[Type text]

Pakistan

Punjab Irrigated-AgricultureProductivity Improvement Project (PIPIP)

Executive Summary
Environmental and Social Assessment
Directorate General Agriculture (Water Management), Agriculture Department

Government of Punjab, Lahore

November2011

Directorate General Agriculture (Water Management), Government of Punjab1

November 2011

Environmental and Social Assessment – Executive Summary

Punjab Irrigation Productivity Improvement Program

Acronyms

Amsl / Above mean sea level
BOD / Biological oxygen demand
CITES / Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
DGA (WM) / Director General Agriculture (Water Management)
EIA / Environmental Impact Assessment
EMP / Environmental Management Plan
EPA / Environmental Protection Agency
ESA / Environmental and Social Assessment
GDP / Gross Domestic Product
Ha / Hectare
IBIS / Indus Basin Irrigation System
IEE / Initial Environmental Examination
IUCN / International Union for Conservation of Nature
MAF / Million acre feet
M&E / Monitoring and Evaluation
NEQS / National Environmental Quality Standards
OP / Operational Policy
O&M / Operation and Maintenance
PEPA / Pakistan Environmental Protection Act
PERI / Punjab Economic Research Institute
P&DD / Planning and Development Department
TDS / Total dissolved solids
ToR / Terms of Reference
WAPDA / Water and Power Development Authority
WB / World Bank
WWF / World Wide Fund for Nature

Directorate General Agriculture (Water Management), Government of Punjab1

November 2011

Environmental and Social Assessment – Executive Summary

Punjab Irrigation Productivity Improvement Program

Contents

Acronyms...... ii

1Introduction...... 1

1.1Background...... 1

1.2Project Objectives...... 1

1.3Need of the Study...... 1

1.3.1Study Team...... 2

2Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy Framework...... 2

2.1National Legislation and Regulations...... 2

2.2The World Bank Operational Policies...... 3

3Project Components...... 4

3.1Component A: Improving Water Productivity...... 4

3.2Component B: Upgrading Community Irrigation System...... 4

3.3Improved Agriculture Technology/Practices and Monitoring
and Evaluation...... 5

3.4Component D: Project Management, Supervision, Technical
Assistance, Training and Strategic Studies...... 5

4Project Alternatives...... 6

4.1No-project Alternative...... 6

4.2Alternative Irrigation Methods...... 6

4.3Alternative Land Leveling Methods...... 6

4.4Alternative Methods of On-farm Water Conservation...... 7

4.5Alternative Methods of Implementing the Proposed Initiatives...... 7

5Environmental and Socioeconomic Profile...... 7

5.1Location...... 7

5.2Physical Environment...... 7

5.3Wildlife Protected Areas...... 9

5.4Socioeconomic Environment...... 9

6Stakeholder Consultations...... 16

6.1Objectives...... 16

6.2Consultation Process...... 17

6.3Consultations with Institutional Stakeholders...... 17

6.4Grass Root Stakeholders Consultations...... 19

7Impact Assessment...... 26

7.1Positive Impacts...... 26

7.2Environmental Screening...... 26

8Environmental and Social Management Plan...... 30

8.1ESMP Objectives...... 30

8.2Institutional Setup and Responsibilities...... 30

8.3Environmental and Social Guidelines...... 30

8.4Environmental and Social Monitoring...... 30

8.5Environmental and Social Trainings and Awareness Raising...... 30

8.6Grievance Redressal Mechanism...... 31

8.7Documentation and Reporting...... 31

8.8ESMP Implementation Budget...... 31

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 1: Punjab Province...... 11

Table 1: Protected Areas in Punjab...... 12

Table 2: Cultural Heritage Sites in Punjab...... 13

Table 3: Key Issues Discussed during Grass Root Consultations...... 20

Table 4: Environmental Screening...... 26

Table 5: Environmental and Social Guidelines – Drip Irrigation...... 32

Table 6: Environmental and Social Guidelines – Sprinkler Irrigation...... 33

Table 7: Environmental and Social Guidelines – Laser Land Leveling...... 34

Table 8: Environmental and Social Guidelines – Watercourse Improvement....35

Table 9: Environmental and Social Training Plan...... 37

Directorate General Agriculture (Water Management), Government of Punjab1

November 2011

Environmental and Social Assessment – Executive Summary

Punjab Irrigation Productivity Improvement Program

1Introduction

  1. The provincial government of the Punjab, Pakistan, through its Directorate General Agriculture (Water Management), Agriculture Department, is planning to undertake the Punjab Irrigated-Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project (PIPIP) (referred to as the Project in rest of the document) in various parts of the Province, and seeking the World Bank assistance for this purpose. In line with the prevailing legislation in the Country, and WB safeguard policies, an environmental and social assessment (ESA) of the Project has been carried out. This document presents the report of this assessment.

1.1Background

  1. Irrigated agriculture is central to Pakistan’s economy; because of its arid climate, the annual evaporation far exceeds the rainfall, making irrigation essential for growing crops. Pakistan relies on the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world, namely the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) to provide basic food security (90 percent of food production and 25 percent of the Gross Domestic Product). Agriculture is the single most important source of employment and exports (two thirds of employment and 80percent of exports) and irrigation represents more than 95 percent of the total consumptive use of water. However, this massive infrastructure is deteriorating and in need of modernization along with reforms to improve the allocation of water as well as the efficiency of its use. Moreover, competition for water is growing among the provinces and across the increasing needs for irrigation, industrial and domestic use, and the environment. Yet there remains a need for significant new investment, not only in irrigation but in other uses of water as well, including power generation and urban-industrial and domestic supplies (50 percent of the population is not served by a formal supply system and sanitation and water treatment reaches less than ten percent of the population). At the same time, there is uncontrolled pollution of surface and groundwater from agriculture, industry and rapidly growing cities.
  2. The key irrigation sector issues are: (i) low surface water delivery efficiency (only about 35-40 percent from the canal head to crop root zone); (ii) water distribution inequities; (iii) lack of storage capacity and control structures; (iv) wasteful on-farm water use; (v) water-logging and salinity; (vi) poor operation and maintenance (O&M) and low cost recovery; and (vii) a constrained investment climate. These issues are a manifestation of institutional weaknesses due to near exclusive control by the public sector entities characterized by the usual inefficiencies of centralized bureaucracies, lack of corporate skills and poor client (farmer) focus and accountability.
  3. Watercourse improvements have repeatedly shown to yield an economic rate of return of more than 25 percent, and benefits to laser land leveling and drip irrigation are even higher. These high efficiency irrigation systems typically reduce input costs by 20-35 percent, increase yields by 20-100 percent, lower irrigation labor up to 30 percent, diversify cropping patterns, and save up to 75percent water. For example, experience in Punjab has shown an increase in yields for citrus to be 44 percent, for mangos 100percent and for tomatoes to be 150 percent. In addition, water saving for these crops has been 22 percent, 36 percent and 50 percent for citrus, mangos, and tomatoes, respectively. The laser land leveling results in water savings of 30 percent and yield increases of 20 percent.

1.2Project Objectives

  1. The project’s main objective is to improve water productivity. Improved water productivity will be understood to mean greater agricultural output per unit of water used, and will be achieved through improved physical delivery efficiency, irrigation practices, crop diversification and effective application of inputs. The project’s objectives would contribute to increased agricultural production, employment and incomes, higher living standards and environment.

1.3Need of the Study

  1. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 (PEPA 1997) requires the proponents of every development project in the country to submit either an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) or “where the project is likely to cause an adverse environmental effect,” an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to the concerned environmental protection agency (EPA).
  2. The World Bank Operational Policy 4.01 (OP 4.01) states that “The Bank requires environmental assessment (EA) of projects proposed for Bank financing to help ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable, and thus to improve decision making”[1].
  3. The present study has been conducted in response to both of the above requirements.

1.3.1Study Team

  1. The ESA team consisted of environmental and socioeconomic experts having considerable experience in their respective field of expertise. These included Mohammad Omar Khalid (team leader and environment specialist), Sitara Khan (social specialist), ChaudhryIrshad Ahmad (agriculture specialist), and Maqsood Ahmed (irrigation specialist).

2Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy Framework

2.1National Legislation and Regulations

  1. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997 (the Act) is the basic legislative tool empowering the government to frame regulations for the protection of the environment. The requirement for environmental assessment is laid out in Section 12 (1) of the Act. Under this section, no project involving construction activities or any change in the physical environment can be undertaken unless an initial environmental examination (IEE) or an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is conducted, and approval is received from the federal or relevant provincial EPA. The requirement of conducting an environmental assessment of the proposed project emanates from this Act.
  2. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Review of IEE and EIA Regulations, 2000 (the ‘Regulations’), developed by the Pak-EPA under the powers conferred upon it by the Act, provide the necessary details on preparation, submission and review of the initial environmental examination (IEE) and the EIA. Categorization of projects for IEE and EIA is one of the main components of the Regulations. Projects have been classified on the basis of expected degree of adverse environmental impacts. Project types listed in Schedule I are designated as potentially less damaging to the environment, and those listed in Schedule II as having potentially serious adverse effects. Schedule I projects require an IEE to be conducted, provided they are not located in environmentally sensitive areas. For the Schedule II projects, conducting an EIA is necessary.
  3. The proposed project falls under the Schedule II (Section D) of the Regulations. Hence an EIA has to be conducted for it.[2]
  4. The National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), promulgated under the PEPA 1997, specify the following standards:

Maximum allowable concentration of pollutants in gaseous emissions from industrial sources,

Maximum allowable concentration of pollutants in municipal and liquid industrial effluents discharged to inland waters, sewage treatment and sea (three separate set of numbers).

Maximum allowable emissions from motor vehicles.

Ambient air quality standards.

Drinking water standards

Noise standards.

  1. The other environmental laws relevant to the project are listed below.

Land Acquisition Act, 1894

Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Act, 1974

Forest Act, 1927

Canal and Drainage Act, 1873

Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority Act, 1997

Punjab On-Farm Water Management and Water Users’ Associations Ordinance, 1981

Provincial Local Government Ordinances, 2001

Antiquity Act, 1975

Mines, Oil Fields and Mineral Development Act, 1948

Factories Act, 1934

Employment of Child Act, 1991

Pakistan Penal Code, 1860

2.2The World Bank Operational Policies

  1. OP 4.01.The World Bank requires environmental assessment (EA) of projects proposed for Bank financing to help ensure that they are environmentally sound and sustainable, and thus to improve decision making.[3] The OP defines the EA process and various types of the EA instruments.
  2. The proposed project consists of activities which have environmental and social consequences, including:

Changes in land use,

Damage to crops

Deterioration of air quality,

Water contamination and consumption,

Damage to top soil, land erosion,

Cutting of trees

Safety hazard.

  1. Since none of the potential impacts of the project are likely to be large scale, unprecedented and/or irreversible, the project has been classified as Category B, in accordance with OP 4.01. Furthermore, the present ESA is being carried out in accordance with this OP, to identify the extent and consequences of these impacts, and to develop an EMP for their mitigation.
  2. Other OPs. Applicability of the other WB safeguard policies with respect to the environmental and social issues associated with the proposed project is tabulated below.

Operational Policy / Triggered
Involuntary Resettlement (OP 4.12) / No
Forestry (OP 4.36) / No
Natural Habitat (OP 4.04) / No
Pest Management (OP 4.09) / No
Safety of Dams (OP 4.37) / No
Projects in International Waters (OP 7.50) / No
Cultural Property (OP 4.11) / No
Indigenous People (OP 4.10) / No
Projects in Disputed Area (7.60) / No

3Project Components

3.1Component A: Improving Water Productivity

  1. Subcomponent A1: Installation of High Efficiency Irrigation Systems. The component would support the installation of drip, trickle, bubbler, or sprinkler irrigation systems at the field level for high value, horticulture, vegetables, floriculture and other high value row crops. The irrigation systems would be installed by a service provider on a shared cost basis. The farmers would carry 40% of the cost of works with the remaining 60% provided bythe Project,covering administrative and management costs. Such level of subsidy is justified given that this is new technology. The drip units would include a pumping unit, fertilizer tank, delivery fittings, filters, underground main pipeline, and delivery lines, etc. High efficient irrigation systems would be installed over 120,000 acres. These systems would be installed for orchards, vegetable, flowers and other high value row crops, thereby promoting crop diversification. Controlled application of water and non-water inputs would enhance crop productivity. A technical assistance package would be provided by the vendors to the farmers to promote adaptation of the new technology. In addition, technical assistance and training would be provided to the users through component C of this project. Successful installation and application of these irrigation systems would encourage the private sector to adopt this high efficient irrigation technology, as was the case of groundwater development, which was initiated by the government but brought to scale by the private sector.
  2. Subcomponent A2:Strengthening of Precision Land Leveling Services in Private Sector. Un-leveled fields cause wastage of water, resulting in low irrigation application efficiency and much lower yields. Laser land leveling saves up to 30% irrigation water, results in uniform seed germination, and increases fertilizer uptake efficiency which enhances crop yields of up to 20%. Under this component the laser leveling equipment would be provided to the service providers on shared cost basis. The service providers would provide the laser leveling equipment and tractors to interested farmers, who would use their own tractors to complete the leveling. A capacity for laser land leveling of about two million acres annually would be developed for which about 3,000 laser leveling units would be provided. About 50% of the cost of the of laser land leveling equipment would be provided by the service provider who also owns a tractor capable of operating the LASER unit. The sites for installation of HEIS and service providers would be selected based on pre-defined criteria, which would be revised and updated every six month in light of implantation experience and monitoring results in order to ensure that project objectives are met in accordance with the results indicators.

3.2Component B: Upgrading Community Irrigation System

  1. Subcomponent B1: Watercourse Improvements in Canal Irrigated Areas. The component would assist Government efforts to improve watercourses (W/C), which is the tertiary level water distribution system where water losses are highest. Of the 140,000 total watercourses in irrigated areas of Pakistan, around 95,000 have been improved under various donor-supported programs. Punjab has about 58,000 watercourses in irrigated areas, out of which about 41,000 have been improved, leaving a remaining 17,000 in need of improvement.
  2. The innovations would be introduced to use concrete parabolic channel sections up to 8 feet (or U sections namely canalets) placed on leveled compacted earth with water tight joints, thus improving existing technology of brick lining. Where suitable and where farmers prefer, watercourses would be lined using traditional bricks with plaster. Water turnout structures would be replaced with properly designed concrete structures (puccanakas). The earthen sections of the watercourse would be improved using clean compacted soil. Efforts would be made to have private contractors/service providers construct thecanalets and then be installed by the water users associations (WUAs). The project would provide technical assistance for layout and construction supervision to the WUAs. The length of the watercourses, installation of diversion structures, as well as other improvements to earthen sections of the watercourses would be in accordance with the current standard practice and optimized for each watercourse. WUAs would share the cost through providing labor, and the Government would provide canalets and other material. Approximately 5,500 watercourses would be improved. In canal commanded areas preference would be given to the areas where distributary level farmers’ organizations have been formed.
  3. Subcomponent B2: Completion of Partially Improved Watercourses. Many watercourses in Punjab were only partially (barely) improved in the early part of the program in the late 1970s. In order to fully realize the benefits, the improvement works on these watercourses would have to be completed. The project would cover completion of about 1,500 watercourses which have been partially improved in the past. Farmers would contribute skilled and unskilled labor (30 percent of the cost) with the Project funding the remaining cost.
  4. Component B3: Improvement of Community Irrigation Systems in the Non-canal Commanded Areas. This component would cover watercourse improvements in the rain-fed (barani) areas, i.e. areas which are not in the command of barrage controlled irrigation but have localized irrigation schemes. These are generally small watercourses and the cost of improvement is less than in other areas. The project would cover about 2,000 watercourses in Barani areas. Farmers would contribute skilled and unskilled labor (about 30 percent of the cost of the improvement works) while the Project would carry the cost of the material.

3.3Improved Agriculture Technology/Practices and Monitoring and Evaluation

  1. Component C1: Improved Agriculture Technology and Practices. The purpose of this component would be to enhance productivity of the irrigated lands. The activities under this component would include: (i) effective research, extension, and agricultural information services; (ii) participatory training for farmers, involving training of specific target groups in various agro-technical fields, farm management and irrigation agronomy; (iii) demonstration and assistance in improved and modern technologies and methods to increase agricultural production through better agronomic practices; and (iv) the establishment of a Farmers Information Service Desk linked with internet and cell phone services etc.