Impact identification involves measurement of some select attributes or characteristics, for which we can actually collect data, perform analysis and estimate future conditions with and without the project. The preceding section is a compilation of baseline information on select parameters that determine the environmental setting of the VV pipeline project. This baseline information has been used here to determine environmental impacts of the proposed development.

Project induced effects can act directly upon a resource or an environmental condition and can result in direct or primary impacts, or impacts can result from effects on other attributes which in turn affect the attributes being studied and can be considered as secondary impacts. An attempt has been made to identify the project related impacts on different components of the biological environment of the project area. The significance of such impacts have also been determined based on uniqueness and fragility of habitat types, status of animal/plant species likely to be impacted, as well as duration, reversibility and areal extent of the change associated with the project activity.

4.1 Impact on Reserved Forests
In total, 76 points were surveyed and the percentage occurrence in RFs, Agricultural lands, grooves/orchards and general/barren land areas for each of these surveyed points were calculated. Ten Reserved Forest areas (percent occurrence = 13.16%) were lying within 500m from the pipeline route. The percent occurrence of agricultural lands (paddy, sugarcane, cotton, horse gram) in these points was 73.68, grooves/orchards (cashew, mango, coconut) was 35.53 and general/barren land (predominantly palm and scrub) was 38.16 (Table 4.1). Only two RFs namely, Narava and Jangalapalli lie very close (ca. 50m) to the pipeline route. A realignment of the pipeline route has already been proposed in the Potukonda RF area to avoid the RF (pers comm. with HPCL personnel). Scale weighing of these 10 RFs are given in Table 4.2. These RFs are mostly located in hillocks and in few places on gentle rolling or flat areas at the base of hillocks and are extensively used by local villagers for firewood and fodder collection and livestock grazing. Forestry practices in the form of plantations also exist in some of these RFs. In all these RFs, vegetation with an average height of less than 3m and few scattered large trees, have no commercial value particularly for timber.

4.1.1 Anticipated Impact on Forests during construction
Construction of labour huts and fuelwood needs will probabaly be met from the nearby RFs particularly Narava, Potukonda, Malarapukonda, Totapalli, Tedlam, Velagalapalli and Jangalapalli as they are all within 250m from the pipeline route. These RFs which are already impacted upon by human presence may not sustain the anticipated impact.

4.2 Impact on Wildlife
The impact of construction and post construction phases of pipeline on wildlife and their habitats would be negligible as only small stretches of the pipeline route would be aligned close to RFs. The probability of this pipeline affecting mammalian species such as jackal, hare and wildpig which are widely distributed even in areas outside RFs is remote. The contiguity of these RFs and the corridor status of land inbetween that allowed migrations for exchange of gene pool will not be affected by this pipeline as the past developments have fragmented the area. The existing Eluru canal has already isolated animal populations and this pipeline would run parallel to the canal for some length.

A comparison of the scales of biological values and impact is shown in Table 4.2. The results show that Totapalli RF with high biological value (scale = 6) and lying close to the proposed pipeline route (scale = 1) will have an high impact. Similarly, Tedlam RF with high biological value (scale = 7) and by its distance from the pipeline route (scale = 2) will have moderate impact. However, Velagalapalli RF which has high biological value (scale = 8) would not be impacted due to its distant position from the pipeline route (scale = 3). Although Narava, Potukonda and Jungalapalli RFs lie close to the pipeline route (scale = 1), their biological values are not high (scale = 3-5) and as such an impact or loss of these values is not foreseen (Table 4.3).

From the above observations, it is evident that the proposed pipeline route have no impact on the Reserved Forests. Since, most of the RFs are on hills, these would remain unaffected by the proposed pipeline route has been aligned generally in valley plains or in some cases at the base of the hills.