Involuntary Resettlement and Environment Safeguard Closure Report July, 2013 COO: L 2472/2473/2739 & G 0249 - Avatiu Port Development Project Prepared by Cook Islands Port Authority for the Government of the Cook Islands and the Asian Development Bank This involuntary resettlement and environment safeguard closure report 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. PORTS AUTHORITY PO Box 84, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone (682) 21 921 Facsimile (682) 21 191 Avatiu Port Development Project (Loan 2472/2473/2739 - COO & Grant 0249 - COO) Involuntary Resettlement and Environment Closure Report July 2013 PORTS AUTHORITY PO Box 84, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone (682) 21 921 Facsimile (682) 21 191 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Numbers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................... A. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………........ B. PROJECT DESCRIPTION................................................................................... ..... C. ENVIRONMENT SAFEGUARD REQUIREMENTS…………………………………........ D. INVOLUNTARY RESETTLEMENT REQUIREMENTS................................................................. E. CONSULTATIONS AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES............................................ F. RESOURCES AND FINANCING.................................................................................................. G. MONITORING AND EVALUATION........................................................................... H. PHOTOS OF PROJECT SITE……………………………………………………….............. PORTS AUTHORITY PO Box 84, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone (682) 21 921 Facsimile (682) 21 191 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This involuntary resettlement and environment closure report has been prepared in accordance with laws of the Government of the Cook Islands and the regulations and related policies of the Asian Development Bank (hereafter referred to as (ADB). The project is to redevelop the principal international port for the Cook Islands to result in changes to shipping, with larger ships enabled to deliver larger cargoes. The cost savings from these changes are expected to flow through to the national economy. The impact envisaged for the project in this context is continued economic growth and improved well-being of the population and the outcome will be a secure and efficient port infrastructure in Rarotonga with constraints and safety risks removed. This report provides the final compilation of effects on involuntary land resettlement and the environment (if any) to accommodate the physical works of port development. This serves to document involuntary resettlement and environmental reporting requirements to meet safeguard compliance for the project. PORTS AUTHORITY PO Box 84, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone (682) 21 921 Facsimile (682) 21 191 A. INTRODUCTION 1. The Port of Avatiu is the gateway to the Cook Islands for seaborne imports and exports. Located on the island of Rarotonga, it is the principal international port for the Cook Islands, as well as the transshipment port for cargo to the second most populated island of Aitutaki and the less populated outer islands. Before this project, the port was previously restricted to ships with a length less than 90m and a maximum draft of 6m. The existing infrastructure was in a poor condition and rapidly degrading. The port is in the only significant harbour in Rarotonga, and is exposed to seas from the north, including hurricane generated waves. 2. The port was initially developed during the 1980s in two stages with construction of a concrete wharf, apron and storage sheds. Prior to the initial development, cargo was brought ashore in lighters from schooners or smaller coastal traders that could anchor in either of the narrow natural harbours at Avatiu or nearby Avarua or from larger ships that anchored outside the harbours. 3. The infrastructure had had limited maintenance since installation. Further, the limitations on the ship size that could enter the port were the smallest of the ports in the region, limiting the size of ships that would operate on regular services that included Rarotonga. Following initial scoping studies and an initial environmental examination, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided a loan to the Government of the Cook Islands for the Avatiu Port Development project. Further funding was provided by the Cook Islands Government, and the Project was administered by the Cook Islands Ports Authority (CIPA) on behalf of the Government. 4. The design and project management of the project was awarded to Beca International consultants and later the construction was awarded to McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd, with dredging subcontractor Heron Construction Ltd. The contract with Beca International was finalized in December 2009 and they immediately commenced work towards finalizing detailed engineering design and tendering for civil contractor. By December 2010 McConnell Dowell Constructors Limited was signed. The CW contractor started mobilising into Rarotonga in March 2011 and started with the initial phases of the scheduled civil works. 5. The development has resulted in a harbour with 8m draft in which a 120m ship can turn and a 270m continuous berth face with a widened approach channel that can be accessed by cruise ships up to 200m in length. Landside improvements include additional paved storage yards, new cargo sheds and lighting that allows cargo to be handled at night. The design has also provided a level of protection from sea-level rise. 6. The Avatiu Port Development Project was approved by the ADB Board on 20 November 2008 and became effective on 10 September 2009. The Project was tasked with rehabilitating and expanding the capacity of Avatiu port. It comprised (i) widening the harbor entrance, (ii) dredging to increase the depth alongside the wharf plus dredging and enlarging the ship turning area, and (iii) reconstructing and realigning the quay and repairing the adjacent wharf deck. PORTS AUTHORITY PO Box 84, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone (682) 21 921 Facsimile (682) 21 191 B. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 7. Site Conditions. The site is typical of many tropical port sites, comprising a coral reef shelf which has been incised by the Avatiu stream. The original wharf alignment had followed the general edge of the reef shelf which had been defined by the stream, as described above. Although the catchment area for the stream was relatively small, the steep basalt slopes and tropical rainfall resulted in significant outflows during storm conditions, and there were informal reports of gravel deposits in the harbour bed which had been encountered during historical dredging. 8. The new wharf alignment was thus tasked with cutting through the reef shelf for the northern half of the new alignment, it was also necessary to excavate the fill that had been used to create the yard area adjacent to the northern berth. This fill was shown to be variable and included demolition concrete. The coral deposits were, as expected, highly variable. At the northern end, 5m of massive coral and re-cemented coral gravel and cobbles were encountered while at the southern end uncemented gravels and cobbles were encountered over the top 5m. 9. In the extreme south end alluvial deposits from the stream that had led to the incision through the reef were encountered extending below the toe of the wharf piles. 10. The Cook Islands, and especially those in the southern group, are frequently affected by cyclones. Since 1820 at least 91 tropical cyclones have impacted the inhabitants of the Cook Islands in some way, and these generate significant open ocean waves in the area. Recent cyclones causing significant damage include Sally (1987), Meena (2005) and Pat (2010). Meena was one of a series of five cyclones that crossed the Cook Islands in a six week period. 11. The harbour entrance is exposed to the north and water depths increase dramatically from the outer edge of the shelf, with seabed slopes of up to 30 degrees extending to a depth of 1,000 metres only 3 km offshore. A number of studies have detected offshore significant wave heights in excess of 10m during cyclone events. These events also result in significant tidal set- up on the reef shelf and the increased water depth allows more energy to cross the reef shelf. 12. All the Pacific nations are concerned about the effects of global warming. The original berths had been designed with a wharf edge level that was suitable for the smaller inter-island shipping that used the port and a cross-fall of 1:50 to provide drainage. As a consequence, during periods of significant swells – not necessarily local storms – waves would wash onto the deck and across the full width of the apron and into the cargo sheds. 13. Wharf Design. The potential wave climate within the harbour basin meant an open piled wharf structure was unfeasible due to the uplift loads from wave action. The adopted solution is a tied sheetpile wall. Due to the height of the wall, a tie was required. The installation of conventional ties at a lower level would have required either horizontal drilling through the coral