Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project

161. A number of districts are not linked with the existing railway network in the regions; therefore toget full benefits from proposed Trans-Asian Railway, additional railway network needs to bedeveloped. The areas through which Trans-Asian Railway will go is mainly low-lying flood plain criscrossedby a several water courses including rivers, channels; the lands are flooded annually duringmonsoon and used for aquatic flora and fauna including fish, migratory birds, etc; while during dryseason these lands are used for agricultural production. Construction of railway embankment willacquire agricultural lands and hence will trigger associated impacts.162. Railway network development in the regions will result in both potential significant negative andpositive impacts.Major Negative ImpactsLoss of seasonal floodplainLand acquisition and resettlementLoss of agricultural landsChange in landuseAir qualityNoise quality and vibration163. Loss of seasonal floodplain: Loss of seasonal floodplain will occur from use of low-lying floodplain/wetlands for construction of railway embankments. The impact on floodplain areas will becumulative and will generate from multiple actions from various sectors; hence it is a key issue.164. Land Acquisition and Resettlement: Land acquisition and resettlement issue is likely to arisefrom the construction of embankment. The impact is cumulative and will generate from multipleactions from various sectors; hence it is a key issue.165. Loss of Agricultural Lands: Loss of agricultural lands is associated with land acquisition. Theimpact is cumulative in nature associated with road widening and development including thecommercial activities along the corridor.166. Change in Landuse: Change in landuse within the railway corridors is due to the construction ofrailway embankment and railway stations.167. Deterioration in railway side air quality: Running of rails emits air pollutants from its engines anddusts from unpaved surfaces particularly during dry period. Thus railway corridor area will be affectedfrom air pollution. However this negative impact is expected to be significant during early stage of theoperation till the full green belt area development stage. Once the trees are grown they would trap airpollutants and dusts and reduce the impact of air pollution to surroundings.168. Deterioration in railway side noise quality and vibration: Movement of rails on railway tracksgenerates noise and also vibration, both will have negative impact on the communities residing nearthe railway tracks. Like air quality, this negative impact will also be of transition type; the impact will bereduced with the growth of trees in the roadside green belt area. Table 7-26 provides the predictednoise level due to the operation of one train per hour.Table 7-26: Predicted noise level due to the railway operationLeq (1 hr) (dBA)Train Speed(km/h)Distance to Receiver (m)25 50 75 100 20080 63.4 60.4 58.7 57.4 54.4100 64.2 61.2 59.4 58.2 55.2125 65.4 62.4 60.6 59.4 56.4Note: Based on Estimates in Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, FederalTransit Administration, 2006169. Vibrations due to the operation of trains are predicted using transit noise and impactassessment of Federal Transit Administration guideline 2006 and provided in Table 7-27. According to7-38