INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AC6497 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 11/03/2011 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: China Project ID: P126454 Project Name: Xinjiang Yining Urban Transport Improvement Project Task Team Leader: Zhi Liu Estimated Appraisal Date: December 25, Estimated Board Date: May 31, 2012 2011 Managing Unit: EASCS Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Sector: General transportation sector (100%) Theme: Other urban development (80%);Urban services and housing for the poor (15%);Municipal governance and institution building (5%) IBRD Amount (US$m.): 100.00 IDA Amount (US$m.): 0.00 GEF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 PCF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 Other financing amounts by source: Borrower 100.00 100.00 B. Project Objectives [from section 2 of PCN] In the context of anticipated rapid urban development in Yining, the proposed Project Development Objective (PDO) is to improve urban transport services in the city of Yining and develop urban transport infrastructure in the selected new city areas, all in an integrated and people-oriented manner. C. Project Description [from section 3 of PCN] Yining proposed to the Bank team a package of urban transport investments, including the construction of new roads and improvement of existing roads, the provision of public transport infrastructure and services, and the improvement of traffic management and road safety. According to the proposal and the Bank team#s assessment, it is proposed that the focus of the project is to provide the basic urban transport infrastructure and equipments to support the social and economic development of Yining, meanwhile introducing modern traffic management concept and techniques to ensure the sustainability of development. Yining#s existing central city area has a relatively adequate urban road network, but their functioning is being compromised by the severe deterioration and the lack of Non # Motorized #Transport (NMT) facilities or auxiliary facilities such as lighting and greening. It is recommended that these roads should be rehabilitated to improve the living conditions of the local residents. The two new development zones to the east and west of the existing city area are rapidly growing, thus new roads are needed to support their development. However, the road function should be well-defined to determine the cross section design instead of simply building wide roads as proposed by the city. Public transport service in Yining is far from being attractive and convenient. There are only 14 bus lines in operation and 299 buses in total, many of which are rather decrepit. Insufficient public transport facilities are another constraint to the further development of public transport in Yining. Moreover, the city currently has no advanced systems for bus ticketing, dispatching or operation. Traffic management capacity is relatively low, leading to the under-utilization of the existing road capacity and causing safety issues. Even with a small number of vehicle ownership of about 50,000, the city is starting to face congestions. A high fatality rate of 107 fatalities per million population is registered in 2010. In response to these challenges, the Bank revised the proposal with Yining and tentatively agreed that the project will include the following 4 components: 1. Component 1: Urban Road Improvement and Construction. This component aims at strengthening the existing urban road network, developing new roads for the new city areas, and improving the city capacity to keep the urban road network clean and well maintained. It consists of: (a) improvement of selected urban roads in the existing road network, totaling 53km; (b) construction of new urban roads, totaling 30km, that support the urban land use development, including auxiliary greening and lighting works and garbage collection bins within the right-of- ways; and (c) procurement of road maintenance machinery, garbage compression trucks, water spraying trucks, street sweepers, and snow plows. The Bank team also proposed for Yining to consider establishing a modern urban road maintenance management system. 2. Component 2: Public Transport Improvement. This component aims at improving the city#s public transport infrastructure, expanding service coverage and upgrading service quality to meet the future need of the rapidly growing city. It includes: (a) construction of 2 bus depots, 2 public transport hubs, 2 CNG stations, 10 bus terminals and 208 bus stops; and (b) establishment of an advanced bus dispatching system; (c) development of an IC card system; and (d) procurement of 200 clean-energy buses. 3. Component 3: Traffic Management and Road Safety. This component aims at introducing modern traffic management tools and practices to the city in line with the anticipated rapid urban development and traffic growth. It consists of: (a) establishment of a Traffic Command Centre (TCC); (b) development of an Area Traffic Control (ATC) System accompanied with signal upgrade and junction channelization; and (c) procurement of E-Police equipments. It was proposed that 2 corridors, i.e. Jiefang Road and Ahemaitijiang Road, be selected for improvement of traffic management and road safety through introducing an integrated corridor improvement approach. 4. Component 4: Institutional Capacity Building. This component aims at improving the city#s human resources and institutional capacity for urban transport planning and management. It may include training, study tours and thematic studies such as comprehensive urban transport planning. The specific activities will be further defined during project preparation through the identification and prioritization of institutional development needs of the city. The total estimated project cost is about RMB 1.32 billion (US$ 203 million equivalent), with an IBRD loan of US$ 100 million. D. Project location (if known) The proposed project is in Yining Municipality, the capital of the Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, located in the northwest of Xinjiang Urgur Autonomous Region and the central of Yili River Valley with the total area of 676 km2, with current urban built-up area of 30 km2. E. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies [from PCN] The Yining Municipal Government has given high priority and strong support to this proposed IBRD project. A Project Steering Group has been established, led by the Vice Mayor. Yining is now implementing an Asian Development Bank funded urban transport project. Therefore, the city PMO that is under the city urban construction bureau has a proper understanding of safeguard requirements of the international development agencies. Substantial training on Bank#s safeguard policies has been and will continually be provided to the clients and their consultants by the task team members. Currently the city has engaged the consultants for project preparation. The Xinjiang Environmental Technology Consulting Center (XETCC) will be in charge of EA preparation. XETCC is a Class A EA institute certified by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and has experience with World Bank environmental safeguards policies through involvement in a number of Bank financed projects, including the recent Urumqi District Heating project. Meanwhile, a team consisting of sociologists and economists from Xinjiang Academy of Social Science is being contracted to take lead of preparing RAP and EMDP, based on their professional knowledge and working experience with the Bank supported projects. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists Mr Zong-Cheng Lin (EASCS) Mr Peishen Wang (EASIN) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes No TBD Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) X This policy is triggered, as the proposed Project will upgrade and improve ca. 53 km of existing roads and construct ca. 30 km roads in the city, improve public transport and traffic management and road safety. The project will also include the construction of 2 bus depots, 2 public transport hubs, 2 CNG stations, 10 bus terminals, and 208 bus stops . The physical civil Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes No TBD works of the project will be related to either the improvement of existing urban streets, or construction of urban roads through rural farmlands in the peri-urban area based on the city#s master plan. Based on field survey of EA consultant and initial screening conducted by the task team, there are no special ecologically and culturally sensitive sites (natural habitat, protected area or physical cultural resources) in the area of influence of the project. Potential environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIA include: 1) construction related nuisances, e.g., dust, noise, management of excavated soil, etc., associated with the component 1 and 2 during construction; 2) social impacts such as impacts on local communities, traffic safety, accessibility of public and roadside businesses, utility disturbance etc.; and 3) noise, air quality and safety during operation. Such impacts are site-specific, unlikely to be significant or irreversible, and mitigation measures can be readily designed with known engineering and good management practices. Therefore, the project is proposed as a Category B project as per OP4.01. Table of Contents (ToC) for EA. XETCC has prepared an EA ToC for Bank review. The ToC outlines regulation requirements, a preliminary environmental screening and scoping, special environmental issues to be assessed, alternative analysis, environmental management plan, consultation and information disclosure requirements, and a work schedule. The Bank team reviewed the ToC and provided its comments to the PMO and XETCC. EA Preparation. The following specific issues will be addressed in the EIA: # Scope of the EA. The project EIA will cover physical activities of the project, mainly for Component 1 & 2. The EA will screen for sensitive receptors and key issues along all roads and in all project sites; identify potential environmental and social impacts for both construction and operation stages (i.e. construction related dust and noise nuisances, spoil materials, utility and traffic disturbance, accessibility of public and roadside businesses during construction, and noise, air quality, safety and land-use change etc. during operation); develop necessary site- specific mitigation measures at each site according to that screening; and prepare generic environmental specifications for the road rehabilitation and construction activities in the EMP. # Alternative Analysis. The EA should address alternative analysis in a separate chapter. Given the straightforward project concept, alternative analysis shall put focus on design requirements, technologies, process, and environmental management at both construction and operational stage. In addition, the #without project# scenario shall be considered. # Road Safety and Environmental Risks during Operation. Environmental risks such as hazardous material transportation should be properly assessed. Details of environmental accident, spill containment and clean-up procedures shall be provided in the EA/EMP. # Environmental Sensitive receptors. The EA should provide scientific screening process and clear information, including sites of hospitals, schools, and if any, historic and cultural relics identified during the detailed EA preparation.. # Public Consultation and Disclosure. The EIA consultant is requested to conduct public consultation and disclosure in compliance with Bank requirements. These include two rounds of consultation through various methods, such as questionnaire, public meetings, and interview of a broad range of stakeholders. Full EA documents disclosure at public accessible sites is also required. # Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The World Bank safeguards policy requires a specific stand-alone EMP to be prepared in parallel to EA. EMP shall include institutional arrangement, mitigation measures, implementation, supervision and monitoring plans, training, Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes No TBD and budget. EMP shall cover both construction and operational stage. Task team has advised the EA consultant that IFC#s EHS General Guideline, in particular 4.0 Construction and Decommissioning, should be taken as a reference in the EMP preparation. EA instrument. The final EA documents will include the following documents: A simplified Environmental Impact Assessment Report covering all project components which includes screening and assessing key environmental and social issues along all roads and in all project sites, and an Environmental Management Plan with both site-specific measures for each component and a generic environmental specifications for construction management. Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04) X The project is mainly in the urban setting and the areas disturbed by intensive human activities. According to the preliminary environmental screening, there are no ecological sensitive areas and natural reserved. This policy is not triggered. Forests (OP/BP 4.36) X The Project doesn#t involve forests resources. This policy is not triggered. Pest Management (OP 4.09) X The Project will not lead to purchase or use of any pesticides. This policy is not triggered. Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11) X Based on currently available information and field survey of EA consultant, there are no physical cultural resources identified to be affected by the project.Since the detailed EA preparation and social survey are underway, the TT proposes #TBD# at this stage. Chance-find procedures will be included in EMP. Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10) X The TT conducted a primary social screening during the ID mission, and identified the presence of ethnic minority groups in the proposed project areas of influence. In Yining city which has a population of 540,000 people, there are 37 ethnic groups of whom 13 are aboriginal populations, including Uygur, Kazak, Han, Hui, Mongol, Kerkez, Russian, and so on. Uygur is the largest ethnic group accounting for 49 percent of the total local population. Han is the second one accounting for 34.9 percent, while Hui the third for 7.5 percent and Kazak the fourth for 4.5 percent. Overall, the ethnic minorities account for about 65 percent of the local population. Discussions with local authorities and site visits found that in most of the proposed project areas, either in the urban or periphery urban areas, there are Uygur communities and Kazak communities. These Uygur and Kazak ethnic minority communities are aboriginal inhabitants there possessing their own languages and governing themselves with traditional cultures. Their ethnic characteristics fall in the definition of Indigenous Peoples as per OP4.10. Therefore, OP4.10 will be triggered under this project. The project entity has invited social experts from the Xinjiang Academy of Social Science to prepare a project social assessment (SA), based on which an Ethnic Minority Development Plan (EMDP) will be prepared in accordance with OP4.10. The TT has provided the project entity, the local authorities and the social consultants with SA/EMDP guidance/TOR and training, and will continue to oversee the preparation process. Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12) X Because of construction and improvement of 30 roads/streets with a total length of 83 km and some related facilities and bus stations under this project, the TT identified that there would be land acquisition (including temporary land occupation as well), housing demolition and Safeguard Policies Triggered Yes No TBD population relocation caused by this project. Therefore, OP4.12 will apply. In the meantime, the TT provided the project entity with guidance to pay attention to any linked projects during project preparation. The project entity has set up a resettlement team consisting of PMO staff, practitioners from local authorities and social and resettlement experts from Xinjiang Academy of Social Science to prepare the resettlement work. The Bank TT has provided the project entity and the resettlement team with guidance and training on RAP preparation. Based on the project information dissemination and consultation campaign, the resettlement team has started census and socio- economic surveys and impact inventorying in cooperation with local authorities and communities/households, and a RAP will be developed with participation of the affected people. The TT will continue the oversight and support to the resettlement preparation work. Safety of Dams (OP/BP 4.37) X The project will not involve impacts to any dams in the project area. This policy is not triggered. Projects on International Waterways (OP/BP 7.50) X The project will not involve trans-boundary rivers. The policy is not triggered. Projects in Disputed Areas (OP/BP 7.60) X The project is not located in any disputed areas. The policy is not triggered. Environmental Category: B - Partial Assessment III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Target date for the Quality Enhancement Review (QER), at which time the PAD-stage ISDS would be prepared: 11/15/2011 B. For projects that will not require a QER, the target date for preparing the PAD-stage ISDS: N/A C. 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. middle December 2011 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. IV. APPROVALS Signed and submitted by: Task Team Leader: Mr Zhi Liu 10/27/2011 Approved by: Regional Safeguards Coordinator: Mr Panneer Selvam Lakshminarayanan 11/03/2011 Comments: Sector Manager: Mr Paul Kriss 10/28/2011 Comments: