E2018 v2 rev Public Disclosure Authorized Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Report for the al- Menya Landfill Southern West Bank Solid Waste Management Program Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Southern West Bank Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management Public Disclosure Authorized Municipal Development and Lending Fund The World Bank April 2009 Final Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Report for the al- Menya Landfilland Associated Infrastructure Southern West Bank Solid Waste Management Program April 7, 2009 Southern West Bank Joint Service Council for Solid Waste Management in Hebron and Bethlehem file : B3671 01 001 registration number : version : 4 Municipal Development and Lending Fund The World Bank April 2009 Final Original document prepared by DHV BV partnering with the Palestinian Hydrology Group. This version revised and updated by Raymond Colley and Jacob Avraham Contextual Summary In the southern West Bank area, i.e. Bethlehem and Hebron governorates, improperly regulated dumpsites for the disposal of municipal solid waste have led to unacceptable environmental degradation. As a response to this deteriorating situation, the Solid Waste and Environmental Management Project (SWEMP) has been initiated. The initial concept for the design of project activities has been established in the Feasibility Study (FS) and Basic Design (BD), prepared in parallel with this ESIA study. The FS has proposed a concept for a regional waste management system focusing on a regional landfill site in area of the al-Menya local council and a transfer station south of the city of Hebron. In theory, local authorities are responsible for solid waste collection and disposal in the West Bank. There are a number of communities, however, for which there is no municipal authority or village council. Also local authorities have been slow to obey the law, perhaps due to lack of capacity and conflicting priorities. Joint Services Councils (JSCs) for Solid Waste Management have been established to coordinate Solid Waste Management (SWM) across larger areas. For this project a combined Joint Service Council for Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates(JSC-H&B) been formed and is the Project Proponent. It consists of both JSC of Hebron Governorate and JSC of Bethlehem Governorate. Currently most of the solid waste from Hebron Governorate and from some villages in Bethlehem Governorate is dumped at the dumping site at Yatta. Solid waste from Israeli settlements in Hebron, from the UNRWA-managed refugee camps, and some industrial waste is also taken to the dumpsite. In all, between 50 and 60 trucks with average capacity around 8 tons discharge at the site daily. Based on the present population and forecasts for the Hebron and Bethlehem governorates, as well as the estimates and forecasts for the waste generation per capita, the total annual waste generation over the project period can be calculated as about 4,9 million m³ over a 20 year period. There are major environmental and social effects of the existing waste disposal system. These include air and water pollution, land degradation, and harm to the health and livelihood practices of vulnerable groups (the child waste-pickers). The high potential for environmental impacts associated with the current environmentally unsecured disposal methods arises principally due to: • Poor original selection of the dump sites (based on convenience rather than environmental acceptability); • Limited control over site access and hence over waste-picking, waste burning and illegal dumping; • Absence of control over emissions of pollutants released from waste decomposition. Contamination of surface water (wadis) and groundwater resources via uncontrolled discharges of rainwater runoff and leachate is of most concern. Analyses of leachate obtained from three of the largest existing dump sites confirm the significant potential that exists for the contamination of surface water and groundwater resources via uncontrolled discharges of leachate. al-Menya Landfill ESIA April 2009, version 4 - 1 - Similarly, residential communities adjacent to dump sites are affected by the practice of burning waste on-site, resulting in thick plumes of smoke with comparatively high concentrations of particulate matter, including toxic substances released, but not destroyed by, low-temperature burning. The same communities are impacted also by odor generated by decomposing waste that attracts large numbers of vermin and pests. Continuing disposal of waste via uncontrolled dump sites will only serve to exacerbate these impacts throughout the region as the number of dump sites proliferate in order to accommodate the increasing quantities of MSW generated. Notwithstanding that open dumping is the least cost financial solution for dealing with waste for disposal it is apparent that continued open dumping is not sustainable from practical, social and environmental considerations. Some form of strategic approach to the area’s waste disposal requirements needs to be taken. Hence, the project objectives include: 1. To improve solid waste management in Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates 2. To reduce the environmental pollution risks, especially the pollution of water sources. 3. To maximize the potential social and environmental benefits and improve public health status 4. To improve air quality through eliminating gas and smoke release from the unsanitary dumping sites. 5. To improve the aesthetic view of the landscape. The identification of the new landfill site and the location and design of the transfer station were the result of an extensive site selection and consultation process. The preferred landfill site was chosen due to its location approximately midway between the two governorates to be served by the project and because the geology, surrounding land uses and ecological setting all indicated that the potential for significant negative environmental and social impacts was less than at other sites. The site technical specifications are the best of those visited and there are no significant difficulties anticipated with regard to land lease or ownership transfer. However. the site falls in Area ‘C’ of the West Bank. Infrastructure projects, including solid waste disposal sites, require approval of the Civil Administration of the State of Israel prior to receiving construction permits, and under the same approvals procedures, water supply and water/sewage treatment facilities, reservoirs, dams, drainage channels and electrical installations all require approval of the Israeli authorities prior to construction. Some of these types of infrastructure may be required for the completion of the currently proposed project. A transfer station needs to be situated near a waste collection area where the refuse collection vehicles can discharge their load for reloading onto larger vehicles for economic transport to the landfill. Transfer stations are used to optimize the efficiency of waste collection and transport systems. The selected site is in the southern industrial zone of Hebron City, a distance of around 25 km to the al-Menya landfill, to serve municipalities in the southern region of Hebron, the southern neighborhoods of Hebron City and the Southern industrial zone of Hebron City. The land is completely owned by Hebron municipality. It is about 1,000 meters from the main road (road 60) which connect all the major cities it the West Bank and runs close by the landfill. al-Menya Landfill ESIA April 2009, version 4 - 2 - The particular environmental and social issues which are most likely to give rise to the most significant impacts or were of greatest concern in the context of this project were the following. • Land use: the effects of the project on land uses and values • Impacts related to potential ground and surface water contamination by waste water, surface drainage and the water passing through and around the project sites. • Socio-economic and cultural impacts on a large number of individuals who enter the old landfill site and collect valuable wastes for resale • Traffic Impacts: The movements of large vehicles, sometimes on small roads • General Environmental Quality: Effects in terms of odor and air quality impacts, noise, visual and landscape impacts, vermin, etc. if the facilities are not operated in accordance with good practice. • Potential impact of landfill gas: Landfill gas poses significant risks to human, animal and plant health and life. Accordingly, the study has investigated how the design will incorporate measures to minimize these risks, and assessed the residual impact. An Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) has been developed as a link between the management and mitigation measures specified in this report and the proper implementation and management of the measures during the construction and operation of the project. It summarizes the anticipated environmental and social impacts and provides details on the measures responsibilities and scheduling to mitigate these impacts; the costs of mitigation; and, the ways in which implementation and effectiveness of the measures will be monitored and supervised. The measures required by the ESMP will be incorporated in a series of documents that will be linked through the ESPM and the associated Monitoring Plan. These documents are as follows. • Contract Documents prepared for firms bidding to work on major project construction activities (i.e. the construction of the landfill, the construction of the transfer station, and