Environmental Impact Assessment:

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Project

Birbhum District, West Bengal

Executive Summary

June 2008

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A) INTRODUCTION

BP has been awarded a CBM exploration concession for a 250 square

kilometre CBM Block located in Birbhum District in the State of West Bengal,
India. The awarded CBM Block is referred to as BB-CBM-2005/III. The
exploration licence was awarded through an international bidding process
under the CBM Exploration Policy formulated by Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas (MoPNG) on behalf of the Government of India (GoI). As per the
Contract agreement with GoI, BP will undertake to execute the CBM Project in
the following four phases, with the option to relinquish the CBM Block at end
of Phase 1 and 2 should BP deem the Project to be commercially unviable.

• Phase I – Appraisal or exploration stage which is anticipated to last 2

years from the effective date of the Petroleum Exploration License – PEL
(Nov 2007).
• Phase II - Pilot Testing to assess the field’s sustainable producibility. The
duration of this phase is 2.5 years after completion of Phase I.
• Phase III – Implementation of a Development Plan. The duration of this
phase is 5 years after completion of Phase II.
• Phase IV – Production and Operation Stage which is planned to last
twenty five years or more.

Currently, physical exploratory activity or drilling operations have not

commenced at the CBM Block; these will be initiated upon receipt of all
necessary regulatory clearances.

B) CBM BLOCK LOCATION

The BP CBM Block is located in Birbhum District of the State of West Bengal.
The Birbhum District is bounded by Murshidabad and Burdwan Districts to
the east and Burdwan District to the south and Dumka district of Jharkhand
State to the west and north. The CBM Block is located about 35 km from
north-east of Siuri (the administrative headquarters of Birbhum) and about
250 km from Kolkata (the capital of the State of West Bengal). It covers parts of
the three administrative blocks of Mohammad Bazar, Rampurhaat 1 and
Mayureshwar 1.

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Figure 0.1 CBM Block setting map

C) PRIOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE

As per the EIA Notification, September 2006, a Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Project
is classified as a ‘Category A’ type project requiring prior “environmental
clearance” (EC) from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The
final Terms of Reference (ToR) for the EIA was agreed in April 2008 with the
MoEF and covers Phase I and II activities only.

D) APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

While the primary object was to follow the MoEF guidelines on conducting
EIAs, a phased approach was adopted in the environmental impact

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assessment of the Project. The approach allowed the environmental impact
assessment related studies to benefit from critical inputs from initial
preparatory studies while giving inputs to the Project planning and design.

The EIA followed a five stage approach:

• Stage 1: Initial studies including field reconnaissance of the site and desk
based studies to identify and evaluate potential risks to the Project.
• Stage 2: Satellite data acquisition and related studies were used to
identify initial constraints to development (forests, settlements, water
bodies and access roads) and the initial identification of potential
issues such as ground and surface water, air, flora, fauna, livestock,
land, agriculture and local communities.
• Stage 3: Regulatory considerations involving the submission of Form 1
and the subsequent agreement of the Terms of Reference (ToR).
• Stage 4: Environment and Social Baseline (ESB) which was completed in
April 2008, and became the basis for predicting the potential
environmental and social impacts, providing inputs to the Project
design and a benchmark to measure change during and after the
Project activities.
• Stage 5: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (termed EIA)

A key output from the constraints mapping process (Stage 2) was the
identification of ten Initial Drilling Areas (IDAs), within which wellsites will
be located for the purposes of developing core holes and in some cases, test
wells. These IDAs helped focus the environmental and social baseline surveys,
and, along with a network of preliminary access roads, formed the basis of the
EIA.

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Figure 0.2 IDA locations in the CBM Block

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Figure 0.3 One of the Initial Drilling Areas (IDA) and existing features

The well-site locations within the IDAs will be selected based on the
identification and understanding of numerous issues associated with both
minimizing environmental and social impacts associated with the wellsites as
well as access routes to the wellsite locations. Issues considered include: flood
potential; ecologically sensitive sites such as forest, community disturbance,
areas of cultural / religious significance, land holdings and physical
constraints such as power lines.

The impact assessment considered the significance of a range of potential

impacts following the implementation of various mitigation measures, where
significance is determined by its context (geographic extent), duration (short,
medium, long term), intensity (magnitude) and type (adverse or beneficial)

Figure 0.4 A typical satellite imagery of IDA and its digitized equivalent

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E) PROJECT DESCRIPTION

E-1) Drilling and Testing of Wells

The project will involve the drilling and testing of wells for methane
production. Eight IDAs will have a corehole and some will also have a
testwell. IDAs have been identified through detailed geological studies.

During Phases I and II, 8 exploration coreholes are planned. The average time
to complete each corehole is approximately 22 – 30 days. Coreholes will be
drilled with a combination of rotary/percussion and high speed diamond
coring technologies. The drilling rigs will be truck mounted.

Five testwells are planned during Phase I and up to 15 test wells in Phase II.
The average time to complete each well is approximately 16-30 days. Testwells
will be drilled with a combination of percussion and rotary drilling
technologies. In addition to the drilling rig, a service rig will also be deployed
to conduct the well testing program for evaluating the CBM flow potential. A
number of tests will be conducted by injecting water and nitrogen into the
testwells followed by production testing of these wells, with the aim of
assessing the gas producibility of the coal bed.

Corehole sites (wellsites) will be approximately 75m x 60m in dimension, and

the testwell well pad site will be approximately 115m x 85m.

Figure 0.5 Typical truck mounted drilling rig to be used

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E-1.1) Facilities and Resources Required

Access to the wellsites within the IDAs will require the use of existing network
of roads and where no road exists, new temporary access roads will be
constructed.

Water will be required both during construction of the wellsites (about 400
m3/well) and access roads and during drilling operations (about 45 m3 and
570 m3 for core hole and test well, respectively). Water will be sourced either
from existing surface water, or new tube wells.

Chemicals and other substances (such as fuel oil etc) required for drilling and
testing of wells will be safely stored at wellsites.

E-1.2) Waste Generation

Water from the coal horizons will be extracted to liberate the coal bed
methane. It is estimated that the extracted water known as “Produced Water”
may be approximately 30 - 80 m3/day/well.

Liquid and solid wastes will be generated during the drilling and testing of
wells. An inventory of all wastes will be developed and treatment and
disposal options will be followed that meet the regulatory requirements.

E-1.3) Project Investment

The investment during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Project is approximately US

Dollars 100 million.

E-1.4) Project Schedule

Phase I of the Project is expected to be completed in two years from the Project
commencement date and Phase II is expected to be completed in two and a
half years from the completion date of Phase I.

E-1.5) Expected Project Benefits

BP has several options to market the methane derived from a successful

exploration programme in the production phase of the Project, as it is
anticipated that the demand for gas will grow significantly in India. As the
phased exploration programme is undertaken, BP will assess the feasibility of
a number of options to supply potential markets for the gas.

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F) PRIOR PERMITS REQUIRED FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT

The relevant regulatory approval/permit requirements for the CBM India

Project have been assessed as part of a Project regulatory review. A Project
Permits register has been developed and is currently being implemented.

G) ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL BASELINE

G-1) Environmental Baseline

G-1.1) Physical environment

The western part of the CBM Block comprises low hills, gradually descending
to the alluvial plains in the eastern part of the CBM Block. The eastern part is
more suitable for agriculture. The geology of the region shows the occurrence
of diverse rock units ranging from Archaean hard rocks, Gondwana sediments
(Permian to Jurassic in age) to sub-recent laterites and recent to sub-recent
alluvium. Coal is found in the Permian Barakar Formation.

The CBM Block area is largely drained by Dwarka and Brahmini Rivers. The
Dwarka flows close to the southern boundary of the CBM Block and briefly
enters in to the CBM Block at the south east corner. The CBM Block area has a
network of irrigation canals in form of main and branch canals. These canals
are linked to the Dwarka and Brahmini Barrages.

Approximately 70% of the land in the Project area is classified as agricultural

land, which supports the main crops such as rice (paddy), wheat, and maize.
Designated forest covers 3.5% of the CBM Block area. The remaining
proportion is covered by settlements, stone mining and crushing areas and
water bodies.

Soil within the CBM Block is mostly sandy clay loam and loamy sand.
Samples have been analysed across the CBM Block.

Surface water quality of the major rivers and water bodies has been observed
to be moderate to good (at the sampling point). COD and BOD were well
within the desirable limits (IS Limits).

Groundwater quality at some places in the CBM Block is slightly alkaline.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the groundwater was observed within the
desirable limit of 500mg/l at all the sampled locations except in an open well
located in middle of the CBM Block. Fluoride in the CBM Block area was
observed below 1.0mg/l (IS Limit for Drinking) except in an artesian well
which reported elevated fluoride concentrations of 1.81mg/l. Iron
concentration at some of the locations (middle and north of the CBM Block)
was observed to be elevated above the desirable limit of 0.3 mg/l. All heavy
metals, except zinc were observed below detection limits.

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Figure 0.6 A typical rice field

Figure 0.7 A stone crusher in the block

G-1.2) Ecology

No national parks or wildlife sanctuaries exist within the CBM Block.

The forest within the CBM Block and surrounding region are mainly
identified as Dry Deciduous Forest (Sal dominated) type. The CBM Block has
both the Reserved Forests (RF) and Protected Forests (PF). Masra, Jatla,
Bhatina, Ghaga are the reserve forests and Ganpur, Damra, Chandpur,
Ranipur, Kasthagora, Chanda, Chandpur, Radipur, Kalaipahari, Maubelia are
the protected forests. In the entire study area there were no records of rare and

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endangered plant species. Most of the observed plants were widely
distributed.

Most of the fauna species are common. Some of the mammalian fauna species
are included in endangered and rare categories but none of them belonged to
endemic categories. Of these three species belong to endangered category, and
eight species to threatened category.

Figure 0.8 Sal forest in the CBM Block

G-1.3) Climate, air and noise

The temperature of the area ranges from a minimum of 5.6°C in December to
47.8°C in May and June.

The average annual rainfall observed is 1388 mm. About 92% of the rainfall is
received during the south-west monsoon from May to October.

Ambient air quality monitoring within the CBM Block was carried out at
eleven locations during December – March 2008. The results showed that most
parameters were within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards except
Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), Respirable Particulate Matter (RPM),
and NOx. SPM was high at all sampling locations, while NOx was observed to
be high in areas close to stone crushing units.

Day and night noise level measurements were taken at locations within the
CBM Block. Ambient noise levels in the CBM Block are within the prescribed
limits, which is 55 dB (A) for day time and 45 dB (A) for night time.

G-1.4) Traffic
The main NH-60 crossing the CBM Block carries heavy traffic mainly
comprised of heavy motor vehicles (HMV). HMVs comprised over 60% of all
vehicles on the Rampurhaat – Dumka road and a similar trend was observed
on the road connecting Pachami stone crusher area. Trucks primarily carrying
crushed stone material use this road. Non-motorised vehicles also ply in
significant numbers.

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G-2) Socio-economic Baseline

The District of Birbhum accounts for about 5 percent of the total area and
about 15 percent of the total population of the state of West Bengal. There are
19 Community Development blocks in the district covering 2478 villages, five
statutory towns and one census town. As per the “Backward District
Initiative” in the 10th five year plan prepared by the Planning Commission of
India, the District of Birbhum has been classified as a “Backward Area”.

Most (more than 95 percent) of the population in the CBM Block is rural and
lives in settlements located close to water bodies and agricultural fields. The
Project area has an average household size of five and an average population
density of around 530 individuals per square kilometer. This population
density however is mostly concentrated in nucleated and densely populated
pockets in villages/ areas close to administrative block headquarters/
markets. There are approximately 70 revenue1 villages within the CBM Block.

The Project area has a diverse religion profile, though Hindus are in a
majority. The three administrative blocks have a high percentage of Scheduled
Castes (SCs) and Schedule Tribes (STs) population. These groups comprise at
least 35-45 percent of the total population in the area.

In terms of gender development, the district/area is a poor performer, being

ranked 14 out of 17 districts on GDI. The primary survey came across very few
women who hold influential positions in the villages of the Project area, like
elected leaders, teachers, and medical staff etc.

G-2.1) Land

Land holding patterns in the Project area are fairly similar across the
mouza/villages. Large landowners are very few, and most households own
less than one hectare of land and fall in the marginal land holding category.

Typically the villages in the Project area are spread over an area ranging from
80 to 700 hectares. Most of this area is dominated by privately owned
agricultural practices. The actual habitation area is small, constituting about
five to ten per cent of the total village area and is usually located in the centre
close to the paddy fields or water bodies.

The Project area has a complex pattern of land ownership and use. The system
of sharecropping referred to as “bargadari”2 exists in the area. There are both
registered as well as unregistered bargadars.

1 The census uses the term village in regard to 'revenue village'. According to the census definition a village represents a
parcel of land, the boundaries of which are defined and settled by revenue survey or by cadastral survey. A revenue village
may consist of one compact habitation (distinct cluster of houses with a local name where people live in compact and contiguous
manner) or a number of habitations. One of the habitations may bear the name of the village itself. These habitations may be
separated from each other by a long distance (sometimes over a number of kilometres).
(1) 2 A Bargdar is a person who cultivates the land of other person (generally an absentee landlord) and in lieu gives a
certain proportion of yield to the land owner (move this note to next page)

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G-1.3) Occupation and Livelihoods

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of the Project area, the three
administrative blocks as well as the district. The farm sector employs
approximately 80 percent of the active and productive work force. The overall
Work Participation Rate1 (WPR) is around 50 percent. The WPR was found to
be higher among males as compared to the females.

In terms of primary occupation, the majority of the households is engaged in

agriculture and related activities. A typical family in the Project area grows
one/ two rice crops during the year and has one/two members who are
engaged in other activities (farm and non farm for example agricultural
labour, work in mines/ quarry either in Chanda/Pachami or in
Masra/Salbhadra area or in some local business unit for example shops or
other business enterprise).

The average yield of rice is estimated at approximately 24 to 36 quintal (1

quintal = 100 kilograms) per hectare for winter rice (paddy) and 48-60 quintal
per hectare for summer rice (paddy) depending upon the quality of land,
availability of water, cost and labour inputs etc.

Non farm-based livelihoods primarily consists of work in the stone crushing

and quarrying sector with other employment being provided by government
and temporary, seasonal or permanent employment in garages, shops, rice
mills etc. Fishing is practiced on a small scale either in the small fish ponds/
water bodies (locally termed daab, pukur) in the village area or in the nearby
river/ streams/ canals and was reportedly used mostly for household
consumption.

Rearing livestock plays a very important role in the rural economy and is
another subsidiary source of household income in the Project area. A typical
household in the Project villages has livestock including cow, ox, goat, pigs,
buffalo and poultry which are used both for generating subsidiary income and
to a lesser extent for household consumption. Forest based livelihood exits,
though it is largely limited to collecting fuelwood and fodder.

G-1.4) Infrastructure

The health facilities in the villages in the Project area are thinly spread and
even the existing facilities suffer from poor equipment, accommodation, staff
and medicines. Malaria had the highest prevalence across all the villages
surveyed. Other diseases reported from the survey villages (in decreasing
order) include – tuberculosis, kala azar (black fever), respiratory diseases
(including Asthma), jaundice and occupation linked diseases like skin

(2) 1 Workers Participation Rate (WPR) depicts the engagement of main and marginal workers in different occupations at
household, commercial or agricultural level.

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ailments. Tuberculosis continues to be the major health problem in the area
despite attempts to limit its spread for over four decades.

Most villages have a primary school or a Sishu Shiksha Kendra (pre-primary

school). Secondary schools are located in Gram Panchayats or larger villages,
while colleges are concentrated in towns.

Generally brick and mud paved/unpaved road connects the villages to the
main road. Many of these roads are not accessible by motor vehicle in the
monsoon season.

The study area and the surrounding villages have inadequate infrastructure
available for sanitation and no sewerage system is present. None of the
villages covered as a part of the field visit had a proper interconnecting
drainage/ sewer network.

Household electricity connections are common in the main village especially

on the dense, nucleated and concentration settlements. Tube well, hand
pumps, ponds and open wells serve mostly to the needs of household water
consumption.

There are no designated archaeological and heritage sites within the CBM
Block. However as is typical of rural Indian settlements, each village in the
CBM Block has a number of cultural sites or sites of religious significance, like
temples, mosques, cremation ground, graveyard, revered trees etc. that are
scattered across the CBM Block.

H) STAKEHOLDER MAPPING

The EIA process identified, mapped and consulted with a range of

stakeholders on which the Project could possibly have impacts, and who in
turn could influence the Project. The objective was to understand stakeholder
concerns and opinions and, , to the extent possible, address this feedback in
the EIA as well as the relevant management plans. Key stakeholders identified
and consulted with included:

• Land owners, sharecroppers and other formal and informal users.

• Vulnerable groups including women, marginal farmers and landless
families;
• Village institutional stakeholders like the Gram Panchayat; Sansad;
Gram Unnayan Samiti; Panchayat Samiti, Political parties and others;
• Administrative district and block level officials;
• Other influential groups like NGOs, media, local business groups like
the stone crusher owners etc.

A detailed stakeholder consultation log is attached as Annex B of the EIA

report.

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Figure 0.9 Consultation with the stakeholder groups

I) IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION

The EIA report presents an assessment of potential environmental and social

impacts due to the proposed CBM Project. The CBM Project is separated into
the following four stages: a) Site Preparation, b) Construction, c) Drilling, and
d) Decommissioning. The identified potential impacts then formed the basis
for the development of mitigations and management plans.

I-1) Air Quality

Potential emission sources include fugitive dust from earth works associated
with site preparation and wellsite construction activities as well as from
construction traffic using local roads for site access; other sources include air
emissions from power generators, flaring of gases and other activities during
drilling and well testing; air emissions from vehicles; and heat radiation due to
test flaring. All the anticipated air emissions other than fugitive dust would be
from the combustion of hydrocarbons. The parameters of concern are NOx,
SO2, CO, particulates and non-methane hydrocarbons.

Owing to prevailing high particulate matter concentrations associated with

stone quarrying and crushing operations (mainly in the western half of the
CBM Block), potential impacts to ambient air quality include particulate
matter.

A number of mitigation measures will be employed to minimize the effects of

the Project on ambient air quality. Water sprinkling will be used where
necessary to minimize the generation of dust along the access roads to the
wellsites as well as at the wellsites themselves. This effort will concentrate on
areas near settlements, isolated yet occupied dwellings, and areas holding
livestock. Other proposed measures will include appropriate stack heights for
emissions-emitting equipment, as prescribed by regulatory requirements.
Equipment will only be used on an as-needed basis and will not be left idling
unnecessarily. All vehicles will be maintained properly and compliance with
Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will be observed.

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With the implementation of the above mitigations the impact of the Project on
ambient air quality is predicted to be minor in the vicinity of the wellsites. For
minimizing impact along the access roads, vehicle speeds will be restricted
and dust suppression measures will be followed.

I-2) Noise Quality

Activities that have a potential impact on noise quality include operations of

construction equipment, vehicular movement to and from the wellsite sites,
and drilling activities.

It is expected that site preparation and wellsite construction activities will

generate elevated noise levels locally for short durations. Also, drilling
operations include the routine running of equipment that will generate
elevated noise levels locally. In addition, the passage of construction traffic
through local villages will also contribute to noise levels in the vicinity. This
will be minimised by imposing speed restrictions on all project vehicles.

Mitigations such as acoustic enclosures on equipment and the use of soil

berms to help attenuate noise sources will be implemented at wellsites to
reduce the impact.

With the mitigations measures proposed, the impact significance on noise

quality due to site preparation and wellsite construction and drilling activities
is considered to be minor and no significant adverse environmental effects
due to noise are expected.

I-3) Land and soil

Activities that impact land and soil include site preparation and wellsite
construction, off site road movement of project vehicles, drilling activities and
decommissioning of the Project site.

Potential impacts related to the above activities include soil compaction, soil
erosion and run-off, and the local alteration of flood plain hydrodynamics;
overflow and runoff of drilling mud from the containment pits over the
wellsite to adjacent land.

Mitigation measures such as avoidance or minimization to the extent possible

of project activities during monsoon season (to the extent possible), forest
areas, flood plains and sites near water bodies, provision of drains along the
selected sites and proper management of construction and drilling wastes at
sites will be implemented to minimise these potential impacts.

The significance of impacts on soil compaction and soil erosion have been
assessed to be minor, mainly due to the short term and localised nature of the
disturbances, as well as the fact that if any adverse effects do materialise, they
can be reversed. The impact of site preparation activities on flood plain
hydrodynamics is predicted to be insignificant due to the small size of the

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construction footprint and the preferred timing of the construction activities
(during the dry season). Equally, the nature and quantities of waste generated
are such viable options for safe disposal are available and hence the residual
impacts of waste disposal are predicted to be insignificant.

I-4) Groundwater

Potential impacts that could affect groundwater include drilling through

shallow and deep aquifers, pumping of produced water from coal seams,
onsite storage and disposal of wastes, disposal of produced water and closing
of wells and decommissioning.

Mitigations such as operational control and monitoring of Project activities

will be executed to ensure impacts are minimised.

The impact of site preparation and construction activities on groundwater

quality and quantity is assessed to be insignificant due to the proposal to only
use sustainable sources of supply and the very low likelihood that site
activities will lead to any uncontained, subsurface contamination. The impact
of drilling on local water quality is predicted to be insignificant due to the
nature and quantities of materials that will be used on site, the proposed
storage and handling procedures, and spill response measures that will be
enforced. The effects on water availability are predicted to be minor for the
reasons noted above for site preparation. Owing to the deep-seated origin of
produced water, it is considered unlikely that surface aquifer sources will be
affected as a result of well testing. Proposed monitoring activities will ensure
that any unexpected variations to this prediction will be detected and actions
modified accordingly.

I-5) Surface Water

Potential impacts on surface water include change in local drainage pattern

and hydrology and deterioration of quality due to disturbance to soil layers,
mobilising of heavy vehicles, onsite spillage and disposal of waste and
produced water.

Mitigations such as operational control and monitoring of Project activities

will be executed to ensure impacts are minimised.

Impacts on surface water quality are predicted to be minor and changes in

drainage pattern and hydrology to be insignificant. This is due to the initial
site considerations, including the design and operation of on-site waste
storage , the use of disposal facilities such as mud pits and waste water
treatment systems, and to maximise beneficial use of the water where
possible.

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I-6) Ecology

Potential impacts on ecology include clearing ground cover at wellsite

locations and construction of new access roads, air and noise emissions at local
levels, construction traffic and restoration of sites.

The proposed project activities are planned to be kept outside the identified
reserve and protected forests, therefore, loss of forest by virtue of conversion
of forest land for non forest purposes is not envisaged.

Predicted impacts from site preparation and construction activities as well as

drilling are assessed to be insignificant.

J-1- Land and land use

Land will be either temporarily accessed or purchased from willing owners.

For phase I and II, up to approx 20 hectares of land will be required for all
project activities.

Potential impacts on land may arise out of a temporary change in land use,
loss of land for landowners and reduction of land value in the long term.
Some of these could potentially have impacts on livelihoods. The scale of these
impacts is however limited as the duration of project activities will be short
and area of land required is small.

Compensation to land owners and users will take into account loss of income
due to CBM operations.

Impacts on land use and holding patterns are assessed to be of minor

significance.

J-2) Livelihoods

Potential impacts on livelihood due to loss of land and crops (even though
temporary) during the drilling period, may arise. In the case of testwells
becoming viable for future phases of the Project the potential impacts on the
land owners could be long term. Compensation to land owners and existing
users will then be made on the basis of replacement value.

J-3) Community

The rural communities living in and around the construction and wellsites
may face the impacts of an influx of outsiders looking for employment and
better wages. This can have socio-cultural impacts as well as community
health impacts. However the scale of the Phase I and II operation is relatively
small and is unlikely to result in significant immigration. Additionally, the
Project will encourage contractors to deploy local staff where practicable.

Information on the Project feedback mechanism will be disseminated in the

local communities.

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K) RISK ASSESSMENT

The risk assessment associated with initial planning of CBM Project identified
well blow out during drilling/coring operations to be a potential major
hazard. However, the well blow out frequency was determined to be low and
the event out come is confined to within the wellsite (as established by
modelling) and would not therefore impact the community (outside the
fenceline). Other hazards are associated with lifting equipment and vehicle
and driving safety. The risks from these events will be mitigated by strict
adherence to safety rules and procedures.

The key principles of emergency response and disaster management are

outlined.

A fully developed emergency response plan and disaster management plan

will be available prior to start of the Project for necessary actions in case of any
emergency.

L) MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING

The purpose of developing and implementing an E&S management system is

to ensure that the principles, standards and requirements (collectively referred
to as project E&S commitments) are met.

The impacts and associated mitigation measures identified through the EIA
process will be implemented and managed through two distinct phases:

• Design – Findings and recommendations from the EIA process (and

associated assessments) are captured in the design process. Where
possible, identified mitigation measures are incorporated directly into the
design plans. Where it is not possible to “design out” impacts, the
requirements for mitigating the impacts are carried through to the Project
management plans. For the CBM Project this primarily consists of
optimising the wellsite location and access road route selection to
minimise overall environmental and social impact

• Project Execution – BP will develop a HSE management system and

Contractor(s) will develop HSE plan(s) that incorporates the mitigation
measures required to manage the impacts of their activities. Mitigation
measures will be taken from the Management Plans included in this
document.

A set of eleven specific Management Plans (MPs) have been developed to

manage key issues that have been identified through the environmental and
social assessment process:
• pollution prevention,
• waste,

ERM INDIA BP EXPLORATION (ALPHA) LTD: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COAL BED METHANE PROJECT BIRBHUM DISTT., WB
18
• produced water,
• traffic,
• cultural heritage and chance finds,
• construction and decommissioning,
• ecology,
• land,
• employment and procurement,
• community feedback,
• stakeholder engagement

The overall responsibilities for the proposed CBM project will be with BP (the
Project proponent). BP will ensure that all project personnel and contractors’
representatives understand BP’s policies, programmes and contractual terms,
management and monitoring requirements and ERP (emergency response
plan) and DMP (disaster management plan).

Environmental and social awareness programmes will be implemented to

ensure that personnel are aware of environmental and social issues and their
responsibilities related to these issues.

Coordination of project activities will be undertaken as required with

authorities such as Birbhum district authority, CBM Block and Village
Administration, Land and Land Reforms department, Irrigation department,
Ground water authority, Department of Forest and Environment, West Bengal
Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Directorate
General of Hydrocarbon (DGH), and Director General of Mines and Safety
(DGMS).

The Project will implement a monitoring plan to ensure that all sites will
comply with the commitments in accordance with the MPs. Monitoring of the
environmental and social effects of the Project will enable the effectiveness of
the mitigation measures to be determined by identifying the gap and taking
preventative and corrective action.

Project reporting will be undertaken to agencies like WBPCB and MoEF as per
the regulatory requirements.

BP will ensure that the CBM Project is operated in a manner that conforms to
the legal, regulatory and policy objectives. All the necessary permits and
licenses will be taken prior to Project operations.

CONCLUSION

The draft EIA study has concluded that the main issues are related to ground
and surface water quality, air quality and vehicular movement. These issues
have been appropriately addressed in the various management plans. In
addition, input from the public consultation exercise will be taken into
account in the preparation of the final EIA report. Upon finalization of EIA
report, Project will seek environmental clearance from MoEF.

ERM INDIA BP EXPLORATION (ALPHA) LTD: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COAL BED METHANE PROJECT BIRBHUM DISTT., WB
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