INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Public Disclosure Copy Report No.: ISDSC797 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 30-Jan-2013 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 11-Jul-2013 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: Vietnam Project ID: P126507 Project Name: Ho Chi Minh City Green Transport (P126507) Task Team Ajay Kumar Leader: Estimated 03-Jun-2014 Estimated 21-Oct-2014 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: EASVS Lending Specific Investment Loan Instrument: Sector(s): General transportation sector (80%), Public administration- Transportation (20%) Theme(s): Other urban development (100%) Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 187.99 Total Bank Financing: 142.25 Public Disclosure Copy Total Cofinancing: Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 45.74 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 142.25 Total 187.99 Environmental B - Partial Assessment Category: Is this a No Repeater project? B. Project Objectives The proposed Project Development Objective (PDO) is to increase accessibility to job opportunities and urban services for citizens residing in the south-western side of the city and other adjacent areas to the project corridor, by providing an alternative that issafer, more secure, more efficient, integrated with land development along the corridor and integrated with the proposed metro lines, and generates fewer emissions. C. Project Description The proposed project comprises of two components: a) Component 1: BRT Corridor Development. This component will finance the development of a Public Disclosure Copy demonstration BRT line on the Vo Van Kiet Highway (VVKH), with an estimated longitude of 25 km, adopting a sustainable transport approach that will integrate investments in: i) the rehabilitation and improvement of road infrastructure on the VVKH, so as to support BRT operations; ii) the construction of complementary BRT infrastructure, such as bus depots, terminals, stations, bicycle and motorcycle parking facilities, etc; iii) the procurement of specially-designed alternative fuel BRT buses; iv) the implementation of a broad range of intelligent transport systems (ITS), including advanced traffic management systems (i.e. smart traffic signals, cameras, e-police, etc), and advanced bus operation management systems (i.e. global positioning systems, communication equipments, etc); and v) complementary non-motorized transport infrastructure to facilitate access to the BRT services, such as pedestrian bridges and/or tunnels, bikeways, sidewalk improvements, etc., as well as public spaces like parks and plazas, and landscaping. b) Component 2: Institutional Strengthening. This component will finance institutional strengthening and capacity building activities essential to the successful implementation of the BRT line, and, more broadly to improve transport and urban development planning in HCMC. The component will include the development of: i) training programs for the MOCPT, the DOTPW and other relevant government agencies in project management, urban transport planning and public transport operation; ii) strategic support activities by technical experts on the operation of the BRT line; iii) pre-feasibility study of the integration (fare, operational, physical) of the BRT line with other bus services in the city and the future MRT lines; iv) comprehensive feasibility study on establishment of a Public Transport Authority overseeing all public transport services in the HCMC metropolitan area; v) policy guidelines to promote transit-oriented development along VVKH corridor; iv) pre- feasibility study of public-private partnership (PPP) opportunities and additional financing mechanisms for the expansion of BRT and MRT systems and development of complementary facilities; and vi) pre-feasibility analyses of additional BRT lines and/or other follow-up investments. Public Disclosure Copy The current estimation for total project cost is US$ 187,987,000, with Component 1 costing US $182,987,000 and Component 2 costing US$ 5,000,000. The Bank’s contribution to the financing of the project totals US$ 152,250,000, including an IBRD loan for 142,250,000 and a PPTAF grant for US$10,000,000. The local counterpart’s contribution totals US$ 35,737,000. The estimation does not include land acquisition and resettlement, which will be financed directly by HCMC government. D. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) The BRT line proposed for financing locates on VVKH –an East-West Corridor runs in parallel to the Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canal cutting across Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The project will be implemented in HCMC. HCMC is located on the banks of the Saigon River, 60 km away from the coast of the South China Sea and 1,760 km south of Hanoi. HCMC is the most populous city in Vietnam, with over 7.3 million habitants in its city proper, and over 9 million habitants in its metropolitan area. HCMC is also the largest economic development pole in the country, generating roughly 20% of the national gross domestic product. E. Borrowers Institutional Capacity for Safeguard Policies Urban Civil Works Construction and Investment Management Board (UCCI) has been assigned as the Project Management Unit (PMU) for the Project. UCCI has been a PMU for several donor- funded or government own funded projects. Some PMU staff worked on a previous World Bank funded urban transport project in HCMC. The PMU managed the land acquisition and resettlement for the East-West corridor (VVKH) Project and the Water Environment Improvement Project, both financed by JICA. The Compensation and Resettlement Department of UCCI has been in operation Public Disclosure Copy since 2000 and includes ten (10) staffs. The PMU also has four environmental engineers who worked in the mentioned Water Environment Improvement Project but with only limited practical experience in implementing environmental monitoring plans and supervising environmental mitigation measures as many tasks were carried out by the consultants hired by the Project. With additional training capacity building activities on environmental monitoring and supervision to be implemented during project preparation and implementation, the PMU appears to be in a good position to take the responsibility for this project. Further training on the Bank safeguard policies and requirements will be provided to PMU’s staffs during project preparation and implementation. F. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists on the Team Tuan Anh Le (EASVS) Son Van Nguyen (EASVS) II. SAFEGUARD POLICIES THAT MIGHT APPLY Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental Assessment OP/ Yes Overall, the proposed Project will bring about BP 4.01 long-term environmental benefits and positive impacts to the lives of the people in Ho Chi Minh City, reduce traffic safety risks and emissions from private vehicles. The city’s urban landscape will also be improved by “greening� investments provided by the Project. The Project will have some potential negative socio-environmental impacts associated with the Public Disclosure Copy rehabilitation and improvement of existing road infrastructure to support BRT operations, the construction of BRT infrastructure and other non-motorized transport infrastructure to facilitate access to the BRT services under Component 1 of the proposed project. The potential negative impacts of these civil works during construction are known including generation of noise, dust solid waste, traffic and social disturbance etc, at a moderate level. Increased noise level and traffic safety risks would be the main concerns during operation phase. As the negative impacts during construction are known, mostly localized and manageable while the impacts during operation phase would be mostly address through design solutions and operational rules, the Project is proposed to be Environmental Category B. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Public Disclosure Copy Report will be prepared as part of project preparation to cover potential adverse social and environmental impacts arising from projects investment activities, particularly those from physical works under Component 1, during construction and operation phases. The EIA also includes an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to address the potential impacts identified in the EIA. An Environmental Code of Practice (ECOP) will be prepared as a part of the EIA/EMP to address generic impacts arising from construction activities. Any investment activity with impacts which are not adequately covered by the ECOPs, the EIA/EMP will include site-specific mitigation measures for those work activities. The EIA will also include environmental and social baseline information of the existing situation at the project site, assessment of project alternatives and the related environmental impacts on communities, land use, transport, and cumulative impact assessment. Public Disclosure Copy TORs for Environmental Considerations in the two pre-feasibility studies covered under component 2 will also be included in the EMP. The EIA/EMP will be subject to the Bank review and no-objection, and also subject to approval by HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE). The environmental assessment process will include extensive public consultation and continued planning and outreach both during project design and early preparation stage. EIA and EMP will be disclosed at Infoshop and project areas prior to Project appraisal. Natural Habitats OP/BP 4.04 No The project is located in an existing urban area, it will not cause degradation or conversion of any known important natural habitats. Forests OP/BP 4.36 No The project area is in urban and will not affect any forest. Public Disclosure Copy Pest Management OP 4.09 No No pesticide or herbicide will be used in the project. Physical Cultural Resources OP/ TBD The proposed investment is in District 1 as well BP 4.11 as the canal’s banks and the VVK Boulevard known to host heritage buildings and historic neighborhoods. EA will include screening for Physical Cultural Resources (PCR) along the VVKH, and other project sites. Whether this policy is triggered will be confirmed at appraisal stage as part of the PCR study. EMP will address the potential impacts on PCR, if any. The provision for Chance Find procedure will also be included in the EMP and also as part of the biding documentation/technical specifications together with the mitigation plan during construction works. Indigenous Peoples OP/BP 4.10 No The project will not affect any ethnic minority communities, as defined in OP 4.10, although individual households of indigenous origin may be residing in the project area. Since there are no ethnic minority present in the project area, OP 4.10 will not be triggered. Involuntary Resettlement OP/BP Yes The project would be mainly utilizing land of an 4.12 area recently acquired for infrastructure development. However, it is estimated that Public Disclosure Copy additional land acquisition may be required, which will be determined by the technical design during the project preparation. A due diligence review will be conducted to assess the prior resettlement of non-Bank financed projects or components which are essential to the design or performance of the project to define potentially ‘linked’ projects. The due diligence, in addition to the preliminarily identified linked government owned projects at two ends of the route, includes the involuntary resettlement activities for the construction of the VVKH boulevard itself. The due diligence will include identification of any legacy, reputational or liability issues, and whether the borrower complied with national law. The review will also determine the level of compliance with the Bank OP 4.12, and proposed measures to be considered if remedy is needed. These measures would be included in the project Resettlement Action Plan (RAP or RAPs) prepared prior to project appraisal, and will be documented in the Public Disclosure Copy due diligence section of the Project Appraisal Document (PAD). The project prior to appraisal will: (i) prepare a Resettlement Policy Framework with involuntary resettlement principles, design criteria, organizational arrangements and funding mechanisms to be considered during project implementation; (ii) ensure Bank’s assistance is provided for all Bank resettlement requirements for the planning and documentation of Resettlement Plans prepared, and its timely submission for the Bank’s approval. Safety of Dams OP/BP 4.37 No The project will not affect the safety of any dam, or depend on the safety of any existing dam. Projects on International No The project will not affect any international Waterways OP/BP 7.50 waterway. Projects in Disputed Areas OP/BP No The project is not located in any disputed area. 7.60 III. SAFEGUARD PREPARATION PLAN A. Tentative target date for preparing the PAD Stage ISDS: 30-Oct-2013 B. Time frame for launching and completing the safeguard-related studies that may be needed. The specific studies and their timing1 should be specified in the PAD-stage ISDS: Public Disclosure Copy 30 October 2013. IV. APPROVALS Task Team Leader: Name: Ajay Kumar Approved By: Regional Safeguards Name: Peter Leonard (RSA) Date: 08-Jul-2013 Coordinator: Sector Manager: Name: Jennifer J. Sara (SM) Date: 11-Jul-2013 1 Reminder: The Bank's Disclosure Policy requires that safeguard-related documents be disclosed before appraisal (i) at the InfoShop and (ii) in country, at publicly accessible locations and in a form and language that are accessible to potentially affected persons.