This risk is rated as ‘Substantial’ as there are investment activities – coastal resilience and WRM – that will require environmental management attention during implementation. Through the ESSA, it was confirmed that all the proposed interventions in line with what is permissible under a PforR and that environmental impacts can be addressed through adequate management. These will not result in any major environmental impacts. None of these interventions will be in eco-sensitive areas. The scale of environmental impacts is limited and restricted to the vicinity of the minor works. In the construction phase, the type of impacts include (i) air and noise pollution due to civil works and movement of vehicles; (ii) increase in turbidity in the coastal waters; (iii) construction/labor camp impacts such as incidental fuel, oil and lubricant spillages; (iv) waste and debris storage, management and disposal; and (v) worker and community health & safety impacts particularly in densely populated areas. All these impacts are temporary and reversible. Proper environmental, health, and safety (EHS) management measures will be required during construction. In the operational phase, the interventions could aggravate shoreline erosion if not properly designed. To ensure design appropriateness, GoK has streamlined the use of expert institutions such as the NCCR and IIT Madras to provide the required technical advisory support.

he environmental legal framework such as the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification has been established both at the national and state levels. The associated institutions and systems such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) CRZ and Environmental Clearance Cell, Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) and the Kerala State Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIAA) are functioning. The implementing departments such as the WRD and Harbour Engineering Department (HED) have the required capacity to adhere to the legal procedures and integrate environmental requirements in their civil works. RKI Secretariat's supervision oversight will be required to ensure that the procedures are followed, and on-the-ground good practices are adopted. A periodic external agency audit to identify implementation gaps and to suggest improvements will also be required.