Greater Amman Municipality

Transcription

1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized ECO Consult Municipal Solid Waste Management & Carbon Finance in Amman Greater Amman Municipality Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Final Draft of Environmental & Social Impact Statement (ESIS) Prepared by: May Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

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3 ECO Consult Executive Summary Introduction In 2006 the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) initiated the preparation of a new investment project to enhance the existing conditions of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Amman. The project included the construction of new cells at the existing landfill site at Ghabawi and the construction of a Leachate Treatment Plant. However, the construction activities were delayed and the environmental conditions at the landfill continued to be at risk. As a consequence, GAM requested financial and technical assistance from the World Bank to prepare and implement an Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management Project in which ECO Consult has been commissioned to carry out a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) according to Jordanian regulations and World Bank requirements. The development objective of the proposed project is to strengthen the operational, financial, and environmental performance of municipal solid waste management in Amman. More specifically, the project will help: (i) environmentally upgrade and expand the existing municipal solid waste landfill to meet the city s disposal needs up to 2014 and generate green electricity while mitigating GHGs; and (ii) improve the cost effectiveness of the existing municipal solid waste collection and transport system, improve overall cost recovery, and encourage the private sector participation in municipal solid waste management. The project s objectives will be achieved through two main components: 1. Institutional strengthening and capacity development of GAM 2. Investment component: 2.1 : Landfill construction and upgrade of leachate treatment facility 2.2: Construction of two transfer stations 2.3: Construction of an LFG recovery system Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

4 ECO Consult Location of the Existing Transfer Stations and the Ghabawi Landfill ESIA Objectives The objectives of the ESIA include the assessment of the collection and transfer existing conditions and the assessment of the environmental baseline conditions at the landfill site. The proposed enhancement actions and feasible alternatives were investigated in order to identify foreseeable environment impacts, and to evaluate their relative significance. Mitigation measures were developed for the negative impacts during construction and operation of the project components. Additionally, an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan has been designed to ensure the implementation of mitigation and monitoring measures. EIA Methodology To carry out the ESIA Study, several approaches and processes were applied individually and collectively. The study extended over 3 months and involved several visits to the Ghabawi Landfill and the existing transfer stations, in addition to meetings with Solid Waste Management representatives, the consulting company who is carrying out the Feasibility Study for the project, Cabinet Merlin, and the World Bank. A Scoping Session was held in early February, and comments from this were taken into consideration during the assessment. Site monitoring and laboratory analysis techniques were employed for air quality monitoring, surface water and biodiversity at the landfill site and its surroundings. Leachate and groundwater samples were taken and analyzed to examine the pollution levels and extents from the uncontrolled leachate generation around Cell 1 resulting from malfunction of the leachate collection system. Project Description The fulfilment of GAM S objective of enhancing Municipal Solid Waste Management includes strategic planning, policy-setting and regulations, in addition to increasing the private sector participation involved in Municipal Solid Waste services provision. As a result of discussions carried out between GAM and the World Bank, the project components as defined for this study are: (i) Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development, which includes strategic planning and Private Sector Participation; development of information systems to track the performance of the MSWM services; public information, education and communication program, in addition to training and capacity development in the CDM; (ii) Infrastructure Investment, including the landfill construction and upgrading of the leachate treatment, construction of two new transfer stations and construction of the landfill gas recovery system; (iii) a project management component. Legal and Institutional Framework An overview of the key environmental, health & safety and planning legislation and regulations of relevance to each project component were taken into account during the ESIA. The environmental regulatory context for Solid Waste Management including laws, regulations and standards are also described in the Legal Section. The most relevant regulations considered during the assessment and the development of mitigation and monitoring measures are the Solid Waste Management Regulation No. 27/2005, the Environment Protection Law No , the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation No , the Ambient Air Quality Standards JS 1140/2006, the Maximum Allowable Limits of Air Pollution Emitted from Stationary Sources JS , Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

5 ECO Consult the Groundwater Control Regulation No. 85/2002 and the Labour Law No , regarding occupational health, work and injuries and occupational diseases. Based on these regulations, a control framework has been established to guarantee that the minimum standards for groundwater, air, health & safety for residents and SW workers are established as well as the protection of the environmental resources potentially affected by the project is ensured. Additionally, the Decree (12) of 1987, commonly referred to as the Land Acquisition Law, has been taken into consideration as it is the Regulation that applies in all cases of land acquisition in the Kingdom, which will be potentially happening for the construction of the new transfer stations. However, this regulation has been described more in detail in the Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) for the Ghabawi Landfill and the Transfer Stations Report. In addition, the international conventions governing the conservation of biodiversity and the control of greenhouse gases emissions have been considered, and their relevance to each of the components assessed. Finally, a revision of the institutions and ministries directly related to the environmental issues associated with the project was conducted to identify and furthermore, recommend, institutional strengthening and capacity building development. Consultation and Public Disclosure A Scoping and Consultation Session with the stakeholders and the government agencies was held on February 5", The project was presented in the Scoping Session and the opinions and main issues discussed were recorded. Moreover, a list with issues included in the GAMiWorld Bank Terms of Reference together with the scoping discussions related to these items, and the final list of issues included in the Scoping Report were identified and addressed in this ESIA. As required by the World Bank Operational Policies, a second consultation session will be held at a later date in which all main findings and recommendations included in this ESIA will be presented to the public. During this session, various affected stakeholders will be invited once again in order to review and provide feedback on the Environmental & Social Impact Statement (ESIS) draft report and the Resettlement Policy Framework, both to be mmade available in Arabic in a form understandable to the general public. The comments and concerns raised will be then included in the final ESIS report. In addition, further consultation has also been requested by the World Bank once the final sites of the two proposed transfer stations are identified. Once the locations are identified and approved, consultations in the form of a series of Focus Group Discussions and Structured Interviews will be organized with specifically identified key stakeholders in the surrounding communities. Description of Baseline Environment An assessment of the existing conditions related to Solid Waste Management in Amman, including an assessment of the baseline environment at Ghabawi Landfill, was conducted. Regarding the existing conditions of cleaning, collection services and the transfer stations, there is a significant need of improving the management of all departments involved as well as a more efficient repartition of equipment and manpower. A large amount of equipment and vehicles used for solid waste collection and transfer are old and in bad conditions. In addition, the frequency of containers and vehicles cleaning is insufficient, which results in risks to workers and general public's health and safety. Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

6 ECO Consult Currently, there are only two cells constructed at the landfill: Cell 1, which has been operational since 2003 and whose maximum capacity has significantly been exceeded, and Cell 2, which will start being operational shortly. Both cells were constructed based on Cabinet Merlin Feasibility Study conducted in 2002 but some changes were made by the contractor, which have resulted in a poor landfill gas and leachate management. As part of the leachate management actions undertaken during the uncontrolled leachate generation, 3 emergency ponds were constructed to dispose of the leachate discharged out from various locations of Cell 1. In addition, 3 evaporation ponds have recently been constructed to become part of a proposed Leachate Treatment Plant, which has not been constructed and has been integrated into the current proposed project.!! Panoramic View of Ghabawi Landfill Source: CM's Feasibility Study The key environmental issues addressed at the landfill site are the potential effects of landfill gases generated on the ambient air quality and the possible risks of groundwater contamination from leachate. Landfill gases generated from waste degradation under bacterial activity, is composed typically of CH4, COz, ammonia, sulfides and volatile organic compounds. This is released to the air in large quantities, partly due to the low amounts of covering in the cell. Moreover, high amounts of leachate are released as a consequence of the cell's collection system malfunctioning, and exceedance of the cell's disposal capacity. An assessment of these two parameters has been carried out and the results showed that, on the contrary to what was expected, the risk of groundwater contamination is not high and the air quality parameters measured do not exceed the maximum levels established under Jordanian regulations. The landfill site is located in a dry area with no permanent water bodies. Therefore, the risk of polluting the surface water is unlikely to be significant. With regards to biodiversity, there are no rare species in the area that might be under risk. Under the current conditions, public health and safety at the collection points, the surroundings of the transfer stations and workers may be at some risk from direct contact with solid waste. Impacts Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

7 ECO Consult There are significant environmental, socio-economic and financial benefits anticipated as a result of the MSWM Project such as improvement of health & safety conditions for workers and nearby residents to transfer stations and the landfill; reduction of traffic to Ghabawi Landfill and therefore, reduction of C02 emissions; reduction of odour emissions and potential threats to the soil, sub-soil and groundwater at the landfill site by treating the leachate; reduction of GHG and LFG emissions by collecting and treating the LFG; reduction on operation costs by minimizing the consumption of fossil fuels; creation of revenues from LFG emissions reduction (CERs) and power sales to the grid, in addition to potential economic benefits for waste pickers. There is however some potential negative impacts on the environmental and socio-economic conditions anticipated during construction and operation phases of the project components (transfer stations, new cell, leachate treatment and LFG facilities at the landfill), and for which mitigation measures are proposed in the attached table., The most significant potential impact relates to the exposure of workers to particles and gases emissions as well as handling machinery. Moreover, several temporary impacts, unlikely to be significant, relate to noise nuisance, increased traffic volumes in the surroundings of the construction works, potential disruption of the existing biodiversity and unfound archaeological sites, in addition to increased dust and particle emissions. During the implementation and operation of the different project components significant impacts have also been described with regard to the health and safety conditions of waste pickers at the new transfer stations and the landfill; groundwater pollution from uncontrolled leachate generation and consequently, increase of odours at the landfill and surrounding areas; potential contamination of soil, sub-soil and groundwater from using leachate concrete manholes inside the waste body, undetected liner leakage and un-experienced operational staff; increase of LFG and GHG generation before the LFG to Energy Plant is operational by increasing the landfill capacity, as well as from the proposed leachate treatment; increase of LFG pollution at the landfill area from fugitive emissions and risk of diseases transmissions from vectors on landfill nearby residents among others. A socio-economic assessment/survey will be carried out during the initial stages of implementation to obtain more accurate information about the waste pickers particularly at the source. It is important to establish channels of communication with this group, which represents the poorest section of the population. Analysis of Alternatives The key alternatives considered as part of this assessment include: Waste management alternatives such as centralization and decentralization of landfill in several areas of GAM, with the conclusion that the current management option of centralization, given the generally low capacity of local authorities outside Amman, their small budgets, and the lack of experienced engineering staff in the Solid Waste Management sector, represents the best approach 2. Involvement of the private sector in cleaning and collection, waste transfer and landfill operations could create incentives to better performance, and could produce a better managed site, and reduce negative impacts on the environment. 3. In addition, strategic treatment activities at the landfill were examined. The no-project scenario would result in continuing with the current negative environmental consequences at Ghabawi. Mitigation and Monitoring Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

8 ECO Consult Some of the mitigation and monitoring measures are already taken into consideration at the design stage. Others represent tasks that must be carried out during construction and must be included in the contractors contracts while other measures would have to be implemented during the operational phase. Health and Safety Plans have been recommended to ensure the maximum protection to workers participating in collection, transfer and landfill activities. Periodic inspections to guarantee the correct operation of all proposed project activities would need to be implemented. For the key environmental issues mentioned above, groundwater and ambient air quality, specific monitoring programs have been proposed to monitor the leachate flow and soil penetration to ensure that no contamination is occurring and that the levels of landfill gases generated do not exceed the maximum permissible levels as specified under Jordanian regulations and international standards: 0 Groundwater Monitoring Program. 0 Leachate Quality Assessment. 0 Air Quality Monitoring Program. Additionally, an Emergency Action Plan including measures for fire control has been recommended. For the new transfer stations whose location is still pending to be identified, a Site Suitability Study has been undertaken, along with the project s feasibility study, to identify and evaluate potential sites for the construction of the 2 new proposed transfer stations. iste suitability criteria have been defined to comply, inter-alia, with sanitary and environmental standards:.location of the land: not within the vicinity of the existing transfer stations or landfill. ownership of the land: owned by either the municipalities or the government, and preferably designated as industrial according to GAM zoning plan - topography: construction of new transfer stations should not impact the natural terrain of the area - environmental: the following environmental elements such as groundwater, flora and fauna, prevailing winds will be be taken into consideration when deciding on the most suitable locations. social: not to be located in close proximity of residential areas; and should not impose a disproportionate burden upon-low-income or minority communities Institutional Strengthening and Compliance SWM operations should be more clearly organized to separate the different functions of i) service provision, ii) monitoring, and iii) regulatory enforcement. Some internal reorganization of responsibilities within GAM is therefore recommended. There are a number of ways to improve the situation. One approach could include developing an internal market to pass on incentives from the frontline provider to the support providers. An alternative approach is to re-organize internally in order to improve the process efficiency and avoid redundancy and overlap of responsibilities. However, a fuller institutional analysis is required to define the best approach to be adopted. GAM must consider this and take a view as to how to streamline its operations. The study recommends the creation of an operational management unit within GAM which would coordinate the actions and final decisions to be implemented by all departments involved in SWM, including the service support departments. The 27 Districts should be Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

9 ECO Consult considered beneficiaries of the S W M services provided by the Cleanliness and Environment Department (in the short term), and by private companies (in the longer term). The Districts should act as the service recipients, and report all failures and weaknesses in the performance of the services that should be forwarded to the PMU. GAM could then design an internal system of performance monitoring, involving the Districts, whereby feedback is given to the operational management about the performance of the service. Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Implementation Schedule All the mitigation and monitoring measures proposed as above mentioned have been defined for each of the construction and operation phases, and synthesized into a Construction Environmental Management Plan and an Operation Environmental Management Plan. The different entities responsible for various aspects of the project and Solid Waste Management have been defined and the specific role of each of them clarified, in order to set out the responsibilities of each entity. The design and construction of all cleaning and collection activities, in addition to the transfer stations and the landfill activities, except for those related to landfill gas, would be the responsibility of the private sector contractor. whose performance will be monitored by the Health and Environment Department of GAM. All activities related to landfill gases, including operation of the plant, would be undertaken by another private sector entity. Additionally, a Project Management Unit (PMU) has been defined, to be in charge of the management of the project. This Unit should coordinate with the various GAM departments the implementation of all Solid Waste Management activities and supervise all technical, fiduciary and environmental project related matters. The following table includes a summary of the EMP including the implementation schedule for the actions proposed. All costs will be confirmed in the final EMP. Municipal SWM & Carbon Finance Final Draft ESIS, April

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