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Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project Additional Financing

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Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project Additional Financing Initial Environmental Examination Project Number 48484-004 June 2018 TUV: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project Additional Financing This initial environmental examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the 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. Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project – Additional Financing Initial Environmental Examination TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abbreviations ii Executive Summary iii I Introduction 1 A. Project Background 1 B. Objectives and Scope of IEE 2 II Legal, Policy and Administrative Framework 3 A. Legal and Policy Framework of Tuvalu 3 B. ADB Safeguard Policy Statement 6 III Description of the Project 7 A. Rationale 7 B. Proposed Works and Activities 7 IV Baseline Information 14 A. Physical Resources 14 B. Terrestrial Biological Resources 19 C. Marine Biological Resources 20 D. Socio-economic resources 28 V Anticipated Impacts and Mitigation Measures 33 A. Overview 33 B. Design and Pre-construction Impacts 33 C. Construction Impacts on Physical Resources 35 D. Construction Impacts on Biological Resources 39 E. Construction Impacts on Socio-Economic Resources 45 F. Operation Impacts 49 VI Consultation and Information Disclosure 52 A. Consultation 52 B. Information Disclosure 53 VII Environmental Management Plan 53 A. General 53 B. Institutional Arrangements for Environmental Management 54 C. Mitigation Plan 59 D. Grievance Redress Mechanism 59 E. Monitoring and Reporting 60 VIII Conclusions 79 Annex 1: Fish Species Recorded during Surveys (October 2016) 80 Final Draft_31 May 2018 Page i Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project – Additional Financing Initial Environmental Examination ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank CCP communication and consultation plan (for the project) CSC construction supervision consultant (supporting the PMU) DOE Department of Environment EHSG Environment, Health and Safety Guidelines (of the World Bank Group) EHSO Environment, health and safety officer (of the contractor) EIA environmental impact assessment EMP environmental management plan ES Environmental specialist (of the CSC) GFP Grievance focal point GPS global positioning system GRM grievance redress mechanism HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HSP health and safety plan (of the contractor) IEE initial environmental examination IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature MCT Ministry of Communications and Transport NEMS National Environmental Management Strategy OHS occupational health and safety PAM Project Administration Manual PEAR preliminary environmental assessment report (under Tuvalu country system) PMU Project Management Unit PPE personal protective equipment SPREP Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Program SPS Safeguard Policy Statement 2009 (of ADB) STI sexually transmitted infection TKIII Te Kakeega III National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016 to 2020 TFD Tuvalu Fisheries Department CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS Tuvalu uses the Australian dollar (AU$) - as at April 2018 AU$1.00 = US$1.30 US$1.00 = AU$0.76 Final Draft_31 May 2018 Page ii Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project – Additional Financing Initial Environmental Examination EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The project. The Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project – Additional Financing (the project) will continue the efforts of the Government of Tuvalu (the government) with support from Asian Development Bank (ADB) to rehabilitate and improve maritime infrastructure on outers islands. The Outer Islands Maritime Infrastructure Project1 is improving infrastructure on Nukulaelae, Nanumaga and Niutao which was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Pam in March 2015. The government has requested ADB to provide additional financing for: (i) cost overruns resulting from contract variations and foreign exchange fluctuations; and (ii) provision of passenger facilities at Nukulaelae and construction of a small boat harbor at Niutao. 2. The original project is financing (i) a small boat harbour construction in Nukulaelae and rehabilitating boat ramps in Nanumaga and Niutao, (ii) institutional strengthening for government’s asset management focusing on the sustainability of project deliveries, and (iii) the preparation of transport master planning. The ongoing project is being successfully implemented with all contracts awarded for the works, the project support and master planning, and project management staff have been awarded. 3. There are no docking facilities on Niutao for either of the three government-owned ships or the small workboats used to transfer people and cargo from the ship to the shore. Passenger transfers between vessels are often dangerous while movement of cargo is very labour intensive and carried in manageable pieces though the water to the shore. The small workboat harbour will involve the dredging of a new channel and turning bay for the workboats. The construction of breakwaters involve using precast concrete elements, with wharf and jetty raised on piles to reduce the impact on coastal processes within the reef environment. There will be ancillary buildings for cargo near the jetty to assist in the safe movement of passengers and cargo from the land to the ship. The project also includes six navigational aids. 4. Institutional responsibilities. The Ministry of Communications and Transport (MCT) is the executing agency for this project. The Director of Marine and Port Service was appointed as Project Director. A project management unit (PMU) has been established under the ongoing project and will deliver the new project. The PMU reports to the MTC. The PMU will be supported by a construction supervision consultant (CSC) which will include an environmental specialist (ES). Prior to recruitment of the CSC, an individual environmental specialist will be recruited to undertake tasks associated with updating the initial environmental examination (IEE) and environmental management plan (EMP) and inputs to the tender documentation and bid evaluation. Terms of reference have been prepared for the environmental specialists (for the individual and the ES included in the CSC) and are included in the project administration manual. The submission, review and acceptance of construction EMP (CEMP) is a condition of no objection to commencement of physical works and this is included in the grant agreement. 5. Screening and categorization. The project has been classified as Category B for environment following the ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement 2009 (SPS). A category B project requires an environmental assessment commensurate with its level of impact, and this IEE including an EMP has been prepared. 1 ADB. 2016. Tuvalu Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project approved by the Board on 16 November 2016 for three grants in the total amount of $11.8 million. Final Draft_31 May 2018 Page iii Tuvalu: Outer Island Maritime Infrastructure Project – Additional Financing Initial Environmental Examination 6. Anticipated impacts. There is no critical habitat on this island directly affected by the project. The main potential negative environmental impacts relate to the construction phase and the dredging and excavation of 8,295m3 of reef material for the new channel through the reef platform required for the small workboats and the subsequent disposal of the spoil on to the land. The spoil will be disposed of such that it does not result in damage to the reef environment, the remaining natural vegetation on land at the disposal sites, subsurface water resources and any areas of agriculture or cultural significance. The protection of the foreshore and vegetation against further deterioration, already damaged by recent cyclonic activity including Cyclone Pam in 2015, will be a priority during the construction phase. 7. Overall, few of the impacts are irreversible. Potential impacts can be managed and reduced to acceptable levels through the implementation of the measures identified in the EMP which will be developed into a detailed construction EMP (CEMP) by the civil works contractor, and effective monitoring of the same by the construction supervision consultant (CSC), who will support the PMU and acts for and on behalf of MCT. 8. The IEE will be re-formatted as required to comply with the Tuvalu country system and an application for clearance will be made under the Environment Protection (Environment Impact Assessment) Regulation 2012. The EMP requirements and provisions for environmental protection and management will be incorporated into the bid documents for the civil works and construction contract. Given the sensitivity of the marine environment, the contractor will be required to recruit an experienced marine environmental specialist to develop the CEMP and help the contractor implement the CEMP, including the site-specific plans and construction methodologies (working platforms, dredging methods, and spoil disposal locations and methods) most suited to the environmental conditions at each island. The CSC will also include an environmental specialist to work with the supervision engineer to review and approve the CEMP and to monitor the contractor’s
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