- Egypt’s Ministry of Transportation, through the National Authority of Tunnels (NAT), has announced that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to construct Cairo Metro Line 6. Metro line 6 would extend from ElKhosos to Maadi and would be financed through the China Exim Bank. Environics was requested by Khatib & Alami, the main contractor of CRCC, to conduct the scoping study for the above mentioned line.
- The Scoping Study that was carried out for Metro Line 6 included the identification of potential impacts associated with the conceptual design of the line and its alternative during its pre-construction, construction and operation phases based on the understanding of the nature of the receiving environment and the design stage at which the project was. The study also identified the actions, surveys and meetings that took place in the EIA preparation and the impacts that required further assessment.
- The Scoping Study relied on organizing and implementing a comprehensive scoping exercise that took in consideration all key parties who affected or were affected by the proposed project. Visits were carried out to the project area to confirm site-specific characteristics, identify site limitations and investigate the environmental status of the area as well as the potential sensitive areas, natural resources or near-by activities. Examination of recent satellite images of the metro corridor allowed identification of land uses and land cover of the receiving landscape/ environment. They were grouped into segments based on their sensitivities to anticipated project impacts.
- Environics utilized the experience it had accumulated during the preparation of the ESIA and the resettlement action framework of Metro Line 4, as well as the ESIAs of the 10th Ramadan Light Rail Train and Belbeis Freight train, besides the extensive experience it had gained during preparation of a number of similar studies.
