Table of Contents

Descirption / Page No.
Executive Summary / 3
Introduction / 4
ESMP Objectives / 4
Legal and Policy Overview / 5
Description of Construction Activities. / 6
Project Management and Constrcution Methodolgy / 7
Environmental, Impacts, Mitigation and Monitoring / 11
Institutional and Reporting Arrangements / 12
EMP Cost / 16
Table A-1 “ Environmental and Social Mitigation and Monitoring Plan” / 18
Annex-A: Details of Ongoing Projects under HEC. / 36

Executive Summary:

The Tertiary/ Higher Education Development Program of the Government of Pakistan include a number of construction and infrastructure development projects in Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s). These projects can potentially have some negative social and environmental impacts. An Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) has been prepared, which identifies the appropriate mitigation measures, defines the environmental and social monitoring requirements, describes the documentation and capacity building protocols, and specifies the capacity building needs for effective implementation of ESMP. The ESMP describes the major objectives of the plan and its elements, nature of potential impacts, and proposed mitigation plan to cater with the various types of impacts likely to appear during different phases of the construction projects. The plan has also suggested the procedure and organizational & reporting system for its implementation.

The effective implementation and monitoring of the ESMP will require capacity building of the project staff, involvement of the faculty members of the Environmental Science departments in the relevant Universities in the process and effective follow up by the Monitoring and Evaluation Cell of Higher Education Commission. Institutional arrangement to involve these major stakeholders in the monitoring process has been proposed in this ESMP. Besides these initiatives, Third Party Validation has also been proposed in the plan. The total cost of ESMP has d been estimate as PKR 20 Million, which will be met from the technical assistance component of the Tertiary Education Support Project (TESP).

It is earnestly believed that if holistically followed, the ESMP will help in mitigation of the likely social and environmental impacts during execution of the construction and infrastructure development projects. To achieve this aim, firm commitment for the implementation and mentoring of this plan, from the major stakeholders will be required during all phases of the projects.

Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)

1.Introduction

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan desires to undertake infrastructure development projects at Universities and Higher Education Institutions(HEI’s). To avoid or mitigate any potential threat to the natural and social environment due to the construction activities under the infrastructure development projects,a rapid environmental assessment has been carried outof someof the completed and ongoing construction projects, and the present Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) has been prepared, in accordance with the World Bank’s guidelines and safeguard policies.

This ESMP defines the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders and presents a set of environmental mitigation measures, which focus at avoiding and or preventing the adverse environmental and social impacts of the projects. The ESMP also suggests institutional setup for ensuring smooth implementation, compliance, monitoring &reporting and capacity building of the stakeholders.

2. ESMP Objectives

The present ESMP has been developed to provide simple and easily understandable environmental and social management procedure for the implementation of infrastructure/ developmental projects at Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) under the auspicious of Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. The ESMP provides the guidelines and procedures to address and mitigate low to medium intensity environmental impacts likely to be encountered during the currency of the projects.

The specific objectives of the present EMP are:

To identify likely social and environmental impacts of the infrastructure/ developmental projects and related activities at Universities and HEI’s.

To suggest suitable measures for mitigation of such impacts at the planning, designing and implementation stages of these projects, so as to eliminate or reduce their adverse nature (if any).

To propose Environmental Monitoring Program to ensure that the mitigation measures are implemented during the project execution and timely corrective actions are taken, where required. The information obtained during environmental monitoring will also assist in the planning and designing of new projects.

To propose institutional arrangements, incorporating roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, required to implement and monitor the ESMP.

3. Legal and Policy Overview

The present ESMP has been developed after reviewing the relevant promulgated environmental legislation and guidelinesof Government of Pakistan and that of the World Bank’s safeguard policies. These legislations and safeguard policies, and their relevance to the proposed project, are briefly discussed below.

  1. Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997.

The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) is the apex environmental law in the country, and provides for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the environment, for the prevention and control of pollution, and for promotion of sustainable development.

Section 12 of the Act requires preparation of environmental impact assessment (EIA) or initial environmental examination (IEE) before commencement of projects likely to cause adverse environmental effects.

  1. Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) Review of IEE & EIA

Regulations, 2000:

These Regulations define procedures for preparation, review and approval of environmental assessments. The projects falling under any of the categories listed in Schedule-I require preparation of Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) report, whereas those falling under categories listed in Schedule-II require preparation of at detailed study, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The construction activities at the Universities and HEI’s don’t fall under any of the Schedule-I or Schedule-II of the Regulations, which define the categories of projects requiring IEEs and EIAs to be carried out. Therefore these construction activities would not require preparation of IEE or EIA report.

  1. WB OP 4.01 (Environmental Assessment):

This Operational Policy (OP) requires EA to be conducted of projects proposed for Bank financing to help ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable with an objective to improve decision making process.

The OP also categorizes the project in one of the four categories on the basis of the type, location, sensitivity, scale of the project, the nature and magnitude of its potential environmental impacts.

The proposed construction activities have been classified as Category B, and are likely to have low to medium level of adverse effects to environment and human population. The present ESMP has been prepared in response to the OP 4.01.

iv.Other WB OPs: The WB OP 4.04 (Natural Habitats), OP 4.09 (Pest Management), OP 4.11 (Physical Cultural Resources), OP 4.36 (Forests), OP 4.37 (Safety of Dams), OP 7.50 (Projects on International Waterways), are not likely to be relevant for the construction activities under the projects covered by this ESMP, hence these OPs are not triggered.

4.Description of Construction Activities in Universities and HEI’s.

The ESMP has been developed for different components of infrastructure development projects in the Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s). These projects may generally have limited environmental concerns assmall to medium scale construction and developmental projects will be undertaken. The scope of the developmental projects is briefly explained as follows:

  1. Construction of Academic and allied administrative, residentialbuildings for various departments of Universities and HEI’s to cater their growing space requirements for the male and female students, faculty and staff etc.
  2. Renovation / rehabilitation of existing buildings.

For further details see Annex-A.

5.Project Management and Construction Methodology:

The standard methodology for design, execution and maintenance of the construction projects will be followed, which will normally include the following phases:

5.1 Land Procurement:

Most of the developmental activities have been planned within the exiting Campuses of the Universities and HEI’s, where land is available. However in cases, where the exiting space is not sufficient for the construction of new facilities, land would be acquired through acquisition of existing Government lands, where available. In such cases, the cost of land will be included in the project proposalat the approved Govt. rates. Free of cost Govt. land will be preferred, where available. In both the cases the title of the land will be transferred to the respective institution.

5.2: Site selection:

Site selection is one of the basic considerations in ensuring the construction of environment friendly, socially acceptable and sustainable building.

5.3 Architectural Planning and EngineeringDesigning(A&ED) Phase:

Architectural Planning and EngineeringDesigning (A&ED) of the proposed facilities will be carried out on the basis of conceptual plans and requirements of the users. For selection of the Architects and Consulting Engineering firms for the design work, the standard procedure and methodology of Pakistan Engineering Council will be followed and detailed Architectural Planning and Engineering Designing (AE&D) will be carried out for each and every project site. The design, prepared by AE&D must add value to the environmental and social surroundings.

5.4 Execution and Construction phase.

The construction activities will be carried out by the contractors, which will be selected as per guidelines given by Pakistan Engineering Council and Public Procurement Regulations Authorities (PPRA) Rules-2004. The following milestonesare normally defined for construction and infrastructure development projects:

5.4.1Leveling dressing and site preparation:

The site preparation and leveling & dressing is carried out as per given design based on the contour map and subsequent detailed design and working drawings developed by the A&ED firm. For excavation and leveling & dressing at site, manual labor and construction machinery like excavator and dozers will be deployed. The detailed design will be based on the principles of natural resource conservation, where the cut and fill quantities must balance to the potential extent. However in some sites, the specific topography may require disposal of surplus material or transportation of material from other sites for filling purposes. The excavated material must be possibly used for filling of the site and foundation subject to the fulfillment of technical specification.

5.4.2Sub Structure and superstructure works:

The leveling and dressing is followed by excavation and sub structure works. Subsequent to this, superstructure (columns, walls, roof slabs, and stairs etc.) is constructed, as per detailed Engineering design and detailed drawings provided by the consulting firm. Parallel to these activities other works like plumbing and Electrical works are also started. On completion of the superstructure, the finishing works are commenced, which includes plastering, flooring, fixing of doors and windows, wood works, installation of toilet fixtures. Finally, painting and polishing of walls, ceilings, doors, windows and others is done.

The monitoring and progress review of the projects is carried out by the relevant staff as per guidelines given by the Planning Commission of Pakistan and Monitoring and Evaluation Cell of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Progress reports are submitted to Planning Commission, through HEC on the prescribed formats on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. These reports are submitted by the project execution staff to ensure that the progress and quality of the projects peruses as per desired standards. The building monitoring committee constituted at the Campus may occasionally inspect the progress and quality of the projects.

5.4.3Project Completion:

After completion of the project, it is properly terminated to ensure that the following aspects of the project have been fulfilled:

  1. All project deliverables have been procured as per approved scope, cost and quality of the project and no component of the project is incomplete and unfulfilled. In case of any variation, the requisite approval process for authentication has been followed.
  1. All payments to the contractors, vendors and suppliers have been made as per terms of the contract agreements and no liability is outstanding. A certificate of “No liability” from the contractors and “Completion Certificate” from the executing agency must be furnished to close the project.

All contracts must be properly closed and the closure must be notified, where necessary.

  1. All relevant documentation regarding the various phases/sub phases of the projects must be accomplished for future reference and Third Party Validation, where required. A document of “Lessons Learned” must be developed regarding project specific problems and solution etc to help in future planning of such projects.
  1. Wide publicity of the termination of the project is required amongst the various stakeholders of the project to avoid any likely future legal encumbrances.

5.4.4Project handing Over and Taking over ( Commissioning)

When the project is completed, the execution agency/Project team will hand over the facility to the respective end users. The handing over/taking over documents are signed by the respective authorized persons, where the operational responsibilities of the project are transferred. The people responsible for the Operation and Maintenance of the facility are identified. Project Completion Report on the prescribed format is submitted to Panning Commission of Pakistan, through HEC.

5.4.5Operation and Maintenance ( O&M) of the facility:

After completion, handing taking over and commissioning of the project, the operation and maintenance of the facility becomes an essential part. Efforts must be made to occupy and operate the new facility soon after its completion. The staff for the operation and maintenance must be identified and notified, where required. The cost of O&M related human and non human resources are included in the recurring budgets of the Universities. The Schedule of New Expenditures (SNE) are developed to workout the estimates of O&M costs. The O&M staff must ensure that the facility is maintained in good working condition and all required preventive maintenance measures are taken to increase the service life of the buildings, equipment and other accessories. The changes in the use of the facility must be restricted to the possible extent. However if any change is deemed necessary, proper Standard Operating Procedures must be adopted and all such changes must be dully approved by the Competent Forum.

6. EnvironmentalImpacts, Mitigation and Monitoring

The Environmental and Social impacts associated with the construction activities vary in nature, intensity and frequency and depends on the size of project, its location and capacity of the major stakeholders to deal with these impacts. The major impacts likely to be encountered during construction activities are given as follows:

  1. Loss of vegetation and trees:
  2. Soil erosion and contamination.
  3. Water pollution and contamination.
  4. Air Quality deterioration
  5. Noise and vibration.
  6. Health and safety hazards
  7. Damage to infrastructure and public utilities.
  8. Social and gender issues.
  9. Damages to Sites of Historical, Cultural, Archeological or Religious Significance.
  10. Road blockades due to increased vehicular movements.

Environmental mitigation and monitoring will be carried out to ensure that various mitigation measures are implemented during different phases of the project life cycle and are properly monitored.The mitigation measures proposed during various phases of construction life cycles are given in theEnvironmental and Social Mitigation and Monitoring Plan in Table A.1.The plan provides details of various social and environmental impacts in different phases of construction project, proposed mitigation and monitoring as well as person(s) responsible for the same and frequency of mitigation and monitoring measures. Effective implementation and follow up of the plan is the spirit of the entire efforts to add value to the natural and social surroundings and is required to be holistically followed by the respective personnel. The Plan must be part of the bidding documents and subsequent contract agreement, so that its implementation is ensured at all stages.

7.Institutionaland Reporting Arrangements.

Effective implementation and follow up of the “Environmental and Social Mitigation and Monitoring Plan” requires clear institutional and reporting system at all Universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s), where the infrastructure developmental projects are undertaken. The roles of various persons(s) and institutions must be clear to avoid any ambiguity and role overlaps. The proposed institutional arrangement will be given in the bidding documents. The following institutional and reporting arrangements will be followed during implementation of the projects.

  1. Universities and HEI’s where in-house project implementation organization exists:

Most of the Universities and HEI’s have Directorate of Works and Services/Project Directorate responsible implementation of the infrastructure projects. These departments are headed by the Director (Works and Services) and Project Director. The overall responsibility for implementation of the ESMP will be lies on Director Works and Services or Project Director. The mitigation measures are normally adopted by the contractor as per terms of the Plan except, where mentioned otherwise. The regular monitoring of such implementation will be the responsibility of Site Engineer/ Project Engineer. The Project Engineer shall submit the monitoring report to the Project Director/Director of Works and Services on the prescribed format (developed on the basis of the Table A.1) along with the daily progress report of the projects. The top supervision of monitoring of mitigation measures will also be carried out by the Director of Works & Services/Project Director.

The Project Director/Director of Works and Services will report onwards to the Works Monitoring Committee established at the Universities. The Works Monitoring Committee of the University will be renamed as “Works and Environment Monitoring Committee (WEM Committee)”. The existing committee will be strengthened with the Chairman of Environmental Science/Engineering department of the concerned University. In case the department is not established at the particular university, services of the Chairman of Environment Faculty from other University/institutions will be engaged. Suitable honoraria will be paid to the person(s) engaged from outside the University. The WEM committee will monitor the mitigation measures, the ESMP implementation status, and the overall environmental and social performance of the Project at least once every two months.