EExxeeccuuttiivvee SSuummmmaarryyenvironmentclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/EIA/15092014ENCAWGKD... · xxeeccuuttiivvee SSuummmmaarryy 1.0 Introduction M/s. ... Sat. LPG Merox Unit

EExxeeccuuttiivvee SSuummmmaarryy

1.0 Introduction

M/s. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is setting-up a grass root

Rajasthan Refinery cum Petrochemical complex Project (RRP) of 9 MMTPA at

Pachpadra Tehsil, District Barmer, Rajasthan. RRP is planned as a Joint Venture

between HPCL and Govt. of Rajasthan (GoR). The cost of the project is about Rs. 37230

Crores.

As per the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification dated 14th

September 2006, the proposed project falls under ‘Category A’, listed at S.No. 4(a),

requires preparation of EIA & RA Report to obtain Environmental Clearance (EC) from

the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), MoEF, New Delhi. Environmental

Appraisal Committee has given Terms of Reference (TOR) for refinery cum

petrochemical complex for preparation of EIA and RA report.

The proposed refinery cum petrochemical complex covers an area of 4813

acres which falls under the villages Sajjiyali, Roopji Kanthavad and Sambhara, in

Pachpadra Tehsil, District: Barmer, Rajasthan. Out of the total area, 413 acres is

reserved for township and raw water reservoir. It is about 100 km equidistant from Barmer

and Jodhpur. The nearest airport is Jodhpur (100 km) while the nearest railway station is

Balotra (13 km). There are no wild life corridors, archaeological monuments, places of

tourist interests and Defence installations within the study area. No Reserved forest,

National park, Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserves etc. exists within 10-km radius

study area.

2.0 Project Brief

The land requirement for the proposed RRP project is estimated to be around

4813 acres. The design life of the proposed RRP project will be 30 years. A crude

pipeline of about 70 km length from Mangla Processing Terminal (MPT) and natural gas

pipeline of about 60 km will be laid down from Raageshwari Gas Terminal (RGT) to the

RRP site. Following is the configuration of the process unit capacities, material balance and

products of proposed refinery cum petrochemical complex.

Executive Summary

E-2

Process units of RRP

Process Unit Unit Capacity

CDU MMTPA 9.0

NHT MMTPA 1.2

DHDT MMTPA 3.3

RFCC MMTPA 2 x 2.55

PPU MMTPA 3 x 0.39

LDPE MMTPA 2 x 0.38

ARDS MMTPA 2 X 2.8

Duel Feed Cracker MMTPA 0.63

Ethylene Recovery Unit MMTPA 0.136

Benzene Recovery Unit MMTPA 0.08

Butadiene Extraction Unit MMTPA 0.198

Py Gas HDT MMTPA 0.43

BTX MMTPA 0.43

RFCC Gasoline Depantanizer MMTPA 1.7

Gasoline HDT MMTPA 1.2

RFCC C5s Merox MMTPA 0.48

Sat. LPG Merox Unit KTPA 80

LPG Depropanizer KTPA 80

FG Treating Unit TPD 1480

Hydrogen Generation Unit KTPA 61

PSA KTPA 28

SWS -I (Hydro Processing) m3/h 100

SWS -II (Non Hydro-processing) m3/h 250

Amine Regeneration Unit m3/h 770

Sulphur Recovery Unit TPD 2 x 160

Feed and Products of the RRP

Items Unit Quantity

Feed

Rajasthan Crude MT/Day 13565.0

Arab Heavy MT/Day 6844.0

Arab Light MT/Day 6615.0

Natural Gas MT/Day 578.0

Products

Polypropylene MT/Day 3505.0

Executive Summary

E-3

Butadiene MT/Day 593.0

LDPE MT/Day 2225.0

Benzene MT/Day 235.0

Toluene MT/Day 310.0

Mix Xylene MT/Day 117.0

92 RON Gasoline, EURO-IV KL/Day 6669.4

ULS Diesel , EURO-V KL/Day 10907.2

Fuel Oil KL/Day 869.6

Sulphur MT/Day 321.0

Fuels & Losses MT/Day 5394.0

The total water requirements of the plant will be 127 MLD (28 MIGD), which

shall be met from the IGNP (Indira Gandhi Nahar Project) by laying about 200 km of

pipeline. For construction phase of the project, approx. 5 MLD water requirement is

envisaged in first year which shall be met from Nagana reservoir for a period of one year.

Alternative water source for the construction water is also envisaged, i.e. CETP treated

wastewater from Bithuja or Balotra for approx. 23 MLD (5 MIGD) construction water

requirement. CETP treated waste water shall be further treated in UF+RO facility in

refinery complex for making it suitable for construction purpose.

In order to ascertain continuous supply of raw water to the RRP Complex, a

backup water source (second source of water) from underground reservoir (Saline

Aquifers from Thumbli, located at about 100 km from Pachpadra) equipped with

desalination plant of equivalent capacity has been proposed.

A captive power plant of 210 MW is proposed to meet the requirement of

refinery cum petrochemical complex.

3.0 Description of Environment

Baseline environmental studies have been carried for three months (Oct-Nov-

Dec 2013). Studies have been carried out within in 10-km radius from proposed project

for soil quality, ambient air quality, water quality, noise level monitoring studies, flora and

fauna studies and demography. The scope of the present study is in line with the Terms

of References (ToR) issued by EAC, MoEF, New Delhi vide letter no. F. No. J-11011/

87/2013-IA II (I) dated September 27, 2013.

Air Quality Status

The region represents mainly rural environment and few sampling locations fall

in moderate commercial and vehicular activities. The ambient air quality within 10-km

Executive Summary

E-4

radius around the proposed site was assessed at 11 locations. The villages are located

quite far from the proposed project site. The average PM10 concentrations at all the

locations varied in the range of 59-87 µg/m3, which represents background concentrations

of rural environment and could be attributed to windblown soil dust and unpaved roads in

the region. The PM10 concentrations for other locations were observed to be below

stipulated CPCB standards (24 hourly PM10 = 100 µg/m3).

The average PM2.5 concentrations ranged between 25-49 µg/m3, which were

observed to be well below the stipulated CPCB standards (24 hourly PM2.5 = 60 µg/m3).

The average concentrations of SO2 and NOx ranged between 6-17 µg/m3 and

12-24 µg/m3 respectively. The levels of gaseous pollutants were below the 24 hourly

CPCB standards of 80 µg/m3 each for the SO2 and NOx. The average concentration of

ammonia ranged between 19-25 µg/m3. All these values are well within the stipulated

CPCB standards (400 µg/m3). The observed average concentration of O3 at all the

locations ranged between 9-17 µg/m3, which were much below the stipulated CPCB

standards (8 hourly =100 µg/m3). The Ni concentration at all the locations was found to be

in the range of 1.7-5.2 ng/m3, whereas the permissible limit of CPCB for Ni is 20 ng/m3.

The Pb, As and BaP were Below Detection Level (BDL). The carbon monoxide

concentration at all the locations varied between 0.18-0.77 mg/m3, whereas total

hydrocarbons concentrations were in the range of 270-278 µg/m3.

The area generally has low levels of pollutants in ambient air, which is well

within the stipulated National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Noise Levels

The noise level (LAeq) in residential areas varied between 43-54 dBA during

daytime and between 32-42 dBA during night time. The noise levels during day and night

time were below the stipulated noise levels in residential areas (Standards : Day time= 55

and night time 45 dBA). The noise level in commercial areas ranged between 57- 64 dBA

during daytime and 40-54 dBA during night time. The noise levels were mostly around the

stipulated noise levels as per the CPCB standards of commercial areas (day time= 65

and night time 55 dBA). The equivalent noise level recorded at different silence locations

(schools) within the study area. Noise levels were found to be 41-48 dBA during daytime

and 32 - 39 dBA during night time respectively. The noise levels were within the CPCB

standards (day time= 50 and night time 40 dBA) for silence zone.

Executive Summary

E-5

Water Quality Status

Eight surface water and three ground water samples were examined for

physico-chemical, heavy metals and bacteriological parameters in order to assess

background status of surface and ground water sources. The samples were analyzed as

per the procedures specified in 'Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and

Wastewater' published by American Public Health Association (APHA).

Surface Water: The range of various water quality parameters varied as; pH:

7.5-8.5, turbidity: 1-10 NTU, total dissolved solids (inorganic): 195-254 mg/l, total

hardness: 52-97 mg/l, chlorides: 18-103 mg/l, and sulfate: 4-10 mg/l. Fluoride was found

to be 0.09-0.88 mg/l. Nutrients content in the form of nitrate and total phosphates were in

the range of 0.2-8.6 mg/l and 0.16-1.31 mg/l respectively. Dissolved oxygen was in the

range of 6.8-7.9 mg/l, whereas oil & grease were observed as 1-7 mg/l. The heavy metals

like cadmium, chromium, zinc and arsenic were not detected; whereas Nickel, copper,

lead iron manganese, cobalt and aluminum were found to be in the range of ND-0.001,

ND-0.006, 0.004-0.616, 0.003-0.008, ND-0.001 and 0.09-2.20 mg/l respectively.

It can be observed that the concentrations of all the parameters, in comparison

with IS: 2296, come under Class ‘C’, category of drinking water source without

conventional treatment but with disinfection.

Ground Water: The groundwater quality showed high mineral contents in the

form of total dissolved solids, total hardness, chlorides, sulfates, chemical oxygen

demand, biochemical oxygen demand, sodium and potassium with their respective

concentrations in the range as 2960 - 4055 mg/l, 688 - 1986 mg/l, 855 - 1949 mg/l, 400 -

562 mg/l, 16 - 80 mg/l, 2.6 mg/l, 586 – 680 mg/l, and 11.4 - 73.6 mg/l respectively.

Fluorides were in the range of 0.17 - 2.49 mg/l, which is above the permissible limit,

observed at villages Kiyar and Meghwalo ki Dhani. It may be attributed to the geological

formation in the region making the water unfit for drinking. Heavy metals were observed

within the permissible except for iron: 0.11 - 23.9 mg/l and Zinc: ND-9.8 mg/l. Higher

values were observed in the village Meghwalo ki Dhani; which makes water unfit for

drinking without proper treatment.

Land Environment

Based on the remote sensing data of November 2013, the land use /land cover

of the study area (10 km radius, i.e. 314 km2) shows dominance of fallow land (50.67%)

followed by 13.07% waste land (sandy area/sand dunes, salt affected land) and 8.99%

barren land. The area has about 11.90% crop land and 9.62% land with or without

Executive Summary

E-6

shrubs. Built-up land and water bodies are 1.20% and 1.53% respectively. Land covered

by salt mines/salt pits is about 1.39%.

Soil samples were collected from eight villages/locations and were analyzed as

per approved methods of CPCB and MoEF. It is observed that the texture of soils in the

region varies from sand to loamy sand. The pH of soil was observed to be in the range of

8.5-9.6, and the soil is moderate to strongly alkaline in nature. Electrical conductivity, a

measure of soluble salts in soil is in the range from 0.13-0.85 dS/m. In general, the soil in

the region has very low adsorption capacity as evident from the cation exchange

capacity, found in the range of 6.2 to 9.8 cmol(p+) kg-1. Exchangeable sodium percentage

ranged from 4.8 to 7.2 indicating that the soils are normal with respect to sodicity. The

presence of sodium in exchange form may have deleterious effect on the physical and

chemical properties of soil.

Organic carbon and available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are found to

be in the range of 0.05 to 0.48 %, 85 to 142 kg/ha, 8.4 to 16.5 kg/ha and 10.2 to 25.8

kg/ha respectively. This shows that the soils are poor with respect to organic carbon

content, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content.

Biological Environment

There are no national parks or sanctuaries or reserve and protected forest in

study area of Pachpadra, Barmer, Rajasthan. The district falls in the Hot Desert Region.

The rainfall is very less but there are few flora present. Most of the flowering plants are

shrubs and wild grasses. The grasses do not survive for more than a few months after the

monsoon. The study area was found to be mostly sandy, uninhabited barren land with or

without shrubs. The plants Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) in the desert have adopted various

strategies to endure the intense heat, bitter cold and long dry spells.

The phyto-ecological structure of vegetation shows three different strata i.e.

Top, Middle and Ground. In order to reduce transpiration, the leaves of most of the plants

are of reduced size, e.g. dominant tree and shrub species of the area are Khejri (Prosopis

cineraria), Bavar (Prosopis juliflora), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), Salvadora persica, Acacia

species etc. Other associated tree and shrub species in the study area are Tecomella

undulate, Acacia nilotica, Acacia tortilis, Cassia fistula, Prosopis juliflora, Acacia senegal

Salvadora oleoides, Ziziphus mauritiana, etc.

Tree species come along with shrub species such as Acacia jacquemontii,

Capparis decidua, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Zizyphus nummularia, Calligonum

Executive Summary

E-7

polygonidea, Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera. Prominent herb and grass

species recorded from the study area are Aerva javanica, Echinops echinatus, Adhatoda

zeylanica, Withania coagulans, Suaeda fruticosa, Fagonia indica, Cenchrus setigerus,

Heteropogon contortus, Tridax procumbens, Convolvulus prostrates, Citrullus colycynthis,

C. lanatus, Tephrosia purpurea, Crotalaria burhia, Suaeda fruticosa etc. Frequency of

occurrence for family Amaranthaceae and Gramineae was observed more in the study

area as most of the plants of this family observed in the study area can resist to water

scarcity. Secondary data on various aspects of biological environment was collected from

various sources to fortify the primary data.

The birds of prey commonly seen in the study area are Tawny eagle, Steppe

Eagle (Aquila nipalensis, Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), Long Legged

Buzzard (Buteo rufinus), White Eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa), Shikra (Accipiter badius),

Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris), Goshawk and Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). There

are vultures also which scavenge dead cattle and fauna. Common among them are the

Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus).

Socio-economic Environment

The information available with respect to demographic structure, infrastructure

base, economic structure, health status, cultural attributes, public awareness and their

concerns regarding the proposed project was assessed through secondary data and also

through primary survey in the region. Further, based on the data/information, socio

economic status in relation to ‘Quality of Life’ of the people of the region was determined.

As per 2011 census, the total numbers of households in study area are 14763,

with a total population of 84,459. Out of this, 43965 are male and 40504 are female. Out

of the total population, numbers of Scheduled Castes is 12303 (14.56%) and numbers of

Scheduled Tribes population is 5293 (6.26%) respectively. The sex ratio (number of

female per thousand male) within the study area is 921/1000. The number of educated

people in the survey villages is 52124 with a literacy rate of 61.75%. The total main

worker population is 22421 (26.54%), while 4170 (4.93%) come under marginal worker

category and 57868 (68.517%) belong to non-worker category.

The basic amenities like sanitation, health & medical, education etc. need in the

villages are poor and need to be strengthened. Of the total population, nearly 88% of the

population lives in Pachpadra Tehsil, where the facilities are reasonably good.

Executive Summary

E-8

4.0 Anticipated Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures

Air Environment

The impacts on air quality from any project depend on various factors like

design capacity, configuration, process technology, raw material/fuel used, envisaged

emission control measures, operation and maintenance practices. Apart from the above,

other activities, viz. transportation of raw materials and products, storage facilities and

material handling within the plant may also contribute to air pollution.

The major air pollutants from a refinery cum petrochemical complex are SO2,

NOx, PM10, HC and VOCs. Out of which, SO2 and NOx are emitted continuously from

high stacks associated with fuel combustion in process units. The fugitive emissions are

primarily due to intermittent leakage or evaporation of volatile organic compounds from

plant and storage area.

During construction phase, the air pollution due to construction activities along

with transportation of materials during the construction phase would be there, though it

will be short term, temporary and reversible in nature. The impacts would be minimized

by adopting certain effective mitigation measures such as water sprinkling for dust

suppression, using clean fuel for transportation activities, etc.

The impacts on air environment from stacks depend on the type of fuel used

and may extend to far distances depending on meteorological conditions. In the proposed

project, SO2 and NOx will be the two major air pollutants. Nearly 30 Tons per day (30

TPD) of SO2 emissions are expected to be released through stacks of 60 m height (each)

in the complex.

The meteorological data collected during post-monsoon season indicated the

predominant winds from NW, N and NE directions. The wind speeds are observed in the

range of 0.5 – 5.7 m/s and the calm conditions are found to be about 29% of the time.

The predicted 24 hrly incremental concentrations of SO2 and NOx will be

39.5 g/m3 and 24.1 g/m3 occurring at a distance of 2.8 km in SE direction respectively

due to proposed RRP units.

Given the baseline data and the maximum incremental GLCs, it is evident that

the ambient air quality with respect to SO2 and NOx shall be in the range of 46-57 g/m3

and 36-48 g/m3 respectively for the given meteorological and emission conditions.

Executive Summary

E-9

These are well below the national ambient air quality standards stipulated by CPCB with

respect to SO2 and NOx. (CPCB standard: 80 g/m3 SO2 and NOx for both)

VOC Emissions from Storage Tanks

Fugitive emissions in the form of evaporation losses from the storage tanks

would be another major sources of air pollution in terms of volatile organic compounds

(VOCs). There will be about 82 storage tanks and mounded bullets for storing crude,

benzene, toluene, xylene, gasoline, diesel, etc., in different types of tanks viz., cone roof,

floating roof, internal floating roof in the proposed refinery cum petrochemical complex

from which VOC emissions are envisaged. The total VOC emission from these storage

tanks is calculated to be about 0.78 TPD considering 96% efficiency of vapour recovery

for floating roof tanks and 99% efficiency of vapour recovery for floating roof tanks of

benzene, as per the CPCB guidelines for Petroleum and Refineries.

As a good operating, HPCL will adopt periodically leak detection and repair

(LDAR) programme to check fugitive emissions. The frequency of the programme will be

proportionate to the risk potential of carrying fluid. Based on leak detection as per LDAR

programme, action will be taken to eliminate fugitive emissions. This will be a continuous

activity.

Noise Environment

The major noise generating sources in the complex would be Furnaces,

Blowers, Heaters, Driers, I.D. Fans, F.D. Fans, Turbine Generators, Pumps,

Compressors, Cooling Towers, etc. The impact of noise emission will be minimized by

acoustic enclosures and the noise levels will be limited to 85 dBA. A cumulative noise

level due to anticipated noise sources inside project site near Pachpadra is estimated and

found to be 42.2 dBA at a distance of approx. 5.5 km at villages Kasaiyon ki Dhani and

Samra ki Dhani. Noise levels will decrease with further increase in distance from source.

These levels would not contribute significantly to existing ambient noise levels, which will

be within the prescribed standards.

Presently, traffic is mainly on the National Highway No. 112, passing through

the study area. Noise level due to present peak hour traffic is calculated to be 57.4 dBA at

a distance of 100 m. Due to the proposed HPCL complex, an increase in traffic by around

20 heavy duty vehicle trips, 2000 medium and 3000 light vehicles per day is expected

during construction period. The noise level at a distance of 100 m from the road is

estimated to be 60.4 dBA. Cumulative noise level at 1 km due to transportation will be

Executive Summary

E-10

around 50.4 dBA, 3 dBA more than the existing level. Since the villages are located more

than 1 km away from the NH, impact of Noise levels due to increase in traffic will be

insignificant/marginal.

Water Environment

The water requirement of proposed grass-root project will be for boilers,

processes, process cooling, utilities cooling, fire water make up and for greenbelt

development/horticulture. The water requirement will be met from Indira Gandhi Canal (IG

Canal) at Nachna. As per data available for the period during June 2010 to November

2013, the monthly minimum average water availability was 311 cusec during May 2013.

Consent from Irrigation Department, Barmer has already been obtained by HPCL for

drawl of 28 MIGD (~ 52 cusec). For drawl of water, a 44” raw water pipeline of 200 km

length along with pumping facilities has been considered. Considering the huge quantum

of water availability from IG canal in lean period also (min: 311 cusec), of which the

refinery requirement of 52 cusec and is 16.72% which is within the water allocation from

IG canal.

In order to ascertain a continuous supply of raw water to the RRP Complex, a

backup water source (second source of water) from underground reservoir (Saline

Aquifers from Thumbli, located at about 100 km from Pachpadra) equipped with

desalination plant of equivalent capacity has been proposed. Since this water supply

source is located far away from the proposed site, change in the hydrology of the study

area around the project site is not envisaged.

Regarding refinery pollutants, there will be least possibility of oil/chemicals

leachate to ground water due to following measures:

(i) Proper segregation & collection philosophy shall be adopted for oily water &

floor wash from Process units in ETP Block. Oil separated from ETP will be

routed to Slop tanks. Oily Sludge generated from ETP (after dewatering etc.

in ETP) shall be transferred into temporary impervious lined land fill before

finally disposing to secured land fill outside Refinery. Membership of the

TSDF facilities shall be obtained after authorization from RPCB.

(ii) Oily sludge generated from the crude tanks during maintenance (every 4-5

years) shall be stored in temporary impervious lined land fill which later on

shall be sent to secure land fill.

Executive Summary

E-11

(iii) Possibility of leakage of oil from Tank Bottom sludge is not anticipated due

to planned Turnaround and Inspection schedule of all Crude tanks for

maintenance.

In view of the above groundwater modeling for adverse environmental impact is

not envisaged at this stage.

Measures would also be taken by HPCL during the course of design and

implementation of project to reduce the use of fresh water by maximizing its reuse

potential. Moreover, HPCL has an agreement with Government of Rajasthan, so that in

no case intake structures and drawl of water shall conflict with other beneficiaries near

intake point at any point of time during construction phase as well as in operational phase

of the refinery cum petrochemical complex.

Wastewater will be suitably treated in ETP, and ETP treated effluent to MINAS

standard shall be further treated in RO based tertiary treatment plant (TTP) for production

of DM quality water for reuse. Low TDS reject of RO plant shall be utilized for greenbelt

development, dust suppression etc. Project is designed to achieve zero discharge

concept. The biological sludge generated in the waste water treatment plant will be used

as manure in the greenbelt development. Oily sludge from ETP after thickening and

dewatering shall be transferred to the secured land fill in refinery and subsequently,

disposed off to secured land fill of RPCB approved TSDF agency.

Land Environment

Since, the land requirement for proposed project is being provided by Govt. of

Rajasthan on lease and there are no habitants in project area, as such rehabilitation and

resettlement plan is not involved. The proposed site spread over 4813 acres falls under

villages Sajjiyali Roopji Kanthavad, Sambhara, Pachpadra Tehsil, District: Barmer,

Rajasthan. Out of the total land, 413 acres is reserved for township and raw water

reservoir. The entire project site area is sandy with 2-3 m undulation.

There exists potential for impact on land environment due to handling, transport

and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes generated from proposed Project.

However with efficient identification, quantification, treatment and management practice in

place, adverse impact on land environment as well as impact on surface and groundwater

resources is not envisaged.

The major sources of solid wastes from proposed project will mainly consist of

oily sludge, spent catalysts, biological sludge, canteen wastes, batteries, surplus drums,

Executive Summary

E-12

etc. The hazardous and non-hazardous wastes generated at various sources will follow

standard guidelines of treatment, storage, disposal facilities.

For polymer units like LDPE and PP, solid waste (i.e. waste polymer products)

from individual unit's of battery limit will be collected by having a small pit with skimming

facility. This skimmed off material will then be sold off along with the baggage area plant

sweep material as off spec polypropylene or off spec polyethylene, as applicable. The

quantity of skimmed off-spec material will be very low in comparison to the plant sweep

material, typically a few kilograms per month.

Biological Environment

The site identified for proposed project has no notified wildlife/avifauna

migratory path, sanctuaries etc. within the project study area. Presently the remarkable

fauna in the study area consists of Chinkara (Gazella bennettii), which is ubiquitous and

Indian Peafowl that come under Schedule-I as per Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Also,

Cinereous Vulture and Egyptian Vulture have been placed in ‘Near Threatened’ and

‘Endangered’ categories respectively of IUCN.

The mitigation measure to avoid adverse environmental impacts includes the

discharge of the gaseous and particulate matters into the surrounding environments must

be minimized. Destruction of natural habitat of animals as well as vegetation should be

minimum. Nesting, mating and other wildlife behavioural patterns should not be disrupted

or destroyed. Survival rate of the planted trees should be closely monitored in the green

belt and the trees which could not survive should be counted, and additional plantation

should be done to maintain the vegetative eco-system.

Socio-Economic Environment

The proposed project would create long term beneficial impacts on socio

economic environment as:

General growth in commercial and industrial activity in the area

The civil amenities like medical facilities, market, education, sports,

employment, business opportunities, cultural activities etc. are likely to

improve in the study area

Increase in infrastructure resources by way of transport and communication

and other basic requirements will be generated for the working population of

the project

Executive Summary

E-13

Change in the life style of the local people with better economic condition of

the region

Overall improvement in quality of life of the people in the region.

6.0 Environmental Monitoring Programme

A structured and certified environment management system shall be adopted by

HPCL for ensuring that all the activities, products and services conform to the

environmental requirement. The Environment Management Cell will be responsible for

managing following activities related to environment function of proposed refinery cum

petrochemical complex:

To coordinate implementation of EMP during construction and operational

phase

To deploy dedicated environment staff to manage environmental monitoring

responsibilities

To manage and coordinate environmental monitoring aspects and control

strategies

To coordinate with government agencies in relation to environmental

management activities

To implement and monitor greenbelt development and plantation activities

To deploy safety specialist for safe working practices in RRP

An environmental monitoring program would be emphasized with trained and

qualified staff that would monitor the ambient air, stack emission and water/waste water

quality to ensure that the pollutants level are maintained as per refinery cum

petrochemical guidelines. It is proposed to invest about Rs. 785 crores on pollution

control, treatment and monitoring systems for the proposed RRP by HPCL.

7.0 Risk Assessment and Disaster Management

Risk assessment was carried out to study the damages in case of accidental

release of hazardous chemical. Hazards have been identified based on the computations

of fire, explosion and toxicity indices. Accordingly, the process units have been

categorized into low, moderate and severe hazards category. Maximum Credible

Accident (MCA) analysis has been carried out at various wind velocities and atmospheric

stability classes to estimate the maximum effective distances in case of partial and full

rupture scenarios. Modeling has been carried out for jet, flash, pool fire and explosion

scenarios.

Executive Summary

E-14

The risk has been quantified and presented in terms of iso-contours and F/N

curves for process equipments and storage tanks. Population data in and around the

proposed plants have been considered to predict iso-contours and F/N curve results. In

most of the cases the F/N curves are in the ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable)

region. Thus, mitigation measures have been recommended to tackle the emergencies.

Disaster Management Plan (DMP) has also been delineated including the roles and

responsibilities of key personnel. HPCL shall take all necessary precautions with

implementation of stringent regulations to prevent occurrence of any mis-happening/

accident in the refinery cum petrochemical complex.

8.0 Environment Management Plan

During operation phase, the impacts on the various environmental attributes

would be mitigated using appropriate pollution control equipment. The Environment

Management Plan prepared for the proposed RRP project aims at minimizing the

pollution at source.

Air Environment

Fugitive and stack emissions from the refinery cum petrochemical complex will

contribute to marginal increase in concentrations of gaseous pollutants. The mitigation

measures to control pollution at source are:

Furnaces/fuel combustion facilities shall be operated with optimum quantity

of air so that fuel consumption as well as emissions of SO2 and NOx are

minimized. To mitigate NOx emissions from fuel combustion, the following

options shall be considered during detailed engineering:

o Tangential/Dry Low NOx (DLN) burners

o Multiple combustion chamber technology

o Low ‘S’ fuel oil & fuel gas firing as per prescribed standards

To control fugitive emissions of hydrocarbons (HCs) and their impacts in the

vicinity, following measures are recommended:

o Provision of mechanical seals in pumps

o Preventive maintenance of valves, flanges/joints, mechanical seals,

floating roof seals etc. and other equipment especially at natural gas

skids

Provision of high stack for wider dispersion of gaseous emissions;

Executive Summary

E-15

Asphalting of the roads within the plant area to prevent fugitive emissions

due to movement of vehicles; and

Development of greenbelt around the plant to arrest the fugitive emissions.

Noise Environment

It should be ensured that low noise generating equipment are procured,

wherever feasible

Acoustic laggings and silencers should be provided in the equipment,

wherever necessary

Use of personal protective devices such as ear-muffs, ear-plugs etc. should

be strictly enforced for the workers engaged in high noise areas, viz.

compressor house, blowers, feed pumps, boiler units, turbo generator area,

cooling towers, ID/FD fans etc.

Implementation of greenbelt/landscaping is expected to further reduce noise

impacts within the project premises

Tree plantation and landscaping at vehicle parking areas and along

approach roads are recommended within the project premises

Unnecessary alarm horns should be avoided by vehicles while plying during

office hours

Mitigation of Vibration Impacts

Low vibration generating machines/equipment may be selected for the

indent purpose with rugged bases to minimize propagation of vibrations

Personnel working near the vibrating machines in different units should be

provided with well-designed vibration resistant hand-gloves/ foot-wares

Vibration generating sources and their platforms should be maintained

properly to mitigate vibrations

Water Environment

HPCL shall ascertain at planning design stage and further evaluate at

commissioning stage of ETP, that the treated effluent would attain

characteristics within the prescribed limits of RSPCB/CPCB. The

performance of proposed ETP should be continuously monitored and any

deviation in performance at any point of time should be corrected on priority.

Executive Summary

E-16

The region being water scarce, the project developer should not extract

excess fresh water than 5 MLD for 1 year anticipated by HPCL from Nagana

Reservoir for proposed construction phase and Indira Gandhi Canal 127

MLD (52 cusec) during operation phase.

In addition, the treated effluent from Balotra for Bithuja CETP after adequate

polishing treatment may be utilized as a water source during construction

phase. The existing resources / fresh water sources, which are currently

being used by the villagers for the purpose of obtaining drinking water and/or

water for irrigation or other purposes, should not be exploited at all times.

Reuse of treated effluent should be attempted to the maximum possible

extent, e.g. cooling tower blow down and treated effluent for DM water and

horticulture use etc.

The detailed record of raw water intake for different processes, CT makeup,

fire water, green belt development and sanitary and drinking purpose and

wastewater generation from different sources shall be maintained on daily/

regular basis w.r.t. flow rates and characteristics. These details would be

useful in preparing comprehensive water balance with micro-level details at

project site and also for identification and implementation of reuse/recycle

practice of treated effluent at project site leading to minimization of effluent

discharges.

It is recommended that top priority should be given to rainwater harvesting

within the refinery cum petrochemical complex.

Effective implementation of rainwater harvesting system needs to be carried

out. Appropriate utilization of harvested rainwater for reuse such as

firefighting, floor cleaning etc. must be ensured to minimize freshwater

demand.

Land Environment

Oil is a potential hazardous substance present in wastes generated from

petrochemicals and requires special attention in all oil removal operations.

Oily sludge generated from all locations may be disposed off in secured

landfill

Executive Summary

E-17

Every precaution should be taken to avoid spillage of oils and other

petroleum products on soils to protect groundwater and to avoid any danger

to other soil microbial organisms which are sensitive to oil pollution

Separate provision must be made by earmarking land site for secured landfill

facility (SLF) for disposal of hazardous solid wastes

It is also recommended that of all types of solid wastes generated at the

refinery and petrochemical complex shall have facilities for collection,

conveyance, transport to SLF disposal point avoiding manual handling for

safety of workers and to maintain hygienic conditions

In this context, it is recommended that HPCL should collect all hazardous

wastes in closed drums for transport and further safe disposal to SLF as per

the provision of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rule 2008

Generation of sufficient quantities of E-waste has recently become a

problem in every organization and hence HPCL should manage its disposal

as per the E-waste (Management and Handling) Guidelines of MoEF.

Biological Environment

As the project is proposed in desert ecosystem, development of green belt

with carefully selected plant species (tolerant to water scarcity) is of prime

importance due to their capacity to reduce noise and air pollution impacts by

attenuation/assimilation and for providing food and habitat for local macro

and micro fauna

The rainwater harvesting shall be practiced to the maximum possible extent.

Groundwater recharging shall be initiated as per availability of land at

complex to reduce fresh water requirement. Treated sewage and

wastewater in combination should be used for greenbelt development

Provision of land and adequate funds to create green belt of appropriate

width as per CPCB guidelines should be made

Social awareness program about the importance of conservation of flora and

fauna especially medicinal plants, rare and endangered species and their

ecological role need to be conducted.

Executive Summary

E-18

Socio-economic Environment

The proposed refinery project would add as an industrial base in the region. In

order to improve the quality of life of the people of the region, the following measures are

suggested:

Collaboration between project authority and local bodies is necessary for the

smooth functioning of the project as well as for the overall progress of the

region

The facilities like education, medical, transportation, sanitation are poor in

rural area, and these need to be strengthened under social welfare activity

For all the social welfare activities to be undertaken by the project

authorities, collaboration should be sought with the local administrations viz.

Gram Panchayat, C.D. Block office etc. for better co-ordination and also to

reach to the public

Awareness programmes should be organized on regular basis to help and

educate the local people about potential hazards and the disaster

management as well as environmental management plan being undertaken

at project site. This can be done in collaboration with local administration

It is envisaged that upon implementation of community development

programmes/ welfare measures as recommended in environmental

management plan would lead to increase in overall quality of life of the

people of the region.

9.0 Public Consultation and Participation

In accordance with the provisions of EIA Notification no. S.O. 1533 dated

14.09.2006 and its subsequent amendment S.O. 3067 (E) dated 01.12.2009 issued by

Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt. of India, New Delhi, public hearing for

the proposed refinery cum petrochemical project was conducted on May 30, 2014 by

Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) at Shree Sambhra Aashapura Mataji

Mandir, Sambhra, Village Sambhra, Taluka: Pachpadra, District: Barmer. On behalf of

District Collector Barmer, Chief Executive Officer, Zilaparishad, Barmer presided over the

public hearing meeting. Regional Officer, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board,

Jodhpur and Balotra conducted the public hearing proceedings. About 1000 people

attended the public hearing.

Executive Summary

E-19

A power point presentation covering the proposed project details and the

outcome of Environmental Impact Assessment and Risk Assessment (EIA & RA) studies

was made in Hindi language (local and national language) in the Public Hearing meeting.

Queries on environmental issues related to salt mining, flora & fauna, air

pollution, wastewater discharge, solid waste disposal from the complex were raised. The

public also raised queries on various socio-economic issues like employment for local

people, welfare activities in the villages, particularly for the salt mine owners/ workers,

water catchment for the salt mines in the area etc. All these queries by various Gram

Panchayats, local villagers and NGOs were appropriately answered by the RSPCB,

NEERI and the Project Proponent.

The proceedings of the public hearing have been duly documented by

Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, which is given in Annexure XIX of the EIA

report.

In general, there was support for the proposed project from almost all the local

people and their representatives gathered at the Public Hearing. People welcomed

industrial development in the region and expected certain welfare measures to be

undertaken by the project proponent in the villages through CSR activities.

10.0 Conclusion

The proposed refinery cum petrochemical complex has certain level of marginal

impacts on the local environment. However, with the implementation of the proposed

pollution control and environment management measures, even the marginal impacts

anticipated due to construction and operation of the proposed Project will be mitigated.

There will be a beneficial effect of a flourishing production that will directly and indirectly

boost the living standards of the people, save foreign exchange and with increase in

industrial activities, create more jobs in the local economy. Thus, in view of considerable

benefits from the project with marginal environmental impacts mitigated through robust

EMP, the proposed Project will be advantageous not only for the Pachpadra region, but

also for the Barmer District, Rajasthan State and Nation as a whole.