Philippines: Manila Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT4) Project

OBJECTIVE

To improve urban mobility and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along MRT4 corridor.

DESCRIPTION

The Program will support the construction of a high-capacity railway mass transit system intended to serve the eastern side of Metro Manila from the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)-Ortigas Ave. Junction to Taytay in Rizal Province (i.e., the MRT4 Line). The system will include an elevated viaduct of 12.7 km and 10 stations; and has a barrier-free design to allow inclusive access. The Phase 1 of the Program (the Project) will be jointly co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to provide a portion of the Program’s total cost.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION

Given that ADB will be the lead co-financer for MRT4, the Program’s E&S risks and impacts are being assessed in accordance with ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS). To ensure a harmonized approach to addressing the E&S risks and impacts of the Program, and as permitted under AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), ADB’s SPS will apply to the Program in lieu of AIIB’s ESP. ADB has categorized the E&S risks of the Program as category A for environment, A for involuntary resettlement (IR) and C for indigenous peoples (which are equivalent to category A under AIIB’s ESP). This is mainly due to the anticipated significant adverse impacts. The environmental risks and adverse impacts are mainly related to urban construction activities, which include emissions from machinery and vehicle, use of hazardous materials, disposal of spoiled material and solid wastes, discharge of wastewater and potential pollution of groundwater and surface water, damage to surrounding buildings due to vibration and excavation, nuisance to local communities due to dust, noise, traffic disruption, and workers’ improper behavior. Involuntary resettlement (IR) impacts are expected to be mostly associated with the clearance of informal settlers and land acquisition along the MRT4 proposed alignment.

To address these impacts, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), including Noise and Vibration and Climate Risk assessments, and a Resettlement Framework (RF) are being finalized for the entire Program in accordance with ADB’s SPS. In addition, two Resettlement Plans (RPs) are being prepared (one for the stations, and another one for the depot and its access tracks). A gender equality and social inclusion assessment is also being finalized to propose infrastructure physical design features and non-infrastructure measures (such as capacity building)

A multi-tier Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is being designed at project-level and will be established in accordance with the requirements of ADB’s SPS. Locally appropriate public consultation at the barangay level and disclosure process will be used to disseminate information about GRM. In addition, a separate GRM will also be established to address workplace complaints and concerns. The information of the project-level GRM and ADB’s independent accountability mechanism (IAM) will be included in the relevant E&S documents and disseminated to the project affected persons (PAPs) in an appropriate manner. During the appraisal, a detailed monitoring and reporting arrangement will be determined based on ADB’s SPS.