Government of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Forest Department INTEGRATED PROJECT FOR SOURCE SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENT RAIN-FED AGRICULTURE IN HIMACHAL PRADESH (World Bank Assisted) Community Health and Safety Guidelines Final Report 26 December 2019 Himachal Pradesh Forest Department Project Management Unit Solan, Himachal Pradesh Table of Contents ESS4 Community Health and Safety Guidelines ................................................................. 3 1. Project Background ........................................................................................................... 3 2. Objectives......................................................................................................................... 4 3. Potential Risks related to Community Health and Safety .................................................... 4 4. Mitigation Measures ......................................................................................................... 5 ESS4 Community Health and Safety Guidelines 1. Project Background The Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) is preparing the Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and Climate Resilient Rain-fed Agriculture (IP) in the selected Gram Panchayats of the State, with financing from the World Bank. IP carries forward the ideas and learnings of H.P. Mid Himalayan Watershed Development Project (HPMHWDP). The proposed IP will invest in measures in upstream catchment areas to improve sustainable land and watershed management to promote the sustainability of perennial water sources. It will also support continued diversification and commercialization of agricultural value chains in downstream areas by supporting production and value addition including the promoting efficient water use thereby increasing the productivity of water in agriculture. It will adopt a spatial approach by (i) applying a landscape approach to individual high-risk micro-watersheds within select river basins in Himachal Pradesh; and (ii) overlaying this with a cluster approach to target value chain investments in specific locations to leverage economies of scale and network externalities. In parallel, the project will develop and demonstrate the application of an analytical evidence base to inform strategic policy choices viz. the trade-offs between alternative water use and will pilot a new institutional arrangement for addressing complex multi-sectoral concepts such as sustainable landscape management that involves several sectors and multiple Government departments. Summary of Proposed Project Interventions The project development objective of the proposed Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and Climate Resilient Rain-fed Agriculture (IP) is “To improve upstream watershed management and increase agricultural water productivity in selected Gram Panchayats in Himachal Pradesh.� The proposed project interventions and its four main components are provided below. Component 1 (Sustainable land and water management) will support a) establishment hydrological monitoring stations; b) preparation of Gram Panchayat Resource Management Plans (GP-RMPs); c) Soil and water conservation measures including afforestation, check dams, bunds water harvesting structures, drainage line treatments, gully plugging; d) Plantations, e) Pasture management with rotational grazing, fodder delineated forest, introduction of voluntary systems of rotational grazing in young forest; e) Development of high-quality seed stands f) construction of centralized seed center and climate-controlled seed bank; g) Nursery development h) Forest fire prevention and suppression measures. i) Innovative silviculture pilots and j) operation, maintenance and investment fund (OMIF). Component 2 (Improved Agricultural Productivity and Value Addition) will support interventions on a) water harvesting, storage, and distribution infrastructure, small pond excavation, community tank renovation, roof rain-water tanks, traditional irrigation channels, and gravity and lift intake and distribution structures; b) on farm adoption of Climate Smart Technologies; c) “last-mile� market access infrastructure such as footbridges and manually operated, ropeways (but not roads or investments requiring land acquisition); d) matching grants to individual farmers and farmer groups for essential productive assets. Component 3 (Institutional Capacity Building for Integrated Watershed Management) will support institutional assessments, functional reviews, institutional strengthening, institutional reforms, change management, capacity building interventions that would enable adoption of more holistic approach towards integrated watershed management, climate change, climate resilient and resource efficient agriculture, including information technology strategy Component 4 (project management) will support key project staff, monitoring and evaluation, grievance redress mechanisms, Environment and Social Framework (ESF) implementation, overall capacity building, project communication etc. 2. Objectives In line with the requirements of ESS4, these Community Health and Safety Guidelines address the health, safety, and security risks and impacts of project interventions on the communities in project villages who may be affected by project interventions. The guidelines set out the responsibility of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD) to avoid or minimize such risks and impacts, while paying attention to people who may be more vulnerable due to their circumstances. The main objectives of these guidelines are: a) To anticipate and avoid adverse impacts on the health and safety of project- affected communities during the project life cycle; b) To promote quality, safety and climate change considerations in the design and construction of infrastructure; c) To avoid or minimize community exposure to project-related traffic and road safety risks, diseases and hazardous materials; d) To set out effective measures to address any emergency events; The requirements and strategies to ensure the occupational health and safety (OHS) for project workers are set out separately in the Labour Management Procedures (ESS2), and measures to avoid or minimize impacts on human health and the environment due to existing or potential pollution are set out in the Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management Plan (ESS3). 3. Potential Risks related to Community Health and Safety Project interventions do not anticipate any significant community health and safety risks from usage of security personnel, project related vehicular traffic, construction of dams as well as handling and usage of hazardous material. The main risks and potential impacts are summarized below a) Construction and Civil Works. Most infrastructure works will be small scale, with short construction periods requiring 5-15 construction labour for 10-20 days and will take place in adjoining agricultural or forest land at some distance from the villages and habitations. No deep excavations and risky structures that increase the risk of falling and entrapment are planned. Community tanks may involve some risks related with accidental trespassing and personal injury for humans and livestock, including children. b) Hazardous material. No hazardous materials will be used by the project activities and risks related to contact of hazardous material with communities, workers and soil and water are very low. Some of the infrastructure works such as Community Tanks and Irrigation Systems and Market Access Infrastructure will be nearer to the communities. However, no adverse impacts are foreseen for the communities and workers. Adverse impacts from Noise and Dust are not expected to be significant. Project interventions in high value and climate resilient agriculture may increase the usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and these will be mitigated and minimized through the risk mitigation measures set out in the Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management Plan (IPNM) c) Traffic and Road Safety. Construction activities for soil and water conservation, source upgradation, small water distribution systems and market infrastructure will not require movement of heavy vehicles for transporting construction materials or equipment. The risk of traffic-related accidents and injuries to workers and local communities is very low. d) Public Health. Public health Risks typically associated with large development projects and construction sites with poor sanitation and living conditions, labor influx and mobility are not applicable. Health risks from increased labor influx and mobility are low given that most of the construction labor will be locals, and a very small share of construction labor will be from outside the state or from Nepal. Risks from stagnant water will have to be managed to reduce risks from vector borne diseases. e) Ecosystem Services. The project interventions on forests, watersheds, water harvesting, land management and climate resilient agriculture are likely to enhance the ecosystem services and not affect them adversely. f) Security Personnel. No security personnel will be hired to safeguard any project interventions and assets g) Dams. No dams are anticipated in the project. h) Stagnant Water. The project ESMF and construction related ESMP carry guidelines to avoid stagnant water. i) Safety of water harvesting structures. The project ESMP on water harvesting structures carry guidelines on ensuring safety through fencing including social fencing and bio-fencing 4. Mitigation Measures HPFD will implement specific risk mitigation measures to protect the project affected communities form potential risks and hazards that impact the community health and safety. The specific mitigation measures related to community health and safety especially for i) water quality and availability, disease prevention and communicable diseases; ii) general work site related hazards on dust, sound and debris; iii) fencing of water impounding structures and other construction areas, especially those closer to habitations. These mitigation measures are included in LMP, IPNMP and Community Health and Safety Guidelines. Construction, Infrastructure Design, Equipment’s. a) Design and construction of civil works/structures will be done by competent professionals, and certified or approved by competent authorities or professionals. b) For structures that would be accessed by communities and public, the design will factor in risks of accidents or natural hazards, including extreme weather events, c) Structural design will consider climate change considerations, as appropriate. d) Where relevant and feasible, the structural design of civil works will ensure unhindered access for beneficiaries of all ages and abilities; e) Restricting access to specific sites and situations, including community tanks through fencing, signage, and communication of risks to the local community; f) Design and construction of water Harvesting Structures will factor in community access and safety aspects. g) Maintenance of structures to ensure elimination of unusable impounded water/ stagnant water and ensure increase in water velocity in natural and artificial channels h) Health awareness and education initiatives will be undertaken among the project communities Safety of Services. a) Where the project involves provision of services to communities, appropriate quality management systems will be established to anticipate and minimize risks and impacts that such services may have on community health and safety. Traffic and road safety a) Suitable Road safety measures will be undertaken, when project activities are found to increase the movement of heavy vehicles and equipment and increase the road safety risks of workers, road users and affected communities. Ecosystem Services While the overall project impact on ecosystem services is assessed to be positive, where appropriate and feasible, potential risks and impacts on ecosystem services will be monitored. a) Project activities involving diversion or impoundment of water should prevent adverse impacts to the quality and availability of groundwater and surface water resources. b) Protection of drinking water sources so that they meet or exceed applicable national acceptability standards or in their absence the current edition of WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality. c) Any dependency factors associated with the delivery of water to the local community should be planned for and managed to ensure the sustainability of the water supply by involving the community in its management to minimize the dependency in the long-term. d) Groundwater or surface water abstraction for project activities should be properly assessed through a combination of field testing and modeling techniques, accounting for seasonal variability and projected changes in demand in the project area. Community Exposure to Health Issues a) When justified, community exposure and vulnerability to water-related, vector- borne and communicable and non-communicable diseases will be monitored. b) Where specific diseases are endemic in communities in the project area, opportunities during the project life cycle will be explored to improve environmental conditions that could help minimize their incidence. c) Suitable measures will be undertaken to avoid or minimize any disease and health risks associated with the temporary or permanent project labor. Management of Hazardous Materials a) Safety guidelines for storage, transport, and distribution of pesticides will be followed to minimize the potential for misuse, spills, and accidental human exposure; b) Any potential exposure of communities to hazardous material will be avoided or minimized with suitable measures to control the delivery, storage, usage, transportation and disposal of such materials and wastes. Emergency preparedness and response a) Suitable emergency response and preparedness procedures and measures will be formalized to deal with any unanticipated incident, typically in the form of fire, explosions, leaks or spills, that My affect the health and safety of the community