INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE . Report No.:ISDSA21930 Date ISDSPrepared/Updated: 04-Aug-2017 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed 05-Aug-2017 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: Lesotho Project ID: P155229 Project Name: Lesotho Transport Infrastructure and Connectivity Project (LTIC) (P155229) Task Team Leader(s): Sevara Melibaeva Estimated Appraisal 31-Jul-2017 Estimated Board 19-Oct-2017 Date: Date: Managing Unit: GTI07 Financing Investment Project Instrument: Financing Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP No 8.00(Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 18.30 Total Bank Financing: 18.30 Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount International Development Association (IDA) 18.30 Financing Gap 0.00 Total 18.30 Environmental Category: B - Partial Assessment Is this a Repeater project? No 2. Project Development Objective(s) The proposed development objectives of the Project are to: (a) improve access to social services and markets in targeted rural areas of Lesotho, (b) strengthen road safety management capacity, and (c) in the event of an Eligible Emergency, provide immediate and effective response to said Eligible Emergency. 3. Project Description Component 1: Improving the infrastructure access. The first component will include the construction of footbridges to improve access of rural population to markets and social services in isolated areas. This will provide the settlement inhabitants, children and women in particular, with the needed all-weather pedestrian connection over a river or a highland terrain for safely accessing schools, health services and markets. The component provisionally proposes to construct 35 footbridges in communities located in areas that are isolated and cut off from road access, especially in heavy rain season when river water levels increase. The locations of 19 footbridges have been identified through a prioritization exercise carried out by the Government. The Page 1 of 9 remaining 16 footbridge sites will be selected during implementation in accordance with the criteria set forth in the Project Operational Manual. Specification of employing locally 100 percent of the unskilled labor force for the footbridges works, including at least 25 percent of the local female labor force, will be included in bidding documents and contracts. This component also includes the carrying out of the following studies and services: a) Consulting services to prepare design and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the footbridges (including the preparation of Resettlement Action Plan if required); b) Consulting services for an assessment study for introduction of Output and Performance-based Contracting (OPRC) methods in the road sector; c) Consulting Services for monitoring/supervision of works contracts and development of Project Monitoring and Management System (PMMS) to ensure transparency and accountability in managing works; and d) Consulting services to prepare the safeguards documents, including the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF). Component 2: Improving the road safety. This component will address road safety in a more integrated manner in order to achieve the Government's objective to meet the global decade of road safety aim of halving road deaths between 2010 and 2020. The following activities will be supported under this component: a) Sub-component 2.1: Support for capacity building and institutional strengthening of the Road Safety Department (RSD) of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT) and operationalization of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC). This sub-component will potentially support the following activities: (i) capacity building of the RSD and NRSC. This support is entirely contingent on the full operationalization of the latter and completion of road safety reforms initiated under previous World Bank-financed Integrated Transport Project (ITP); (ii) provision of road safety equipment to the RSD and traffic police; and (iii) deployment of Road Accident Data Management System (RADMS) to improve the systematic recording and reporting of road accidents through a companion GPS-enabled smartphone application, which would be used by trained citizens and traffic police to report accidents in real time; and b) Sub-component 2.2: Establishment of an integrated record management system for revenue collection, driver's licensing, and vehicle inspection. This sub-component will include support with the implementation of the new Integrated Vehicle Registration and Drivers’ Licensing System together with a Traffic Management Information System – entitled the Lesotho Integrated Transport Information System (LITIS), under which vehicle inspections will be expected to be contracted out to the private sector. Currently, this responsibility lies with the MoPWT through its Department of Traffic and Transport. Whilst principally offering improvement to the management and revenue collection procedures for these services, the new system will also bring road safety benefits from improved driver licensing and vehicle inspection. As part of this sub-component, consulting services will be carried out for the Needs Assessment and System Specification for Establishing the LITIS. Component 3: Institutional strengthening support to the transport sector. This component will include the necessary project implementation support, including implementation of citizen engagement (CE) mechanisms, HIV/AIDS and gender-targeted activities, and capacity building support to the Roads Directorate (RD) and MoPWT: a) Consulting services to assist the MoPWT in preparation of the National Transport Master Plan (NTMP), including support for institutionalization of cross-sectoral coordination in the transport planning and decision- making; b) Project implementation support to the MoPWT and Roads Directorate; c) Support in implementation of citizen engagement (CE) mechanisms and HIV/AIDS and gender-targeted activities. This will include the following, inter alia: (i) behavior change and awareness raising activities on HIV/AIDS prevention among beneficiary communities to address the limited knowledge on HIV/AIDS and reduce discrimination and stigma towards HIV affected people; (ii) awareness raising and behavior change training activities among female and male beneficiaries on GBV prevention, care and reporting mechanisms; Page 2 of 9 (iii) establishment of gender-balanced monitoring committees in each beneficiary community to facilitate a continuous dialogue and collaboration between communities, the RD and the contractor; and (iv) development of CE and grievance redress mechanisms to allow beneficiaries to report feedback and concerns associated with the implementation of proposed Project activities and collaborate toward its improvement; d) Capacity building to the staff of RD, Road Fund, and MoPWT and local industry contractors, including training on OPRC contract management and pricing methods; and e) Technical assistance to the road sector in designing and piloting community-based maintenance schemes to address sustainability of road assets. Component 4: Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) (with an initial zero dollar allocation. In case this component is activated, it will be financed with IDA funds). This component allows for the possibility to access resources for eligible expenditures in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, to provide immediate and effective response to said Eligible Crisis or Emergency. This component is being proposed for incorporation into the project with zero allocation, given that Lesotho remains vulnerable to climate change with rising temperatures and rain deficits. Lesotho has declared a National Emergency as a result of the severe drought during the 2015/2016 planting season which has affected nearly 40 percent of the population. 4. Project location and Salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The civil works to be financed by the project will be located in selected rural areas so as to facilitate pedestrian access to social services (schools and hospitals) and markets. The construction of nineteen (19) footbridges with known locations will be distributed in three regions, as follows: seven (7) bridges in Lowlands, three (3) bridges in Foothills region, and nine (9) bridges in the Mountain region of Lesotho. These locations are in landscapes that are disturbed, therefore, habitat losses will be minor due to small nature of works and the work site size (generally 0.25 ha), and the hand excavation causes will be limited to riparian habitat loss. There are not going to be any endemic or threatened flora at any of the footbridge sites. Most of the crossings are covered with grass and shrubs and infested with invasive aliens (acacia dealbata, acacia mearnsii, populus alba). Impacts on aquatic fauna will depend on water quality impacts. Small quantities of sediment over short periods are unlikely to cause significant impact, but with proper environmental management measures outlined in the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), the impacts will be of low significance. In the case of the Bosca bridge site on the Tsheljane River, Maluti minnow have been recorded. These are the last records of these species anywhere other than the eastern highland areas, mainly due to the impact of trout in other catchments. All civil works will take place at the points where land is already allocated to public non-productive use, and are small in nature. The potential environmental and social impacts are limited and the screening process will be used to ensure that any sites that might have a negative impact on protected areas or sensitive ecological habitats are not approved. 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Kisa Mfalila, Environmental Safeguards Specialist Majbritt Fiil-Flynn, Social Safeguards Specialist 6. Safeguard Policies That Might Apply Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Yes The Project activities related to the construction of footbridges will generate construction related environmental and social risks that are site-specific, reversible, and can be mitigated by known measures. The project is, therefore, classified as an Environmental Risk Category B. The Page 3 of 9 environmental assessment for the project was carried out at two (2) different levels of analysis as follows: (a) The Borrower prepared an ESMP for the construction of nineteen (19) footbridges, for which the locations have been identified during preparation. The ESMP includes the principles and generic measures that will form part of each works contract with contractors who will then be required to prepare Site-Specific Environmental Management, Health and Safety (EHS) Plans based on this generic ESMP and World Bank Group (WBG) General EHS Guidelines. The ESMP for 19 footbridges was cleared by the Bank, consulted upon, and disclosed in the country on July 27, 2017, and on the Bank's external website on August 1, 2017; (b) At the overall project level, the Borrower prepared an ESMF, which (i) describes the physical, biological and social baseline characteristics of the project areas, (ii) defines the eligibility criteria for the civil works, (iii) describes procedures for screening and scoping potential positive and adverse impacts for all proposed investments, and mitigation and monitoring measures. The remaining 16 footbridges, for which precise locations were not known during preparation, will be covered by the ESMF. The ESMF was cleared by the Bank, consulted upon, and disclosed in Lesotho on June 22, 2017, and on the Bank's external website on June 28, 2017. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 Yes This policy is triggered on a precautionary basis. None of the proposed works traverse critical ecological habitats. The ESMF provides guidance on screening and mitigation measures to ensure that physical works from construction of footbridges do not alter or cause destruction of any critical or sensitive natural habitats especially wetlands. The preliminary baseline assessment carried out during the preparation of the project, confirmed that the existing wetlands in Lesotho occupy a relatively small footprint. The Lesotho Roads Directorate confirmed that engineering methods such as the use of gabions, etc. are normally applied by contractors to mitigate against destruction of wetlands during construction and ensure the effective functioning of the hydrological system. The environmental risk for OP 4.04 is therefore minimal and should there be a Page 4 of 9 chance of encountering a wetland during the construction of footbridges, the risk is manageable through the application of known mitigation measures included in the ESMF. Forests OP/BP 4.36 No The project will not support civil works located within forested areas or plantations and there will be no new areas that are forested to be opened up. Therefore, the policy is not triggered. Pest Management OP 4.09 No The project will not involve procurement of pesticides or fertilizers and does not have the potential to lead to increased use of pesticides or fertilizers. Therefore, OP 4.09 is not triggered. Physical Cultural Resources OP/BP 4.11 Yes OP 4.11 is triggered given the likelihood of chance finds in conjunction with earth works and excavations, or the encounter of graveyard sites. The ESMF includes Chance Find Procedures (CFP) as well as measures to screen for and manage potential impacts on cultural heritage or property that could be affected by neighborhood development plans. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No OP 4.10 is not triggered, as there are no indigenous people within the project area of influence. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP 4.12 Yes Component 1 will improve infrastructure access through construction of footbridges. A RPF has been prepared to provide procedures for assessing impact, as the project locations for 16 of the footbridges to be financed are yet to be identified and confirmed. The RPF was consulted upon, endorsed by the Ministry of Environment, approved by the Bank, and disclosed in Lesotho on June 22, 2017, and on the Bank's external website on June 28, 2017, in line with OP/BP 4.12. The 19 footbridges, for which locations are known, will be constructed at existing river crossing points where land is already allocated to public non- productive use. In accordance with the screening of the 19 footbridge sites carried out as part of the ESMP and guided by the RPF, no resettlement impacts were identified as per OP4.12. In the event that engineering design or location changes during project implementation, the sites will be re- screened. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No OP 4.37 is not triggered as the project will not finance construction or rehabilitation of dams, nor will it rely on the performance of an existing dam or a dam under construction, as defined in the policy. Page 5 of 9 Projects on International Waterways OP/BP No TThe project will not affect international 7.50 waterways. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP 7.60 No The project will not finance any activities located in any known areas under territorial dispute as defined in OP 7.60. Therefore, the policy is not triggered. . II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The proposed Project activities include construction of footbridges. The Project has been assigned Environmental Category B because the environmental impacts are generic and entail small scale civil works for the footbridges. These impacts will be site-specific and can be mitigated by known measures included in the ESMF and the ESMP for the footbridges. The key potential environmental impacts of the proposed works related to construction of footbridges will largely occur during the construction phase of the project, including increase in sediment load into water bodies from soil erosion and runoff due to the dominant mountainous terrain in Lesotho, and other nuisances such as noise, dust and air pollution from road works. Other impacts are related to health and safety issues due to operation of borrow pits and quarries and earthworks during construction. The project will not generate any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts. An ESMP has been prepared for the 19 footbridges, for which locations have been identified. The remaining footbridges, for which locations are not known, will be covered by the ESMF. The resettlement impact, as defined by OP4.12, is expected to be minor and partially temporary related to construction activities, given that the footbridges will be constructed at existing river crossing points where land is already allocated to public non-productive use. Construction activities may lead to disturbances or reduced access to local resources such as water or destruction of cultural heritage sites. These issues have been identified in safeguards documents; screening will detect challenges and avoidance/mitigation measures will be employed during implementation. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities in the project area: The influx of workers, although limited due to focus on hiring local, may lead to increased stock theft, social conflict, disease transmission and GBV/sexual harassment. These will be mitigated through additional clauses to be incorporated in the contracts with regards to WBG General EHS Guidelines, such as Code of Conduct, action plans and awareness raising activities and training on GBV and HIV/AIDS prevention for the contractor’s workers and community residents, and Code of Conduct and action plan on child labor. In each beneficiary community, the RD’s social specialist will work with existing community leaders to establish gender-balanced monitoring committees. The committees will serve as a contact point between the communities and the contractor to facilitate a friendly and supportive environment between community members and workers, provide updates during construction and report to the RD and the MoPWT any issues or complaints associated with the implementation of these works. 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. If the proposed designs for footbridges require physical displacement or result in permanent loss of more than 20 percent of individual household productive lands, alternative designs will be developed to minimize impact. 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. The Lesotho Roads Directorate (RD) is the implementing agency for the construction of the footbridges. The Page 6 of 9 RD is an entity which currently has a permanent environmental manager who oversees the environmental assessments, implementation and monitoring of environmental management plans for all projects implemented by the directorate. The designs for footbridges were developed by the Roads Directorate based on standard design. The potential environmental and social impacts and proposed mitigation measures, as described in the ESMP, will be included in the bidding documents for each contract and will form the basis for preparing the Site-Specific EHS Plans by each contractor. The implementation of the EHS Plans and ESMP will be carried out by the Environmental and Social Unit of the RD. The site-specific ESMP and EHS Plans will also be prepared for the footbridges, for which the locations were not known during preparation, and be guided by the ESMF. As part of project preparation, the RD has seconded a social specialist to oversee the proper implementation of social safeguards. The RD’s social specialist will mainstream social and gender aspects, and serve as the interface between the Roads Directorate, local government officers, the local communities, and the contractors. Continuous safeguards training will be provided to the Roads Directorate during implementation of the proposed Project with regards to the application of World Bank Safeguard Policies in mitigating risks and impacts, and in monitoring implementation of ESMPs. The costs for the implementation of safeguard policy measures have been incorporated within the Project. The mitigation measures outlined in the ESMP will be incorporated in the bidding documents and each contract for the works. The associated costs for implementation of these measures will be included in the overall contract cost financed by the Project. 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. Community members within the project areas are considered the key stakeholders for the project. It is the RD’s responsibility to ensure that communities are fully informed and have easy access to information that is understandable through coordination with local governments and contractors. Communities will be placed in a position to participate in any necessary resettlement planning and implementation through ongoing consultations. The RD’s social specialist will ensure that the consultation processes are recorded and incorporated into the decision-making processes. . B. Disclosure Requirements Environmental Assessment/Audit/Management Plan/Other Date of receipt by the Bank 18-Jul-2017 Date of submission to InfoShop 01-Aug-2017 For category A projects, date of distributing the Executive Summary of the EA to the Executive Directors "In country" Disclosure PHENVCTRY Lesotho 27-Jul-2017 Comments: Resettlement Action Plan/Framework/Policy Process Date of receipt by the Bank 01-Apr-2017 Date of submission to InfoShop 28-Jun-2017 "In country" Disclosure PHRESCTRY Lesotho 22-Jun-2017 Comments: If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why:: Page 7 of 9 C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level PHCompliance OP/BP/GP 4.01 - Environment Assessment Does the project require a stand-alone EA (including EMP) Yes [X] No [] NA [] report? If yes, then did the Regional Environment Unit or Practice Yes [X] No [] NA [] Manager (PM) review and approve the EA report? Are the cost and the accountabilities for the EMP Yes [X] No [] NA [] incorporated in the credit/loan? PHCompliance OP/BP 4.04 - Natural Habitats Would the project result in any significant conversion or Yes [] No [X] NA [] degradation of critical natural habitats? If the project would result in significant conversion or Yes [] No [] NA [X] degradation of other (non-critical) natural habitats, does the project include mitigation measures acceptable to the Bank? PHCompliance OP/BP 4.11 - Physical Cultural Resources Does the EA include adequate measures related to cultural Yes [X] No [] NA [] property? Does the credit/loan incorporate mechanisms to mitigate the Yes [] No [] NA [X] potential adverse impacts on cultural property? PHCompliance OP/BP 4.12 - Involuntary Resettlement Has a resettlement plan/abbreviated plan/policy Yes [X] No [] NA [] framework/process framework (as appropriate) been prepared? If yes, then did the Regional unit responsible for safeguards Yes [X] No [] NA [] or Practice Manager review the plan? Is physical displacement/relocation expected? Yes [] No [X] TBD [] Is economic displacement expected? (loss of assets or access Yes [] No [X] TBD [] to assets that leads to loss of income sources or other means of livelihoods) PHCompliance The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [X] No [] NA [] World Bank's Infoshop? Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a Yes [X] No [] NA [] public place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? PHCompliance All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [X] No [] NA [] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been Yes [X] No [] NA [] included in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [X] No [] NA [] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [X] No [] NA [] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? Page 8 of 9 III. Approval Task Team Leader(s): Name:Sevara Melibaeva Approved By: Safeguards Advisor: Name: Maman-Sani Issa (SA) Date: 04-Aug-2017 Practice Manager/Manager: Name: Benedictus Eijbergen Date: 05-Aug-2017 (PMGR) Page 9 of 9