E939. Sri Lanka. Second North East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP II) Environmental Safeguards Management Framework. A.

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1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Sri Lanka E939 Second North East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP II) Environmental Safeguards Management Framework A. Introduction Project Purpose 1. The primary goal of Government s poverty reduction strategy is to achieve significant enhancement of the quality of life of rural people, through increased incomes, economic modernization and invigoration of the rural economy. Regaining Sri Lanka - - which is the Government s official statement of its vision, policy and programs for poverty reduction and economic growth-- recognizes six strategic pillars that supports its poverty reduction efforts: (i) building a supportive macro-economic environment; (ii) reducing conflict-affected poverty; (iii) creating opportunities for the poor to participate in economic growth; (iv) investing in people; (v) empowering the poor and improving governance; and (vi) implementing an effective monitoring and evaluation system. The proposed Second North-East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP II), which is repeater operation to ongoing NEIAP, provides strategic and financial contribution to achieve at least four out of these six pillars. The overall purpose of this repeater operation is, therefore, to supplement and complement the Government s poverty reduction strategy through better access of the poor to basic social and economic infrastructure services and support for production activities, adopting a community focused, community driven development approach. It also supports Bank s Country Assistance Strategy and the government s strategy and current program for resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the North-East. 2. The project would scale up the ongoing NEIAP by augmenting, consolidating and sustaining its outputs and impacts, extending its scope and geographical spread, and covering additional conflict-affected communities in more villages. It is expected to cover about another 600 focal villages in the NE including about 150 in Jaffna district within a period of six years. The repeater project is estimated to cost about US$ 70 million, of which the World Bank would consider financing US$ 60 m and the Government and the Local Communities are expected to finance the balance. Project Development Objectives 3. Therefore, the Project Development Objective (PDO) of the proposed project would be to help conflict-affected communities in the North-East Province and adjoining areas to restore livelihoods and enhance agricultural and other production and incomes, and build their capacity for sustainable social and economic reintegration. The PDO will be achieved primarily by: (i) creating, restoring, or improving essential village level social and economic infrastructure and facilities; (ii) 1

2 rebuilding, supplementing and enhancing individual household economies; (iii) building community skills and capacity and decentralizing powers for decision making, control of resources and implementation of programs at community level; and (iv) implementing targeted livelihood support programs for the most vulnerable (such as land mine victims, people with war-induced deficient abilities, widows, women headed households and excombatants). Project Components The project would comprise the following major components: 4. Component 1: Village Rehabilitation and Development for Sustainable Social and Economic Reintegration This component would include the following sub-components: (a) Building, strengthening and empowering community based organizations: This sub-component would include: (i) community mobilization leading to formation and/or revitalization of inclusive community based organizations and institutional arrangements at village level; and (ii) building capacity and improving technical, organizational and management skills to plan, execute and manage development activities on a demand responsive manner; and (iii) pilot initiatives to test various Community Driven Development options with a view to develop and replicate community driven development options and modalities appropriate to the project area. (b) Creation, rehabilitation and improvements to essential village level social and economic infrastructure, services and facilities: This sub-component would include assistance for identification, planning, and execution of essential village level social and economic infrastructure facilities and services as identified and prioritized by the communities in their village rehabilitation plans (VRPs) and village agricultural development plans (VADPs). Based on the experience of the NEIAP, the main infrastructure, facilities and services that are likely to be financed are: (i) minor and medium irrigation scheme rehabilitation, improvement and augmentation; (ii) rehabilitation of ponds, dykes, salt water exclusion structures and barrages in Jaffna district; (iii) rural access roads and link roads to markets and townships; (iv) drinking water wells; (v) community centers and storage facilities for agricultural inputs and produce; and (vi) implementation of agricultural productivity enhancement activities. (c) Livelihood assistance activities for vulnerable groups and people: This sub-component would include: (i) financial grants to village level Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and women rural development societies to provide small loans to most vulnerable people in the community using principles of micro-finance and revolving fund programs. Based on the experience of NEIAP, the main target beneficiaries are likely to be landless people, widows, women 2

3 headed households, and people with deficient abilities; and (ii) other special development and assistance programs targeting women, land mine victims, and ex-combatants. 5. Component 2: Essential rehabilitation and improvements to selected major/medium irrigation schemes and creating opportunities for enhanced agricultural productivity and production This component would include the following sub-components: (a) Essential repairs and improvements to major irrigation structures to ensure structural stability and safety of major components including dams and embankments: Based on the experience with essential repairs to Giants tank and the findings of the productivity enhancement studies of ten major irrigation schemes in the North-East financed under NEIAP, this subcomponent would include support for: (i) technical assistance and essential civil and mechanical works to ensure structural stability and safety of embankments and major structural components of major irrigation schemes; and (ii) essential repairs and improvements to major irrigation and drainage canals of selected major irrigation/drainage schemes. (b) Pilot initiatives to promote crop diversification and commercial production in major irrigation schemes: This sub-component would support: (i) pilot initiatives to test organizational models, commercial crops and cropping systems, new low cost irrigation and agricultural technologies, and public-private sector - community partnerships to promote potential, capacity and opportunities for enhancing production, productivity and incomes; (ii) provide essential facilities necessary for pilot initiatives; (iii) technical assistance; and (iv) capacity building of farmers organizations, CBOs, and staff of the concerned provincial and local government agencies associated in the pilot initiatives. 6. Component 3: Institutional capacity building, project implementation support and project oversight: This component would include the following sub-components: (a) Capacity building of national, provincial and local government agencies: This sub-component would support: (i) enhancement of equipment and facilities; (ii) improvement and establishment of regional laboratories for construction materials testing, civil works construction quality assurance, and agricultural soil testing; (ii) support for establishment of the ground water monitoring network in Jaffna district; (iii) short-term training and study tours to selected staff to improve implementation of the project and other long-term community based reconstruction programs; and (iv) provision of essential office equipment and facilities; and (iv) technical assistance for special studies and research. 3

4 (b) Project implementation support and oversight: This sub-component would support: (i) hiring consultants and staff for the project management unit and district project offices; and (ii) hiring Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and consultancy firms and consultants for external technical, social and financial auditing and project impact monitoring. Purpose of the Environmental Management Framework (EMF) 7. Since the activities under the project will concentrate on rehabilitation of the existing irrigation and village road infrastructure and limited agricultural development pilot initiatives, anticipated adverse impacts will not be significant. However, there would be minor environmental impacts which need to be managed and mitigated before they occur or as and when those are encountered with. The purpose of the EMF is to outline the measures, processes, institutional arrangements, tools and instruments that need to be adopted in NEIAP II to mitigate against any adverse environmental impacts and enhance positive environmental benefits of the project interventions. The EMF will allow early identification of potential adverse impacts, and to provide broad guidelines for their effective mitigation. Consistent with the existing national legislation, the specific objective of the EMF is to provide a project specific guideline and manual to help ensure that activities under the project will: Protect human health; Prevent or compensate any potential damage to environment; Prevent degradation to ecosystem as a result of either individual sub-projects or their cumulative effects; Mitigate potential social conflicts consequent to project activities; Prevent project investments being used to further intensify already existing social disputes; Internalize environmental consciousness in the planning, execution and monitoring and build relevant skills and capacity of the field staff and communities; Enhance positive environmental outcomes; and Ensure compliance with World Bank s Environmental Management safeguard policies. 8. A summary of the main instruments and tools of the EMF framework for NEIAP II as applied to each sub-component of the project is in Annex 1. The following sections elaborate the EMF in terms of measures, processes, institutional arrangements as well as tools and instruments that need to be adopted in NEIAP II. B. Nature of the Project and Environmental Safeguard Relevance 9. Given that NEIAP II is a repeater operation, the nature of its activities are almost similar to that of its pioneer project - - NEIAP. The project would adopt community driven development (CDD) principles, building primarily on the CDD lessons and experiences of both NEIAP and the Village Self-help Learning Initiatives (VSHLI) pilot 4

5 tailored to the specific challenges and conditions of the project area.. The project would rely primarily on decentralized community-based investments at village and household levels to achieve the PDO. 10. Based on the experience of the pioneer, a large majority of project investments will include labor intensive, small scale civil works and household level, individual, livelihood support income generating activities. Civil works are localized activities at village levels likely to be associated with rehabilitation and improvements of irrigation schemes and intra-village rural roads, and construction of drinking water facilities and buildings that mostly utilize local construction material. Individual household level income generating activities are likely to be highland and home-garden agriculture and livestock and poultry rearing etc. An additional component in the repeater project is the financing of essential and urgent rehabilitation to existing major irrigation schemes (irrigation schemes serving a command area in excess of 400ha). 11. There are salient characteristics and situations of the physical location of the project that would be relevant to safeguard analysis. Those characteristics would become safeguard relevant and social risk relevant only if project investments are made in the following circumstances:: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) in protected areas (natural habitats, forests and wild life reserves, and national parks that are known to project stakeholders); in land mined areas ( declared by the Government and known to project stakeholders); to improve water storage capacity of the existing irrigation tanks in a manner that will lead to potential water shortages and water right disputes. This may happen as a result of any disturbance to existing hydrological balance of typical small tank cascades and reduction of water for existing agricultural and water use practices of the people downstream using the same water source or stream; that will require involuntary land acquisition; and that would benefit lands of the displaced people presently encroached illegally and occupied by other people. 12. Focal village selection criteria will exclude project interventions to ensure that cases (i) and (ii) above will not arise. This requirement will be incorporated into legal documents of the project too. To address the potential issue (iii) above, the project will carry out prior hydrological analysis of tank cascades at subproject planning and design stages. Adequate design guidelines and practices are currently in force to appraise and screen the subprojects against this potential risk. Project will not require involuntary land acquisition. For example, land required for construction of wells and community buildings have been either voluntarily donated either by the community members or by the Divisional Secretaries on behalf of the State in the ongoing pioneer project. With regard to the item (v) above, the project has developed a framework to monitor encroachments by the communities and clarified the mechanism for dealing with such situations. The ongoing project has applied the framework successfully. 5

6 Envisaged Project Activities and Potential Environmental Impacts 13. The Component 1 of the project, most likely would deal with the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes and ponds will include: (i) strengthening, improving and filling breaches of earthen embankments, repairs to sluices and spill ways; and (ii) cleaning, repairing and improving the earthen irrigation canals and cement/concrete canal structures, and (iii) desilting and repairing groundwater recharge ponds and repairs to damaged salt water intrusion prevention structures in Jaffna. These are structures with embankment less than 15 m in height. Besides rehabilitation and improvements, there would be new minor construction of some key structures like falls, division boxes, regulators, measuring structures at canal off-take points for effective irrigation and water management. The rehabilitation of village roads will include filling depressions and pot holes and grading existing road platforms with borrowed earth, provision of culverts and other cross drainage structures and side drains. Construction of buildings and drinking water wells will involve earth excavations and construction of cement/concrete structures. 14. The Component 2 of the project would deal with dam safety improvements and essential rehabilitation of selected major irrigation works ( A major irrigation scheme, by the definition adopted in Sri Lanka, is an irrigation scheme that serves an irrigated command area of more than 400 ha. Most of the major irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka have dams with heights 5-20 m). The envisaged improvements and rehabilitation would include: repairs and improvements to protect downstream slopes of dam embankments (e.g. runnel filling and providing lateral drains etc. to provide safe passage of rainwater and seepage drainage), providing toe-filters and toe drains to improve downstream drainage and arresting excessive seepage flows, upstream slope protection (e.g. rearranging and/or providing rip-rap to prevent dam slope against wave action), strengthening weak sections of the dam, improvements to canals and structures, and installation of dam settlement, seepage and water level surveillance equipment. The repairs to major irrigation works will not involve raising of dam embankment, increase of water storage capacity or any new water augmentation/diversion that will upset the existing hydrological balance. The anticipated activities will result in an overall enhancement of structural safety of the small earthen embankments and dams of major irrigation works, improved drainage, reduced water logging and stagnation etc. In addition, the project will carry out pilot agricultural development interventions at those selected major schemes to search and test different profitable and productive models and establishing linkages between the farmers and markets and public/private sector service providers. Although, the project will not finance and promote the increased use of agrochemicals and pesticides, the pilot interventions are likely to increase the use of agrochemicals, pesticides and chemical fertilizers. 15. These activities can result in adverse impacts, if not managed consciously. However those will be site specific and restricted to those areas close to the existing infrastructure. There can be some minor potential off-site impacts too that will encompass planning and design, construction and operation phases: 6

7 Planning and design: Raising embankment height to increase existing storage capacity of small tanks arrayed in cascades may disturb existing hydrological balance and lead to reduction of water availability downstream of the cascade system. ( Tank Cascade is an existing connected series of tanks physically and hydrologically organized in a such way that tanks capture and store rain water falling on a specific meso-watershed that drains to a common reference point of a natural stream. A typical feature is the hydrological and social interdependence of the tanks in the cascade system. For example, excess rain water spillage and drainage return flows of upstream tanks are captured by downstream tanks successively). Construction phase: Accelerated soil erosion and damage to local vegetation due to earth excavation and use of construction equipment, water-logging and stagnation in borrow-pits, and disposal of construction spoils and excavated material. Operation Phase: (i) Impacts due to poor operation and negligence of maintenance, that would include impact on soil (inadequate drainage and waterlogging); (ii) incidence of water borne diseases (poor cleaning of canals, road side drains and maintenance of structures); (iii) damage to lands and public property (in the event an earthen tank embankment/dam fails due to inferior design, poor quality of construction, poor operation and neglected maintenance); (iv) pollution of streams and wells by agrochemicals (fertilizers and pesticides); and (v) spread of pests that affect agriculture and public health. Potential Negative Environmental Impacts 16. As is evident from the implementation experience of the ongoing NEIAP, this repeater project is not expected to result in significant potential negative environmental impacts. If there are any potential negative impacts or risks they are mostly site specific and can be easily managed using this framework. C. Management of Environmental Safeguards and Risks Environmental Safeguard Policies Triggered 17. Given the small size and rehabilitation nature of the envisaged project components and related activities, their potential adverse environmental impacts on human populations or environmentally important areas including wetlands, forests, grasslands and other natural habitats are not expected be significant. Even if there are negative impacts these are insignificant and are expected to be easily manageable with proper guidance, training and oversight during planning, implementation and monitoring phases of the project activities. Therefore, as is the case with NEIAP, the proposed NEIAP II is classified as Category B of World Bank s project environmental classification. 7

8 18. The ongoing NEIAP adopts adequate measures to address the provisions of Bank s Safeguard policy on Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01). These included the application of environmental checklists for the typical civil works activities and livelihood support activities during planning and implementation stages of the project. These are presented in Annexes 2 through 5 of this framework and will be used for NEIAP II as well to address the provisions of Bank s safeguard policy on Environmental Assessment in part. Also, the NEIAP carried out environmental assessments for each medium irrigation scheme as an integral part of the feasibility studies carried out at planning stage to guide the identification and design of rehabilitation interventions. (Medium irrigation scheme, by definition used in Sri Lanka, is an irrigation scheme that provides irrigation water for a command area more than 80 ha and less that 400 ha). The environmental assessments identified scheme specific environmental issues and necessary mitigation measures were incorporated in the design and implementation. A sample environmental assessment for a medium irrigation scheme is provided in Annex 6. In addition, the PMU developed environmental training curriculum for its staff and the project staff, community mobilizers, and selected members of the community based organizations were provided with training on environmental awareness and application of those checklists for the project activities. An evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of training carried out by the PMU showed positive results. The environmental curriculum and the evaluation report are available with the PMU and has submitted to the Bank for their records. Evaluation of Key Environmental Issues and Safeguard Relevance 19. The above checklists and instruments can be effectively used to address Bank s safeguard policy on Environmental Assessment for NEIAP II for the activities envisaged under Component 1, which would include almost the same menu of activities as that of the pioneer project (NEIAP) both in nature and scale. But considering the nature of the activities envisaged in Component 2, the proposed NEIAP II will trigger the following Environmental Safeguard policies. The relevance and applicability of these policies to NEIAP II are discussed in the following paragraphs. Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01) Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37) Pest Management (OP 4.09) 20. It is evident from the implementation experience of the ongoing NEIAP and the proposed components of the NEIAP II, the latter is not expected to result in significant potential environmental safeguard issues and negative impacts. If there are any potential negative impacts they are site-specific related to the project s village level infrastructure rehabilitation, improvement and construction activities and household level income generating activities and are manageable with proper planning, oversight, and monitoring. 8

9 21. However, as opposed to NEIAP which included only small irrigation schemes, the NEIAP II will finance the essential and urgent improvements to major irrigation schemes in the North-East to ensure safety of dams and associated structures and pilot initiatives to test and develop suitable strategies to improve agricultural production, productivity and income of the people depending on those irrigation schemes. There it will be required to enforce the provisions of safeguard policies on dam safety and pest management, although the anticipated related negative environmental impacts are minor and easily manageable. 22. The Bank s Dam Safety OPs/BPs will be triggered for all dams exceeding a height of 15 m. The rehabilitation of small irrigation schemes and ground water recharge ponds financed by the project will not have dams and embankments more than 15 m high. However, height of some of the major dams ( e.g. Iranamadu tank) that would be undertaken for dam safety assurance repair works are more than 15 m and is in the range of about 15-20m. Typical measures would include repairs and improvements such as protection of downstream slopes of dam embankments (e.g. runnel filling and providing lateral drains etc. to provide safe passage of rainwater and seepage drainage), providing toe-filters and toe drains to improve downstream drainage and arresting excessive seepage flows, upstream slope protection (e.g. rearranging and/or providing rip-rap to prevent scouring), strengthening of the structural stability of spillways and sluice structures, and replacement/installation of dam settlement, water pressure, seepage monitoring equipment etc. While, the anticipated project activities will result in an overall enhancement of the structural stability and safety of dams (tank bunds) against the risk of failure, the project will not finance construction of new small, medium or major tanks (new dams/tank bunds). The project will not finance any investments to: increase dam embankment height to increase existing storage capacity of the major tanks; transfer water from the tanks outside the hydrological basin; or to augment the existing tank capacity through inter- or trans-basin diversions. Therefore, existing hydrological balance and integrity of the tanks will remain undisturbed. Therefore the policy on Dam Safety will apply to ensure that the design and implementation of dam safety improvements, rehabilitation activities and subsequent operation are carried out with due diligence adhering to best engineering practices, norms and standards Consequent to the envisaged pilot initiatives as well as the agricultural operations under the irrigation tanks rehabilitated by the project, there would be some potential risk that project may potentially contribute to the spread of pests that could affect agriculture and public health. Also nearby surface and ground water sources could be polluted by agricultural run-off contaminated with agro-chemicals. It would be required to develop strategies to manage pests, through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) including biological control, cultural practices and the use of cropping systems and crop varieties that are resistant or tolerant to the pests. The latter effect of contamination of water sources is not significant and is a seasonal phenomenon as the heavy annual monsoon rains usually flushes off the chemicals and break down the accumulation of chemicals. The project should finance measures to promote IPM and careful and judicious use of agrochemicals as an integral part of its agriculture development plans and the pilot initiatives, and if necessary specific studies to monitor effects of agricultural activities.. 9

10 24. The project is not expected to create serious cumulative negative environmental impacts due to application of more than one safeguard policy or due to the implementation of multiple project components. Nevertheless, most of the project activities will have a complimentary positive impact on the environment. For example, the rehabilitation of dysfunctional and dilapidated irrigation tanks, embankments and canal systems, ground water recharge ponds of Jaffna, and rural roads, which comprise of a significant portion of project funding, will provide an opportunity to reverse negative ongoing environmental processes and consequent impacts that otherwise would have been accumulated to create significant environmental damage and impacts on communities. Given the nature and scale of the project activities and the possible negative environmental impacts as has been inventorized in the environmental screening checklists, no major adverse cumulative impacts are anticipated. D. KEY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMANT MEASURES AND INSTRUMENTS Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01) 25. Village rehabilitation planning (VRP): Under the Component 1, the project activities to be financed under NEIAP II, would be identified by the communities through a transparent participatory need assessment and planning process through the development of village rehabilitation plans (VRPs) and Village Agricultural Development Plans (VADPs). VRP is the primary instrument for village institutional development and rehabilitation developed by community members and ratified by Village Rehabilitation Committee (apex body of the village level community based organizations), For each focal village, a VRP will be developed through a participatory and demand responsive process facilitated by a Community Mobilizer and a village-level animator and guided by a team of front-line staff of service organizations of both public service agencies and private sector. VRP is primarily a document that reflects needs, priorities and action plans for village institutional development, capacity and skill building and infrastructure rehabilitation that emerges from an intensive participatory interactions among the community. It includes Village Social Base Line profile (VSP), strategy and action plan for forming and strengthening CBOs, cost estimates and action plans for rehabilitation of village assets, construction of new facilities, and implementation of agriculture development and other livelihood support activities and O&M plans. VSP is a baseline profile of the village that documents demographic, social, and economic data and information of the people and the village. The VRP is used by GAs/DPDs as primary instrument to allocate project funds to implement the plan as well as to obtain financial and non-financial assistance from other ongoing government, NGO and donor programs in the district to fulfill the priority needs of communities expressed in the VRP. For example, GAs/DPDs would coordinate with ongoing and proposed programs for providing housing, sanitary facilities, electricity etc. Village Base Line Profile includes socio-economic status of the village and other baseline information related with potential social safeguard and risks which will be the baseline for monitoring and evaluation of project s outcomes and impacts. VSP is a baseline profile of the village 10

11 that documents demographic, social, and economic data and information of the people and the village. The data and information pertaining to potential (social and) environmental impacts and issues of the identified subprojects (as discussed above) will be primarily collected through the process. 26. Environmental screening process and environmental checklists: Once the subprojects are identified by the communities, detailed technical designs and implementation plans will be developed for each sub-project by the technical staff in close consultation with the beneficiaries. Environmental screening of the sub-projects will be carried out at this stage as an integral part of the development of technical designs and implementation plans. Environmental screening process for the activities will distinguish sub-projects and activities that will require thorough environmental review to prevent/mitigate negative environmental impacts or those which will provide opportunities to enhance positive impacts. For the rehabilitation of small irrigation tanks and rural roads, construction of drinking water wells and community buildings, and typical livelihood support activities the Environmental Checklists in Annexes 2 through 5 will be the basis for environmental screening. During project design, hydrological sensitivity analysis will be carried out to assess potential impacts on hydrology and water balance of tank cascades consequent to any proposed enlargement of storage capacity of any member village tank of the cascades. The hydrological analysis will be carried out using standard water balance approach recommended in the design manual titled Design and Operation of Small Irrigation Works for Small Catchments used by the Irrigation Department of Sri Lanka as well the procedures recommended in Rehabilitation Planning for Small Tanks in Cascades: A Methodology Based on Rapid Assessment, International Water Management Institute (IWMI, 1997). These manual are available with the PMU and the project implementing agencies and the engineers and technical staff are conversant with the application of the design procedures. 27. If hydrological analysis prove that the proposed interventions would affect existing water availability and use at any downstream point, such improvements will not either be financed or tailored to result in no harm. Such assessments would also include verification of any downstream impacts, including potential water shortages for downstream users, if tank capacity improvements are envisaged. If disturbance to existing hydrological balance and downstream users are anticipated then a separate EA would be undertaken on a case by case basis and a decision to fund the improvements would be made on the basis of the EA report. Also project would consult and reach consensus between upstream and downstream users, before any upstream modifications are invested. 28. For medium irrigation schemes (schemes serving an irrigated command area of ha), feasibility reports will be prepared case by case basis using the templates used for NEIAP and cleared by Bank task team (Annex 6). Feasibility reports will include a comprehensive assessment of the environmental parameters associated with the schemes and potential environmental impacts of the project proposals, and based on this assessment, specific measures will be designed and implemented to address those. Services of the district environmental officers or subject matter specialists will be 11

12 obtained to modify project designs and incorporate environmental management aspects depending on the complexity of the issue. 29. Environmental Assessments (EAs) of major irrigation schemes and for Jaffna: Component 2 of the project will focus on major irrigation schemes and agricultural development pilots. The environmental management framework for the rehabilitation and dam safety enhancement of major irrigation schemes and pilot agricultural development activities envisaged under Component 2 will be guided by a separate EA for each major scheme financed under the project. The PMU completed in late 2003, ten comprehensive studies on ten selected major irrigation schemes in the NE and adjoining border districts to develop proposals for agricultural productivity enhancements under those schemes. The ten study reports are in two volumes for each scheme (titled for example, Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Study for Iranamadu Irrigation Scheme in Kilinochchi district, October 2003). In addition, the PMU completed a comprehensive study in Jaffna district to plan and design NEIAP II interventions in Jaffna (Rapid Assessment of NEIAP Interventions in Jaffna District, December 2003). These 11 studies covered comprehensive environmental assessments of the ten irrigation schemes (Karavahu in Ampara district, Rugam in Baticoloa, Allai in Trincomalee, Pavatkulam in Vavuniya, Giants tank in Mannar, Iranamadu in Kilinochchi, Thannimuruppu in Mulativu, Muthukandiaya in Moneragala and Padaviya in Anuradhapura) and for one for Jaffna district. All these study reports are available with the PMU and have been submitted to World Bank for their records. In August 2003, the Bank using the funds of Bank-Netherlands Water Partnership Program, mobilized a short-term study to assess the Water Resources Situation in Jaffna district, which was successfully completed by a team of an international consultant and two local consultants. This study also covered in part the environmental issues related with the use and management of groundwater in Jaffna (Reference; Support Study for Groundwater Resources of Jaffna Peninsula, Unpublished World Bank Consultancy Report, August 2003 ). As the project includes provisions for the major dam safety improvements and rehabilitation of selected major schemes (The schemes to be included in the project will be finalized during the Appraisal) under Component 2 and an expanded program to restore its groundwater management infrastructure in Jaffna district, the abstracts of those EAs form the overall EA for NEIAP II. The EAs for the ten schemes and Jaffna district have been submitted to the Bank. These EAs will be the basis for identification, design, implementation and monitoring of appropriate environmental management of the project activities related with major irrigation schemes on case by case basis under Component 2. The EAs for Jaffna will be the basis for planning, design, implementation and monitoring of the project interventions in Jaffna and appropriate environmental management measures under Component 1. An environmental management framework for specific activities in Jaffna under the project, developed on the basis of the above EAs, is given in Annex Environmental Awareness building and skill development: Project will provide environmental awareness and skill development training to field level project staff, social mobilizers, community members too to carry out environmental screening, monitoring and incorporating appropriate mitigation measures during sub-project formulation and 12

13 execution. The training curriculum developed for NEIAP will be used with necessary adjustments and improvements for this purpose. During the initial needs assessment process to develop VRPs and VADPs, communities will be provided awareness on relevant (social and) environmental aspects. All project activities and subprojects that will be prepared on the basis of VRPs and VADPs will undergo environmental screening using the checklists (already available and used under NEIAP, see Annexes 2 through 5) by the communities as well as project implementing staff. The training manuals developed and used in the NEIAP will be used with minor modifications.. In addition specification of civil works contract documents will continue to include and enforce generic and activity specific clauses requiring environmental compliance in the execution of project s civil (ex. safe disposal of construction spoils and excavated waste material, treating earth borrow pits etc.). Provisions will be included in civil works cost estimates to undertake measures both for enhancing positive environmental impacts and mitigate/prevent negative effects. Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37) 31. Nature of dam safety assurance interventions of NEIAP II: As indicated earlier, the policy on Dam Safety will apply in NEIAP II only to ensure that the design and implementation of proposed dam safety improvements, rehabilitation activities and subsequent operation are carried out with due diligence adhering to best engineering practices, norms and standards. The project will not include provisions for creation of new reservoirs or dams. The project will not finance any investments to: raise dam embankment heights to increase the existing storage capacity of any of the major tanks; transfer water from the tanks outside the hydrological basin; or to augment the existing tank capacity through inter- or trans-basin diversions. Therefore, existing hydrological balance of the tanks will remain undisturbed. The project will only finance the rehabilitation of dilapidated and dysfunctional small and medium irrigation works and the urgent measures to improve stability of dam/embankments of selected major irrigation works in the project area. Embankments of all small and medium irrigation works are typically less than 15 m in height, while of a few major works are in between m. Even for the latter, the project investments will be targeted primarily to enhance structural safety of dams and related major structures. As indicated earlier, the policy on Dam Safety will apply to NEIAP II to ensure that the design and implementation of dam safety improvements, rehabilitation activities and subsequent operation are carried out with due diligence adhering to best engineering practices, norms and standards Dam safety risk assessment framework : The project will adopt all generic dam safety measures in the design and implementation of the rehabilitation and improvement works and in the preparation of O&M and emergency preparedness plans. To this end, a generic dam safety risk assessment framework has been developed for NEIAP II and it will be used for the design and implementation of dam safety interventions under Component 2 of the project in conjunction with the mitigation measures that arise out of the EAs carried out for each major irrigation scheme as mentioned in paragraph 27 above. The Dam safety risk assessment framework is in Annex 8. 13

14 31. Dam safety and risk assessment panel : The NEIAP II will appoint a dam safety and risk assessment panel consisting of competent professionals in hydrology, engineering geology, construction aspects, environmental management. A guideline for the Dam Safety Panel as well as for the staff of the key implementing agencies responsible engaged in the design, implementation and operation of the major dams is given in Annex Use of qualified and competent engineering staff: Project will employ full time irrigation and water resources engineers at the levels of project management unit (PMU) and district project offices to design, supervise, quality control of the rehabilitation of small and medium irrigation works. Manuals that are available with the Provincial/Central Irrigation Department and were used by the PMU for NEIAP will be used for the engineering designs of NEIAP II and these manuals are satisfactory. In addition, the PMU has developed a detailed design manual for the rehabilitation of ground water ponds in Jaffna (Reference: Rapid Assessment of NEIAP Interventions in Jaffna District, December 2003) and it is satisfactory. For the design of dam safety enhancement measures for major irrigation schemes the project will use the services of dam safety specialists. A dam safety and risk assessment panel, consisting local specialists from Irrigation Department and private sector, will guide and oversee construction and post-rehabilitation O&M. In addition, O&M plans will be developed for all irrigation works rehabilitated by the project and communities and project staff will be trained on basic managerial and technical skills required to carry out O&M after the rehabilitation. Emergency preparedness plans for potential flood and dam failure related events will be prepared for all major works. The district environmental officers fielded in each district will guide the PMU and District Project Management Units in the enforcement of Environmental Management Plan and its monitoring. 29. Quality Assurance of engineering works: The project will continue the initiatives of NEIAP to enhance the capacity of project engineers, technical staff, and community members for civil works construction quality assurance. It will provide training to engineers on civil works quality assurance and control (QA &QC) norms and measures, and employ independent audits to monitor the compliance on sample basis. A comprehensive QA &QC procedural and technical manual has been prepared and is being enforced under NEIAP. Project will provide financial assistance to the establishment of two regional civil engineering material testing and construction QA & QC laboratories in the project area to increase the capacity of the Borrower. More details of Dam Safety Assurance Plan is in Annex 5. Pest Management (OP 4.09) 30. Integrated Pest Management: The project will provide extension and technological support to farmers in small and medium irrigation schemes and limited pilot initiatives in selected major irrigation schemes to enhance agricultural production and productivity. The project will not finance or encourage the use of chemical pesticides and plant protection chemicals. However, consequent to some of the proposed project interventions, there is a potential of induced impacts of increased use of 14

15 agrochemicals, but the incremental use is not expected to create significant on site and off-site adverse impacts. Nevertheless, the project will be used as a vehicle to increase the environmental awareness related with agriculture and to promote environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The project developed a proposed IPM plan to promote integrated pest management as an integral component of its agricultural development activities (Annex 10). It will be implemented by the Provincial Agriculture Department in close coordination with the existing national and provincial pest management programs of the government. The IPM plan would include a generic inventory of NE specific pests and natural enemies, cultural practices, pest resistant crop varieties, and a strategy for sustainable pest management, plan for training of developing a cadre of trainers among agricultural extension staff and farmers, and budget and outputs of the training plan etc. Site specific IPMs will be implemented as integral components of project s agricultural development activities. 31. The project will finance the implementation of IPM plan. To complement this, the project will support the development of capacity of the provincial agriculture department to adopt IPM on a sustainable manner. In addition, the project will support the University of Jaffna to develop agricultural soil testing facilities. 32. Summary of the EMF of the project: Annex 1 shows a summary of the environmental management instruments and measures described above for easy reference of the project management unit and the implementing staff of the district project management units. E. GOSL Environmental Management Capacity 32 Government of Sri Lanka Environmental Regulations and Procedures: In 1981 GOSL passed the National Environmental Act (NEA) and in 1982, created the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) as a regulatory and enforcement agency. The CEA s statutory and enforcement powers were strengthened significantly in 1988, by an amendment to the NEA. A cabinet level ministry to handle the subject of environment was created in 1990, with the appointment of a Minister of Environment to ensure that environmental issues will be given the required attention. GOSL also developed the Environmental Protection License (EPL) Scheme, with the CEA as the enforcing agency, as a regulatory instrument to set industrial pollution standards and control their discharges. 33. Under provisions of Part IV C of the NEA No. 47 of 1980 as stipulated in Gazette (Extra Ordinary) No. 772/22 dated June 24, 1993 GOSL made Environmental Assessment (EA) a legal requirement for a range of development projects. The list of projects requiring an EA are prescribed in the above Gazette notification. In addition, the Gazette notification includes a list of line ministries and agencies that are designated as Project Approving Agencies (PAA). With the change of government in August 1994, and the resulting re-allocation of Ministries, a new list of PAAs were specified under subject area rather than with the name of the Ministry, as listed originally in Gazette (Extra Ordinary) No. 859/14 dated February 13,

16 34. The prescribed projects list is composed of 3 parts. Part I has a list of activities that have been identified based on its potential to create adverse environmental impacts as a result of its magnitude. Some examples relevant to this project are: (a) All river basin development and irrigation projects excluding minor irrigation works; (b) Reclamation of land or wetlands exceeding 4 ha; (c) All ground water extraction projects of capacity exceeding 0.5 million cubic meters per day; etc. No sub-projects that fall within this category, will be eligible for funding under this Project. Part II comprises a list of industrial activities that require EA clearance regardless of magnitude or location. Examples are (i) Iron and steel; (ii) Non ferrous basic metal; (iii) Tanneries and leather finishing, etc. Once again, no activity that falls into this category, will be eligible for funding under the Project. Part III identifies a list of environmentally sensitive areas that require EA clearance regardless to the magnitude of the activity. Examples are (i) Within 100 meters form the boundaries of or within any area declared as a sanctuary under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance; (ii) 60 meters from the bank of a public stream as defined in the Crown Lands Ordinance (Chapter 454) and having a width of more than 25 meters at any point in its course; (iii) Any archeological reserve, ancient or protected monument as defined or declared under the Antiquities Ordinance (Chapter 188), etc. While the likelihood is small, there is a possibility that some sub-project activities may fall under this category. Any sub-project activity to be funded under this project that falls within Part III of the list of prescribed projects will be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). 35. According to GOSL procedure, all prescribed development activities listed in Gazette (Extraordinary Ordinary) No. 772/22 dated June 24, 1993 require environmental clearance. In order to obtain such clearance, the project proponent has to fill in a Basic Environmental Information Questionnaire. The questionnaire requires information from the project proponent to enable the CEA to determine the level of environmental analysis required prior to providing approval for the project. Upon reviewing the questionnaire, the CEA determines whether the project requires an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), or an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). No. 772/22 dated June 24, GOSL Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure: In the event that an EIA is required, the PAA in consultation with CEA, is responsible for subjecting the preliminary information to environmental scoping, in order to set the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the EIA. The TOR is prepared by a Technical Committee (TC) comprising experts in the relevant field, appointed by the PAA. In developing the TOR, the regulations provide for the PAA to consider the views of state agencies and the public Upon submission of the EIA by the proponent, the PAA is required to determine whether issues referred to in the TOR have been addressed and notify the proponent of any inadequacies within 14 days. In the event any inadequacies are identified, the proponent is required to make necessary amendments and resubmit the report. Once accepted, in addition to the EIA being forwarded to the CEA by the PAA, notice is also placed in the Government Gazette and in a national newspaper published daily in Sinhalese, Tamil and English languages inviting the public to make written comments, if 16