Social Assessment Report for the World Bank Financed WuxiTaihuLake Integrated Environmental Management Project
Management Office of the WuxiTaihuLake Integrated Environmental Management Project
May 2010
Contents
Foreword
1Background of the Project
1.1Introduction to the Taihu Lake watershed
1.2Components of the Project and impact evaluation
1.2.1Components of the Project
1.2.2Overview of social impacts of the Project
1.3Blue Algae Event and “Environmental Protection Action” package
1.3.1General Plan for Integrated Aquatic Environment Management of the Taihu Lake Watershed
1.3.2Working Plan of Jiangsu Province on Water Pollution Control of Taihu Lake
1.3.3Special Plan of Wuxi Municipality for Integrated Aquatic Environment Management of Taihu Lake
1.3.4Decision of Wuxi Municipality on Carrying out the “6699” Action for Taihu Lake Management and Water Source Conservation with All Efforts
1.3.5Circular of Working Opinions on Strengthening Aquatic Environment Protection of Key Lakes
1.3.6Regulations of Jiangsu Province on Water Pollution Control of Taihu Lake
1.3.7Measures of Wuxi Municipality for the Conservation of Drinking Water Sources
1.3.8Regulations of Wuxi Municipality on Aquatic Environment Protection
1.4Project impacts
1.4.1Beneficiary areas
1.4.2Affected areas and impacts
1.5Socioeconomic background of the affected areas
1.5.1Socioeconomic background of Wuxi Municipality
1.5.2Socioeconomic background of New District
1.5.3Socioeconomic background of Binhu District
1.5.4Socioeconomic background of Huishan District
1.5.5Socioeconomic background survey of the affected towns/Xiangs
1.5.6Women
1.5.7Poor population
1.5.8Ethnic minorities
1.5.9Floating population
2General introduction to social assessment
2.1Tasks and objective of social assessment
2.2Basis of social assessment
2.3Main scope of work
2.4Field survey process
2.5Survey methodology
2.6Social assessment methodology
2.7Social assessment procedure
2.8Social assessment staff
3Stakeholder analysis
3.1Identification of stakeholders
3.2Analysis of key stakeholders
3.3Analysis of impacts on stakeholders
3.4Impacts of stakeholders on the Project
4Project impact analysis
4.1Affected population
4.1.1Directly affected population
4.1.2Temporarily affected population
4.2Analysis of common impacts of the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
4.2.1Impact analysis of replacement of land contracting and management rights
4.2.2Impacts of house demolition
4.2.3Impacts of enterprise relocation
4.2.4Impacts on infrastructure, ground attachments and special facilities
4.2.5Possible impacts of project construction
4.3Analysis of common impacts of the Meiliang Lake and Huishan components
4.3.1Impact analysis of temporary land occupation
4.3.2Impacts of enterprise relocation
4.3.3Analysis of possible environmental impacts during construction and operation
4.4Project benefit analysis
4.4.1Environmental benefits of the Project
4.4.2Economic benefits
4.4.3Social benefits
4.4.4Other benefits
5Mutual adaptability analysis between the Project and society
5.1Economic support
5.2Fusion between the Project and regional development
5.3Consistency of policy purposes
5.4Improving the environmental awareness of affected residents
6Social risk management
6.1Identification of social risks
6.1.1Social risks of the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
6.1.2Social risks of the Meiliang Lake component
6.1.3Social risks of the Huishan component
6.1.4Other risks
6.2Risk aversion measures of the Project
6.2.1Risk aversion measures of the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
6.2.2Risk aversion measures of the Meiliang Lake and Huishan components
7Analysis of participation of target groups
7.1Objectives of participation
7.1.1Improving farmers’ livelihoods
7.1.2Buiding a public participation mechanism with equal opportunities
7.1.3Fostering and improving the target groups’ sense of participation
7.2Principles of participation
7.2.1Principle of people orientation
7.2.2Principle of extensive participation
7.2.3Principle of priority for vulnerable groups
7.2.4Principle of equal participation
7.2.5Paying attention to the role of rural grass-root organizations
7.2.6Respect for local knowledge and rural community elites
7.3Significance of participation
7.3.1Building the environmental awareness of residents
7.3.2Fostering the capacity of the public to participate in the Project
7.3.3Promoting community development
7.3.4Protecting interests of vulnerable groups
7.4Perspective of participation
7.5Scope of participation
7.6Methodology of participation
7.7Process of participation
7.7.1External preparation for public participation (village entry plan)
7.7.2Planning of public participation
7.7.3Implementation process of participation
7.8Public participation survey
7.8.1Basic composition of respondents
7.8.2Public willingness and satisfaction survey
8Institutional arrangements and monitoring
8.1Institutional arrangements
8.2Monitoring agency
8.3Procedure and scope of monitoring
8.4Monitoring indicators
9Conclusion and suggestions
9.1Conclusion
9.1.1The Project will promote sustainable local economic and environmental development
9.1.2A public participation system has taken shape
9.1.3Employment risk for some 40th-50th people affected by the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
9.1.4Double replacement will be easier to implement on the basis of adequate information disclosure
9.2Suggestions
9.2.1Meiliang Lake Key Areas Ecological Dredging Project
9.2.2Proposed measures for the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
9.2.3Suggestions for improving community management
9.2.4Measures to alleviate environmental impacts
List of impacts, risks and risk aversion measures
Annex 1Changguangxi and Hongshan components
Annex 2Meiliang Lake Key Areas Ecological Dredging Project
Annex 3Huishan WWTP (Phase 4) and Recycled Water Reuse (Phase 1) Project
Annex 4Case of semi-structured interview
Annex 5Case of open-ended interview
Annex 6Flowchart of group interview
Annex 7SWOT analysis of public participation of the Changguangxi and Hongshan components
Annex 8Rankings of needs of displaced villagers
Annex 9Seasonal activity calendar of villagers of Lianghong Village (by month)
List of Tables
Table 11 Basic information of the Project
Table 12 Impact factors of the components
Table 13 Policies and regulations on Taihu Lake management
Table 14 Impacts of the components
Table 15 2009 basic socioeconomic statistics of Wuxi Municipality
Table 16 2009 basic socioeconomic statistics of Binhu District, Wuxi
Table 17 basic socioeconomic statistics of Huishan District, Wuxi
Table 18 2009 basic socioeconomic statistics of the affected towns/Xiangs (sub-districts)
Table 19 Poverty in the affected areas
Table 21 Survey schedule of the Project
Table 22 Procedure and scope of social assessment
Table 23 Social assessment agencies and staffing
Table 31 List of stakeholders of the Project
Table 32 Demand analysis of stakeholders involved in the Project
Table 33 Implementing agencies of the components
Table 34 Analysis of impacts on stakeholders
Table 35 Impacts of stakeholders on the Project
Table 41 Statistics of directly affected population
Table 42 Statistics of temporarily affected population
Table 43 List of replacement of land contracting and management rights of the components
Table 44 Percentage of agricultural income to gross income
Table 45 Rural residential houses affected by the Project
Table 46 Concerns of different age groups and impacts of house demolition
Table 47 Detailed information of vulnerable groups
Table 48 Impact analysis of enterprise relocation
Table 49 Summary of affected attachments and special facilities
Table 410 Statistics of affected enterprises
Table 414 Distribution of residents around spoil grounds
Table 415 Tourist income of Wuxi Municipality in the past years
Table 51 Socioeconomic information of the affected areas
Table 61 Comparison of family income and expenditure before and after relocation
Table 62 Risk analysis of enterprise relocation
Table 63 Risk analysis of resettlement communities by category
Table 64 Risk analysis of community management
Table 65 Survey of villagers’ needs for resettlement communities
Table 71 Summary of methods and procedures of participation
Table 81 Information of the implementing agencies of the components
Table 82 Social risks of the Project—risk aversion measures—participation plan—implementation—monitoring
List of Figures
Figure 11 Map of the Taihu Lake watershed
Figure 12 Schematic map of the Changguangxi Ecological Wetland Rehabilitation Project
Figure 13 Schematic map of the Hongshan Rural Non-point Pollution Control Demonstration Zone Project
Figure 14 Schematic map of the Meiliang Lake Key Areas Ecological Dredging Project
Figure 15 Schematic map of the components
Figure 41 Percentage of agricultural income to gross income
Figure 42 Houses on rural old housing sites rented by migrant population
Figure 43 Real views of the case-study enterprise
Figure 44 Real views of the Lianghong component (Phase 1)
Figure 45 Garbage around rural houses in Hongshan Town
Figure 46 Growth of percentage of tourist income to GDP in past years
Figure 61 Flowchart of identification of social risks of the Project
Figure 62 Exterior view of plant buildings in the Hongshan Industrial Resettlement Zone in New District, Wuxi
Figure 63 Real view of completed plant building in the Hudai Industrial Park
Figure 64 Fangquan Garden resettlement community for the Changguangxi componentFigure 65 Xianhe Garden resettlement community for the Changguangxi component
Figure 66 Hongyun Garden resettlement community for the Hongshan componentFigure 67 Hongtai Garden resettlement community for the Hongshan component
Figure 68 School and commercial street near a resettlement community for the Hongshan component
Figure 71 Flowchart of public participation
Figure 81 Organizational chart
Figure 91 Schematic diagram of objectives of Taihua Lake integrated environmental management
1
Foreword
The Wuxi Municipal Finance Bureau applied for a loan with the World Bank (WB) together with the relevant implementing agencies of New District and Binhu District to implement the Wuxi Taihu Lake Integrated Environmental Management Project (hereinafter referred to as the “Project”) in order to improve the aquatic environment of Taihu Lake, promote the new round of integrated aquatic environment management of Taihu Lake, and expand sources of finance of the Project.
In the Project, necessary scenic spots and water-soil conservation works will be constructed, and rural non-point pollution control and wetland rehabilitation will be carried out around TaihuLake in light of the requirements for urban construction, socialist new countryside building and ecological environment improvement to create favorable conditions for building a harmonious society and a beautiful urban environment.
WB is particularly concerned about the effectiveness of projects funded by it in terms of poverty reduction, environmental improvement and protection, public participation, gender equality, vulnerable group protection and employment promotion. According to WB policies, its projects should not result in new poverty, reduction in the standard of living of those affected, and destroy the ecological environment; its projects should be implemented in a fair manner so that the interests of the people within the affected areas are not infringed on while the target groups are benefited, the environment of the affected areas is improved, employment is increased and livelihoods of vulnerable groups are improved. A social assessment (SA) is necessary for the Project as required by WB. The NationalResearchCenter for Resettlement, HohaiUniversity was entrusted by the executing agency of the Project to undertake the social assessment task of the Project. The SA Team of the World Bank Financed Wuxi Taihu Lake Integrated Environmental Management Project was established in April 2009 to conduct the SA work of the Project in accordance with the WB operational principles and the WB experts’ requirements for the SA of the Project, and by reference to the opinions of the expert panel at the technical preparation stage of the Project.
The SA Team drafted the terms of reference, report outline, questionnaire and interview outline from late April to early June 2009. After the technical route and the terms of reference were approved by WB, the SA Team conducted field investigation, data collection, questionnaire survey and interview of the components many times from May 2009 to March 2010 based on the variations of the components of the Project to solicit opinions, inputs and requirements for the Project from all affected institutions, enterprises, households, beneficiaries and implementing agencies in the affected areas extensively.
On June 30, 2009, the first draft of the SA Report was submitted for the first preparatory mission; on December 13, 2009, the first draft of the revised SA Report was submitted for the second preparatory mission. From December 2009 to March 2010, the SA Report was revised again according to the field investigation of the second preparatory mission of WB; during April-May 2009, this SA Report (evaluated version) was created based on the pre-evaluation opinions and requirements of WB and the latest variations of the Project.
Acknowledgement goes to WB exports, the director of the municipal PMO, the project design agency, the preparing agency of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, the implementing agencies of the components, the affected towns (sub-districts) and village teams, and representatives of affected villagers, who offered great support during the preparation of this report.
1.Background of the Project
1.1 Introduction to the TaihuLake Watershed
The Taihu Lake watershed is located in the south rim of the Yangtze River Delta, with a total area of 36,900 square kilometers and a population of about 30 million, covering two provinces and one city. Thanks to favorable natural conditions, convenient land and water transport facilities, good basic conditions for agricultural production, advanced industrial development, strong economic base, high population density and labor quality, strong technological strength, well-informed market information and better infrastructure and investment environment, it is one of the main coastal open regions of China and one of the largest comprehensive industrial bases of China.
The Taihu Lake watershed is a water branch system which centers on the Taihu Lake in the most downstream of the Yangtze River and takes the Huangpu River as its main draining river. See Figure 1-1 for the Taihu Lake watershed. The watershed is east to the Tianmu Mountain and the Maoshan structure, south to the mouth of the Yangtze River, east to the Donghai Sea and north to the Hangzhou Bay. The watershed covers an area of 36,900km2, and its administrative map includes the southern region of Jiangsu Province, Jiaxing City and Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province, some regions of Hangzhou City and most regions of Shanghai Municipality. Wherein, Jiangsu Province accounts for 53%, Zhejiang Province 33.4%, Shanghai Municipality 13.5% and Anhui Province 0.1%.
Since the 1990s, the population concentration in the Taihu Lake watershed has being increasing and urban expansion has been underway, which, on the one hand, promotes rapid economic development, however, on the other hand, has also brought negative impact since the amount of agricultural, domestic and industrial wastes increased and the water quality of Taihu Lake has been seriously affected. Governments of various levels in China have endeavored to carry out water pollution control work, continuously strengthened water pollution treatment and obtained some achievements. However, the worsening trend of water environment has not been effectively controlled.
At the end of May, 2007, blue algae broke out in the Taihu Lake, causing water pollution in Wuxi Municipality, seriously affecting the normal life of nearly one million of residents, attracting the wide attention of the society. State leaders have attached great importance to the impact of blue algae of the Taihu Lake on the living of the residents and required the National Development and Reform Commission to take the lead so as to enhance comprehensive control and management and make research to propose specific proposals and measures. In January, 2009, the State Development and Reform Commission officially issued Overall Plan for Integrated Treatment of Water Environment in the Taihu Lake Watershed, followed by Implementation Plan for Integrated Treatment of Water Environment in the Taihu Lake Watershed of Jiangsu Province and Implementation Plan for Integrated Treatment of Water Environment in the Taihu Lake Watershed of Wuxi Municipality in succession. The integrated treatment of water environment in the Taihu lake watershed of new round is carried out in an overall manner.
Figure 11 Map of Taihu Lake Watershed
1.2 Components of the Project and Impact Evaluation
1.2.1Components of the Project
The Project mainly includes 5 components which are as follows.
Component 1 is the Changguangxi Ecological Wetland Rehabilitation Project. The component mainly involves Binhu District. The project occupies an area of 143.7 hectares and aims at, through engineering measures such as surface flow and subsurface flow wetland projects, wetland arrangement and water system communication engineering, wetland ecological restoration projects and wetland wildlife habitat restoration, enhancing water environmental bearing capacity, reducing pollution load into the lake, improving water quality and the regional ecological quality and biodiversity, protecting drinking water safety and ultimately restoring of ecological wetland functions of Changguangxi so as to allow runoff water to be purified by the wetland.
Component 2 is the Non-point Pollution Control Demonstration Zone Project of Hongshan’s Million Hectares of Fertile Farmland. This component mainly covers 6 administrative villages of Hongshan Town. Comprehensive planning and integrated treatment of this project area is carried out. Comprehensive supporting facilities of ditches are formed and perfect irrigation and drainage system and complete and convenient road system are established after the demolition of houses. Comprehensive supporting facilities of farmland irrigation are constructed to enhance the irrigation and drainage functions of farmland irrigation facilities; reasonable layout of farmland road and production road in this project area is realized to meet the need of mechanical production and agricultural product transport; the agricultural production condition and ecological environment of this project and farmland quality are improved, and the sustainable utilization of land resource is promoted; through land arrangement, scale, centralized and industrialized operation of land is promoted and the optimal allocation of land resource is realized.
Component 3 is the Meiliang Lake Key Areas Ecological Dredging Project. The component mainly covers Binhu District of Wuxi Municipality. Ecological dredging is carried out to the polluted sediment of the Meiliang Lake area of Wuxi Municipality so as to effectively reduce the source pollution of sediment, improve the water qualify of the lake and benthic environment and facilitate the restoration of aquatic ecosystems.
Component 4 is the Huishan Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phase 4) and Recycled Water Reuse (Phase 1) Project. Huishan Wastewater Treatment Plant is located in the Hujiadu Village on the north bank of the Grand Canal in Wuxi in the southwest part of Huishan District. Its current scale reaches 50,000m3/d, plus 25,000m3/d enlarged by the project of Phase 4, and thus its total scale reaches 75,000m3/d so as to meet the sewage disposal requirement within water receiving range. The total scale of the Recycled Water Reuse Project of the wastewater treatment plant reaches 60,000m3/d, and the scale of the Recycled Water Reuse Project of Phase 1 is 15,000m3/d. Meanwhile, newly built recycling pipe network reaches 29,915 meters. The land acquisition area of this project reaches 152,420m2 (228.63 mu). It is proposed that the construction of the project will be carried out on the reserved land of the current plant area, so it is unnecessary to add new land for construction. Recently, the reserved land of the plant is idle land without any building or ancillary facility, so it can be directly used for the project of Phase 4.
Component 5 is Taihu Lake Environmental Management Capacity Building and Support for Project Implementation. The component mainly covers various relevant units, carrying out management capability training and project management capability of relevant units through Component 4. Besides, it also includes project execution capability building training and agricultural pollution treatment and environment management capability building organized by community to enhance the water environment management capability and the management capability of the project of Wuxi Municipality.