REPORT BY ADARSHA ARYAL

After joining SCIG on March 16, 2025 as an Environment and Safety Officer, I started my job at
the office at first by having a brief study of the Supplementary Environmental Impact Assessment
(SEIA). This provided a basic insight about the environmental aspects and safety protocols that
are needed to considered during the construction phase of the Manang Marsyangdi Hydropower
Project 135 MW. I would like to leave a special thanks to Mr. Raj Kumar Baral for guiding me
throughout the project details from the first day and letting me to get familiar with the existing
working structure of this organization.

An Environment and Safety Officer (ESO) in a hydropower project plays a critical role in ensuring
that the project is developed and operated in compliance with environmental regulations and safety
standards. Here are the major duties and responsibilities typically associated with my role:

1. Environmental Management and Compliance

• Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA): Conducting, reviewing, or ensuring the

preparation of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental
Management Plans (EMPs) for the project.
• Environmental Monitoring: Monitoring environmental parameters (e.g., air, water, soil
quality) to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and project-specific guidelines.
• Compliance with Regulations: Ensuring adherence to local, regional, and national
environmental laws, as well as international environmental standards.
• Mitigation of Environmental Impacts: Developing and implementing measures to
mitigate negative environmental impacts, such as habitat destruction, water pollution, or
deforestation.
• Waste Management: Overseeing waste management practices, including the disposal of
hazardous materials, and ensuring proper waste segregation and recycling processes.
• Reporting: Preparing and submitting regular environmental compliance reports to
regulatory authorities.

2. Health and Safety Management

• Safety Protocols: Developing and implementing safety protocols, risk assessments, and
procedures to prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities during construction and operation.
• Site Safety Audits: Conducting regular safety audits, inspections, and drills to identify and
correct hazards on-site, including electrical, mechanical, and construction-related risks.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Ensuring that workers are equipped with
appropriate PPE (helmets, gloves, goggles, etc.) and that they adhere to safety regulations.
• Emergency Response Planning: Preparing and testing emergency response plans for
incidents such as fires, floods, electrical accidents, or machinery failures.
• Training and Awareness: Organizing safety training for all workers, contractors, and site
visitors to promote a culture of safety and environmental responsibility.
• Accident Reporting and Investigation: Investigating accidents or near-miss incidents to
identify root causes and recommend corrective actions.
3. Risk Assessment and Hazard Management

• Hazard Identification: Identifying potential environmental and safety hazards associated

with hydropower activities (e.g., dam construction, water diversion, turbine installation).
• Risk Analysis and Mitigation: Analyzing the potential risks associated with each phase
of the project and developing strategies to mitigate them, such as implementing controlled
water releases or securing construction zones.
• Safety Management Plans: Creating and maintaining detailed safety management plans
that address both general construction risks and those specific to hydropower facilities
(e.g., electrical hazards, confined space work, and high-pressure systems).

4. Stakeholder Communication and Community Relations

• Engagement with Local Communities: Ensuring that local communities are informed
about the environmental and safety aspects of the project, particularly any risks related to
water levels, flooding, or potential displacement.
• Regulatory Communication: Acting as the liaison between regulatory authorities,
contractors, and the project team to ensure effective communication and compliance with
environmental and safety regulations.
• Public Awareness: Facilitating the creation of public awareness programs or
informational materials related to safety practices and environmental conservation efforts.

5. Sustainability and Conservation Efforts

• Wildlife and Habitat Protection: Implementing measures to protect local wildlife,

biodiversity, and aquatic life, particularly during construction and dam operations, which
can alter water flow and ecosystems.
• Resource Conservation: Promoting sustainable use of natural resources, such as water,
by optimizing energy generation without depleting or damaging water resources.
• Flood and Drought Mitigation: Managing and ensuring that the project’s operations do
not contribute to exacerbating local flooding or drought conditions, and that mitigation
measures are in place.

6. Reporting and Documentation

• Record Keeping: Maintaining accurate and up-to-date documentation regarding

environmental and safety compliance, inspections, risk assessments, and training activities.
• Incident Reports: Documenting and investigating any environmental incidents, safety
breaches, or accidents, and submitting the findings and corrective measures.
• Regulatory Reporting: Ensuring all necessary documentation and reports are submitted
to relevant government agencies and regulatory bodies on time.

7. Collaboration with Other Departments

 • Cross-functional Coordination: Collaborating with engineering, construction, and
operations teams to ensure environmental and safety concerns are incorporated at every
stage of the hydropower project.
• Project Review and Improvement: Participating in regular project reviews to evaluate
the effectiveness of environmental management systems and safety protocols, and
suggesting areas for improvement.

8. Continuous Improvement and Updates

• Policy Updates: Staying up-to-date with changes in environmental laws, safety

regulations, and industry best practices, and ensuring that the project’s policies are adjusted
accordingly.
• Innovative Solutions: Seeking and implementing innovative solutions to minimize
environmental footprints and enhance safety features on the project site.

Field Visit:

Likewise, As instructed by Mr. Zhou Fei, before carrying out the work as an Environment and
Safety Office (ESO), I needed to know about the location of the structures of the Manang
Marsyangdi Hydropower Project 153 MW. For this, Mr. Zhou Fei suggested me to have a brief
look around at the various construction sites of the project so that I could figure out the exact layout
of the structures being built and also about the works that are being carried out at different places
like Audit Tunnels, Powerhouse Area, Headwork Site, etc. This was an important task as this field
visit would let me know about the overall progress of the project. Likewise, this field visit would
let me know about existing environmental issues around the project area and also about the safety
protocols that being implemented by the EPC Contractor and Consulting Team. To start off with
my current role as an Environment and Safety Officer (ESO), this field visit paved me a way to
figure out that whether project is developed and operated in compliance with environmental
regulations and safety standards or not.

On March 19 2025, I went to the field visit of the Audit 4 Tunnel and Powerhouse Construction
Area with Mr. Raj Kumar Baral. During this visit, I had a brief overview of the Audit 4
construction area. As per the EPC Contractor, the total length of the Audit 4 Tunnel was 422 metre
and about 255 metre Tunnel was already excavated at that field visit time. Inside the tunnel,
workers were busy with their works. One of the worker was not wearing Safety Mask inside the
tunnel and I asked him to strictly make use of Safety Equipments during the construction time as
these safety protocols are aimed for the well-being and safety of those workers. Safety Boots,
Helmets, Gloves, Protective Jacket were provided to each of them inside the Audit 4 Tunnel.
Likewise, at the Powerhouse Construction Area, the establishment of Crusher Machines was near
to completion. One of the worker inside the control room was seen without proper safety boots
and safety gloves. I urged him to wear those safety equipments. In the upstream of the powerhouse,
the topography of the land seemed to be quite steep and works should be ensured in such a way
that there would be less chances of natural calamities such as lanslides which may later harm the
engineering structures that would be later built on that area. Unplanned and Uncontrolled
excavation works may lead to landslide chances in the near future. Thus, EPC contractor should
these things in mind during the excavation works. Also, during the open blasting time to remove
the loose rocks on the surface of the upstream of the Tailrace work area, an alarming siren was
aired to warn all the workers, local peoples nearby so that everyone remained off the risk zone
while blasting. This was a good preventive measure to avoid any cases of injuries during the open
blasting period as chunks of stones may reach up-to higher distance during the blasting time.

On March 20 2025, I went to the field visit of the Audit 1, Audit 2, Audit 3 Tunnels and also the
Headwork Construction Area in Koto, Manang with Mr. Raj Kumar Baral. As per the EPC
Contractor, the total length of the Audit 3 Tunnel was 500 metre and about 265 metre Tunnel was
already excavated at that field visit time. Similarly, the total length of the Audit 2 Tunnel was 287
metre and about 106 metre Tunnel was already excavated at that field visit time. For the Audit 1
Tunnel, Excavation works has just been started and about 13 metres was completed during that
field visit period. The average rate of Tunnel excavation per day is 5.5-6 metre per day according
to the SiteEngineer. Warning Tape was installed at the Audit 1 Tunnel as the workers were clearing
the dirt from holes that were drilled in order to be filled up by explosives later. During that time,
smaller sizez of stones were coming out of the tunnel and the representative advised us not to enter
the tunnel. This was a good practice of safety in the construction area. This will help to minimize
the work related injuries and hazards in the construction area. The tunnels has Air supply ducts to
ensure that the required amount of Oxygen is available inside the tunnel for the workers. Inside
the tunnel, there are chances of low level of oxygen and also due to the use of explosives during
blasting and various other chemicals, there might be chances of deficit of breathing Oxygen inside
the tunnel area. There were also provision of separate Water supply pipes and Sewage pipes inside
the tunnel. Each of those pipes had different colors on it so that one could recognize them by their
colour. Red colour for the Air supply ducts. Blue colour for the Water supply pipes and Yellow
colour for the sewage pipes. Similarly, there was seen a medical department in the headwork area
so that it could help those workers during the cases of any work related injuries and provide
immediate treatment. Likewise, there were provision of Fire Extinguisher in Diesel Storage Areas
and accomodation area of the workers, staffs of the company. Similarly, I found the top fertile soil
being stored and covered by green mesh so that after the construction phase, the company will
rehabilitate the land as to original fertile land suitable for agriculture.

Likewise, there were various notice boards regarding the safety instruction at the site for the
construction workers and visitors too. Informatory boards were placed at various locations in
different languages like Chinese, Nepali and English languages along with the respective signs of
them to portray their meaning. There were different colours of helmets for different types of
workers e.g: Blue, Red, White, etc. Similarly, in the steep roads there were placement of traffic
barricades in order to warn the drivers and pedestrians to avoid from falling related
injuries/accidents. At the access roads towards the audit tunnels, there were various information
boards to navigate towards the workplace area. Likewise, for the workers working at a relatively
more heights, there were provisions of Safety Harness Belt in order to avoid the cases of fall. The
workers working at the workshop fields were seen to be wearing Glass Weding Helmet.

According to Mr. Raj Kumar Baral Sir, during the construction of access road towards the Audit
Tunnel 3, 2 and 1, some numbers of trees were haphazardly covered by the excavated soil which
came while constructing the access road towards the audit tunnels above mentioned. This might
be a serious environmental concern as no one can cut down the trees without the prior permission
of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). I strongly believe that the EPC contractor has
fielded an safety officer at this project to undertake the safety inspections and maintain the safety
protocols at the construction site. Another thing I noticed at the headwork area was that, some
workers were found working in a really steep slope without any safety harness belts. If there is no
possibility of suspending the safety harness then at least the contractor should provide the workers
with safety ropes while working in such conditions. Also at the crusher area of Powerhouse Site,
excessive dust was seen coming off the access road and crusher plant too.

I have taken some photos during my field visit which can relate to the above mentioned things I
mentioned above.

1. Warning Tape at the entrance of Audit Tunnel 1 as workers were working inside.

2. Welders working at a greater height with Safety Harness Belt in Audit Tunnel 2.
3. Covering of top fertile soil with green net/mesh so that it can used for later land rehabilitation
purpose in Headworks Area.
4. First Aid Medical Centre at Headworks Site.
6. Various Informatory Boards about Safety with Signs and Symbols on it.
7. A worker found working without Safety Gloves and Safety Boots in Powerhouse Crusher Area
in Control Room.
8. Road Side Barricades in Headworks Area.
9. Chemicals stored haphazardly in Audit Tunnel 3 working area.
10. Provision of Lighting and Air Supply inside Audit Tunnel 3.
11. A worker inside Audit Tunnel 4 working without Safety Mask.
12. Separate Pipes with different Colour Codings for Air Supply, Water Supply and Sewage
Purpose in Audit Tunnel 4.
13. Workers working at a steep slope without any Safety Harness Belts/Ropes at Headworks Site.
These were some of the things I noticed during my field visit at the construction site. I will focus
on establishing a comprehensive environmental monitoring plan to regularly assess water quality,
air quality, soil conditions, and biodiversity health. Another solution is to ensure proper disposal
of construction waste, chemicals, and hazardous materials and also ensure that all workers,
contractors, and visitors undergo a comprehensive safety induction, including hazard
identification, emergency protocols, and site-specific risks. Also, I will implement continuous
safety training programs for all employees to address new hazards as the project progresses. We
can regularly update workers on safety procedures and emergency response plans. The safety
officer must ensure that all workers are provided with and required to wear appropriate PPE, such
as helmets, high-visibility vests, gloves, steel-toed boots, safety goggles, and hearing protection.
Installation of appropriate safety barriers, guardrails, and fencing to prevent falls or accidents,
especially near high-risk areas like excavation sites, steep slopes, or heavy machinery.
Development of a detailed emergency response plans for various scenarios, including fire, flood,
chemical spills, accidents, or natural disasters. Implementation of different dust control measures
such as water spraying or using dust suppressants on roads and exposed earth to reduce airborne
particulate matter and protect workers’ respiratory health. To address the waste being developed
at the site and residential area, we can develop a waste management plan to handle construction
debris, waste from equipment, and hazardous substances. Encourage recycling and proper disposal
procedures. As an Environment and Safety Officer, I am fully committed to ensure that the project
is developed and operated in compliance with environmental regulations and safety standards.
Thank you.

Adarsha Aryal

Environment and Safety Officer

SCIG