INDIA: Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project

More documents

Recommendations

Info

INDIA Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (P007985) First Implementation Support Mission, June 2011 Activity Current Progress Agreed Next Steps & World Bank Recommendations even with limited staff, SPMU was able to submit Financial Management reports (including interim unaudited financial reports) for two quarters, viz., September-December 2010 and January-March 2011 that has been approved by the World Bank. Tally accounting software has been installed and training completed at SPMU and at 9 of the 10 proposed PEAs. Statutory audit report for 2010-11 has been prepared and is under review of SICOM. 5. The Communication Unit has started working in a near satisfactory manner, even with the limited staff available. The website for SPMU is under development, and is expected to run as a full-fledged website by end-July 2011. Currently, all documents are available in a Projectspecific webpage in the IESWM website. A toll-free telephone line is operational to record grievances. 6. Nine of the 10 PEAs have signed MoU with SPMU; eight of them have opened bank accounts, nominated nodal officers, and put in place a computerized accounting system. None of the 6 PEAs who required staff have recruited such staff. 7. SPMU has organized two workshops: (i) a workshop on CRZ Notification 2011 and the ICZM Project; (ii) a financial management and accounting workshop. Additionally, SPMU had organized two review meetings with all PEAs; and several meetings with individual PEAs; as well as several stakeholder meetings in Sagar and in Digha_Shankarpur. . 8. All legal covenants (as recorded in the PAD) had been complied albeit with a little delay. The delay could be ascribed to the nearly 3 month period when the state elections were conducted in 5 phases and the election-time code of conduct did not permit decision-making, especially related to procurement or recruitment.. Procurement Plan for the entire Project has been updated. associated focus community mobilization and stakeholder consultations. 5. The Communication Unit, now expected to be fully staffed, should take a cue from Gujarat and Odisha SPMUs, and try to match and surpass the others. 6. SPMU should insist and support PEAs (who have not yet completed the agreed actions) to complete the necessary capacity building actions by September 2011. 7. A system of monthly review meetings with all PEAs need to start by September 2011. SPMU will endeavor that the State Steering Committee meets every 3 months. 8. See Annex 5 for a detailed discussion on the issue of the State’s share of financing. IMPORTANT: Please note the specific agreements related to the improvements required in the Procurement and the Financial Management Systems – described in detail in Annex 5 and Annex 6. 56
Annex 3 Management of Environmental Issues and Processes 1. Overall: The project, in its initial stages of implementation is following the prevention principles built in its design to ensure long-term conservation of coastal and marine resources and at long term sustainability. Implementation plans for all activities include environment management measures; monitoring measures to ensure that the issues avoided during design do not indeed occur. The proposed monitoring and evaluation processes (which are yet to start in a systematic way) include plans for conducting social audit and third-party audits as relevant. All these environment management measures have been adequately budgeted and staffs have been designated to provide the required oversight. The three tier grievance redress system has been established in the SPMUs in Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal. Regulatory clearances, such as the CRZ clearance where relevant is being ensured before award of works contracts. 2. Activities being planned by the PEAs ensure that there is no conversion or degradation of natural habitats (whether protected or not), land clearing, replacement of natural vegetation; no permanent or temporary flooding of natural habitats; no drainage, dredging, filling or channelization of wetlands. In this regard, specific precaution has been taken in the plantation of mangroves which progressed well in Gujarat. Any possibilities of introduction of invasive exotic species have been avoided. Community management approaches are being ensured for all mangrove and shelterbelt plantations (efforts are being made to adopt these approaches even in cases where Force Account is used). All SPMUs and PEAs have ensured that mangrove plantation is done on "revenue land" and "forest land" with a total avoidance of any private land; no synthetic or chemical pesticide or herbicide is used in any plantation or de-weeding or clearing operations. 3. Six villages around Dandi in Gujarat have been notified as an Ecologically Sensitive Area, based on resolutions adopted in full meetings of the village panchayats, and in agreement between the State and the central Government. Conservation of environmental resources, minimization of pollution, and an aim to reduce carbon emission from these villages are in-built in the integrated area planning process that is being taken up. Similar stakeholder consultation and participation as well as environmental conservation agenda is in-built in the process of notifying Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu as an ecologically sensitive area; and the proposal for notifying Vembanad in Kerala as such. 4. The project is being implemented by professionals of NPMU and SPMUs with a good level of environment awareness and experience. However, not all staff of the NPMU, SPMUs and the PEAs (who otherwise have diverse skill sets and different ranges of professional experience) are fully aware of the precautionary needs of this Project. Further, not all SPMU staff nor PEAs are either fully aware about the environmental avoidance, mitigation or monitoring processes agreed for this Project, as most of such staff have been recruited after the project was prepared. In this context the Mission recommended that (a) a activity by activity detailed chart should be prepared summarizing all actions proposed in the EMP for the Project, and disseminated to all staff of NPMU, SPMU and PEAs involved in implementation of the Project by September 2011; and (b) an orientation cum training program for all staff is held by October 2011. These will ensure that no agreed environmental avoidance, mitigation or monitoring action escapes attention; and application of environmental conservation and precautionary principles are harmonized among all activities in the Project throughout the Project Period. The Quarterly Project Report starting from for the period of July-September 2011 (to be submitted by December 2011) will need to provide clear understanding of how the environmental management plan is being implemented for each activity by each of the PEAs, and overall by SPMUs and NPMU. 5. In Gujarat, The detailed project reports and the bid documents for various construction activities, such as for the sewage treatment plant or the sewerage system in Jamnagar, or the laboratory include activity and
Page 1 and 2:
INDIA: Integrated Coastal Zone Mana
Page 3 and 4:
INDIA Integrated Coastal Zone Manag
Page 5 and 6: INDIA Integrated Coastal Zone Manag
Page 13 and 14: Component 4 (West Bengal) INDIA Int
Page 55: INDIA Integrated Coastal Zone Manag
show all

INDIA: Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?