PREPARATORY STUDY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDY 1. Project Title The study on improvement of planning capability in sewerage sector in Malaysia 2. Type of the Study Study on improvement of planning capability in sewerage through the preparation of manual and revision of guidelines for sewerage plan, and trial application studies for the evaluation of the manual and guidelines 3. Categorization and Its Reason B (Provisional) Environmental category is not clear at this time because the exact locations of trials are not authorized. It is expected that sewerage plans to be prepared in the trial application studies may be have possibility to cause offensive odour from treatment plants, untreated wastewater discharge without the sludge removal during blackout, noise and vibration during construction. 4. Agency Responsible for Implementation of the Project Sewerage Services Department (SSD) of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications has responsibility for the whole project. On the trial application, SSD has responsibility for trial studies on peninsular Malaysia. On Kota Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu City (DBKK) has responsible for a trial application study. 5. Outlines of the Project (1) Background of the Study In urbanized areas of Malaysia, private developers are obligated to provide sewerage facilities including treatment to serve the area being developed. After completion the facilities are transferred to the government, and the national company Indah Water Konsortium Sd. Bhd. (hereinafter referred to as IWK ) provides operation and maintenance (O&M) services of the sewerage facilities taken over by government. Currently, there are about 8,000 existing treatment plants covering those areas developed by the private sector as well as those older plants previously managed by the local authorities. These facilities comprise a wide range of capacities and treatment processes, and the wide diversity of the facilities complicates the O&M process. Consequently, a large proportion of the treated wastewater does not meet the effluent discharge standards, and a large amount of investment - 1 -
is needed for efficient refurbishment of the existing facilities. Moreover, since the sewerage charge to the user is low, there is insufficient revenue to enable IWK to provide the required level of O & M, and financial shortfalls have to be subsidized by government. As a result of the continuing poor performance and the institutional constraints of the current sewerage sector, there have been a number of reviews carried out to evaluate changes to the sewerage sector that will enable the service to be improved and made financially sustainable. The Sewerage Service Department (hereinafter referred to as SSD ) under the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communication (hereinafter referred to as MEWC ), is responsible for sewerage policy, strategy, and planning formulation of the country and has been involved in reviewing/evaluating catchment strategies, including developing priorities for inclusion in the national five-year plan. Following from the recommendations of recent institutional reviews, that also included a review of the capacity and effectiveness of SSD, major changes have been proposed and are now being implemented. The National Water Services Commission (hereinafter referred to as SPAN ) Act and the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA2006) were approved in August 2006 and SPAN has was established under the jurisdiction of the MEMC in January 2007. In order to assist in the ongoing sector review, the Malaysian Government requested the Japanese Government to carry out a development study. In response to this request, JICA dispatched a preliminary study team in August 2006, with a second preliminary survey team in November of the same year, and the Scope of Work was signed in February, 2007. (2) Objectives To strengthen the sewerage planning capability of Sewerage Services Department in Malaysia and related agencies through the following interventions: To prepare a manual for reviewing/evaluation/prioritizing catchment strategies and sewerage projects To revise the Guidelines for Developers Vol.1 and Vol.4 (Section 4 and 5, only concerning sludge treatment and disposal) To recommend measures for the improvement of planning capability in the sewerage sector in Malaysia To evaluate the effectiveness of the manual and guidelines prepared in this JICA project, the trial for the manual and guidelines will be conducted at the following three places. In these trials IEE will be conducted. 1) Upper Langat (for manual) 2) Kota Kinabalu (for guidelines) 3) Ipoh (for guidelines) - 2 -
The results of these trials will be reflected in the environmental and social consideration aspects of the manual and guidelines. (3) Justification of the Project In urbanized areas of Malaysia, private developers are obligated to provide sewerage facilities including private systems, individual septic tanks, etc. to serve the area being developed. After completion of facilities, these are transferred to the Government and the national company, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd. (hereinafter referred to as IWK ) provides operation and maintenance (O&M) services of the sewerage facilities taken over by the Government. Currently, there are more than 8,000 existing treatment plants. These facilities comprise a wide range of capacities and treatment processes, and the wide diversity of the facilities complicates the O&M process. Consequently, a large proportion of the treated wastewater does not meet the effluent discharge standards. To overcome the effluent difficulties, the centralization and rationalization to reduce the number of sewerage facilities are important. Since the concept of centralization and rationalization is a part of planning, the improvement of planning capability through the revising the guidelines and making manual is necessary to improve this sewerage situation in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was conducted to improve the planning capability. (4) Location The following three places are selected for conducting the trials for the manual and revised guidelines. 1) Upper Langat (for manual) 2) Kota Kinabalu (for guidelines) 3) Ipoh (for guidelines) (5) Proposed Activities 1) Preparation of a manual for reviewing/evaluation/prioritizing catchment strategies and sewerage projects 2) Revision of the Guidelines for Developers Vol.1 and Vol.4 (Section 4 and 5, only concerning sludge treatment and disposal) 3) Trials using the manual and guidelines 4) Improvement and finalization of the manual and guidelines - 3 -
(6) Scope of the Trials 1) Trial for the manual Upper Langat is selected as a trial area for the manual which deals with the reviewing/evaluation/ prioritizing catchment strategies and sewerage projects. In this trial application, the proposals for new sewerage treatment plants, pumping stations and the expansion and installation of sewers are expected. 2) Trials for guidelines The guidelines are applied for making new catchment strategies and projects in Kota Kinabalu and for reviewing existing catchment strategies and projects in Ipoh. The guidelines deal with rough sewerage plan prior to the making the master plan of sewerage system. In these this trials for new sewerage treatment plants, pumping stations and the expansion and installation sewers are expected. 6. Description of the Trial application Site The trial application sites are shown in Fig. 1. (1) Upper Langat The exact trial location in Upper Langat is not authorized yet. The general outlines of Upper Langat are following. Upper Langat is located at the southeast of Kuala Lumpur. The region has been targeted for significant development in the recent years. The complementation of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has formed. Implementation of the Government Administrative Centre for Malaysia at Putrajaya and the Information Technology City know as Cyberjaya have also commenced. The topography of the study area is generally flat and low-lying, with elevations not exceeding 20m above sea level over a large extent. (2) Kota Kinabalu The exact location in Kota Kinabalu is not authorized yet. The general outlines are following. Kota Kinabalu, is the capital of the Malaysian State of Sabah occupying the northern part of the land of Borneo which incidentally was called North Borneo before the State gained its independence from the British and joined Malaysia in 1963. Kota Kinabalu is also currently the one and only local authority in the State that is a city. It thus come under the jurisdiction of the Chief Ministers Department even though its Town Planning roles still remains under the control - 4 -
Ipoh Kota Kinabalu Upper Langat Figure 1 Location of Trial Places - 5 -
of the Minister of Local Government and Housing under the Town and Country Planning Ordinance Sabah. Kota Kinabalu is located on the west coast of Sabah. The city lies on a narrow flatland, being enveloped by the mountains known as the Crocker Range in the east, and by the South China Sea in the west. The city itself contains several hills which are mostly covered with tropical rainforest. The flat areas are mostly built up commercial, industrial or residential areas. The northeast part of the city around Likas Bay used to contain an extensive mangrove forest, but most of it has disappeared (following the development of the Likas Sprots Complex) leaving only a 10 hectare sanctuary designated as Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary in 2000. Kota Kinabalu s Central Business District (CBD) is located on a narrow strip of land bordered by Signal Hill and the sea. Because of swampy ground where the land is relatively flat and steep slopes where lands are hilly, most of the CSD had to be built on reclaimed land. The climate of Kota Kinabalu can be characterised as tropical monsoon, marked by high a degree of humidity, and high rainfall alternating with lesser periods of dry spells. Temperatures generally range from 21 to 29 degree Celsius. Average annual rainfall is of the order of 2540 mm. Most intense rainfalls occur from December to February. Recently the population growth and urbanization and industrial development have been particularly rapid. The Kota Kinabalu District population grew from 60,382 in 1970 to 108,725 in 1980 to 209,175 in 1991 and 355,435 in year 2000. (3) Ipoh Ipoh is the capital city of Perak State and one of the fastest growing cities in Malaysia. The city was founded on mining and much of the city s area has been the site of open cast tin mines. However over the past 20 years most of the mines have closed and reclamation and development of ex-mining lands are well under way. Ipoh is located in a generally flattish valley sited between high limestone hills. The land falls towards the south. The valley bottom has a number of isolated limestone pinnacles and ridges rising up to several hundred feet from the valley floor. The Sungai Kinta flows north to south through the centre of Ipoh. Historically Ipoh developed around the railway, with the commercial centre near to the railway station and industry to the north and south, also adjacent to the railway. The other main axia of older development is the road to Tambun, bordered by low density housing, government and military areas, and educational institutions. Tin mining took place over much of undeveloped area. Over the past 10 years major, new highways have been constructed around Ipoh. They run around the eastern side of Ipoh from Pulai in the south east, to the north of Jelapang to the north - 6 -
of Ipoh. The airport is sited 2 km south of the city centre and includes a military base. The city s development then moved outwards with extensive development in Bercham, Gunung Rapat, and between the centre and airport. The population of Ipoh recently increases from 468,765 in 1991 (census data) to 574,041 in 2000 (Census data). - 7 -
7. Legal Frame (1) Laws and Regulations 1) Environmental Quality Act, 1974 This act requires the person intending to carry out any prescribed activity to submit the report on the impact on the environment. 2) Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act, 1985 3) Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act, 1996 4) Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act, 1998 5) Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act, 2001 6) Environmental Quality (Sewerage and Industrial Effluents) Regulations, 1979 7) Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order, 1987 This order describes the prescribed activities. The prescribed activities on sewerage are described on Schedule 18 (c) as follows. (c) Municipal Sewerage i) Construction of wastewater treatment plant. ii) Construction of marine outfall. According to this order, this JICA Study conducts the planning of Sewerage System which does not include the construction of any facilities. Therefore, this trial application studies are not required to submit the report on the impact on environment on the Malaysian Environmental Act. 8) Malaysian Standard 1228, 1991 This code of practice deals with the planning design, construction and installation and testing of sewerage system. 9) Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines This handbook describes the normalized project planning sequence. Public participation and information disclosure on the detailed assessment stage are required. The following figure shows the relationship between the JICA Study and Malaysian project planning sequence. The trial application studies conducted in the JICA Study are the upper planning than Malaysian project planning required to do environmental impact assessment. Therefore, these trial application studies are not subject to Malaysian EIA process. - 8 -
JICA Study Catchment Plan (CP) (Trial) Guidelines Prioritization of CP (Trial) Manual Malaysian Project Planning Sequence (Technical and Economical Project Planning) (Environmental Project Planning) Identification Projects Pre-Feasibility Study Preliminary Assesment Project Re-appraisal Detailed Assesment Feasibility Study Review Project Re-appraisal Project Implementation Environmental Monitoring and Auditing Figure 2 JICA Trial Application Study and Malaysian Project Planning Sequence - 9 -
(2) Relatives Agencies Ministry of Environment State of Environment National Development Planning Committee State Executive Council for State Government sponsored projects Regional Development Authorities with respect to planning approval Ministry of International Trade and Industry for industrial projects 8. Alternatives Including Without Project Option Upper Langat, Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh Proposal for new sewerage treatment facilities will be considered as alternative plan as well as utilization of the existing on- site sanitation facilities such as septic tank. However, treated effluent discharger from septic tanks having low treatment ability is one of the causes to pollute the rivers and overflow of the effluent to the surface could be annoyed to the inhabitants, so that new sewerage facilities are expected. 9. Procedure of Environmental and Social Consideration Following figure shows the schedule of the JICA Study and the process of environmental and social considerations. In the 1 st and 2 nd phase part 1, the Manual and guidelines will be made, and in the 2 nd phase part 2 trials for manual and guidelines will be conducted. In the end of the 3 nd phase the results of trials will be used for the finalizing and refurbishment of the manual and guidelines. Stakeholder meeting will be held on the prior to Draft Final Report in the 3 rd phase. - 10 -
1st Phase Part1 (Mar2007) Collection and Analysis of the Existing Data Preparation of Inception Report Study Outputs Inception Report Environmental and Social Considerlations Review Report to JICA 2nd Phase Part1 (Apr-Sep 2007) Sewerage sector analysis Selection of trial area Draft manual for prioritizing catchment plan Draft revised Guidelines for catchment plans Progress Report (1) 1) Draft Scoping for Priority Plan and Catchment Plan 2nd Phase Part 2 (Nov-Aug 2008) Contact with local consultants Trial application of draft manual & revised guideline Improvement of draft manual & Revised Guideline Interim Report Progress Report (2) 2) Rough Outline of Environmental Social Considerations 3rd Phase (Sep-Nov 2008) Finalization of manual and revised Guidelines Recommendations for planning capability Recommendations for Manual Feedback Environmental aspects Draft Final Report 3) Draft Final Report for priority plan and cathment plan Preparation of Final Report Final Report Figure 3 Processes of Environmental and Social Considerations - 11 -
10. Scoping of Environmental and Social Impact Study 1) Location Upper Langat (Trial for Manual) Environmental category is considered as B because some impacts of construction and operation of sewerage systems such as on offensive odour from treatment plants, untreated wastewater discharge without the sludge removal during blackout, noise and vibration during construction are expected. Table 1 Scoping Checklist for Upper Langat Environmental Items Evaluation Reason 1 Resettlement C Land acquisition for expanding sewerage treatment plants may be necessary depending on the Catchment Strategy. Some proposed sites will be acquired from the local community. 2 Local Economy such as employment C Ditto. and livelihood 3 Existing social infrastructures and services B Traffic congestion during the construction period may be prospected. 4 Land use and utilization of local D No impact is expected. resources 5 Cultural Property D No impact is expected. 6 Water Rights and Rights of Common D Water rights problem is not expected. 7 Public Health Condition D (Positive impact is expected.) 8 Waste B Treatment of sludge may be necessary. 9 Hazards (Risk) D No large scale construction is expected. 10 Topography and geology D No large scale construction is expected. 11 Soil erosion D No large scale construction is expected. 12 Groundwater During the excavating work, pumping up groundwater may be C expected in order to lower groundwater level. 13 Lake/River D No significant impact. 14 Sea/Coastal zone D There is no sea and costarl zone. 15 Flora and Fauna D No conservation areas around the site 16 Climate D No large scale construction is expected 17 Landscape D No large scale construction is expected 18 Air pollution D No impact is expected 19 Water contamination D No impact is expected 20 Soil contamination D No impact is expected 21 Noise and vibration Hindrance and vibration during the construction period are B expected. 22 Offensive odor C Offensive odor may cause from a discharge point. Reference: Environmental Guidelines for Infrastructure Projects, JICA, 1992 (some modifications) Note: Evaluation classification A: Expected serious impact B: Expected somewhat impact C: Not clear D: IEE or EIA is not necessary (no expected impact) - 12 -
2) Locaton Kota Kinabalu (Trial for Guideline) B as Environmental category is expected because some impacts of construction and operation of sewerage systems on factors like land acquisition and offensive odour from treatment plants, untreated wastewater discharge without the sludge removal, noise and vibration during construction are assumed. Also, the bird sanctuary exists near the coast of Kota Kinabalu. Table 2 Scoping Checklist for Kota Kinabalu Environmental Items Evaluation Reason 1 Resettlement C Land acquisition for expanding sewerage treatment plants may be necessary depending on the Catchment Strategy. Some proposed sites will be acquired from the local community. 2 Local Economy such as employment C Ditto. and livelihood 3 Existing social infrastructures and services B Traffic congestion during the construction period may be prospected. 4 Land use and utilization of local D No impact is expected. resources 5 Cultural Property D No impact is expected. 6 Water Rights and Rights of Common D Water rights problem is not expected. 7 Public Health Condition D (Positive impact is expected.) 8 Waste B Treatment of sludge may be necessary. 9 Hazards (Risk) D No large scale construction is expected. 10 Topography and geology D No large scale construction is expected. 11 Soil erosion D No large scale construction is expected. 12 Groundwater During the excavating work, pumping up groundwater may be C expected in order to lower groundwater level. 13 Lake/River D No significant impact. 14 Sea/Coastal zone B Mangrove forest designated as Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary exists. The treatment of sewage is positive effect for mangrove, but the negative effect of the discharge of collected treated water on the discharge point is expected. The discharge point may be necessary to be constructed away from sanctuary. 15 Flora and Fauna B 10 hectare sanctuary designated as Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary exits near coast. The discharge point may be necessary to be constructed away from sanctuary. 16 Climate D No large scale construction is expected 17 Landscape D No large scale construction is expected 18 Air pollution D No impact is expected 19 Water contamination D No impact is expected 20 Soil contamination D No impact is expected 21 Noise and vibration Hindrance and vibration during the construction period are B expected. 22 Offensive odor C Offensive odor may cause from a discharge point. Reference: Environmental Guidelines for Infrastructure Projects, JICA, 1992 (some modifications) - 13 -
Note: Evaluation classification A: Expected serious impact B: Expected somewhat impact C: Not clear D: IEE or EIA is not necessary (no expected impact) 3) Location Ipoh (Trial for guideline) B as Environmental category is expected because some impacts of construction and operation of sewerage systems on factors like land acquisition and offensive odour from treatment plants, untreated wastewater discharge without the sludge removal, noise and vibration during construction are assumed. Table 3 Scoping Checklist for Ipoh Environmental Items Evaluation Reason 1 Resettlement C Land acquisition for expanding sewerage treatment plants may be necessary depending on the Catchment Strategy. Some proposed sites will be acquired from the local community. 2 Local Economy such as employment C Ditto. and livelihood 3 Existing social infrastructures and services B Traffic congestion during the construction period may be prospected. 4 Land use and utilization of local D No impact is expected. resources 5 Cultural Property D No impact is expected. 6 Water Rights and Rights of Common D Water rights problem is not expected. 7 Public Health Condition D (Positive impact is expected.) 8 Waste B Treatment of sludge may be necessary. 9 Hazards (Risk) D No large scale construction is expected. 10 Topography and geology D No large scale construction is expected. 11 Soil erosion D No large scale construction is expected. 12 Groundwater During the excavating work, pumping up groundwater may be C expected in order to lower groundwater level. 13 Lake/River D No significant impact. 14 Sea/Coastal zone D There is no sea and costarl zone. 15 Flora and Fauna D No conservation areas around the site 16 Climate D No large scale construction is expected 17 Landscape D No large scale construction is expected 18 Air pollution D No impact is expected 19 Water contamination D No impact is expected 20 Soil contamination D No impact is expected 21 Noise and vibration Hindrance and vibration during the construction period are B expected. 22 Offensive odor C Offensive odor may cause from a discharge point. Reference: Environmental Guidelines for Infrastructure Projects, JICA, 1992 (some modifications) - 14 -
Note: Evaluation classification A: Expected serious impact B: Expected somewhat impact C: Not clear D: IEE or EIA is not necessary (no expected impact) - 15 -