INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Public Disclosure Copy Report No.: ISDSC3071 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 22-Mar-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 22-Mar-2013, 25-Mar-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: India Project ID: P128421 Project Name: INTEGRATED FLOOD AND EROSION MANAGEMENT IN NORTHEAST REGION (P128421) Task Team Abedalrazq F. Khalil Leader: Estimated 04-Feb-2014 Estimated 27-Mar-2014 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: SASDI Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: Sector(s): General agriculture, fishing and forestry sector (20%), Public administration- Agriculture, fishing and forestry (10%), Public admin istration- Water, sanitation and flood protection (10%), Flood protection (30%), General water, sanitation and flood protection sect or (30%) Theme(s): Water resource management (30%), Climate change (25%), Environmental Public Disclosure Copy policies and institutions (10%), Natural disaster management (2 5%), Biodiversity (10%) Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 150.00 Total Bank Financing: 150.00 Total Cofinancing: Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount BORROWER/RECIPIENT 0.00 International Development Association (IDA) 150.00 Total 150.00 Environmental A - Full Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? B. Project Objectives The proposed development objective is to improve soil and watershed management practices and flood management systems in selected states of the Brahmaputra River Basin (i.e., Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya). This will contribute to improved long-term resilience of selected communities to flood and erosion risks. Public Disclosure Copy C. Project Description Future development and growth of the region depends on how water resources are managed in the region in general and in the Brahmaputra River basin in particular. Management of water resources in the Brahmaputra River will require a multi-sector approach to benefit from the risks and opportunities it brings along. Currently, the existing institutional arrangements, technical knowledge and capacity for integrated water resources management are inadequate. The project will aim to address these gaps and will build knowledge, bring global experience and best practices as well as significant financing to strengthen the institutional structure and capacity at selected states within the catchment of Brahmaputra River basin (i.e., Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya). The proposed project will help to lay the foundation for developing a pragmatic water resources management approach and ensuring economic growth benefits to local communities and long-term sustainability of investments. Specifically the project will build on the following pillars: i. Improvements of Institutional and Technical Capacity. Investment in institutional strengthening at both regional and state level to improve management of flood and erosion through using advanced modeling platforms and cutting edge applied research. ii. Watershed management. Rehabilitation of the watershed and erosion control measures in the hill states is critical to the sustainable management of the Brahmaputra River. This project will aim to promote participatory management of watersheds and provide alternatives to unsustainable agricultural practices through integrated basin management and livelihood promotion activities. iii. Hydromet Modernization and Development of DSS for Early Warning. This effort will aim to deliver a decision support system (DSS) and early warning tools for integrated river basin Public Disclosure Copy management that cuts across different disciplines. The project will put emphasis on building data collection systems and protocols important to manage water and land systems. iv. Vulnerability Reduction. Community led initiatives to strengthen preparedness and improve resilience. Erosion control measures, early warning systems and measures to build flood resilience at community level would play integral parts in the strategy to reduce vulnerability to flood and erosion. A wider consultation with environmental groups, NGOs, community associations, and academia is essential to fine tune the project outline and elicit a project design that responds effectively to the needs of the communities. Based on the pillars discussed above the project is likely to consist of the following areas of engagement: Component 1: Integrated Watershed Management. The objective of this component is to rehabilitate degraded watershed and improve production and water use efficiency. Activities under this component will be executed at the state level and would focus on promoting livelihood and community engagement. The final design of the component would be driven by state specific issues, from among the hill states; as well as the guidance provided under the centrally funded Integrated Watershed Management Program. Activities under this component will include: Public Disclosure Copy 1. Strategic Catchment Planning: The aim is develop a state-wide watershed management strategy to provide a common foundation for both state government and communities to plan and work towards effective watershed management. 2. Micro-Catchment Intervention: This will aim to support the livelihood activities towards the development of sustainable farming practices to increase farmer incomes through watershed improvement activities. Component 2: Flood Management and Information Systems. The objective of this component is to develop the knowledge base and the analytical tools for proactive flood and embankment management. Some of the specific activities which would be considered: 1. Strengthening Flood Information Systems: Development of knowledge system and science base to inform integrated planning of structural and nonstructural measure to manage flood. 2. Embankment Management Systems: This would focus primarily on reducing the risk of embankment breach and failure. 3. Early Warning System: The aim of this is to build effective systems to provide successful forewarning of impending flood incidence to exposed communities. 4. Community Climate Resilience: The aim here is improve the preparedness of vulnerable communities to prepare, respond, withstand, and recover from floods risks. Project implementation responsibility would be with the respective state governments of the participating states. The project will cover the establishment of project implementation units (PIUs) or the incremental cost associated with use of existing government agencies at State and District levels. Activities to be carried out by PIUs include: monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and Public Disclosure Copy establishment of baseline; development of procurement and financial management information system (MIS); development of social and environmental safeguards frameworks. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The project area consists of the floodplains of the Brahmaputra basin in Assam, and hill areas of the Brahmaputra watershed in Meghalaya and Nagaland. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies The implementation of the project will reside within the states. The details of the institutional arrangement for project implementation are not finalized yet. Assessment of the implementing agencies safeguard capacities will be carried out at the preparation stage. Given the overall limited capacity of northeastern states, a close monitoring of triggered safeguard policies, laws during project preparation and implementation and adequate staffing of the selected implementing agencies with both social and environmental staff will be emphasized. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Satya N. Mishra (SASDS) Pyush Dogra (SASDI) Sharlene Jehanbux Chichgar (SASDI) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Public Disclosure Copy Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes The project impacts are mostly positive due to BP 4.01 improved sustainability of water and sediment management. Because the project consist of a series of subproject and the impacts cannot be determined until subproject details have been identified, an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is prepared in accordance with World Bank policy requirement. This ESMF sets out principles, guidelines and procedures to assess environmental and social impacts. The ESMF will contain measures and plans to reduce, mitigate, and/or offset adverse impacts and enhance positive impacts, provisions for estimating and budgeting the costs for of such measures, and information on the agency or agencies responsible for addressing the project impacts. Activities to be undertaken include prevention of soil erosion, reducing run off, promoting proper water resource management, development of arable lands, and restoration of the watershed. If not implemented properly, such activities could have adverse impacts on the soil and hydrologic regime of the area, such Public Disclosure Copy as changes in surface flow, impact on water quality, slope instability etc. Given the fact that many impacts of sub-projects are unknown ahead of time and will be revealed during the course of implementation, an environmental and social framework for evaluating sub-projects will contain measures and plans to reduce, mitigate, and/or offset adverse impacts and enhance positive impacts, provisions for estimating and budgeting the costs for of such measures, and information on the agency or agencies responsible for addressing the project impacts. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes The project will focus on improvement of critical/natural habitats in the watershed areas. Forests OP/BP 4.36 Yes There is a significant portion of the Hill areas which is forested, and much of the proposed project area will involve communities that rely on forests. The watershed component proposed in the project promotes afforestation, enhances environmental contribution offorest areas, while Public Disclosure Copy at the same time encouraging economic development. Logging operations are not part of Project activities. Most of the area where project is to be implemented is categorized as forest land. Pest Management OP 4.09 TBD Watershed management in hill areas will support the livelihood activities towards the development of sustainable farming practices to increase farmer incomes through watershed improvement activities. The project will directly or indirectly promote more intensive and diversified agriculture, which will require a Pest Management Plan. Application of pesticides is envisaged under the project to promote production of high value crops and increase farm incomes. Care must be taken in order to ensure proper handling of pesticides and avoid harm to humans, livestock and the environment. Physical Cultural Resources OP/ TBD During preparation and appraisal stage it will be BP 4.11 decided whether any of the interventions has ramifications on physical cultural resources. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 TBD The Project will be implemented in a region inhabited by population groups designated as Public Disclosure Copy Scheduled Tribes (ST) by the Indian Constitution, which are considered the equivalent of IPs in Bank projects. As the actual project locations have not been finalized, their impact on any specific tribal group is not known as yet. A Social Assessment will be undertaken to confirm if OP 4.10 is to be triggered and a Tribal Action Plan prepared if and as required. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP TBD The Project is not anticipated to cause 4.12 Involuntary resettlement impacts as structural risk reduction measures are not proposed to be undertaken. However, in case the social assessment indicates any such impacts, appropriate mitigation measures will be built intothe design. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No 7.60 Public Disclosure Copy III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 20-Dec-2013 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: The Project envisages a socially inclusive approach to flood risk reduction through community ownership and participation in watershed management and other preparedness initiatives. The Project is least likely to cause any involuntary resettlement impacts, however, this is not fully ruled out at this stage as the specific activities and their locations are not known. Similarly, the project may affect tribal groups living in the areas covered by its activities, however, the affected IPs have not been identified as the specific locations are yet to be identified. A Social Assessment will be undertaken as a part of Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) to study the social issues and risks associated with the project with analyzing the local context, stakeholders and their roles, gender and social heterogeneity, community participation, any adverse impacts including involuntary resettlement and IP issues. Accordingly, the SESA will include a Social Management Framework with necessary actions proposed in compliance Bank policies (OP 4.10 and 4.12--if required) and addressing gender and social inclusion measures. The Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA) work will be conducted at an overall level for the project as part of project preparation. Requirements for additional data collection and analysis will be assessed during initial phase of preparation. Where necessary the ESA and associated specific safeguard documents will be prepared in consultation with stakeholders and publicly disclosed prior to project appraisal. IV. APPROVALS Public Disclosure Copy Task Team Leader: Name: Abedalrazq F. Khalil Approved By: Regional Safeguards Name: Zia Al Jalaly (RSA) Date: 25-Mar-2013 Coordinator: Sector Manager: Name: Herbert Acquay (SM) Date: 23-Mar-2013 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons.