Western Poverty Reduction Project Environmental Information Package

E=269 Public Disclosure Authorized CHINA:Western PovertyReduction Project EnvironmentalInformation Package Public Disclosure Authorized This package of documents comprises an Environmental Summary and Evaluation of the above project prepared by World Bank staff plus English language translations of three Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) commissioned, in accordance with relevant EIA requirements of the Government of the People's Republic of China, by the Provincial/Regional Governments participating in the project. The Environmental Summary and Evaluation provides a concise summary and evaluation of the main environmental implications of the proposed investments and is based on the contents of the EIAs and the results of additional environmental and technical evaluations undertaken as part of project feasibility assessment. Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized l Contents Environmental Summary and Evaluation Environment Impact Assessments World Bank Loan for Poverty Reduction in West China: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Agricultural Development and Poverty Reduction Project in Xiangride-Balong, Qinghai Western China Poverty Reduction Project Financed by the World Bank: Report On * AssessmentOf EnvironmentalImpacts In Gansu Project Area Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for The World Bank Loan "Poverty Reduction" I Project in Inner Mongolia 3 Maps China Western Poverty Reduction Project - Qinghai Province - IBRD No. 29993 China Western Poverty Reduction Project - Gansu Province - IBRD No. 29994 3 China Western Poverty Reduction Project - Inner Mongolia Province - IBRD No. 29995 1 I I I l I I l I CHINA:Western Poverty Reduction Project 3 EnvironmentalSummary and Evaluation A. Overview Introduction. The objectiveof the proposedWestern PovertyReduction Project (WPRP) * - is to alleviatechronic poverty for the absolute poor living in remote and inaccessiblevillages of * Gansu Province,Qinghai Provinceand Inner MongoliaAutonomous Region within the People's Republic of China. The proposed project is the third in a series of World Bank-assistedpoverty reductionprojects in China that support the government's Eight-SevenPoverty ReductionPlan I (the 8-7 Plan). In all three of the ParticipatingProvinces (PPs), project supportedinterventions would enable poor households to raise their incomes through increasing grain and livestock production sufficient to meet their basic food needs and in many cases also generating a marketablesurplus to improve their living standards.This report summarizesthe main relevant findings and recommendationsof three province specific environmental impact assessments (EIAs) prepared for the proposed project as well as results of additional environmentaland technicalevaluations undertaken as part of project feasibilityassessment, and outlines the World Bank's evaluationsof the main, substantiveenvironmental issues. The objective of the proposed Western Poverty ReductionProject (WPRP) is to alleviate IJ chronic poverty for the absolute poor living in remote and inaccessible villages of Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region within the People's Republicof China. The proposed project is the third in a series of World Bank-assistedpoverty I reductionprojects in China that support the government's Eight-SevenPoverty ReductionPlan (the 8-7 Plan). In all three of the ParticipatingProvinces (PPs), project supported interventions would enable poor households to raise their incomes through increasing grain and livestock i production sufficient to meet their basic food needs and in many cases also generating a marketablesurplus to improvetheir livingstandards. Strateeic Context. The proposed project supports several of the World Bank's key Country Assistance Strategy objectives including: targeted poverty alleviation investments, support for primary educationwith a particularfocus on girls and minoritynationalities, support for environmentallysustainable agricultural and livestockdevelopment and enhancing access to basic servicesfor poor people. Access to health, educationand other rural serviceswould also be improvedfor the poor households.Although the proposed project will be implementedin three PPs, this report focuses mainly on proposed developmentsin Qinghai Province, which will *- involve new land reclamationand developmentin areas not presentlyutilized for crop production and, as such, offer the greatestpotential for environmentalimpact. Developments in the other two PPs are substantially confined to modifications and improvementsto existing land uses and mainlyrepresent intensification rather than major changesin land use. B. Environmental Review Process Applicable Environmental Procedures. Consistentwith the "EnvironmentalProtection Law" of the People's Republic of China and OperationalDirective (OD) 4.01, "Environmental Assessment" of the World Bank, each of the three components has been the subject of an EnvironmentalImpact Assessment(EIA). These documentshave been preparedto meet Chinese requirementsfor an EIA and World Bank provisions for activities placed in environmental screening category "B," which includes an EnvironmentalManagement Plan. The EIAs were prepared by the Environmental Protection Research Institute of Gansu Province, the l I Environmental Sciences Institute of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and the Qinghai Institute of Environmental Science. All three institutes hold the "Environmental Impact Assessment Certification of Class A," issued by the State Environmental Protection Agency and the scope of the EIAs was substantially in compliance with that required for the World Bank's environmental Category A, including public consultation. However, the bulk of the environmental analysis associated with the proposed project was of an essentially technical nature and designed to ensure that all relevant environmental considerations were taken into account in project design. The EIA documents identify the key environmental risks, and mitigation and environmental monitoring measures with their associated costs, and specify implementation responsibilities. English language translations of these reports have been placed in the Public Information Center at the World Bank. Environmental Screening Category. The proposed project was reviewed and placed in World Bank environmental screening category "B" in accordance with the provisions of Operational Directive 4.01 and taking account of past practice with classification of a large number of similar integrated agricultural development projects financed by the World Bank in I China over the last 10 years. Review of the scope and proposed activities of the project by Chinese and World Bank environmental staff indicated that the potential impacts were not unusual or unprecedented in terms of other large scale rural developments being undertaken in I China, whether financed solely by the Government or co-financed by the World Bank and other donors. These activities generally have limited risk of adverse effects that could be addressed through design, mitigation and/or monitoring measures. The land reclamation and improvement _ activities supported under the project are of a kind that have been widely and successfully applied in other arid and semi-arid development projects in both the Project Provinces/Regions and other Provinces/Regions in central and western China. Previous interventions of this type by the World Bank have included the Gansu-Hexi Corridor Project and the Tarim Basin I and II Projects. In addition, the proposed activities would be implemented in a large number of dispersed sites with most of the anticipated negative environmental impacts being of local nature. The mitigation measures and methods to be utilized are well known and established in China. It should be noted I that during project preparation the overall scale of the proposed project, particularly the scale of developments in Qinghai Province, was substantially reduced with an incremental decrease in potential environmental impacts. Preparation and Review Process. Project preparation has included the participation of a highly experienced international environmental consultant as an integral member of the U interdisciplinary project team used by the World Bank. This specialist participated in the preparation, pre-appraisal and appraisal of the project. The work of this individual was complemented by World Bank environmental staff who reviewed the environmental documentation prepared for the project. The environmental design of the project represents the combined work of these different experts. The EIA documents were submitted to Chinese authorities and the World Bank prior to appraisal and have been reviewed and approved by the 3 State Environmental Protection Agency of China. They have been made available in the PPs to government agencies and project affected persons upon request. The EIA work was carried out in close coordination with the Social Assessments and the preparation of the Voluntary Resettlement Implementation Plan (VSIP) and the involuntary Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the Qinghai sub-project. Consultation Process. Public consultation activities were also undertaken as part * preparation of all three ELAs. In Qinghai, these consultations were undertaken in both the 'move out' and 'move in' areas in conjunction with the social surveys carried out as background to the resettlement program, while in Gansu and Inner Mongolia, specific surveys were carried out to I gauge project awareness

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