Marco de gestion ambiental. Vol. 3 of Latin America and the Caribbean – Design and Implementation of Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Andean Region to the Impacts from Glacial Melt Project : environmental assessment.

The development objective of the Design and Implementation of Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Andean Region to the Impacts from Glacial Melt Project for Latin America and the Caribbean is to support regional efforts to define and implement pilot adaptation measures to meet the anticipated impacts from climate change in the Andean highlands. This will be achieved through: a) capacity building and improvements to the knowledge base (documenting trends and projecting impacts); b) identifying and assessing measures and policy options to adapt to the effects of climate change; c) implementing regional and strategic adaptation pilots to address key climate impacts on their economies. This environmental assessment (EA) describes the impacts generated by the construction of catchments (small dams) to capture water from Rio Mindo Bajo to a treatment water plant located across Calacali town. The potable water produced by this plant will benefit, among other, the towns of Caspigasi, La Marca y San Antonio. Some of the environmental impacts evaluated are : transport of construction materials; construction of access roads for transport of personnel and materials; transport, storage and disposal of toxic substances (used oil and grease cartridges) and materials; hydrology; surface and ground water quality; surface (rivers, streams) and groundwater resources; degradation of natural vegetation; location of workers encampments (depots) for the construction of the catchments; disposal of residual water; disposal of solid waste materials which might be recyclable; construction of the potable water distribution network and storage tanks; use of herbicides and agrochemicals; construction of septic tanks for the disposal of organic solid waste; use of native plant species for reforestation along areas where the Mindo - Nambillo pipeline was laid; and finally, health and safety measures for the protection of construction workers