Bangladesh: Bangladesh Integrated Solid Waste Management Improvement Project

OBJECTIVE

To improve Solid Waste Management (SWM) services in selected Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Bangladesh.

DESCRIPTION

The Project includes the following components:

Component 1 (Waste Collection and Transportation) will help improve and optimize solid waste collection and transportation services in selected ULBs including, but not limited to, provision of collection containers and fleet, and mechanical cleaning equipment.

Component 2 (Waste Processing and Disposal) will finance prioritized waste processing and disposal infrastructure, including closure of polluting waste dump sites, construction and/or rehabilitation of sanitary landfills, provision of facilities related to composting and resource recovery, and ancillary facilities.

Component 3 (Capacity Building and Project Management Support) will support strengthening of institutional capacity for relevant central and local agencies. It will also support Project management, monitoring and evaluation, environmental and social risk management, procurement, financial management, supervision and maintenance of infrastructure investments. supervision and maintenance of infrastructure investments.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION

AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) applies to the Project, including the Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) and the Environmental and Social Exclusion List. The initial Environmental and Social (E&S) due diligence determined that ESS 1 (Environmental and Social Assessment and Management) applies to the assessment of E&S impacts of Project activities. ESS 2 (Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement) also applies as Project-related activities can lead to adverse direct and indirect impacts on waste pickers and those who derive income from landfills and those located along the access road alignment that will be upgraded. The extent of physical displacement for upgrading access roads to the disposal facilities is anticipated to be limited as construction activities will be within the existing Right of Way (RoW). ESS 3 (Indigenous Peoples) will not apply to this Project. As per the Bank’s ESP, the Project has been assigned Category A, and an Environmental and Social Management Planning Framework (ESMPF) and Resettlement Planning Framework (RPF) have been prepared. The ESMPF and RPF will guide the preparation of subproject specific Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and site specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) including site specific Resettlement and Livelihood Restoration Plan (RLRPs) for all subprojects. Currently, four ULBs prepared a draft site specific ESIAs, Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), and Resettlement and Livelihood Restoration Plan (RLRPs).

It is estimated that at least 4.31 million residents of the participating ULBs will benefit from the project, through increased access to improved SWM services and environmental, social and health conditions and improved working conditions of sanitation workers and better livelihood opportunities in waste management sector.

Environment: The Project will reduce exposure to pollutants and disease vectors associated with solid waste through enhanced SWM services thereby improving environmental and public health conditions. The Project will construct SWM infrastructure covering waste collection, transportation, processing and disposal facilities, and dumpsite remediation. The potential environmental risks and impacts of the Project will be related to construction of these facilities such as air pollution, soil, surface and ground water contamination. Operational impacts include occupational and community health and safety, and odor nuisance from landfills. These potential risks and impacts can be avoided, minimized or mitigated by adoption of the good engineering design as a first step, and application of mitigation measures identified in the ESIA which will be incorporated into the site-specific ESMP. The detailed design for all subproject areas will be further examined to incorporate the appropriate design measures to minimize environmental risks and impacts of the Project at an acceptable-level.

Social: Project activities will be carried out in 20 ULBs where land is available. The land for the identified Project activities is currently under the ownership of Project ULB. No land acquisition is presently anticipated for the Project. The primary social impacts stemming from the Project include direct and indirect economic displacement of waste pickers and those who derive income from the landfills, especially during construction. Moreover, set-back area requirements around the landfill sites prescribed by the DoE may require additional and specific mitigating measures and plans to reduce the impacts to nearby communities. The Project also plans to upgrade selected access roads to the landfills, and the civil works for road rehabilitation will be confined to the RoW. It is anticipated that there will be a temporary loss of access and income for affected businesses residing along the proposed road segments.

The Project is also likely to generate differentiated impacts on vulnerable groups, including women, children, and the elderly. Moreover, labor influx may heighten potential risks related to Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment. The nature of the Project may also cause potential health risks to communities due to pollution of soil, water resources etc. The area surrounding the Project site is also likely to experience increased traffic flows.

In order to mitigate negative impacts of the project, the site specific RLRP will include compensation and payment to the affected waste pickers and other entities; training opportunities; provision of employment opportunity in the recycling facility, and opportunity to work for the Project during construction of the landfill. Replacement costs for the affected structures and other entitlement for vangari shop structures and commercial establishment owners are also included as part of the entitlement matrix.

The Project design also includes numeric targets for women and vulnerable groups, training and awareness-raising sessions as well as number of women who benefitted from the training. Currently waste pickers face health issues that leads to loss of working days and this project has included provisions for health screening and care to reduce adverse health impacts. Gender and Social Inclusion Plan (GSIP) is prepared, as part of the ESIA, providing specific actions to improve women and vulnerable groups’ participation in the project.

Consultations and information disclosure: Several consultations, meetings, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with stakeholders were carried out for the Project, particularly during the preparation of the ESIA and RLRP. Continued consultations with Project-affected people, vulnerable groups, and communities will be conducted throughout the Project cycle. Documentation of all stakeholder engagement is included in the ESIA, which includes discussion on loss of land, structures, and livelihoods as well as Project impacts, perception, and benefits, among others. Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEP) have been also prepared for the four ULBs, as part of the ESIA, highlighting the steps for the succeeding consultations. Information dissemination sessions will be held at major intersections and different channels to raise awareness and encourage participation. The ESMPF, RPF, and ESIA have been disclosed on the government’s website. The executive summary of ESIA and the entitlement matrix of RPF/RLRP have been translated in Bengali. These documents have also been disclosed on the Bank’s website. Printed documents will be made available in the Project area.

Monitoring and supervision arrangement: The Project Management Unit (PMU) will have the overall responsibility of results M&E for the Project. It will coordinate the collection of data and individual monitoring reports from Project Implementation Units (PIUs) and submit consolidated progress reports to AIIB periodically. AIIB will conduct onsite visit during project preparation and implementation. Detailed M&E arrangements with clearly defined roles and responsibilities as well as the templates for periodic and annual progress reports have been developed and included in the Project Implementation Manual.

Grievance Redressal Mechanism: A two-tiered Project-specific and gender sensitive Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) will be established by the client to receive, acknowledge, evaluate and facilitate the resolution to the complaints relating to ES issues with corrective actions proposed, those issues raised from project-affected people (PAPs) as well as project contracted workers. In addition to this, each subproject under the Project will also be required to establish its GRM. This will be undertaken using understandable and transparent processes that are gender responsive, culturally appropriate and readily accessible to all segments of the PAPs. Records of grievances received, corrective actions taken, and their outcomes shall be properly documented and maintained. The Information of established Project-level GRMs as well as the information of AIIB’s Project-affected People’s Mechanism (PPM) will be disseminated to the related stakeholders of the Project in a timely and an appropriate manner.