OBJECTIVE
To reduce risk and damage from landslides through the implementation of mitigation measures and enhancement of policy and regulation associated with landslide management, and to enhance the capacity of Sri Lanka to respond to the urgent medical needs. [The second part of the objective to address urgent medical needs is added through the project change in June 2022].
DESCRIPTION
The Project consists of five components:
1. Implementation of landslide mitigation measures, including field investigation, detailed designs, construction and supervision/management of civil works implementation to mitigate landslide risk in landslide-prone sites;
2. Strengthening of policy, standards and institutional capacity related to landslide risk;
3. Provision of essential facilities and laboratory equipment;
4. Technical support and project management; and
5. Emergency health [This component is added through the project change in June 2022].
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION
AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy (ESP 2019), including the Environment and Social Standards (ESSs), applies to the proposed project. In accordance with the ESP, the Project has been classified as Category B, considering that: (i) the general environmental and social (E&S) impacts of the landslide mitigation works are localized, and the impacts are not irreversible; (ii) there are mature engineering technologies for mitigation and protection; (iii) there is solid in-house expertise and management capacity for environmental and social issues in the National Building Research Organization (NBRO); and (iv) NBRO has experience working on similar projects funded by the national government and other MDBs.
The main environmental and social risks anticipated include (i) environmental impacts occurring during construction; and (ii) potential land acquisition and resettlement impacts during project implementation. To mitigate these risks, NBRO prepared an Environmental and Social Management Planning Framework (ESMPF) and a Social Management and Resettlement Planning Framework (SMRPF) for the entire Project. ESMPF and the SMRPF, in English and in the national languages (Sinhala and Tamil), were disclosed on November 16, 2018 on the NBRO’s website (see this link) and on November 22 2018 on AIIB’s website (see this link). Additionally, site specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) for the Phase I (24 sites) have been prepared and disclosed, in English, Sinhala and Tamil on NBRO’s (see this link) website. For the Phase II (about 76 sites), most of the ESMPs have been completed and disclosed, in English (64) and Sinhala and Tamil (60) on NBRO’s website (see this link). The remaining ESMPs are being finalized by NBRO.
A grievance redress mechanism (GRM) is operational to register feedback/grievance from the impacted people and redress their concerns in a stipulated time frame. The GRM is accessible to all the project-affected people including contracted project workers. Information on the GRM was provided during the socialization of the ESMPs. Feedback/grievance boxes are available at each District Office. Alternatively, users are invited to submit their feedbacks/grievances in writing, by e-mail, by telephone, through the project’s website, and in person (through the contractors or members of the local governments). Contact details are published on the Project’s website.
The activities envisaged under the new Component 5: Emergency health (to purchase medicines and medical supplies through import from international market) are finished products and likely to have minimal or no significant adverse E&S impacts. As such, the Project category will remain unchanged, and no new E&S instruments are expected to be prepared for the new Component.
