Social Monitoring Report Semi-annual Report July 2011 PRC: Second Heilongjiang Road Network Development Project Prepared by Winlot Consulting Ltd. for the People’s Republic of China and the Asian Development Bank. Asian Development Bank (ADB) Loan (No.: 7117-PRC) Heilongjiang Road Development Project II Qianfeng Farm- Nenjiang Road (Yichun- Nenjiang Section) External Monitoring and Evaluation Report on Social Development Action Plan No.: HLDP-7117-PRC-SDAP-02 WINLOT Consulting Ltd. July 2011 Fig.1 Schematic Diagram of Route Scheme 1 CONTENTS 1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION......................................................................................1 2 MONITORING AND EVALUATION METHODS OF THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN..................................................................................................................................1 3 IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN DURING PROJECT CONSTRUCTION .................................................................................................................2 3.1 IMPROVED ROAD TRAFFIC ACCESS ...........................................................................2 3.2. IMPROVED TRAFFIC SERVICE FACILITIES ..................................................................4 3.3 SITE CONSTRUCTION UNIT & EMPLOYMENT OF LOCAL LABORERS ...........................6 3.4 IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF GOOD LOCAL ROAD NETWORK...................11 3.5 REINFORCEMENT OF ROAD SAFETY .......................................................................11 3.6 CONTROL OF AIDS AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS ..............................12 3.7 PROTECTION OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES FROM CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS AND GUARANTEE OF CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ..........................................................................14 3.8 PROVISION OF THE LIVELIHOOD PLAN FOR AFFECTED HOUSEHOLDS TO INCREASE THEIR EARNINGS ..............................................................................................................17 3.9 DEVELOPMENT OF MINORITIES ..............................................................................17 3.10 COMPREHENSIVE ROAD IMPROVEMENT IN POVERTY RELIEF PROJECTS ..................18 3.11 PETTY LOAN FOR SMALL BUSINESS ........................................................................21 3.12 TOURISM PROMOTION............................................................................................22 3.13 SPECIAL SUPPORT FOR THE MINORITY VILLAGE TO PROTECT AND DEVELOP THE CULTURAL HERITAGE........................................................................................................24 3.14 TRAINING PROVIDED FOR THE WOMEN ..................................................................24 3.15 PROMOTION FOR NONAGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT .............................................26 4 PART OF THE INTERVIEW RECORD .............................................................................26 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................26 5.1 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................26 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................28 6 APPENDIXES .............................................................................................................29 APPENDIX 1 SUMMARY OF THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN ...........................29 APPENDIX 2 NAME LIST OF THE EXTERNAL MONITORING TEAM FOR THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN..........................................................................................35 APPENDIX 3 INTERVIEW..................................................................................................36 1 1 Background Information During preparation of the report on technical assistance for the Development Project II of Highway in Heilongjiang Province (Qianfeng Farm-Nenjiang Road Project), Asian Development Bank, in cooperation with Heilongjiang Communications Department (i.e. the Project Executing Agency), formulates the Social Development Action Plan (see Appendix 1) based on its lending principles. This Plan integrates enforceability with suggestiveness and is established on the basis of analysis on the social and poverty impacts, so that this Project can facilitate the poverty-relief plan. In addition to the resettlement plan, the enforceability also involves: (1) 3 branch roads with a length of 4.33km shall be constructed at the time of construction of the trunk roads; (2) the Contractor is required to employ as many natives as possible to serve as the non-technical laborers and maximize the consumption of local raw materials, for the purpose of boosting the local economic development. The proposed project involves five counties/cities in Heilongjiang Province, namely Yichun City, Suiling County, Bei’an City, Wudalianchi City and Nenjiang County, and one banner, i.e. Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Hulunbuir City, an autonomous region in Inner Mongolia. See Fig.1 for the Schematic Diagram of Route Scheme. Qianfeng Farm-Nenjiang Road Project Management Office of Expressway Construction Bureau of Heilongjiang Communications Department (hereinafter referred to as the Project Management Office) engaged the Monitoring and Evaluation Team for Social Development Action Plan. See Appendix 2 for the team members. With the cooperation and support of the Project Executing Agency, the Monitoring and Evaluation Team conducted its second site investigation and interview of the social development action plan for this Project from April 20, 2011 to May 20, 2011, and submitted the monitoring and evaluation report within the stipulated date. 2 Monitoring and Evaluation Methods of the Social Development Action Plan The Monitoring and Evaluation Team conducted its second monitoring and evaluation of the social development action plan for this Project from April 20, 2011 to May 20, 2011. Then relevant data were collected 1 and classified and available results of relevant items were evaluated by means of site investigation of relevant departments of the five counties/cities in Heilongjiang Province along the Project and each bid section as well as interview with key personnel. Statistical data in each county/ city were collected, and economic and social poverty-relief policies were tracked and monitored, with the purpose of evaluating the realization of social goals. The Monitoring and Evaluation Team had an interview with relevant government departments in the five counties/ cities along the Project, including government office, statistical bureau, road transport bureau, investment promotion bureau, tourist administration, department of civil affairs, ethnic and religious affairs bureau, the women’s federation, agricultural commission, poverty alleviation and development office, road transportation management station, traffic police station and center for disease control, and visited the encampment of the Construction Unit. 3 Implementation of Social Development Action Plan during Project Construction See Appendix 1 for the 15 issues contained in the Social Development Action Plan under the Project Loan Agreement. Implementation of the Social Development Action Plan 2010 during project execution is listed as below: 3.1 Improved road traffic access Due to the Lesser Khingan Mountains, no direct transportation channel is available between Yichun City and Bei’an City, so both travelers and goods from Yichun City have to make a detour to Wudalianchi City via Harbin or Suihua City, and vice versa. The proposed project will connect the dead-end highway between the two cities, and thus greatly shortens the travelling distance and time. This new road will also connect Wudalianchi National Geological Park, Yichun, a city for forest sight-seeing, and Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang Province, forming a circular tourist route. In addition, a new bridge would be built over Nenjiang River to connect the roads in Nenjiang County in Heilongjiang Province and that in Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Inner Mongolia. A 128.1673 km road section of Longzhen Town- Nenjiang Section in the proposed project will be reconstructed to be an 2 open Class II road, which will be more convenient for travelling of residents within the area affected by the project and for transport of agricultural products. A road of 13.0805km in Nenjiang-Provincial Boundary Section of the proposed project is reconstructed to a Class I road to connect the roads in Nenjiang County in Heilongjiang Province and that in Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Inner Mongolia and facilitate transportation of merchandises and resident travelling. In addition, 6 flyover-crossways are built between the expressway section of the proposed project and the existing local roads to facilitate vehicle travelling; level crossings are constructed between the Class I and Class II road sections and local roads; 3 branch roads are to be completed with the trunk road. Therefore, the travelling of local residents will be greatly improved. Based on the interview with the road transport bureau and the road transportation management station in the 5 counties/ cities, we learned that the traffic management departments in each county/ city had implemented the plan of road construction in rural areas in 2010, and now plan to adjust or formulate the reconstruction plan of passenger stations owing to the pass of Qianfeng Farm-Nenjiang Road and the improvement in