Description of the EnvironmentNumber of accidents on the roads in <strong>Meghalaya</strong>, resulting in serious injuries andfatal casualties of the traveling public, are reported every year. Majority of theseaccidents is reported to have occurred by rolling down the road. This can beattributed to the poor geometry of the roads, which pass through hilly terrain,negotiating sharp curves and bends without adequate signage. The cause of theaccidents, however, is reported to be mainly due to the negligence of drivers. Fig.3.19 shows a car fallen in the valley on the curve of the project road. Also theaccident and overturning of coal transporting vehicle is common along the projectroad is a chaos to traffic and also the poor maintenance of above vehicle emittinghigh smoke is another cause for air pollution.3.6 HOT SPOT/SENSITIVE LOCATIONSThe Proposed Project passes through Landslides and illegal coal mining Area.The Landslides prone area starts km104.0 onwards. The illegal coal mining areacomes under chainage 72.0 km to 155.0 Km. Mapping of the same is shown inAnnexure 3.3.• • •<strong>Draft</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Impact</strong> <strong>Assessment</strong>3 - 18
Rehabilitation and Up gradation of existing 2 lane to 2 lane with paved shoulder from Jowai (km 69.2) to<strong>Meghalaya</strong>/ Assam Border (km 173.20) Section of NH-44 in the <strong>State</strong> of <strong>Meghalaya</strong> under NHDP Phase-IIIProgramme (Package No. NN/DL2/4)4. POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTSAND MITIGATION MEASURES4.1 GENERALThe potential environmental impact depends on the nature of disturbance to the naturaleco-system as well as to the physical environment. The project activities such as leveling,hill cutting, clearing of vegetation, felling of trees along the road, construction of culverts &bridges on rivers, setting up of labour & construction camps, siting of constructionmachinery and other related operations are bound to cause environmental impacts(positive/negative). The impact, due to road project on environment, can be minimized, ifproposed mitigation measures are adopted during design, construction and operationphase. The potential impact on environment is discussed below:4.2 IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES4.2.1 Water Environment<strong>Impact</strong> on Surface Water QualityConstruction PhaseThe project road passes through many seasonal and perennial streams along thealignment. Contamination of surface water may take place due to spills of constructionmaterials, oil, grease, fuel and paint, improper sanitation, and waste disposal fromconstruction camps etc. This can be kept under check by adequateprecautionary/mitigative measures. Control measures will be exercised to prevent anycontamination of water while construction of bridges and to control the suspended solidsduring road construction. During construction phase care would be exercised to controldust so that water of springs, falls etc. especially those located very near to the ROW maynot get contaminated. Car washing platforms are present in the project road and waterreleased from the above may lead to surface and groundwater contamination.Operation PhaseIt is envisaged that there is probability of positive impacts, during operation phase, due tothe proposed widening/strengthening of existing road. The extent of vehicles going on tothe berms causing dust etc. would reduce and the drainage system will improve, thus,reducing adverse effect of soil erosion.<strong>Impact</strong> on Ground Water QualityGround water pollution can take place only if leachate from dump containing chemicalsubstances, reaches the ground water table. In this project no such material in substantialquantity will be used. Even otherwise, there is no groundwater, reportedly, available alongthe project road. Hence, no impact on the ground water quality is anticipated from theproject during the construction and operation phase. Wastewater from car washingplatforms contains oils, grease etc., may contaminate the groundwaterMitigation MeasuresWidening option susceptible to soil erosion to be avoided, to ensure efficient crossdrainageand to prevent water stagnation along the sides, adequate size and number ofcross-drainage structure have been proposed. At cross drainage structures, the earth,stone or any other construction materials will be properly disposed off so as not to blockthe flow of water.To avoid contamination of the water body and drainage channels from fuel and lubricants,the vehicles and equipments will be properly maintained and refueled only at designatedplaces. The slopes of embankment leading to water bodies will be modified and recanalizedso that contaminants do not enter the water body. Oil and grease traps will beprovided at fuelling locations, to prevent contamination of water. Oil interceptors will beprovided at the car washing platform locations.To avoid contamination of the various water bodies and drainage channels, constructionwork close to the streams or other water bodies will be avoided, especially, during<strong>Draft</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Impact</strong> <strong>Assessment</strong>4 - 1