India: Kerala Solid Waste Management Project

OBJECTIVE

To strengthen the institutional and service delivery systems for solid waste management (SWM) in Kerala.

DESCRIPTION

The project will support all 93 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across 14 districts in Kerala in improving access to efficient and reliable delivery of solid waste management (SWM) services to their populations.

The project will include the following components:

Component A: Development of Regional SWM Facilities. This component will comprise the development of prioritized regional waste processing and disposal facilities, including, but not limited to: (i) closure and remediation of polluted waste dumpsites; (ii) construction of regional sanitary landfills; and (iii) provision of facilities related to composting, resource recovery, and transfer stations.

Component B: Improvement of SWM Infrastructure in Participating ULBs. This component will include improvements in local-level SWM service delivery systems of the participating ULBs focusing mainly on: (i) primary waste collection and transportation; (ii) source segregation and treatment at decentralized level; (iii) rehabilitation and/or development of resource recovery facilities; (iv) development of biodegradable waste management facilities; and (v) development of disposal cells as interim disposal facilities.

Component C: Institutional Development, Capacity Building and Project Management Support. This component covers technical assistance and capacity building at state and local levels for: (i) undertaking SWM institutional, financial, and policy reforms; (ii) planning, designing, and implementing investment sub-projects for climate-smart and disaster resilient SWM infrastructure and service provision improvements; (iii) organizational development of participating ULBs for inclusive and sustainable SWM service delivery; and (iv) Increasing awareness of waste management, sanitization and public hygiene, gender inclusion and stakeholder engagement.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION

The loan will be co-financed with the WB as lead co-financier, and the project's environmental and social (ES) risks and impacts are being assessed in accordance with the WB’s Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies (Safeguard Policies). To ensure a harmonized approach to addressing the ES risks and impacts of the Project, and as permitted under AIIB's Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), the WB's Safeguard Policies will apply to the Project in lieu of AIIB's ESP. AIIB has reviewed the WB's Safeguard Policies and is satisfied that: (i) they are consistent with the Bank’s Articles of Agreement and materially consistent with AIIB's ESP, including the Environmental and Social Exclusion List and relevant Environmental and Social Standards; and (ii) the monitoring procedures that are in place to are appropriate for the Project.

Six WB Safeguard Policies have been applied to the Project, namely WB’s Operational Policies (OP) on Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01), Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04), Pest Management (OP/BP4.09), Physical Cultural Resources (OP/BP 4.11), Indigenous Peoples (OP/BP 4.10), and Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12).

An Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), Tribal Development Framework (TDF) and Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) have been prepared in accordance with National/State laws and the WB’s Safeguard Policies and disclosed in English on WB’s website and the Executive Summary in Malayalam language on the Borrower’s website.

The potential environmental risks and impacts of the project activities will be related to the construction phase and will include air pollution, and contamination of surface water, groundwater and soil. These impacts will be mitigated through the Environmental Management Plan.

The project is expected to bring overall positive impacts manifested through wellbeing of the urban populations in participating ULBs. However, social risks may arise due to the exclusion of women, vulnerable and tribal communities. Effective community participation throughout the sub-project cycle will be a critical for the SWM project to succeed. The project will address any loss of livelihood in the informal sector due to introduction of a systematic SWM initiative. Provisions to address GBV has been incorporated in the project design.

The Government of Kerala (GoK) offers a system of local level, state level, face to face, telephonic and online complaint registration services including: (i) Chief Ministers Public Grievance Redressal Cell-network connecting more than 10000 officials (offices) equipped with Modern technology to receive petitions from public; (ii) the complaint mechanism provided by Local Self Government Department Division (LSGD) of Kerala via a complaint icon on its website for citizens to submit online complaints; (iii) the citizen's call center, a single window information technology-enabled facility of Government that enables Government to Citizen interface and includes a consumer toll free helpline for all government services; and (iv) ULB websites, which also have a complaint icon with many options but do not have an option for SWM or sanitation. The project will strengthen the system and augment it with a toll-free number so that it is accessible by all, including women and vulnerable groups.