mr. Muhammad Atif Raza (environment), Mr. Fawad Ahmed (social) and
Ms. Misbah Amanat (environment) – have also participated in field studies.
The baseline data collection, project description compilation, stakeholder consultations,
and initial impact assessment was carried out by a team led by Mr. Azmat Beg
(environment) with core support from Mr. Ihsan-ul-Haq Farooqi and Ms. Marielle Rowan
(sociology), and Mr. Mr. Omer Rasheed, and Mr. Mark Barnard (environment). Ecology
surveys were carried out by Dr. Zaheer-ud-din Khan (Flora), Dr. Abdul Aleem Chaudhry
(Fauna) and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf and Dr. Ali Hussain (aquatic ecology). Noise,
air quality and water quality surveys were carried out by personnel from the Pakistan
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO); Mr. Ishtiaq Ahmad
(air quality), Mr. Farooq Majeed (noise) and Mr. Mumtaz Hussain (water quality).
1.6 Document Structure
Chapter 2 reviews the prevailing WB policies and national regulatory requirements
relevant to environmental assessment. Chapter 3 presents a simplified description of the
project, its various components and other salient information relevant for environmental
assessment. Analysis of alternatives considered during project planning and design are
described in Chapter 4. Description of the baseline environmental conditions is presented
in Chapter 5. Risks from climate change and earthquakes are described in Chapter
6.Potential environmental and social issues from the Project implementation as well as
the appropriate mitigation measures to address these negative impacts have been
discussed in Chapter 7. Potential social impacts and mitigation measures are discussed in
Chapter 8.Cumulative impact assessment of T5HP along with other existing future
planned projects on upstream and downstream of Tarbela are discussed in Chapter 9.
Chapter 10 presents the outline of the environmental and social management plan
(ESMP) for power generation component, and Chapter 11 presents ESMP for power
evacuation facilities. Finally, Chapter 12 describes the consultations that have been
carried out with the stakeholders.
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2 Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework
This chapter summarizes relevant local and national Pakistani legislation and
international and financing obligations relevant to the ESA and environmental and social
management of the Project. It also provides the institutional framework for the
management of the Project over its lifecycle.
2.1 Pakistani Legislation
2.1.1 Overview
Pakistan has in place a policy and legislative framework for the protection of the
environment and social issues which the Government of Pakistan (GoP) is continuing to
develop. This section is structured around the legislative hierarchy. An overview of
relevant national level policy is presented, followed by separate discussion of national
and regional environmental and social legislation applicable to the Project and supporting
guidance documents. National and regional regulatory authorities with mandate to
oversee implementation of and compliance with, environmental and social legislation are
introduced at the end of the section.
2.1.2 Constitution
Whilst the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (as modified up to the
February 2012) is silent on the topic of environmental protection, it does support the
“promotion of social justice and eradication of social evils” (paragraph 37) and requires
that the state makes “provision for securing just and humane conditions of work, ensuring
that children’s and women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their age or sex, and
for maternity benefits for women in employment” (Paragraph 37(e)).
2.1.3 National Hydropower Programme
Overview
WAPDA is mandated to coordinate and give a unified direction to the development of
schemes in Water and Power Sectors. The primary development role of WAPDA is now
focusing on hydropower development and water sector projects to support the national
economy and poverty alleviation. The National Hydropower Programme has been
developed to deliver this aim.
Vision 2025
WADPA’s Vision 2025 program promises to develop 65 million acre feet (MAF) of
additional water storage capacity in the Indus Basin and add at least 37,770 megawatts
(MW) of hydropower generation capacity to the national grid by 2025. A major challenge
to realizing Vision 25 is how to develop a hydropower program of this magnitude while
meeting growing expectations from donors and society alike, to incorporate sustainability
into projects and maintain a broad spectrum of environmental and social values.
Strategic Sectoral Environmental and Social Assessment
The Strategic Sectoral Environmental and Social Assessment (SSESA) of the Indus Basin
(SMEC, 2014) was commissioned to examine the challenges in meeting Vision 25 and
presents a suite of 40 recommendations to increase the efficiency and efficacy of the
existing processes and to optimize the overall environmental and social performance of
the hydropower program on a basin-wide scale. The recommendations represent a
paradigm shift away from a traditional project-based engineering approach to a more
Environmental and