Brief summary

Environment Impact Assessment Report

for Mumbai‐Ahmedabad High Speed
Railway Project

yashita singh
181109014
1 PROJECT DETAILS
Under, The Indian Railways’ VISION 2020 which envisages a two-pronged approach to
bring High Speed Rail (HSR) in the country, starting with The proposed “Diamond
Quadrilateral” HSR network that will link the four major metro cities of India. These are
mainly high-density corridors and range from 135-991 km in length.. The Ministry of
Railways (MoR), decided to implement first High Speed Rail Corridor between Mumbai and
Ahmedabad - named as Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) Project.

The first step towards India getting its first bullet train and the Launch date of Mumbai-
Ahmedabad high-speed rail (MAHSR) project was in Sabarmati on 14th September, 2017
with the estimated cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

A major part of financing is  Japan  International Cooperation Agency (JICA),as cooperation

agreement between Indian and Japanese government. 

1.1 PROJECT LOCATION AND PROFILE

The  proposed  MAHSR  alignment  starts  at  the  BKC,  Mumbai,  Maharashtra  and  ends 
at  Sabarmati  in  Gujarat.  The  total  length  of  MAHSR  alignment  is  508.17  km 
consisting  of components like right of way, tunnels, maintenance depots, rolling stone
depots, construction yards , viaducts  and  embankments.

1.2 NEED OF THE PROJECT
  The  necessity  for  developing  HSR  corridors  has  been  felt  in  view  of  meeting  the 
various  needs  of  rapidly  growing  and  expanding  economy  and  to  curb  the  high  road 
based  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  The main items which HSR satisfies are:  (1) Safety;  
(2) High Capacity & Frequency; 
(3) High Energy Efficiency and Low Emission of Greenhouse Gas 
(Reduce impact of Climate  Change);   (4) Travel time reduction; 
(5) Employment generation;  (6) Strong Infrastructure to counter Natural Disaster. 

1.3 CATEGORY OF THE PROJECT 
The MAHSR project is categorised as Category A For example, a large-scale project in a
sector that requires special attention such as energy development and infrastructure

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development, or a project in a sensitive area such as a nature reserve or a living sphere of
indigenous people. 

As per JICA’s Guidelines for Environmental  and  Social  Consideration,  April  2010. 

However,  The  MAHSR  project  does  not  attract 
requirements of prior Environmental Clearance (EC) as per EIA Notification, 2006 in India, a
s  the Railway sector is not included in the Sch-edule I of the notification. 

1.4 PROJECT INPUT

Land Requirement    The  total land  to  the  tune of 1434.28 ha. shall be  required  for 
the ent-ire length of MAHSR  alignment  and  its  associated  facilities Out of  the 
total land, 137.1486 ha. belongs to forest land (including 33.3763 ha. of mangrove), 274.7614
Govt. land (other than forest) and 1022.37 ha.  private land. 

  Water Requirement  In  the  Construction  Phase  –  approximately  24.8  MLD  of  water 
will  be  required  and  in 
Operational Phase – approximately 4.11 MLD water demand is envisaged.  The demand will 
be distributed along the alignment, at the stations, construction camps, maintenance depots, r
olling stock etc. and will be sourced from local municipal supply as well as tanker supplied 
water (as approved by local authorities). 

2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IMPACT PROCESS

During the F/S stage EIA Study was taken up as a prerequisite for the primary impact
assessment of the project in consonance with the JICA’s Environmental and Social
Guidelines, April 2010. Now, as the project is sanctioned for implementation, to supplement
the EIA Study of F/S stage, Supplemental EIA study has been carried out as a part of the
Detailed Design Engineering. The output of the EIA Study is S-EIA Report which will form
the basis for final approval of JICA. The proposed MAHSR alignment passes through Coastal
Regulation Zones in both the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat at seven locations,
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies including preparation of an Environmental
Management Plan (EMP) have been conducted in order to secure the necessary CRZ
clearance from the MoEFCC, Government of India, under the CRZ Notification, 2011. In
order to identify the environmental impacts due to the construction and operation of the
proposed MAHSR project and associated facilities (Depot, Railway Stations and
Maintenance Depot etc.), an EIA study has been conducted by the Study Team. Based on the

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definition of “Associated Facilities” provided in the glossary of the terms included in IFC’s
(International Finance Corporation) Policy and Performance Standards on Social and
Environmental Sustainability and IFC’s Guidance Notes to the Performance Standards, only
access roads and station plaza planned for the MAHSR project are part of the associated
facilities. The EIA Study has been conducted in accordance with the latest Guidelines of
Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Environmental and Social Considerations, 2010, the rules and
regulations notified by the participating states-Maharashtra and Gujarat from time to time and
the Terms of Reference issued by the JICC.

The major initial steps in the process included Review of the existing EIA carried out in
2014-2015; Preparation of Inception Report and screening of Environmental Assessment;
Supplemental studies (as outlined in this Scope); Public consultation; Preparation of
documents for necessary clearances; Preparation of S-EIA report

The final process in preparation EIA includes:-

Execution of primary data collection/surveys to supplement the Joint F/S EIA to

appropriately establish an environmental baseline in the Study area. Identification of
significant environmental issues to inform decision-making for proposed works, including
analysis of the various alternatives for design changes from the Joint F/S and more detailed
project impact information during detailed design. Assessment of potential impacts to realize
requisite avoidance, minimization, management/mitigation and compensation measures, as
needed. Preparation of applications with necessary assessments and reference documents for
expected clearances as well as to assist NHSRCL(National High Speed Rail Corporation
Limited) to acquire final clearances/approvals. Planning and proposing of fund allocation to
ensure the occupational health & safety of all contract and casual workers. Identification of
existing occupational and safety hazards, such as the exposure levels of hazards and whether
they are within Permissible Exposure Level (PEL). If these are not within the PEL, measures
should be identified to keep them within the PEL so that health of the workers can be
preserved. Development and preparation of appropriate mitigation measures and
Environmental Management Plan (EMP), addressing implementation, monitoring and
reporting requirements. Addressing identified environmental issues through appropriate
planning and design of works and integration of EHS requirements into the bidding
documents.

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3 EIA METHOD USED
The matrix method is used for envisaging environment impacts based on Standard
Methodology and Terms of Reference (ToR) of MoEFCC and JICA are followed in the S-
EIA Study. Environmental experts certified by NABET (National Accreditation Board for
Education and Training) have been engaged in the study.

Governmental / Semi-governmental Institutions of repute such as Zoological Survey of India

(ZSI), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and Mangrove Society of India (MSI) are
also part of the study team.

4 IMPACTS AND MITIGATION METHODS

The environment in the vicinity of the proposed project (within 500 m zone of influence), is 

expected to be affected by: 

 The activities  pertaining  to  site  preparation and  construction of  the  proposed 

mahsr  railway line and ancillary component works;

 The operation and maintenance economic activity in the surrounding areas due to the 
project,  in due course of time. of the high‐speed railway system;
 Growth of population .

The development and operation is expected to generate adverse environmental impacts (long
term or short term, reversible or irreversible). The impacts are divided into categories and
respective measures for mitigation of the same too for project activities and their
environmental attribute :

a) long term impacts (operation phase)

b) short term impacts (construction phase)
The long term impacts include impact on land(topography ,landscape and ecology) like
permanent change in local topography of certain area, visual impact on landscape due to
construction of viaduct from Mumbai to Ahmedabad and bridges across intersecting water
bodies and permanent change in vicinity of stations and in case of ecology diversion of forest
(137.1576 ha. including 32.4303 ha. of mangrove ) and mitigation measure for the same
compensatory afforestation and planting of mangroves as per regulatory requirement

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 tunnel having an attribute of geology and hydrology can lead to impact of generation of
debris
(@ 3.5 million cubic metres) from tunneling activity. the ground water may be affected
during construction as the tunnel could intersect the aquifers in few locations. the mitigation
measures that tunnel shall be designed taking into account the potential seismic intensity, soil
/ rock structure and ground water table. excavated soil debris will be analysed for
contamination and disposed / reused accordingly. in stations the attribute is climate change
adaptation and the impact of potential sea level rise on the alignment and station structures
close to coastal area at BKC,and measure that the structure and premises of proposed station
close to mithi river should be designed taking into consideration of sea level rise of 1 m over
a period of 100 year similarly for operation of HSR Activity .
the short term impacts for site clearing and leveling (cutting, stripping, excavation, earth
movement, compaction) having attribute of local air quality impacts include fugitive dust
emissions and gaseous emissions from construction equipment & machinery. measures
proposed are use of suitable dust suppressants (e.g. water sprays) and equipment and
construction vehicles will be inspected and maintained suitably, for controlling emissions.
water quality impacts like run-off from vegetation stripped project area and construction
activities may cause change in the natural drainage pattern . measures that plantation on the
slope and care shall be taken to avoid or mitigate any changes in the course of natural
drainage. in soil quality ,impacts of loss of fertile top soil and temporary loss of agricultural
produce in farmlands, measure that the top soil be preserved and reclaimed back.
For noise & vibration impact in increase in noise levels due to running of heavy construction
equipment ,increase in ground vibration due to underground tunneling and potential impact
on tcfs and noise propagation due to running of heavy construction vehicles at the
construction sites. measures that where ever possible the deployed equipment shall have
inbuilt noise enclosure, noise abatement measures shall be adopted in tunneling activity and
noise barriers of suitable specifications shall be erected in locations of sensitive receptors.
local climate impact due to loss of vegetation cover (tree felling and mangrove cutting) there
may be rise in the local temperatures measure that compensatory afforestation shall be taken
up. Similar environment attributes with some additions for impact and measures in case of
activities like transport, storage and operation of construction material / equipment
civil construction activities and mechanical & electrical installation activities can be
seen in detail in the report.

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Other than these in influx of labour & construction of temporary houses and operation of
construction camps / maintenance depots the socio-economic impacts of stress on
infrastructure, stress on social relations and social conflict due to inflow of
workforce.measures that construction camps will be sited 1 km away from the esz /
habitation preferably in the downwind direction to avoid conflicts and stress on the local
community and environment and local persons shall be preferred for the construction work in
the un-skilled category. land use impact like temporary change in land use pattern of the area
due to coming up of labour camps and measure that labour camp structures shall be built in
temporary a manner and land shall be restored to the original condition after completion of
the construction.
water quality impact of domestic effluent discharge from the labour camp and construction
camp proposed to be constructed at every 25 km interval and measures that sanitation and
sewage treatment facility shall be provided at the labour camps as per applicable norms and
only treated effluents shall be discharged.
waste generation and management impact of generation of municipal solid waste and
hazardous waste from construction camps and maintenance depots and measure that efforts
shall be taken to minimize the waste generation to the extent possible, segregate and
dispose /recycle to appropriate agencies as per regulatory requirement and guidance from
urban local bodies similarly in detail for the activity of generation transport & disposal of
construction & demolition (c&d) waste in the report . So, not only consideration of
environment attribute but with social attributes as well.

5 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Environmental  Management  Plan (EMP)  addresses  the  design,  construction, 
commissioning, and operation and maintenance phases of each component of  the MAHSR 
project.  The  EMP  identifies  the  key environmental issues  across  the  project  and 
provides  strategies and plans for managing them effectively. Environment Management Plan
(EMP) has been developed outlining measures for implementation of mitigation measures to
offset or mitigate them to acceptable levels. The Environment Management Plan has also
outlined the responsibility of implementing and supervising the implementation of measures
of ISO 14001, The EMP budget has been estimated at INR 1642.509 Million.
In addition to the above cost, 2.5% of the project cost shall be allocated towards Enterprise
Social Commitment (ESC) as a part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provision

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for the implementation of various activities over a period of 10 years like Community Health
Improvement, Community Education Facilities, Community Welfare Activities,
Infrastructural Developmental, Community Water Conservation, Afforestation Programs,
Community Capacity Building, Community Sanitation facilities and Skill development etc.
During the construction and operational phases of the MAHSR, periodic inspections and
audits shall also be conducted by NHSRCL through third party competent agencies so as to
track the implementation of the EMP and ensure that all adverse impacts are effectively
mitigated.
The EMP also presents an institutional structure for implementing the EMP and
communication between the key agencies such as NHSRCL, its Project Implementation Unit
(PIU) and State level Chief Project Managers (CPMs), State level Social and Environmental
Management Units (SEMUs), Contractors (as per various packages), Supervision Consultants
and Regulatory/ Administrative Authorities. A grievance redress mechanism shall be
established at the level of each SEMU (for systemic E&S concerns) and Contractors (to
handle issues at a local level from local community).