RUIDP

Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)

Rapid population growth, dramatic changes in production and consumption patterns and massive rural to urban migration have all contributed to environmental degradation. The developmental activities also deteriorate the environment unless otherwise the negative impacts are mitigated well within the time. Unless environmental degradation is arrested, the growth rates necessary to reduce poverty will not be sustained and the millennium development goals will not be achieved.International development agencies including Asian Development Bank (ADB) have therefore recognised the need to better integrate environmental considerations into all operations from the earliest stage, moving upstream toward a more strategic and comprehensive approach beyond operational policies targeted only at environmental assessment of individual projects.

Rajasthan Urban Sector Development Investment Program (RUSDIP) will improve infrastructure through the design and implementation of a series of subprojects, each providing improvements in a particular sector (water supply, sewerage, drainage, roads & bridges, solid waste etc) in 15 towns of the state. ADB's Environment Policy requires the consideration of environmental issues for all projects. The nature of the assessment required for a project depends on the significance of its environmental impacts, which are related to the type and location of the project, the sensitivity, scale, nature and magnitude of its potential impacts, and the availability of cost-effective mitigation measures. Projects are screened for their expected environmental impacts and are assigned to one of the following categories:

Category A: Projects that could have significant environmental impacts. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required.

Category B: Projects that could have some adverse environmental impacts, but of less significance than those for category A. An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is required to determine whether significant impacts warranting an EIA are likely. If an EIA is not needed, the IEE is regarded as the final environmental assessment report.

Category C: Projects those are unlikely to have adverse environmental impacts. No EIA or IEE is required, although environmental implications are reviewed.

Category FI: Projects that involve a credit line through a financial intermediary (FI) or an equity investment in a FI. The FI must apply an environmental management system, unless all subprojects will result in insignificant impacts.

RUSDIP has been classified by ADB as environmental assessment category 'B' (some negative impacts but less significant than category A). The Bank has determined that Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) will be conducted for all sub-projects undertaken under RUSDIP.

The IEE reports discusses the generic environmental impacts and mitigation measures relating to the location, design, construction and operation of physical works proposed under the subprojects. The IEE in general covers description of project, description of the environment, environmental impacts and mitigation measures during construction, environmental impacts and mitigation measures during operation & maintenance, Environmental impact due to location & design and mitigation measures, Institutional requirements and environmental monitoring, public consultation and information disclosure, finding & recommendations, conclusions. The IEE reports also contains tables, figures & photographs.

The RUIDP has prepared IEEs for 65 sub projects for Phase-II and 2 sub-projects  for Phase -III.For Details