INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: ISDSA10452 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 02-Oct-2014 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 18-Oct-2013, 07-Oct-2014 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: West Bank and Gaza Project ID: P117449 Project Name: Hebron Regional Wastewater Management Project - Phase 1 (P117449) Task Team Pieter David Meerbach Leader: Estimated 30-Sep-2014 Estimated 30-Oct-2014 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: GWADR Lending Investment Project Financing Instrument: Sector(s): Public administration- Water, sanitation and flood protection (20%), Wastewater Treatment and Disposal (60%), General water, sanitat ion and flood protection sector (20%) Theme(s): Municipal governance and institution building (20%), City-wide Infrastructure and Service Delivery (80%) Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP No 8.00 (Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Public Disclosure Copy Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 61.65 Total Bank Financing: 0.00 Financing Gap: 5.50 Financing Source Amount Borrower 14.23 US Agency for International Development (USAID) 4.82 EC European Commission 18.73 FRANCE Govt. of [MOFA and AFD (C2D)] 13.87 Special Financing 4.50 Total 56.15 Environmental A - Full Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? Page 1 of 8 2. Project Development Objective(s) The objective is to reduce the environmental pollution from wastewater produced in the Hebron Municipality. Public Disclosure Copy 3. Project Description The Project would implement the first phase of the Hebron Wastewater Master Plan, including: (i) the design, construction, and operation of a regional wastewater treatment plant for the Hebron Governorate, treating the waste stream from the existing sewer network for Hebron Municipality (a subsequent project is anticipated that would expand the service area and the capacity of the plant); (ii) capacity building of the organizations in charge of operation and maintenance of the WWTP; (iii) establishing a Project Implementation Unit to manage the project in Hebron Municipality. 4. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) Hebron Governorate, West Bank and Gaza. 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists John R. Butler (GSURR) Tracy Hart (GENDR) Nina Bhatt (GSURR) Hana Salah (GSURR) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes The client has completed an Environmental, BP 4.01 Social, and Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (ESCHIA)/Environmental, Social and Cultural Heritage Management Plan (ESCHMP), which Public Disclosure Copy was cleared in draft form for appraisal by the Regional Safeguards Secretariat on July 8, 2013. The ESCHIA/ESCHMP covers all project components and complies with the requirements of the Palestinian Authorities as well as the procedures of the World Bank, including Operational Policy 4.01, "Environmental Assessment" OP 4.11 on Physical Cultural Heritage specific to chance finds, and OP 4.12 on Involuntary Resettlement. An updated ESCHIA/ ESCHMP includes reference to a Environmental Documentation and Review Report, which provides a more detailed mitigation and monitoring plan for the WWTP access road and utilities. The ESCHIA/ESCHMP has been amended and most recently disclosed on October 1, 2014. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No Page 2 of 8 Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Public Disclosure Copy Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural Resources OP/ No The Bank’s Operational Policy OP 4.11 does not BP 4.11 apply to this project. A Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment was included as part of the impact assessment work in order to inventory possible cultural heritage sites in and around the site; this inventory confirmed that there are no physical cultural heritage sites to be protected. Chance find procedures are included in the ESCHMP. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP No The Bank’s Operational Policy OP 4.12 does not 4.12 apply to this project. There is no acquisition of private property, nor are there any livelihoods impacts on communities under this project. The Bank has received confirmation accompanied by relevant documentation from the Public Works Authority (PWA) and Hebron Municipality that no lands under private owners or communities are impacted. The land needs for the waste water treatment plant is met through public lands owned by the PWA. It was also confirmed by the Hebron Municipality that both the trunk line and access road are in the public domain in Hebron Public Disclosure Copy municipality. The USAID financed access road located by the Wadi had 9 landowners and land transaction was voluntarily carried out, which was based on fully and informed consent. The sheet with signatures of those who voluntarily provided their land reflects this and the broad consultations further attest to this. Documentation on how the project is meeting land needs has been provided to the Bank and is also confirmed in the analysis presented in the Bank approved environment and social assessment report (cleared in July 2013). A social safeguard mission visited the site in June 2014, further confirming that there were no OP 4.12 issues. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Page 3 of 8 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 Public Disclosure Copy II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The proposed project falls under the World Bank environmental category A classification due to the potential environmental impacts that might be adverse. Potential environmental impacts, construction phase: • Increase in noise levels and ground vibrations during construction activities such as excavation, movement of vehicles and heavy equipment. • Dust generation due to earthworks, construction machinery and stockpiling of construction material. In addition, generation of gases and particles such as SOx, NOx, CO, CO2, and PM10 due to vehicle induced emissions. • Pollution due to construction waste and improper handling of hazardous waste; • Risks of damaging chance-find cultural resources; • Worker accidents; Potential environmental impacts, operational phase: • Air emissions, odor, vibration, and noise pollution; • Wastewater effluent loss and/or wastewater treatment stoppage due WWTP failures or accidents; and • WWTP operating staff accidents. Public Disclosure Copy Project mitigation and monitoring measures are detailed in the Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP and the Social Management Plan (SMP) of the Environmental, Social and Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment (ESCHIA)/Environmental, Social and Cultural Heritage Management Plan (ESCHMP) reports. The ESCHIA includes a cultural heritage impact assessment which inventoried possible cultural heritage sites in and around the site; this inventory confirmed that there are no physical cultural heritage sites to be protected. Chance find procedures are included in the ESCHMP. The Bank’s Operational Policy OP 4.12 does not apply to this project. There is no acquisition of private property, nor are there any livelihoods impacts on communities under this project. The Bank has received confirmation accompanied by relevant documentation from the Public Works Authority (PWA) and Hebron Municipality that no lands under private owners or communities are impacted. The land needs for the waste water treatment plant is met through public lands owned by the PWA. It was also confirmed by the Hebron Municipality that both the trunk line and access road are in the public domain in Hebron municipality. The USAID financed access road located by the Wadi had 9 landowners and land transaction was voluntarily carried out, which was based on fully and informed consent. The sheet with signatures of those who voluntarily provided their land reflects this and the broad consultations further attest to this. Documentation on how the project is meeting land needs has been provided to the Bank and is also confirmed in the analysis presented in the Bank approved environment and social assessment report (cleared in July 2013). Page 4 of 8 A social safeguard mission visited the site in June 2014, further confirming that there were no OP 4.12 issues. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities Public Disclosure Copy in the project area: The proposed Additional Financing to theHRWMP-1, supporting operation and maintenance, capacity building for the management of wastewater services, and the reuse of treated effluent in irrigated agriculture, will be prepared, appraised, and submitted for donor financing in order to be effective prior to the commissioning of the WWTP. As part of this second phase, more detailed treatment of environmental and social aspects and mitigations associated with the reuse of treated effluent in irrigated agriculture will be supported by a separate set of safeguards documentation, which will incorporate additional information and lessons gained from construction phase of HRWMP-1. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. Project alternatives were considered with respect to the selection of wastewater treatment options as well as site selection. Multi-criteria analysis used to select the optimal wastewater treatment option included environmental and social factors, including land use, energy and chemical inputs demanded, and odor emissions. The Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) treatment process obtained the highest scores and was recommended as the preferred option for the Hebron Waste Water Treatment Plant. Similarly, four sites were evaluated as potential locations for wastewater treatment and reuse facilities in Hebron Governorate. The selected site, located 2 to 3 kilometers south of Hebron City, has been approved by all parties, including the Joint Water Committee and the Israeli Civil Administration of the West Bank. The selected site is within the larger depression through which a wadi currently flows with untreated wastewater. The wadi has been selected as the conduit for releasing wastewater discharge at the end of Phase-1, as any other alternative would require lift out of the wadi depression, thus more costly. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an Public Disclosure Copy assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) has acquired and retained considerable capacity to monitor safeguards compliance. The institutional strengthening plan specific to safeguards compliance includes tailored training on (i) the Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP); (ii) environmental aspects of recovery water distribution and networks; (iii) environmental auditing and inspection; and (iv) social assessment, including communication skills, mass communications, social surveys, sampling, analysis, and reporting. In addition to the ESCHIA/ESCHMP as the base document for safeguard compliance, there are additional sources of guidance, such as an Occupational Health and Safety monitoring plan and a grievance mechanism system to be put in place. Lastly, there is a Environmental Documentation and Review Report specific to the WWTP access road and utility lines which gives a more detailed mitigation and monitoring plan for those project elements. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. The project, especially through the ESCHIA, carried out project stakeholder consultations in a number of settings; using an array of methods, to ensure the broadest possible outreach to all key constituents. Project stakeholders consulted with included respective village council members, key figures of local authority, household members affected under the project, women, farmers, craftsmen and managers of various economic businesses and stone cutting industries. In addition, government officials were consulted with to discuss project design and to elicit feedback on design Page 5 of 8 elements; as well as the socio-economic and environmental aspects of the project. Consultations with the government were with: the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG), Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), Ministry of Labour (MoL), Public Disclosure Copy Ministry of Planning (MoP), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH), Ministry of Environment Affairs (MEnA), and Hebron Municipality. The methods used to carry out consultations included focus group discussions; key informant interviews; large town hall type meetings; among others. Several meetings were sex disaggregated to ensure adequate voice and representation of women. Participants stressed that the project would alleviate the impact of the current untreated wastewater flow and associated hazards on local communities and agricultural lands; they anticipate that local residents will be both be connected to the public wastewater network as well as be able to make use of treated wastewater for agricultural and purposes. Further details on the nature of these consultations as well as the outcomes are detailed in the Bank approved and disclosed ESCHIA/ESCHMP document. The initial ESCHIA/ESCHMP was translated and disclosed on July 25, 2013 at the INFOSHOP and was made locally available in an accessible manner on July 12, 2013 through the PWA web site. An updated ESCHIA/ESCHMP was translated and disclosed on October 1September 20, 2014 at the INFOSHOP and was made locally available in an accessible manner on October 1, 2014 through the PWA web site. The ESCHIA/ESCHMP documents are also publicly available in hard copy at the PWA office in Ramallah. This ESCHIA/ESCHMP has been written to support the construction of the wastewater treatment plant and all associated works. AfD and the EU are financing all civil works associated with construction of the wastewater treatment plant, whereas USAID is assisting to finance the extension of the sewer trunk line from the boundary of Hebron Municipality to the WWTP, the electrical power line to the WWTP, the upgrading of the access road, and the water supply line for the WWTP which will lie within the right-of-way of the access road. This ESCHIA/ESCHMP serves as the collaborative environmental impact assessment and mitigation document across all financing partners. USAID and PWA have used the Disclosed ESCHIA Report of July 2013 as the Public Disclosure Copy base for capturing the current required safeguards specific to contracting of associated works under its financing; accordingly that document, “The Environmental Documentation and Review Report for Hebron WWTP Access Road and Utilities” concords with both World Bank and USAID relevant environmental impact assessment and management policies. The World Bank will ensure that civil works financed by AFD and the EU, and USAID through parallel co-financing arrangements will be supervised in line with World Bank safeguard policies in order to meet environmental and social compliance. Civil works financed by AfD and the EU will be supervised through the Hebron Wastewater Management Project HWWMP, which funds consulting services for supervision of civil works and contract management, project management, and special studies to inform the redesign of the second phase, whereas civil works financed by USAID will be supervised by USAID-financed technical assistance consultants. The updated ESCHIA/ESCHMP of October 1, 2014, includes the following changes: (i) the final alignment of all associated works; (ii) clarification of the roles of co-financiers; (iii) additional land ownership documents confirming that OP 4.12 is not applicable; (iv) a comparative analysis of ‘no project’, ‘phase 1 only’, and ‘phase 1 and phase 2’; and (v) clarification of the coordinating role of PWA and the PMU in coordinating safeguards supervision, monitoring, and reporting for the World Bank as well as USAID associated works. Page 6 of 8 B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Public Disclosure Copy Date of receipt by the Bank 21-Sep-2014 Date of submission to InfoShop 01-Oct-2014 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive 18-Jul-2013 Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure West Bank and Gaza 12-Jul-2013 Comments: The ESCHIA/ESCHMP was disclosed on the Palestinian Water Authority web site and was also made publicly available in hard copy at the PWA office in Ramallah. A revised ESCHIA/ESCHMP has been similarly disclosed on October 1, 2014. If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/ Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: Not Applicable C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] report? If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] Manager (PM) review and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the credit/loan? Public Disclosure Copy The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] World Bank's Infoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? Page 7 of 8 III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Pieter David Meerbach Public Disclosure Copy Approved By Regional Safeguards Name: Nina Chee (RSA) Date: 01-Oct-2014 Advisor: Sector Manager: Name: Steven N. Schonberger (SM) Date: 07-Oct-2014 Public Disclosure Copy Page 8 of 8