47296-001: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project
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Initial Environmental Examination VOLUME 2 Document: Initial Environmental Examination (Draft) Date: December 2020 Loan 3285-UZB: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project: Syrdarya TPP – Zafarabad Substation 220kV Transmission Line Project Prepared by the Joint-Stock Company National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan (NEGU) for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Initial Environmental Examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Syrdarya TPP – Zafarabad Substation 220kV Transmission Line Project Initial Environmental Examination 6.4.1. Economy, Employment and Livelihoods 500. This section discusses the impacts of the Project on the economy, employment and livelihoods during construction and operation of the Project and associated mitigation measures to be adopted. A discussion of land acquisition and compensation is provided below under the section on Land Use. Aspects of the Project that have the potential to cause impacts to the economy, employment and livelihoods 501. Project activities will provide opportunities for companies at the international, national, and possibly regional, level to supply goods and services. The Project is expected to affect the local economies, employment, skills and livelihoods primarily by: Employing local people temporarily to carry out construction work on the Project. Local purchases of goods and services directly by the Project and workers, particularly in communities located in the vicinity of construction workforce camps. Potential in-migration of individuals/households to take advantage of economic opportunities created by the Project. 502. Other Project activities that have the potential to affect livelihoods are: Atmospheric emissions (especially dust) that cause a decline in crop productivity. This is discussed above in the section relating to Air Quality. Impacts to productive land. This is discussed below under the heading of Land Use. Key Sensitivities High expectations among local people that they will be employed. Concern that jobs should be given to local people and only to non-locals where no suitably qualified locals are available. Concern that jobs will not be allocated fairly between communities. Job availability for women. Food and healthcare costs. Potential Impacts Pre-construction / Construction Phase 503. In the construction phase the following beneficial impacts may occur: Increase in available jobs and incomes. Enhanced skills among local workforce. Increase in sales for local businesses. 504. The following adverse impacts may occur: Un-met employment expectations. Resentment between local people who are employed by the Project and those whose applications were unsuccessful. Frustration and resentment if local workers perceive that foreign workers are receiving better pay or conditions for exactly the same job. Resentment from business owners whose offer of goods and services is refused. Tensions resulting from cultural differences, anti-social behavior of construction workforce, potential prostitution and attraction of ‘economic migrants’ at camp sites. This is discussed further below under Community Health and Safety. Increased inflation, particularly of food and housing costs. 137 Syrdarya TPP – Zafarabad Substation 220kV Transmission Line Project Initial Environmental Examination Accidents to livestock resulting in loss of income/adverse livelihood impact. This is discussed further below under Community Health and Safety. Local small- and medium-sized enterprises and public-sector organizations ’losing’ key workers to the Project. Subsistence farmers taking up jobs and land being neglected making it difficult to re-start farming when jobs cease following retrenchment. Impact summary and assessment of significance 505. Table 50 provides an assessment of the significance of potential impacts to the local economy, employment and livelihoods before implementation of the proposed mitigation measures that are discussed in the rest of this section. Table 50: Potential Impacts to Local Economy, Employment and Livelihoods Phase Potential Receptors Impact No. of Receptors Affected No. of Receptors ReceptorsSensitivity of of ConcernPublic Level Legal of Risk Exceeding Threshold Magnitude Timeframe Spatial Scale Consequence Probability Significance C Increased jobs Local and M H H - MAJ ST INTER MED DEF M Regional communities C Enhanced Local and M M M - MOD LT INTER HIGH DEF H skills Regional communities C Increased Local L M M - MOD ST SMALL LOW DEF L sales for local businesses businesses C Unmet Local L H H - MAJ ST SMALL MED POSS M employment communities expectations C Loss of key Local L M M - MOD ST SMALL LOW POSS L workers to the communities project Key: H: High / M: Medium / L: Low / MAJ: Major / MOD: Moderate / MIN: Minimum / H/F: High Frequency / M/F: Low Frequency / L/F: Low Frequency / LT: Long term / MT: Medium Term / ST: Short term / MED: Medium / DEF: Definitely / POSS: Possible: / UNLIKE: Unlikely. Cells shaded in blue are positive impacts. Mitigation and Management Measures 506. Employment - Targets for local recruitment from the local communities will be agreed with the EPC Contractor and NEGU (C-EEL-01). The Project will seek to manage employment expectations by explaining the number and type of opportunities in advance to local communities via the NEGU PMU Safeguards Specialist. Unskilled labor will be preferentially recruited from the Project affected communities (C-EEL-02). Applications for employment will only be considered if submitted via the official application procedure (C-EEL-03). 507. Recruitment procedures will be transparent, public and non-discriminatory and open with respect to ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability or gender (C-EEL-04). Clear job descriptions will be provided in advance of recruitment and will explain the skills required for each post (C-EEL-05). Job vacancies will be advertised in the local communities through appropriate and accessible media (consistent with employment targets) (C-EEL-06). 138 Syrdarya TPP – Zafarabad Substation 220kV Transmission Line Project Initial Environmental Examination 508. Procurement of goods and services - Environmental considerations will be included in the Project procurement process (C-EEL-07). A plan will be developed and implemented that will aim to discourage and prevent the workforce from purchasing goods from informal vendors, to discourage vendors from establishing themselves at construction camp fence- lines in the hope of securing additional business (C-EEL-08). Taking into account relevant commercial considerations as appropriate, the Project will seek to purchase goods and services from within Uzbekistan and will monitor such purchases (C-EEL-09). 509. Community relations - A Company policy limiting alcohol consumption in construction camps will be applied (C-EEL-10) by the EPC Contractor. An employee Code of Conduct will be prepared and issued to all recruits and camp residents during the employee induction process (C-EEL-11). The Project will review measures to mitigate community health and safety impacts regularly, and consult community leaders every six months, informing them on the status of implementation and results, and discussing any changes needed to the ‘Pollution Prevention Plan’ or the ‘Community Health, Safety and Security Plan’ in advance of proposed changes (C-EEL-12). 510. The Employee Code of Conduct will prohibit the workforce from participating in illegal activities, including use of illegal drugs, bribery and corruption or requesting or receiving gifts from communities (C-EEL-13). The EPC Contractor company policy limiting alcohol consumption in construction camps will be applied (C-EEL-14). 511. Workforce training will include a briefing on camp rules and awareness of local social issues and sensitivities (C-EEL-15). No unauthorized access to, or use of, camp facilities will be allowed (C-EEL-16). 512. No hunting, fishing and unauthorized gathering of products (including plants and cultural heritage artefacts) by the workforce will be allowed (C-EEL-17). 513. A range of recreational facilities will be provided within the camps to reduce the need for finding recreation in the local community (C-EEL-18). Residual Impacts Table 51: Economy, Employment and Livelihoods Residual Impacts Phase Potential Potential Residual Impact Residual Impact Impact Impact Significance Significance C Unmet Medium Although efforts will be made to manage Not employment employment expectations, it is likely that significant expectations members of the local community who are not selected for job are likely to be disappointed with the selection process. However, the numbers are likely to be relatively small and therefore the impacts not be significant. C Loss of key Low No significant residual impacts are Not workers to the anticipated. significant project 6.4.2. Land Acquisition and Compensation 514. This section discusses the issue of land acquisition and compensation and associated mitigation measures to be adopted. 139 Syrdarya TPP – Zafarabad Substation 220kV Transmission Line Project Initial Environmental Examination