Page 1 Improving Learning Environment Project APL 2 Strategic Guidelines for Environmental Management (Environmental Management Framework) Minutes of Consultation Tbilisi September 18, 2006 On September 18, 2006, discussion was held on the Strategic Guidelines for Environmental management developed for Improving Learning Environment Project APL 2. The meeting was hosted by the Social Investment Department of the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia. Attendees: · Tengiz Teneishvili – Chief specialist of the Office of Analysis of technogenic and physical factors at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; · Paata Chankotadze – Specialist of the Ecological Monitoring Office at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; · Zaza Gagnidze – Consultant, Ministry of Education and Science; · Avtandil Pirtskhalava – G. Natadze Scientific-Research Institute of Sanitation and Hygiene; · Irakli Kaviladze – International Center for Environment Study and Improvement (NGO); · Nino Lomidze – Union of Forest Reserachers (NGO); · Gia Aladashvili - Fund “World Experience for Georgia” (NGO); · Marina Lashkhauri – Union ECOPOLISI (NGO); · Manana Grdzelishvili – Association of Ecological and Biological Monitoring (NGO); · Shalva Kokochashvili – · Medgar Chelidze – Environmental and social specialist of the Municipal Development Fund. Mr. Shalva Kokochashvili, the Project Coordinator, outlined APL2 project goals, tasks and anticipated outcomes. Mr. Medgar Chelidze, Environmental and Social Specialist of the Municipal Development Fund presented the plan of the Project’s Environmental Management Framework, nature of the possible environmental threats, mitigation strategy and explaned how the Environmental Management Framework should be used in regard to individual projects for the construction of school buildings. Notes and suggestions as well as questions and proposals raised during the discussion are outlined in the attached annex. E1454 V 2 Page 2 Signatures: Tengiz Teneishvili [signature] Paata Chankotadze [signature] Zaza Gagnidze [signature] Avtandil Pirtskhalava [signature] Irakli Kaviladze [signature] Nino Lomidze [signature] Gia Aladashvili [signature] Marina Lashkhauri [signature] Manana Grdzelishvili [signature] Shalva Kokochashvili [signature] Medgar Chelidze [signature] Page 3 A n n e x I n f o r m a t i o n O n N o t e s a n d S u g g e s t i o n s d u r i n g t h e P u b l i c D i s c u s s i o n s N o : A u t h o r s o f t h e q u e s t i o n s , n o t e s a n d s u g g e s t i o n s Q u e s t i o n s A n s w e r s Q u e s t i o n s a n d P r o p o s a l s r a i s e d a t t h e P u b l i c D i s c u s s i o n s 1 A v t a n d i l P i r t s k h a l a v a – G . N a t a d z e S c i e n t i f i c - R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e o f S a n i t a t i o n a n d H y g i e n e A c c o r d i n g t o A r t i c l e 3 8 o f t h e G e o r g i a n C o d e o f S a n i t a t i o n , t a s k o f p l a n n i n g a r c h i t e c t u r a l p r o j e c t s h a l l r e q u i r e s a n i t a r y - h y g i e n i c s t u d y o f t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n a r e a a n d t h e s t u d y s h a l l b e c a r r i e d o u t b y S c i e n t i f i c R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e o f S a n i t a t i o n a n d H y g i e n e . O u r I n s t i t u t e i s a l s o a u t h o r i z e d t o c a r r y o u t r e s e a r c h w i t h i n t h e c o m m i s s i o n , w h i c h s h a l l a c c e p t t h e s c h o o l s i n e x p l o i t a t i o n . I n y o u r p l a n y o u i n d i c a t e g e n e r a l l y s o m e i n s t i t u t e w i t h t h e r e l e v a n t c o m p e t e n c e b u t i t d o e s n o t s p e c i f i c a l l y r e f e r t o o u r I n s t i t u t e . A c c o r d i n g t o A r t i c l e 3 8 o f t h e G e o r g i a n C o d e o f S a n i t a t i o n , s c i e n t i f i c - r e s e a r c h i n s t i t u t i o n w i t h h y g i e n i c p r o f i l e a n d a c c r e d i t e d s a n i t a t i o n s s u p e r v i s i o n l a b o r a t o r y w i l l c o m p l e t e t h e i r t a s k s i n o r d e r t o e n s u r e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h e s t a t e s a n i t a r y s u p e r v i s i o n a n d t h e y a r e p a r t o f s a n i t a r y s u p e r v i s i o n s y s t e m . B a s e d o n a c o n t r a c t t h e y p a r t i c i p a t e i n d i s c u s s i o n s o n d r a f t n o r m a t i v e a n d t e c h n i c a l d o c u m e n t a t i o n , h y g i e n i c c e r t i f i c a t i o n o f o b j e c t s a n d p r o d u c t s , s t a t e t e s t i n g o f h a z a r d o u s c h e m i c a l m a t e r i a l s . ” A s w e a r e a w a r e y o u r i n s t i t u t e i s i n c l u d e d i n t h e a b o v e m e n t i o n e d c a t e g o r y , b u t w e d i d n o t t h i n k i t w a s n e c e s s a r y t o i n d i c a t e y o u r i n s t i t u t e i n t h e p l a n , s i n c e t h e o r e t i c a l l y i t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t i n t h e f u t u r e y o u a r e n o t t h e o n l y a u t h o r i z e d i n s t i t u t i o n w i t h s a n i t a r y p r o f i l e . T h e r e f o r e , i n t h i s c a s e , c o n t r a c t f o r c a r r y i n g o u t s a n i t a r y - h y g i e n i c r e s e a r c h w i l l b e s i g n e d w i t h a c o n t r a c t o r w h o i s s e l e c t e d b a s e d o n r e l e v a n t p r o c e d u r e s o f t h e W o r l d B a n k ( t e n d e r a n d e t c ) . Page 4 2 I r a k l i K a v i l a d z e – I n t e r n a t i o n a l C e n t e r f o r E n v i r o n m e n t S t u d y a n d D e v e l o p m e n t ( N G O ) O n w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t : t h e p l a n e l a b o r a t e s i n m o r e d e t a i l o n t h e w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t a t t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n p h a s e . I t d o e s n o t d r a w o n d e t a i l s o f h o w t h e w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t p r o c e s s w i l l b e m a n a g e d o n c e a s c h o o l s t a r t s f u n c t i o n i n g . C o m p o n e n t o f A P L 2 p r o j e c t w h i c h r e f e r s t o e n v i r o n m e n t a l m a n a g e m e n t f r a m e w o r k p l a n i s l i m i t e d t o t h e s t a g e o f p r o j e c t i n g a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n o f s c h o o l s . T h e r e f o r e , t h e p l a n i t s e l f d r a w s m o r e o n p r o j e c t i n g a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n , a l t h o u g h i t a l s o r e f e r s t o t h e s t a g e o f s c h o o l f u n c t i o n i n g . N a m e l y , i n p r o c e d u r e s f o r r e c e i v i n g p e r m i t i t i s n o t e d t h a t t h e p r o j e c t s h a l l b e f i r s t a g r e e d w i t h r e l e v a n t s a n i t a t i o n s e r v i c e s , a n d t h e n t h e s a n i t a t i o n s e r v i c e s p a r t i c i p a t e i n f o r m a l p r o c e s s o f i s s u i n g p e r m i t t o a c c e p t t h e s c h o o l i n e x p l o i t a t i o n . T h e s e s e r v i c e s c h e c k t h e c o m p l i a n c e w i t h t h e s a n i t a r y n o r m s a n d t h e s t a n d a r d s o f s c h o o l d e s i g n a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n , w h i c h a r e g i v e n i n t h e b a s i c t e x t a n d s e p a r a t e l y a s a n a t t a c h m e n t . T h e w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t i n t h e s c h o o l m u s t b e o r g a n i z e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r o c e d u r e s a g r e e d w i t h t h e s t a n d a r d s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e a n d l o c a l s a n i t a r y s e r v i c e s . 3 M a r i n a L a s h k h a u r i – U n i o n E C O P O L I S I ( N G O ) T h e r e i s a r e a l b a s i s f o r t h e c o n c e r n t h a t d e s p i t e t h e e x i s t e n c e o f t h e c e r t i f i c a t i o n p r o c e d u r e s a n d c u s t o m c o n t r o l , t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n m a t e r i a l s w i t h t h e s i g n s o f r a d i a t i o n s t i l l h a p p e n t o r e a c h t h e G e o r g i a n m a r k e t o f b u i l d i n g a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n m a t e r i a l s . W h a t a r e t h e a d d i t i o n a l m e a s u r e s t o b e t a k e n i n t h e p r o c e s s o f s c h o o l c o n s t r u c t i o n s i n o r d e r t o a v o i d t h e p o s s i b l e r i s k ? B e s i d e s c o n d u c t i n g t h e s a n i t a r y - h y g i e n i c r e s e a r c h o f t h e a r e a s c h o s e n f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e s c h o o l s a n d c h e c k i n g t h e b u i l t s c h o o l s f o r t h e r a d i a t i o n , i t i s a l s o p o s s i b l e t o c o n t r o l t h e b a c k g r o u n d r a d i a t i o n i n t h e b u i l d i n g p r o c e s s , i n o r d e r t o a v o i d a n y r i s k a t t h e e a r l y s t a g e ( c y c l e 2 - 3 ) . T h e p r o p e r i n s t r u c t i o n s w i l l b e p r o v i d e d i n t h e s i t e - s p e c i f i c e n v i r o n m e n t a l m a n a g e m e n t p l a n s . Page 5 4 M a n a n a G r d z e l i s h v i l i – A s s o c i a t i o n o f E c o l o g i c a l a n d B i o l o g i c a l M o n i t o r i n g ( N G O ) D o e s M D F p o s s e s s r e s o u r c e s s u f f i c i e n t f o r c o n d u c t i n g t h e m o n i t o r i n g ? O r w o u l d i t b e b e t t e r t o h i r e c o n t r a c t o r s ? O u r r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s u g g e s t s h i r i n g o n e f i e l d o f f i c e r t o a s s i s t t h e M D F e n v i r o n m e n t a l s p e c i a l i s t s i n i m p l e m e n t i n g t h e r o u t i n e p r o c e d u r e s o f t h e m o n i t o r i n g . I n c a s e o f t h i s s m a l l a s s i s t a n c e , t h e r e s o u r c e s o f t h e M D F w i l l b e s u f f i c i e n t f o r p r o v i d i n g t h e p r o p e r m o n i t o r i n g . Page 6