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Solomon Islands: Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (EIA Report)


The Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB) and Solomon Islands Government (the government) have established the Solomon Islands Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP). The Project aims to improve access to safe water and improved sanitation in urban and peri-urban areas by implementing high priority components identified in Solomon Water’s 30-Year Strategic Plan and 5-Year Action Plan. The Project overall comprises capacity building, water awareness sanitation and health (WASH) component and physical works (upgrading existing water supply transmission and distribution and installing new water supply in Honiara and other provincial towns). The provincial water supply component covered in this IEE concerns the Tulagi Water Supply subprojects including (i) improvement of water intake, (ii) installation of 6 km transmission pipeline, (iii) 20 m3 /h water treatment plant (WTP), (iv) 400 m3 reservoir, (v) replacement and extension of 5.4 km distribution network and (vi) non-revenue water (NRW) improvement.

This report gives an account of the initial environmental examination (IEE) of the proposed subprojects, conducted as part of the subproject preparation to primarily: (i) identify and assess potential impacts arising from the implementation of the proposed Subproject on the physical, biological, socio-economic and physical cultural environment; and (ii) recommend measures to avoid, mitigate, and compensate for adverse impacts. An environmental assessment and review framework (EARF) was initially prepared to guide the process for screening, assessment, review and monitoring of components. The IEE was carried out following (i) ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS 2009), (ii) WB Safeguards Policies (WBSP) as set out in the EARF and (iii) the requirements of the country safeguard system (CSS) as set out in the Environmental Act (1998), the Environment Regulations (2008) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guidelines (2010). The IEE, as per discussions with Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) is more or less equivalent to a public environment report (PER) as required for development consent application for the subprojects. In accordance with the ADB SPS 2009, the project was initially screened by the lenders and consequently assigned Category B, requiring preparation of an Initial Environmental Examination including an Environmental Management Plan (EMP). A screening carried out during the early phase of the Project development confirmed that environmental impacts will be mainly related to the risks of nuisances during the construction phase and controllable by appropriate construction site supervision and conventional mitigation measures. The work undertaken to prepare the present IEE has further confirmed this initial categorization as Category B Project.