The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet Restructuring Stage Restructuring Stage | Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: | Report No: ISDSR26272 Regional Vice President: Ferid Belhaj Country Director: Jesko S. Hentschel Regional Director: Ayat Soliman Practice Manager/Manager: Carmen Nonay Task Team Leader(s): Zael Sanz Uriarte The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () . I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. BASIC PROJECT DATA Project ID Project Name Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project Task Team Leader(s) Country Zael Sanz Uriarte Tunisia Approval Date Environmental Category 17-Jun-2010 Full Assessment (A) Managing Unit Is this a Repeater project? SMNWA PROJECT FINANCING DATA (US$, Millions) SUMMARY -NewFin1 Total Project Cost 60.60 Total Financing 60.60 Financing Gap 0.00 DETAILS -NewFinEnh1 World Bank Group Financing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 52.00 Non-World Bank Group Financing Counterpart Funding 8.60 Borrower/Recipient 8.60 Trust Funds 8.03 Global Environment Facility (GEF) 8.03 2. PROJECT INFORMATION The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () Current Project Development Objective The project development objective is to provide an environmentally safe disposal system for the treated wastewater in the North of Tunis, and increase availability for its reuse in the Project Area. . 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1. The existing system of WWTPs in Northern Tunis is saturated, and discharges 70 million cubic meters of low- quality treated wastewater (TWW) into the El Khelij open-air canal. As it flows through the canal, this TWW is mixed with stormwater, irrigation drainage, local discharge of untreated wastewater, and unregulated solid waste disposal. Consequently, TWW quality further deteriorates as it runs along the canal, resulting in adverse social and economic impacts in the Project area. The canal then flows along the residential areas of the increasingly urbanizing city of Raoued, before reaching the shoreline and discharging into the Gulf of Tunis, thereby contaminating Raoued Beach. 2. To address this issue, ONAS developed a program tackling the different links of the sanitation chain in the Northern Tunis urban area. The different projects and activities included in the program are described here below: (i) Implementation of urgent repairs and rehabilitation works on the WWTPs and wastewater pumping stations of the Northern Tunis wastewater treatment system. This treatment hub comprises the WWTPs of Choutrana I, Choutrana II, Côtière Nord and Charguia. Some key pieces of equipment of these facilities and of many of their associated pumping stations must be repaired or replaced in order to ensure an acceptable level of TWW quality for downstream users and discharge points. While some of these works are under implementation as part of projects financed by other financial partners, others were originally meant to be funded with fiscal resources. The implementation of the latter has not yet started as allocations from the National Treasury were postponed due to the deterioration of the fiscal situation in Tunisia. (ii) Replacement of the open-air canal between the treatment hub and the existing pumping station operated by the Ariana Agricultural Development Regional Commission (CRDA) by a double TWW transmission pipeline. TWW from this treatment hub is currently discharged into the 4.3-kilometer open-air canal which ends at an existing pumping station operated by the Ariana CRDA for reuse in the nearby irrigation perimeter. This canal is to be replaced by a double transmission pipeline, which construction was to be co-financed by the EIB (50 percent) and the Tunisian Government with fiscal resources (50 percent). Goods, works and services required for the implementation of these activities have already been procured. Approximately 60 percent of the pipes have already been delivered to the site and the contractor was recently mobilized to start installation. So far only 200 meters of pipes have been laid. (iii) Covering of the existing canal between the CRDA pumping station and the existing discharge point into the Oued El Khelij. These works had already been completed by ONAS when the Project was designed. (iv) Construction of a TWW transmission pipeline between the discharge point into the Oued El Khelij and a storage TWW basin. This two-compartment storage basin was built to both facilitate future TWW reuse in the Borj Touil irrigation perimeter, as well as to regulate the flow of TWW to be discharged into the Gulf of Tunis through the submarine outfall. The installation of the 2-kilometer conveyance pipes, as well as the The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () construction of the storage basin and the associated pumping station were financed under the Project (under the “Part A� component) and are now fully completed and operational. (v) Construction of a TWW effluent submarine outfall. TWW is conveyed from the storage basin’s pumping station through a 4-kilometer pressure pipeline to the headworks chamber of the 6-kilometer outfall. Both the outfall and pressure pipeline are financed under the Project (under the “Part B� component), have been completed and are fully operational. 3. Table 1 summarizes the scope and implementation status of the different major infrastructure components of the program developed by ONAS to enhance the performance of the Northern Tunis wastewater treatment system, indicating which of said components are financed under the Project and the source of funding for those that are not. TABLE ERROR! NO TEXT OF SPECIFIED STYLE IN DOCUMENT.: INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS, SOURCE OF FINANCING AND IMPLEMENTATION STATUS Scope of the Program for the enhancement of the Originally expected performance of the Northern Tunis wastewater Implementation status source of funding treatment system Urgent repairs and rehabilitation of WWTPs and pumping Fiscal Resources Not yet procured stations TWW transmission pipeline between Choutrana WWTP EIB loan and fiscal Procured and under and Ariana CRDA pumping station resources (50/50) implementation Covering of the TWW canal between Ariana CRDA Fiscal resources Completed pumping station and Oued El Khelij TWW transmission pipeline between Oued El Khelij and IBRD Project (Part A) Completed the new TWW storage basin TWW storage basin and associated pumping station IBRD Project (Part A) Completed TWW pressure pipeline and submarine outfall IBRD Project (Part B) Completed 4. As highlighted, all infrastructure construction activities originally included under the IBRD-financed Northern Tunis Wastewater Project have been completed. The Project was approved on June 17, 2010 and became effective on April 14, 2011. Project funds amount to US$65.43 million (US$39.40 million under Loan 7917-TN, US$8.03 million under GEF Grant TF096891, and US$18.00 million under Additional Loan 8644-TN), which, with the addition of US$7.57 million in taxes financed by ONAS, amount to a total project cost of US$73.00 million. The Additional Loan was approved on August 31, 2016 and became effective on March 30, 2017. The original closing date was December 31, 2015, and the Original Loan (7917-TN) was extended twice to June 30, 2017, as well as to December 31, 2019. The closing date for the Additional Loan is also December 31, 2019. The Original Loan is now fully disbursed and will not be further extended. The GEF Grant was extended once to June 30, 2016 and is now fully disbursed and closed. 5. The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to provide an environmentally safe disposal system for the treated wastewater in the North of Tunis and increase availability for its reuse in the Project Area. Similarly, the Project’s Global Environment Objective (GEO) was to support increasing the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture, thereby reducing treated wastewater discharge from Greater Tunis into the Gulf of Tunis, an environmentally sensitive area of the Mediterranean Sea. The Project includes three components, namely “Part A: Transfer of treated wastewater to The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () increase availability for its reuse�, “Part B: Improvement of the discharge of the remaining TWW in the Mediterranean Sea� and “Part C: Monitoring and capacity strengthening�. 6. The Project also finances the implementation of TWW reuse pilot, which is now completed. In order to minimize the flow of TWW discharged through the outfall, the Project seeks to increase the reuse of TWW prior to its discharge, in particular by farmers in the contiguous Borj Touil area, as well as developers and municipalities. To achieve this, the Project aims to tap into unmet demand for better quality and reliability of TWW and finances a small-scale reuse pilot in the Sidi Amor area to test coordination mechanisms among stakeholders involved in TWW at a local scale (ONAS, CRDA, Agricultural Development Groups or GDAs, as well as farmers) and create the conditions for increased uptake by farmers. The Sidi Amor pilot is financed under Part A of the Project. 7. All related technical assistance, supervision of works, water quality monitoring and capacity strengthening activities are included under Part C of the Project. This includes consulting services for the development of ONA’s commercial information system, the design studies for a future WWTP in Northern Tunis, as well as for a future marine outfall in Southern Tunis. Activities under this component are still ongoing and are expected to be completed by October 2020. 8. Progress towards achievement of PDO and progress towards achievement of GEO are Satisfactory. The extent to which the PDO is achieved is assessed through five PDO indicators: (i) Number of direct project’s beneficiaries (end target: 50,000); (ii) Average annual volume of TWW made available for reuse (end target 3 million m 3/year); (iii) Average annual concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) in TWW made available at the storage basin (end target below 30 mg/L); (iv) Percentage of seawater samples at Raoued Beach complying with imperative norms in total coliforms and fecal coliforms (end target 90%); and (v) Average annual count of fecal coliforms in seawater samples in the surrounding of the outfall (end target below 2,000 counts per 100 mL). 9. The achievement of the end targets set for four of the five PDO indicators has already been confirmed, with the verification on the fifth indicator pending on the collection of the required data. While the TSS concentration at the TWW storage basin is still to be assessed, according to the first two seawater quality monitoring campaigns performed after the commissioning of the works, 100 percent of the seawater samples collected and tested presented total and fecal coliforms concentrations below the thresholds set by the applicable Tunisian norm (NT.106.002), i.e. 10,000 and 2,000 counts per 100 mL respectively. This has a direct positive impact on the population living in the vicinity of the Raoued beach that, along with the community neighboring the TWW open-air canal that was replaced by a transmission pipeline under the Project, amounts to more than 50,000 people. Moreover, that’s to the reuse pilot implemented under the project, the Sidi Amor GDA and farmers of the Borj Touil perimeter have gained access to a reliable source of reclaimed water that allowed them to put 7.5 hectares under irrigation. 10. Overall Implementation Progress (IP) rating stands at Moderately Satisfactory due to delays in implementing Financial Management (FM) and safeguards-related actions identified during supervision missions. For FM, after some delays in the preparation of the audit reports on the implementing entity (ONAS) and the Project, these have been finally submitted to the Bank and were found to be acceptable. Consequently, FM rating was upgraded from Moderately Unsatisfactory to Moderately Satisfactory in the last Implementation Status and Results Report (ISR). As for safeguards, the current overall rating is Moderately Satisfactory due to (i) delays in the construction of a fence and adoption of erosion control and flood protection measures in the Sidi Amor pilot site; and (ii) delays in the processing of the compensatory payment due to the former owner of the plot of land where the TWW storage basin has been constructed (these delays are due to factors beyond the control of the implementing agency). The contract for the fencing of the Sidi Amor site was finally signed on September 2, 2019 and works are expected to be finalized by February 2020. Regarding the second point, it should be highlighted that the concerned plot was acquired in 2014 in compliance with OP 4.12 and in accordance with the Land Acquisition Plan (LAP). While the current land owners (2) have not yet been compensated as the resolution of an ongoing title dispute follows due process (with close The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () monitoring by ONAS and support by the Bank), the final court hearing on the case is scheduled for December 2019. The full compensation amount is in escrow waiting for the final resolution of the case. 11. Disbursements currently stand at 73 percent total (69 percent of loans and 100 percent of GEF grant). As explained above, due to the considerable depreciation of the Tunisian dinar over the last few years, the Project has accumulated savings of about US$13 million. This restructuring proposes to take advantage of these savings to incorporate to the scope of the Project those activities considered under the wider program developed by ONAS to enhance the performance of the Northern Tunis wastewater treatment system (described in section B above) that were originally meant to be totally or partially funded with fiscal resources, i.e. : (i) Implementation of urgent repairs and rehabilitation activities on the WWTPs and wastewater pumping stations of the Northern Tunis wastewater treatment hub; and (ii) the replacement of the open-air canal between the treatment hub and the Ariana CRDA pumping station by a TWW transmission pipeline. The restructuring paper also proposes to include under the scope of the project the procurement of the ICT equipment required by ONAS to properly run its new SIC. 12. The sustainability of the results achieved by the Project is contingent on the completion of all upstream activities considered under ONAS’ program for Northern Tunis. The rehabilitation and maintenance of equipment in the various WWTPs and pumping stations of the Northern Tunis wastewater management system is key to improving treatment performance and therefore to keep pollutant concentrations in the effluent to be reused -or discharged through the submarine outfall constructed under the Project- below applicable thresholds in the years to come. On the other hand, having TWW conveyed through an open-air canal generates a significant risk of recontamination of the treated effluent and important health concerns in communities crossed by the canal. Finally, ensuring that ONAS counts with the right hardware to run the SIC software developed with World Bank support is key to allow for the utility to effectively improve its commercial operations and service delivery sustainability. 13. ONAS has requested the support of the World Bank to finance upstream activities that were originally meant to be funded with fiscal resources. The Project was originally designed to be executed in parallel with foreseen activities upstream, i.e. WWTPs and pumping stations’ upgrade and maintenance activities (to be financed under existing ONAS and various donor projects), as well as the replacement of the open-air canal between the Northern Tunis treatment hub and the CRDA pumping station with a pipeline (to be financed by the EIB under a 50/50 co- financing arrangement with ONAS). While some progress has been made with the former, a number of WWTPs and pumping stations still require equipment rehabilitation and maintenance in order to ensure that TWW enters the sanitation chain with a quality suitable for reuse and disposal. As for the pipeline, delays in the procurement of the materials and associated works have led to the non-availability of timely counterpart funding from ONAS, and their incorporation into the Project scope was thus requested to complement EIB financing. Nevertheless, a project closing date extension of 18 months is required in order to complete the installation of the pipeline. . 4. PROJECT LOCATION AND SALIENT PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT TO THE SAFEGUARD ANALYSIS (IF KNOWN) The land environment of Project location is characterized by increasing aridity, salinization of soils (hydromorphic soil, low agricultural potential) and poor groundwater quality (high salinity, bacteriological contamination and nitrate). - The marine environment is relatively poor in biodiversity, characterized by species belonging to heavily silted biotic environments and biocoenosis typical of deeper habitats. The discharge of treated wastewater into canal El Khelij which conveyed TWW to the sea near Raoued beach before the implementation of the project has significantly contributed to this deterioration, particularly in the Gulf of Tunis. The existing system of WWTPs in the North of Tunis consists of two WWTPs able to consistently meet the threshold for quality of treated wastewater discharge set under the national norm The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () NT106.02, while the two remaining WWTPs are saturated and provide poor treatment quality, which is only partially offset by the effect of dilution. These WWTPs discharged (before project implementation) 70 million cubic meters of treated wastewater by gravity through concrete pipes into the open air El Khelij irrigation drainage and storm water canal. TWW quality quickly deteriorates after exiting the WWTP system due to recontamination as it is mixed with irrigation drainage, storm water, local discharge of untreated wastewater, and unregulated solid waste disposal which has increased since the 2011 Revolution. As a result, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Suspended Solids and Fecal Coliforms levels in the TWW flow significantly exceed acceptable thresholds, with in particular about 3 million tons of suspended particles are discharged onto the sea shore each year. The results are (i) a seabed heavily silted and polluted by organic matters; (ii) very low transparency of sea water; (iii) complete absence of benthic macroflora; and (iv) contamination of bathing water of Raoued beach. Overall, it appears that environmental conditions of this region have been deteriorating rapidly and may deteriorate further if nothing is done to reverse this trend. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS SPECIALISTS ON THE TEAM Antoine V. Lema, Social Specialist Mohamed Adnene Bezzaouia, Environmental Specialist Mehrez Chakchouk, Environmental Specialist SAFEGUARD_TABLE 6. SAFEGUARD POLICIES TRIGGERED Safeguard Policies Triggered Explanation The Project is classified as Category A - full assessment. Although the project will improve the current state of the natural and socio-economic environment, potential negative impacts may be significant given the nature and size of proposed works, the complexity of their implementation, the nature and quantity of treated wastewater (70 million m3/year) involved, and the project influence area that goes beyond the location of the outfall into the Gulf of Tunis. A comprehensive Environmental Assessment (OP) (BP 4.01) Yes Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) covering activities considered under the original scope of the project was prepared in 2010 and revised in 2015, in accordance with the Operational Policy (OP 4.01) and legal covenants. The ESIA of the project has been updated to reflect the current project implementation status and to incorporate under its scope the activity related to the replacement of the remaining segment of the open-air TWW canal by the transmission pipeline. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () The updated version of the ESIA was disclosed on ONAS website and on the external site of the World Bank on December 3, 2019 and December 5, 2019, respectively. Two ESMP covering activities related to the repair and replacement of electromechanical equipment in select WWTPs and pumping stations were also prepared by ONAS. These ESMP address the risks identified through the screening performed by the Bank in collaboration with ONAS; and have been disclosed on December 6, 2019. Performance Standards for Private Sector No N/A Activities OP/BP 4.03 The project will not modify or significantly degrade terrestrial, coastal or marine natural habitats. Instead, it will contribute to the regeneration of the Natural Habitats (OP) (BP 4.04) No coastal ecosystem at the beach of Raoued and will contribute to improve the marine ecosystem of the Gulf of Tunis, which is currently in very poor shape. The project area does not include natural forests, Forests (OP) (BP 4.36) No critical forest sites and areas that can be treated as forest, as defined in Annex A to OP 4.36. The project does not include the use of insecticides Pest Management (OP 4.09) No or larvicides. Physical Cultural Resources (OP) (BP 4.11) No N/A Indigenous Peoples (OP) (BP 4.10) No N/A Of all the sites of the project, only the site for the storage and regulation basin and contiguous pumping station requires the acquisition of a single plot of privately-owned land. Therefore, a Land Acquisition Plan (LAP) has been prepared in 2010 in accordance with OP 4.12. All remaining project sites, including those Involuntary Resettlement (OP) (BP 4.12) Yes associated to new activities proposed under the restructuring, are situated on public domain or on premises owned by ONAS. The Project, including new activities proposed as part of the restructuring, does not lead to physical displacement, either residential or commercial, of local inhabitants, nor does it pose any threats to income or livelihoods, or create/intensify poverty or vulnerability. Safety of Dams (OP) (BP 4.37) No N/A The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () Projects on International Waterways (OP) No N/A (BP 7.50) Projects in Disputed Areas (OP) (BP 7.60) No N/A KEY_POLICY_TABLE II. KEY SAFEGUARD POLICY ISSUES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT A. SUMMARY OF KEY SAFEGUARD ISSUES 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the Restructured project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. Environmental Impacts: An ESIA conducted and the project is consistent with the provisions of the Barcelona Convention (Art 4) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (Article 14). The project was permitted and has been inspected by the competent national authorities (ANPE, APAL, Ministry of Public Health, etc.) to assess compliance with authorizations and environmental regulations (Barcelona Convention Article 6) . Regarding the protocols for the Barcelona Convention, the project generates no release of toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative substances in the Mediterranean Sea (LBS Protocol) and prohibited wastes listed in Annex 1 of Dumping Protocol. It includes specific measures to prevent the dumping of dredged material (Immersion Protocol). These materials have been managed and disposed of on land. The project has been designed to improve the TWW discharge in the Gulf of Tunis through submarine outfall and ensure good dispersion and dilution of pollutants. The submarine outfall has been designed to ensure a concentration of pathogens below 100 coliforms/100 ml at the beach. According to national and international standards relating to quality of bathing water, this concentration corresponds to a water of excellent quality (class A). These results are obtained by simulation and prediction of pollution carried on advanced mathematical models. The detailed design of the submarine outfall has been reviewed and confirmed through a detailed dispersion and wave modeling which was conducted from September 2013 to June 2014. Moreover, according to the three monthly seawater quality monitoring campaigns performed since the commissioning of the works, 100 percent of the seawater samples collected and tested presented total and fecal coliforms concentrations below the thresholds set by the applicable Tunisian norm (NT.106.002), i.e. 10,000 and 2,000 counts per 100 ml. respectively. The project complies with relevant international environmental treaties and agreements, to which Tunisia is a signatory, including: (i) The Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution and its protocols; and (ii) The Convention on Biological Diversity. The project is consistent with the general obligations contained in the Barcelona Convention and in particular those relating to reducing pollution in the area of the Mediterranean Sea, improving the marine environment and the development of EIA procedures. In this regard, it contributes to improving the quality of TWW, reducing the amount of the RWW discharged at sea, improving the quality of bathing water, the dispersion and dilution of pollutants in the sea and the gradual regeneration of the marine ecosystem, currently in very poor shape. Although the project will improve the current state of the natural and socio-economic environment, negative impacts were considered as potentially significant at the appraisal stage, given the nature and size of proposed works, the The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () complexity of their implementation, the nature and quantity of treated wastewater (70 million m3/year) involved, and the project influence area that goes beyond the location of the outfall into the Gulf of Tunis. The project will not cause adverse or irreversible impacts on the environment. The main potential negative environmental impacts identified at appraisal were: (i) temporary degradation of marine waters and bathing water caused by the dredging operations and the management of dredging material during construction of the submarine outfall; and (ii) water and soil pollution in cases of equipment failure and / or accidental pollution (electromechanical equipment malfunction, broken pipes, etc.) during the operation phase. Other negative impacts such as dust, noise and waste, are less significant given the agricultural vocation of the project area and distance to the residential area. The negative impacts are mostly temporary, minor and can be significantly mitigated through the set of adapted measures included in the Environmental Management Plan, the implementation and monitoring of which will be funded as part of the Project. The expected impacts of the activities that are being proposed to be included under the scope of the Project as part of the restructuring are mainly positive. he repair and replacement of key electromechanical equipment in selected WWTPs and pumping stations will further improve the quality of the treated wastewater effluent. On the other hand, the replacement of the open-air canal by the transmission pipeline will contribute to better conservation of the quality of the TWW all the along its itinerary from Choutrana WWTP to the sea, will improve the social and environmental living environment of residents around the open-air and will upgrade land values around the Canal of El Khelij. Negative impacts associated to this new activities proposed under the restructuring are linked to occupational and community Health and Safety and are time limited to construction phase of pipeline that will replace the open-air TWW canal. The ESIA and ESMP of the Project has been updated to include this new activities in its assessment. This assessment identified all impacts linked to generation of dust, noise, waste, hazardous waste and Health and safety of workers and population and proposed adequate mitigation measures. The ESIA proposed specific mitigation measures in the ESMP for biological (potentially pathogenic micro-organisms) and chemical risks related to the work environment because of the existence of the TWW in the open-air canal from the WWT Plant of Choutrana as well as the need to maintain the functionality of the TWW transfer system during the entire construction phase. As for activities related to the replacement of electromechanical equipment in pumping stations and WWTPs, risks identified as part of the screening exercise relate mainly to occupational health and safety. Involuntary resettlement: Land take related to activities included in the original scope of the Project were minimized to the extent possible in accordance with Tunisian law, which requires public infrastructure projects of any nature to make maximum use of public lands and only to resort to expropriation when there is no alternative. Care was taken to avoid affecting existing structures in the project area, in particular living quarters, farms, cultural heritage zones, religious sites or other areas of public value. As a result, of all the sites of the project, only the site for the storage and regulation basin and contiguous pumping station required the acquisition of a single plot of privately-owned land, of a total area of 9 ha 23 ca 10 ca . This single plot jointly belongs to 171 co-owners and cannot be divided into individual and identifiable lots. Most of the co- owners have shares of 0,6ha. 29 owners have more than 0,1ha or 1000m2, while more than 100 owners have a share of less than 200m2. The acquired land is halophyte, thus cannot sustain any agricultural and livestock activities. The concerned plot was acquired in 2014 in compliance with OP 4.12 and in accordance with the Land Acquisition Plan (LAP). While the current land owners have not yet been compensated as the resolution of an ongoing title dispute follows due process, with close monitoring by ONAS and support by the Bank, final access to compensation is expected to be completed by March 2020. The full compensation amount is in escrow. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () All remaining project sites for the transfer pipelines are situated on public domain with no people living or working on these lands. The pipeline upstream of the basin runs along a road, within the public road area. The pipeline downstream of the basin runs along a drainage canal (public hydraulic domain), as well as on the beach (public coastal domain) and sea (public maritime domain) areas affected by the project. Therefore, the project does not lead to physical displacement, either residential or commercial, of local inhabitants, nor does it pose any threats to income or livelihoods, or create/intensify poverty or vulnerability. No involuntary resettlement, land taking, or economic displacement is expected associated to the implementation of new activities incorporated to the scope of the Project as part of the restructuring. Electro-mechanical equipment replacement activities will take place within the limits of WTTPs and pumping station facilities. Construction activities outside these facilities will be confined to the right-of-way of the canal, which belongs to the State and is free encroachment-free. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area. Indirect impacts of the Project can only be positive. The benefits of the implementation of the project will be felt immediately after the infrastructure is put in service. In particular, the improved discharge of TWW through a submarine outfall and the suppression of current TWW discharge right at the Raoued Beach will generate significant and immediate benefits, including: improvement of the quality of bathing waters at the seashore, improvement of population health conditions and of the quality of the environment for residents. In the long term, the project will have a significant positive impact on socioeconomic development. It is expected to contribute to: the development of tourism, urban development, improving the reuse of TWW in agriculture, reducing TWW quantities discharged in the Gulf of Tunis, an environmentally sensitive area of the Mediterranean Sea and recovery the ecological balance in coastal areas in northern Tunis. Other Indirect positive impacts of the new activities proposed under the restructuring will be the improvement of the social and environmental living environment of residents around the open-air canal and the upgrading land values around the Canal of El Khelij. 3. Describe any potential alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. The alternative without project scenario would have caused further deterioration of the already degraded situation in the project area and the continued negative impacts of TWW discharge which could become irreversible. The Project wasthe first action initiated by the the Government to reverse this trend by improving the discharge of TWW in the Gulf of Tunis through a submarine outfall. Possible alternatives were considered and a number of options in terms of possible locations of the storage basin, possible locations of the submarine outfall in terms of bathymetry and possible effects of wind, wave and streams on the effluents, as well as possible pipe layouts were looked into. The analysis of these alternatives has shown that they have similar technical and environmental implications. Consequently, the choice was focused more on the most economical option and on maximizing the potential for TWW reuse in agriculture. As a result, the technical option of having the transport infrastructure follow the El Khelij drainage canal, which is the shorter way to the Sea and therefore the cheaper option for ONAS, was rejected as it would have made more difficult the reuse of treated wastewater in the Borj Touil irrigation perimeter, which is the only area in the North of Greater Tunis were such agricultural reuse can be envisaged. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () The analysis of alternatives led to the selection of the proposed design, which was confirmed following the detailed dispersion and wave modeling which was conducted from September 2013 to June 2014. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. Environmental Safeguards: The main mitigation measures recommended by the original ESIA to reduce the negative impacts at acceptable level consisted on: (i) Programming the construction of the submarine outfall outside the period of high heat to avoid adverse impacts during the summer period and the risk of development of toxic phytoplankton; (ii) Limiting the spread of suspended particles during dredging operations by installing an anti-turbulence geo-membrane screen; (iii) Evacuating the dredged materials (about 2000 m3) to a dewatering system consisting of basin and filter before transporting them to the Choutrana WWTP, where they will be duly disposed together with sewage sludge; and (iii) Developing appropriate procedures to manage and maintain operating equipment, including an emergency response plan in case of pollution incident, malfunction or critical equipment failure. Other mitigation measures were planned and adopted to mitigate less significant negative impacts, such as management of solid wastes, mitigation of noise and dust, the reuse of surplus excavated material. These measures have been incorporated as specific clauses in all construction contracts. To ensure proper implementation of these measures, the original ESIA report includes a monitoring and capacity building program for ONAS. The monitoring program includes measuring the quality of dredged material, the air quality, noise and waste management. These measures are a joint responsibility of the construction firms and ONAS and their applications have been integrated as specific clauses in the contract. During the operation phase, the efficiency of the submarine outfall, the evolution of the marine ecosystem, the quality of bathing water, of treated wastewater and of the underground water will be regularly monitored. ONAS' capacity building program comprises: (i) technical assistance for supervising the construction and monitoring the operation of the submarine outfall; (ii) technical assistance for ESMP implementation and monitoring for both the land and marine portions of the Project; and (iii) training in monitoring the marine ecosystem and water bathing quality, warning and response system and management of TWW quality. It includes a monitoring program of the quality of TWW at the discharge point and bathing water quality at the Raoued beach with reference to national standards relating to TWW, the NT 106,002. A monitoring program is currently being implemented to verify the effectiveness of the effluent in terms of diffusion and dilution of pollutants on the basis of simulation results. It should be noted that due to other land based pollution sources, it is likely that the concentrations of coliform will be higher than the results obtained by simulation. The project will certainly improve the quality of bathing water and a monitoring program for the quality bathing water at Raoued beach has been provided in this sense. The monitoring of the effectiveness of the submarine outfall will focus on dilution and dispersion of pollutants in the area not affected by the land based sources mentioned above. Nevertheless, further study to identify and classify these other sources of pollution by risk and impact is on-going, and will enable ONAS to recommend actions it could either implement directly or jointly with other institutions or local stakeholders (such as dredging the canal or expanding the dredging area to increase soil decontamination). As for the activities included under the scope of the project as part of the restructuring, in should be highlighted that : (i) the ESIA of the Project was updated to reflect the current project implementation status and to incorporate under The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () its scope the activity related to the replacement of the remaining segment of the open-air TWW canal by the transmission pipeline; and (ii) two ESMPs covering activities related to the repair and replacement of electromechanical equipment in select WWTPs and pumping stations respectively have been prepared by ONAS based on the results of the screening conducted with World Bank support. These instruments identify required mitigation measures for the risks associated to these new activities, mainly related to Occupational Health Safety related to working conditions under biological and chemical risks. The updated version of the ESIA was disclosed in ONAS' and World Bank's internet sites on December 3 and December 5, 2019, respectively. The two ESMPs covering activities related to the repair and replacement of electromechanical equipment in select WWTPs and pumping stations were disclosed on December 6, 2019. Tunisia has an established and effective EIA system hosted by the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPE), which is in general relatively advanced in terms of institutional and legal capacity. ANPE has good experience in reviewing and approving the EIA in compliance with Bank procedures and standards. In particular, ONAS has proved to be a competent and reliable partner throughout the implementation of many World Bank and international donor projects, including in ensuring compliance with Bank Safeguard Policies. ONAS, through its environmental focal point, is consistently supervising the implementation of the ESIA recommendations, particularly the EMP, and its compliance with safeguard policies and national regulations in close coordination with the ANPE. Nonetheless, the Bank continues to encourage ONAS to strengthen its environmental monitoring capacity by the creation of a formal environmental monitoring department, to ensure its sustainability. Project activities include actions towards this goal such as the purchase of laboratory equipment, and training activities. In addition, ONAS developed a plan to improve the TWW quality of the North Tunis WWTPs. This plan includes: - Closure of the Côtières Nord WWTP (the poorest performing one); - Reduce the wastewater load in existing WWTP of Charguia and Choutrana, with the start of operations of the new El Attar WWTP, currently under construction under the West Tunis Sewerage project; - Rehabilitation and capacity increase of the sewage aeration system of Choutrana II WWTP and rehabilitation of the Choutrana I WWTP (included in the scope of the Project as part of the restructuring); - Rehabilitation of the upstream sewage transfer section located between the Choutrana WWTPs and the pumping station of the MARH (included in the scope of the Project as part of the restructuring). Social Safeguards: Out of all of the sites of the project, only the site for the storage and regulation basin and the contiguous pumping station required the acquisition of a single plot of privately-owned land, without leading to physical displacement or loss of income. Therefore, a Land Acquisition Plan (LAP) was prepared to ensure that the acquisition of land is appropriately conducted, with due compensation to current owners, and ensure that potential adverse impacts are mitigated, in compliance with OP4.12. The LAP was received by the Bank on February 16, 2010, then disclosed in- country on February 16, and to the Infoshop on February 19, 2010. The LAP made reference to both the Tunisian legislation and regulations and OP 4.12. In essence, the acquisition and compensation processes were conducted exclusively by applying Tunisian regulations, which have been found to be generally acceptable and overall compatible with the requirements of OP.4.12 on involuntary resettlement. All remaining project sites for the transfer pipelines are situated on public domain, with no people living or working on these lands. Access to these areas follows administrative regulations, and ONAS has obtained the necessary authorizations by the appropriate authorities to access public domain for the execution of the project. The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () In practice, in 2010, the land acquisition assessment was submitted to the relevant recognition and reconciliation commission to explore negotiated land acquisition, which resulted in a compensation offer in accordance with the resettlement plan and at full replacement cost based on prevailing market prices. Given the complex ownership status and documentation limitations, and after extensive consultations with the owners, some of whom rejected the compensation offer, the commission instructed ONAS to proceed with expropriation in the interest of the owners to ensure the transparency of their access to compensation. An expropriations decree was published in October 2012, and ONAS set aside the agreed compensation amount in an interest-bearing account consigned under the Tunisian treasury for that specific purpose, in accordance with national legislation and OP 4.12. The judicial process for the compensation of the owners of the land was initiated in July 2013 under the jurisdiction of the independent Tribunal of Ariana. This process experienced several delays, due mainly to frequent audience adjournments, of up to a month at a time, to allow parties to respond to any new elements of information. In May 2014, the relevant judicial authority determined that there was no opposition to the project, and that the main reason for these delays were that many owners have difficulty assembling basic ownership documentation or are difficult to reach, delaying transfer of ownership and payment of any compensation. It therefore instructed ONAS to take possession of the land (ONAS proceeded as instructed and works on the basin and pumping station site started in August 2014), while it continues its proceedings to resolve the dispute concerning the offer of compensation in a timely and equitable manner, helping the owners assemble missing documentation and access their compensation. As this independent judicial process follows its course, ONAS continues to monitor and fully document this process, providing assistance in any manner it can, and report regularly to the Bank on its progress. As explained above, no involuntary resettlement, land taking, or economic displacement is expected associated to the implementation of new activities incorporated to the scope of the Project as part of the restructuring. The borrower's capacity to plan and implement land acquisition issues is considered to be strong. ONAS has a “Division Patrimoine et Assurance� with a “Service des Affaires Foncieres� staffed with competent personnel with in -depth knowledge about land acquisition issues and the applicable Tunisian legislation. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanism for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. During project preparation and as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, two public consultations were conducted on November 25th 2009 and January 8th 2010 respectively. World Bank representatives were present at both occasions, together with Ministry representatives, key stakeholders, farmers, land-owners, local municipalities and representatives of interested civil society organizations. During the public consultations within the framework of the Environmental and Social impacts analysis and in a separate follow up meeting for landowners, the owners of the affected land were also consulted. During the consultations the project concept, the choice of sites, risk mitigating measures and implementation measures were discussed. The owners of the affected land areas as well as neighboring communities received the Project well, as (i) the piece of land to be acquired under the project has little agricultural value and no alternative use, (ii) the project will benefit farmers in the area through the provision of improved TWW which will likely increase agriculture production in the irrigation perimeter of the Borj Touil area, (iii) there is wide popular support for the project in the North Tunis area, as it shall improve the overall quality of life in the area. Following the revision of the ESIA per article C.4 of Section II of Schedule 2 of the legal agreements, ONAS conducted an additional public consultation on December 26, 2014, which was attended by Ministry representatives, key stakeholders, farmers, affected people, local municipalities and representatives of interested civil society organizations. During the consultations, the project concept and benefits, risk mitigation measures and implementation measures were discussed. ONAS reiterated the reason for the revision of the ESIA and presented the The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () conclusion of the dispersion modeling which confirmed that project design was appropriate to ensure that the TWW plume is diluted enough with respect to bathing norms prior to reaching the shoreline, in any given circumstance. The discussion also raised (i) the issue of complementary actions to clean-up the Khelij Canal and monitor and control other sources of pollution to capitalize on the positive impacts of the Project, and (ii) the issue of impacts on fishermen, which are taken into account in risk mitigation measures, and which could be positive overall given the limited disruption caused by works and the positive impacts on water quality and increase in tourism. Overall, the Project remains well received. As for the revised version of the ESIA prepared by ONAS for the replacement of the segment of the open-air canal running between the Choutrana WWTP and the Ariana GRDA pumping station (activity included under the new Project scope proposed as part of the restructuring), ONAS organized a public consultation on December 13, 2018. Participants in this process included representatives of groups that might be affected by the project, local NGOs, communities of Raoued and Soukra , concerned public authorities (Ministry in charge of the environment, National Environmental protection Agency, ARCD, ANGED, etc.), and representatives of the construction firms “BONNA Tunisia� and TUNIBER retained to perform the works. None of these parties presented any objection or opposition against the Project, which was welcomed by the participants because of its beneficial effects. The participants have even expressed their interest in collaborating with the construction firm during construction phase. DISCLOSURE_TABLE B. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS ENV_TABLE Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure 15-Feb-2010 15-Feb-2010 For Category ‘A’ projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors 03-Mar-2010 “In country� Disclosure Country Date of Disclosure Tunisia 10-Mar-2015 Comments RESETTLE_TABLE Resettlement Action Plan/Framework Policy Process Date of receipt by the Bank Date of submission for disclosure The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () 15-Feb-2010 19-Feb-2010 “In country� Disclosure Country Date of Disclosure Tunisia 16-Feb-2010 Comments COMPLIANCE_TABLE C. COMPLIANCE MONITORING INDICATORS AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL EA_TABLE OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) report? Yes If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Manager (PM) review Yes and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP incorporated in the credit/loan? Yes IR_TABLE OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy framework/process framework Yes (as appropriate) been prepared? If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards or Practice Manager Yes review the plan? PDI_TABLE The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the World Bank for Yes disclosure? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups Yes and local NGOs? ALL_TABLE All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional responsibilities been Yes prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? The World Bank RESTRUCTURING ISDS Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project () Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included in the project Yes cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project include the monitoring Yes of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed with the borrower NA and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader(s) Zael Sanz Uriarte Approved By Safeguards Advisor Surhid P. Gautam 10-Dec-2019 Practice Manager/Manager Carmen Nonay 10-Dec-2019 . Note to Task Teams: End of system generated content