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Environmental Monitoring Report TAJ: Water Resources

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Environmental Monitoring Report TAJ: Water Resources Environmental Monitoring Report Semestral Report 1 January 2020 Project No: 47181-002 Reporting period: July - December 2019 TAJ: Water Resources Management in the Pyanj River Basin Project Prepared by BETS Consulting Services Ltd. Bangladesh in association with LLC “Panasia” Ltd. Tajikistan for the Agency on Land Reclamation and Irrigation (Project Implementation Group) and Asian Development Bank This environmental monitoring report is a document of the Borrower. The views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of ADB's board of directors, management or staff and may be preliminary. In preparing a Country Program or Strategy, financing a project, or by indicating or referencing a specific territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments regarding the legal or other status of any territory or region. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 4 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES ............................................................................. 5 2.1. Project Description .................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Project Location ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.2. Agreements (Contracts) for Project Implementation and Management ................................ 7 2.3. Project Activities during the Reporting Period ...................................................................... 10 2.3.1. Modernization and Rehabilitation of Irrigation Drainage Infrastructure in Hamadoni district ............................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.2. Modernization and Rehabilitation of Irrigation Drainage Infrastructure in Farkhor district ...... 21 2.3.3. Modernization and Rehabilitation of Irrigation Infrastructure in Vose District .................... 28 2.4. Description of Changes in the Design of the Project ............................................................. 31 2.5. Description of Changes in Agreed Construction Methods .................................................... 32 3. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................... 32 3.1 General Description of Environmental Activities .................................................................. 32 3.2. Field Inspections .................................................................................................................... 33 3.3. Tracking Problems Based on Notices of Non-Compliance .................................................... 34 3.4. Trends (General Directions)................................................................................................... 34 3.5. Unexpected Environmental Impacts or Risks ........................................................................ 36 4. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING RESULTS ...................................................................................... 36 4.1 General Monitoring during the Current Period ..................................................................... 36 4.6. Use of Material Resources ..................................................................................................... 37 4.6.1. Current period ....................................................................................................................... 37 4.7. Waste Management .............................................................................................................. 37 4.7.1. Current Period ....................................................................................................................... 38 4.7.2. Cumulative Waste Generation .............................................................................................. 39 4.9. Training .................................................................................................................................. 41 5. FUNCTIONING OF SSEMP .................................................................................................................. 42 5.1. Review of the SEMP (SSEMP/SEMP) ..................................................................................... 42 6. ADVANCED METHODS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR THEIR IMPROVEMENT.......................................... 43 6.1 Advanced Practices (Good Practices) .................................................................................... 43 7. BRIEF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................. 43 7.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 43 7.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 44 2 ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank ALRI Agency on Land Reclamation and Irrigation BETS BETS Consulting Services Ltd. Bangladesh in association with LLC Panasia Ltd. (Tajikistan – Consultant) CEP Committee for Environmental Protection CIS Chubek irrigation system CSC construction supervision consultant CMC Chubek Main Canal EA executing agency EIA environmental impact assessment EMP environmental management plan EMU environmental management unit FL fuels and lubricants GRM grievance redress mechanism IEA initial environmental assessment IEE initial environmental examination I&D irrigation and drainage LIC loan implementation consultant (Environment, Health and Safety Specialist) LLC limited liability company MEWR Ministry of Energy and Water Resources M&R modernization and rehabilitation NGO nongovernmental organization O&M operation and maintenance PAM project administration manual PCD polychlorinated diphenyls PCV polychlorinated vinyls PE polyethylene PIG project implementation group PIU project implementation unit PPE personal protective equipment PRB Pyanj River Basin PRBO Pyanj River Basin Organization RCC reinforced cement concrete SEE State Ecological Expertise SICC State Institution of Chubek canal SPS Safeguards Policy Statement SSEMP site-specific environmental management plan WRM water resources management WRMPRB water resources management in Pyanj River Basin WUA water users association 3 1. INTRODUCTION 1. Background. ADB Loan 3434, Grants 0498/9188 and Technical Assistance 9138 (TAJ: The Water Resources Management in the Pyanj River Basin (PRB) Project) will improve institutional and physical capacities of water resources management (WRM) system in PRB of southern Tajikistan. The project will: (i) establish a PRB organization, council, and Joint PRB committee, and develop a PRB management plan; (ii) modernize and climate-proof the Chubek Irrigation System (CIS); and (iii) improve farm and water use management capacities. The project was approved on 28 September 2016 and became effective on 08 August 2017. 2. The key outputs of the project are below and described in detail in succeeding sections: Output 1: Water resources in PRB better managed Output 2: CIS WRM modernized and climate-proofed Output 3: Farm management capacity and water use skill improved 3. Categorization. The project is classified as environment Category B per ADB Safeguards Policy Statement (SPS) and assessed that potential impacts that are not likely to be significant adverse environmental impacts that are irreversible, diverse, or unprecedented. The project area is not adjacent to or within any environmental sensitive area. The physical activity is limited to rehabilitation of existing irrigation facilities and building a new sedimentation pond. Site-specific environmental impacts are expected during construction and operation. Thus, Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs) with environmental management plans (EMPs) per ADB SPS requirements were prepared and disclosed on ADB website (https://www.adb.org/projects/47181-002/main#project-documents) and project website (https://www.adb.org/projects/47181-002/main#project-documents). According to the IEE, the civil works are small-scale and are carried out within the framework of an existing and long-established irrigation system in a heavily modified agricultural landscape. An updated IEE was prepared and disclosed on October 2019 (https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/taj-47181-002-iee). The contractors are required to submit site-specific environmental management plans (SSEMP) prior to start of works. 4. Implementation Arrangement. The Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation (ALRI) is the executing agency to manage outputs 2 and 3 while the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MEWR) is the executing agency for output 1. ALRI established a project implementation group (PIG) to manage and coordinate on a daily basis the monitoring and organizational activity of the project. The PIG is the leading operational institution for the implementation of the project in accordance with the Project Administration Manual (PAM). Three project implementation units (PIUs) under ALRI are established in three project districts. The PIG and PIUs are supported by the construction supervision consultant (CSC) BETS Consulting Services Ltd. Bangladesh in association with LLC Panasia Ltd., Tajikistan (BETS) in ensuring of environmental
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