THE WORLD BANK� Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of

Water Resources and Irrigation

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Part I: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Part II: Environmental and Social Management Plan

April 30, 2007 Dr. Fatma Abdel Rahman Attia Dr. Hussam Fahmy Dr. Manal Eid Ir. Jan Hoevenaars (ed.) Dr. Roel Slootweg

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Abbreviations and Acronyms AGPP Alexandria Growth Pole Project APRP Agricultural Policy Reform Project ARE Arab Republic of Egypt BCM Billion Cubic Meters BOD Biological Oxygen Demand BP Bank Procedures CAP Compliance Action Plan CAPMAS Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics CAWD Central Administration for Water Distribution (MWRI) CD-IAS Central Directorate Irrigation Advisory Services (MWRI) CMS Conservation of Migratory Species CMU Contract Management Unit DAP Displaced and Affected Person DBO Design-Build-Lease DRAINFRAME Drainage Assessment Integrated Framework DRI Drainage Research Institute (NWRC) DWB District Water Board E(S)MP Environmental and (Social) Management Plan E(S)MP Environmental (and Social) Management Plan EA Environmental Assessment EEAA Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency EI Environmental Impact EPADP Egyptian Public Authority for Drainage Projects EPIQ Environmental Policy and Institutional Strengthening Indefinite Quantity Contract ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ET Evapotranspiration (in crops) EurepGAP Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group Good Agricultural Practice EWP Egyptian Water Partnership FAO Food and Agricultural Organization fed. feddan (0.42 hectare) FtC Facing the Challenge (proposed IWRM strategy in National WR Plan) FWR Farm Water Requirement GAFRD General Authority for Fish Resources Development GoE Government of Egypt GOFI General Organization for Industrialization GP Good Practices GWP Global Water Partnership GWS Groundwater Sector (MWRI) HAD High Aswan Dam HCA High Council of Antiquities HE Horizontal Expansion HEPS Horizontal Expansion Projects Sector HMC High Ministerial Committee HRI Hydraulic Research Institute IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) IIIMP Integrated Irrigation Improvement Management Project IIP Irrigation Improvement Project IPM Integrated Pest Management IRU Institutional Reform Unit (of MWRI) IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management KM kilometer LE Egyptian Pound MALR Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation MCM Million Cubic Meters (Mm3) MHUNC Ministry of Housing, Utilities and New Communities MIMW Ministry of Industry and Mineral Wealth

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MoEA Ministry of Environmental Affairs MoHP Ministry of Health and Population MoHP Ministry of Health and Population MoI Ministry of Interior MoLD Ministry of Local Development MSEA Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs MWRI Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation N&B Nubariya and Bustan NAWQAM National Water Quality and Availability Management project NBI Nile Basin Initiative NBI Nile Basin Initiative NCA Not Connected Areas NEAP National Environmental Action Plan NGO Non-Governmental Organization NOPWASD National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (or sewage disposal) NRI Nile Research Institute NWRC National Water Research Centre (MWRI) NWRP National Water Resources Plan O&M Operation and Maintenance OP Operational Policy OPN Operational Policy Note PAD Project Appraisal Document PIN Preliminary Information Notice PMU Project Management Unit PPIAF Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (World Bank) ppm parts per million PPP Public Private Partnership PWS Public Water Supply RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (named after city Ramsar, Iran) RIGW Research Institute for Groundwater (NWRC) RO Regulatory Office RPF Resettlement Policy Framework RTA River Transport Authority (Ministry of Transportation) SCA Supreme Council of Antiquities SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SIWARE SImulation of Water management of Arab Republic of Egypt SPS Supplementary Pumping Station SWI Sea Water Intrusion TC Technical Committee TDS Total Dissolved Solids ToR Terms of Reference TS Technical Study WB Water Board WDIIP West Delta Irrigation Project WDQUAS West Delta Quantitative Assessment (spreadsheet) WDR West Delta Region WDWCIRP West Delta Water Conservation and Irrigation Rehabilitation Project WHO World Health Organization WMRI Water Management Research Institute WQMU Water Quality Management Unit (MWRI) WTP Water Treatment Plant WU Water Union WUA Water Users Association WUC Water Users Council WUO Water Users Organization WWTP Waste Water Treatment Plant

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1 hectare = 2,38 feddan 1 US$ = 5.7 LE (Egyptian Pound)

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Table of Contents

PART I: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT................................................................... 7

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 7

1.1 SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT.............................................................................................................................. 7

2. SETTING OF THE WDWCIRP PROJECT......................................................................................................... 8

1.2 THE WEST DELTA REGION................................................................................................................................ 8 1.3 DEVELOPMENT HISTORY OF THE WDR ............................................................................................................. 9

3. PRESENT PROPOSAL OF WDWCIRP ............................................................................................................ 14

1.4 PROJECT RATIONALE: PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES................................................................................... 14 1.5 PROJECT PREPARATION PROCESS..................................................................................................................... 14 1.6 PROJECT PROPOSAL......................................................................................................................................... 17 1.7 PROJECT COMPONENTS.................................................................................................................................... 19

4. E(S)IA POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK .......................................................... 21

1.8 NATIONAL POLICIES........................................................................................................................................ 21 1.9 EIA AND ESIA REQUIREMENTS FOR WORLD BANK........................................................................................ 25

5. IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND IDENTIFICATION OF MEASURES............................................................ 27

1.10 METHODOLOGY: A NESTED HIERARCHY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.......................................................... 27 1.11 PROJECT AREA, CUMULATIVE EFFECTS AND EXTENDED AREA OF INFLUENCE. ................................................ 29 1.12 MAIN DRIVER 1: WITHDRAWAL OF WATER FROM THE NILE SYSTEM............................................................... 30 1.13 MAIN DRIVER 2: CONJUNCTIVE USE OF SURFACE WATER AND GROUNDWATER............................................... 34 1.14 MAIN DRIVER 3: INDUCED DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................................... 40 1.15 TRIGGERED SAFEGUARD POLICIES................................................................................................................... 45 1.16 SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION................................................................................................................................. 54

6. SYNTHESIS ........................................................................................................................................................... 57

PART II: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN: A FRAMEWORK ............................... 60

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 60

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ESMP COMPONENTS ............................................................................................ 61

2.1 COMPONENT I: SAFE MAIN NILE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLAN# ..................................................................... 61 2.2 COMPONENT II: SAFE WATER QUALITY FOR NUBARIYA CANAL ..................................................................... 64 2.3 COMPONENT III: SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN............................................................ 65 2.4 COMPONENT IV: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN............................................................................................... 69 2.5 COMPONENT V: SAFEGUARD POLICIES........................................................................................................... 70 2.6 COMPONENT VI: CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES................................................................................................. 73

MONITORING PLAN.................................................................................................................................................... 78

2.7 IMPACT MONITORING...................................................................................................................................... 78 2.8 PROGRESS MONITORING AND SUPERVISION.................................................................................................... 80 2.9 EXTERNAL MONITORING AND EVALUATION .................................................................................................... 80

CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING PLAN ...................................................................................................... 81

INSTITUTIONAL PLAN ............................................................................................................................................... 82

2.10 ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING............................................................................................................................. 82 2.11 OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PMU ........................................................................................................ 84 2.12 RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PMU RELATING TO THE PRIVATE OPERATOR............................................................ 85 2.13 STAFFING REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................................................................. 85 2.14 CONSULTANTS INPUT...................................................................................................................................... 85

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FINANCIAL PLAN ........................................................................................................................................................ 86

PART III: CONSULTATION WORKSHOP.............................................................................................................. 88

1. GENERAL.............................................................................................................................................................. 88

2. INVITATIONS....................................................................................................................................................... 88

3. PARTICIPANTS ................................................................................................................................................... 88

4. PRESENTATION.................................................................................................................................................. 88

5. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................................... 88

ANNEX 1 WORKSHOP AGENDA.............................................................................................................................. 92

ANNEX 2 LIST OF INVITEES ...................................................................................................................................... 1

ANNEX 3 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ........................................................................................................................... 5

ANNEX 4 PRESENTATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 10

DOCUMENTATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 27

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PART I: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

1. Introduction 1.1 Scope of the assignment

On an area of about 107,000 ha (equivalent to 255,000 feddans), located approximately 60 kilometers north of Cairo to the west of the Nile Delta, noticeable agricultural growth through exploitation of groundwater has been realized over the past 25 years. Today, this area is a flourishing agricultural economy estimated between $300 to $500 million dollars annually, serving both domestic and export markets in the European Union and elsewhere. Moreover, the area now provides about 150,000 jobs in the agriculture sector. However, with the rapid development there has been an excessive depletion of the groundwater reserves. With about 47% of the total 100,000 ha. under cultivation, water extraction by the year 2002 reached 1080 million m3 annually, or an increase of 36.2% in just over a decade. Groundwater is quickly depleting with a commensurate effect on overall water quality. To improve the situation, GoE has identified the West Delta Water Conservation and Irrigation Rehabilitation Project (WDWCIRP). The gross project area covers 80,000 ha. out of the 107,000 ha.. The project area will be supplied with surface water through an extensive pipeline system. The surface water will be diverted from the Nile system, i.e. the Rayah el Nasseri. This Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) including an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), has been prepared for the WDWCIRP to contribute to the design and appraisal of the WDWCIRP by the Government of Egypt (GoE) Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) and the World Bank. The ESIA is a follow-up to the DRAINFRAME assessment of the project’s conceptual design (PPIAF 2005) which was carried out in 2005 as a first scoping of the impacts of the WDWCIRP and testing of some main project conceptual alternatives. This study (Part I) provides an update and further specification of the findings of the DRAINFRAME assessment according to the latest status of the technical design of WDWCIRP and includes a verification of the World Bank’s safeguards policies that came out of a screening process. The negative impacts of the project are assessed and avoiding or mitigating measures are identified. Part II of this report contains the Environmental and Social Management Plan for implementation of the identified mitigation measures. In a logical sequence the plan describes the activities, the responsible and executive agencies, the required capacity building, monitoring, and the costs that would be incurred to implement the mitigation measures. This report will be disclosed according to the requirements of the World Bank for category A projects. The final draft will be enclosed in the tender documents.

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2. Setting of the WDWCIRP project 2.1 The West Delta Region

The extended West Delta Region (WDR) lies west of the Rosetta Branch of the Nile. The area is covered by sedimentary rocks belonging to the Quaternary and Late Tertiary. The main aquifer systems are the Alluvium and the Moghra. The Alluvium covers a large portion of the area in the north and north-eastern sides. It consists of Pleistocene sand and gravel, changing to fine sand and clay in the north. The Moghra aquifer system is the main aquifer in the south and western portions of the area. It consists of Lower Miocene sands with clay intercalations, underlain by Oligocene basalt or shale, (Fig. 2.1).

Fig. 2.1: Geological Map of WDR Fig. 2.2: Soil Associations of WDR (MIMR 1981) (Hammad M.A. 1975)

This area more or less coincides with the soils of the active delta and the soil units 5, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 25 as indicated on the Soil Associations Map of Egypt. (Figure 2.2). The land formed in the Holocene is called the "old lands". It includes all lands that are used for agriculture and fisheries since ancient times. The other part of the WDR is being converted gradually into agricultural land since High Aswan Dam in 1966, a process that is still going on. These reclaimed desert lands are called "old new land" and "new new land" respectively, depending on the period in which they where developed. To the west, the West Delta Region borders the Matruh Governorate, which extents up to the Libyan border. Figure 2.3 shows a schematic lay-out of the WDR with the main landscape units. The project area is considered as new new land. The West Delta Region falls in 4 different governorates (Figure 2.4), assuming that the eastern border of the Governorate of Matruh is the boundary of the West Delta Region. In the north Alexandria covers parts of the Old new lands and the Nubariya Command area. The central part of the new lands and the old lands of WDR come under Beheira governorate. Saddat City and the north-east part of the groundwater based area belong to Menufia. The southern most part of the WDR belongs to Gizeh governorate. There is no relation between administrative and hydraulic boundaries of irrigation areas. The project concession area falls in Menufia, Beheira and Gizeh.

WDWCIRPWDWCIRP

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Figure 2.3 West Delta Region (schematic map) source: DRAINFRAME 2005

Figure 2.4 Map with administrative boundaries Map No 3795 Rev. 2 United Nations Jan. 2004

2.2 Development history of the WDR

More than 98 percent of the population of Egypt (currently 77 millions) lives in the old lands of Egypt which imposes heavy social and economic pressure on the living conditions with potentially adverse environmental impacts on the resources of the country. To alleviate the pressure on the old lands a policy of expanding the irrigated areas to the maximum allowed by the available resources, has been adopted by the government of Egypt since the mid of the twentieth century. The WDWCIRP project fits in this policy. Another national policy, described in “Egypt and the 21st century” (Cabinet ARE, 1997), is to encourage people living in the over-crowded mega cities and Nile

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delta to settle in new lands and cities. The national objective is to increase the inhabited space of Egypt on the long term from 5% to 25% so as to slow down the rate of urbanization of the old lands. In 1966, the High Aswan Dam was completed and the Nile Valley and Delta were no longer subject to the annual floods of the Nile. Since HAD, Egypt has consistently followed a policy to manage its water resources to the maximum. The huge storage of water in the newly formed Lake Nasser allowed for intensification of agriculture in the Old Lands from one crop a year to at least 2 crops. This is the so-called "Vertical Expansion Program". There was also enough water for expansion of the irrigated area outside the Old Lands. This program is called the "Horizontal Expansion Program". The total area under the Horizontal Expansion Program encompasses 1.4 million ha. of New Land. Part of this area is planned to be developed with deep groundwater. About 1.1 million ha will be developed with water from the Nile of which about 0.5 million ha. were completed in 2004 (NWRP 2004).

The new irrigation schemes are also built in order to compensate for the loss of agricultural land to urbanization in the Delta, which currently is about 0.8% per year and to provide opportunities to generate new jobs, increase production and widen the development base. The WDR is characterized by its proximity to the largest urban areas and well connected to the export ports in Cairo and Alexandria. Since the 1960s public investments were provided to supply Nile water through the Nubariya Canal to irrigate the northern part of the West Delta Region using modern irrigation systems. The first horizontal expansion came with the reclamation of the so-called "Old new land". This is a stretch of reclaimed land on the fringes of the active delta, occupied mainly by small holders. Later the Nubariya and Bustan areas were reclaimed, using surface irrigation techniques. These are called the new land. The total area of Nubariya and Bustan is about 215,000 ha. Since the late 1970’s the government encourages the private sector to invest in irrigated agriculture using groundwater in the higher southern part of WDR. This groundwater based irrigated agriculture has rapidly developed during the past 25 years by commercial farms using modern localized irrigation technology to cultivate high value cash crops. Today this area has a flourishing agricultural economy with an estimated worth between $ 300 million to $ 500 million per year, serving both domestic and export markets in the European Union and elsewhere. Moreover, the area increasingly provides job opportunities and has become a home for over half million inhabitants. In the same period the policy of increasing the inhabited space has resulted in the establishment of new cities in the WDR, notably Sadat City (50,000 inh.), Natrun City and Nubariya City. In Sadat City quite a number of industrial companies have settled as well. Therefore, next to ground water for the agricultural sector, there is also a growing demand for high quality domestic and industrial water in and around the project area.

2.2.1 Development of main environmental issues in WDR

The conversion of the Northern parts of the desert fringes during the 1960s into new land using traditional surface irrigation technology (basin, strip and furrow irrigation) rather soon resulted in water logging and salinization problems, in the adjacent old lands of Northern-West of the Nile Delta. This was also due to the lack of an adequate drainage system in the old lands by that time. Later, to solve these problems, it became illegal to use surface irrigation technology in new desert reclaimed land. Meanwhile, an extensive drainage system has been constructed. The drainage improvement process is part of the post High Aswan Dam national scale drainage projects to conserve the productivity of the irrigated lands against salinisation and waterlogging. Part of the drainage water in WDR is disposed in the Rosetta Branch, part is flowing back directly in the

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Nubariya Canal, part is collected by the Umum Drain and either re-used or disposed in the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria. The rapid development of groundwater based agriculture, south of the Bustan area, mainly the proposed PPP project area, resulted in excessive depletion of the groundwater and the water table is falling in some places at a rate of about one meter per year. This is associated with increasing salinity of the pumped groundwater. Irrigators are currently confronted not only with increasing cost of pumping but also yield reduction due to high irrigation water salinity. The new cities and industries as well as agriculture and agri-business in the WDR are expected to produce increasing amounts of solid waste and waste water. In many places in WDR the technology and services to sustainably deal with these flows of waste are not yet fully developed. This inevitably poses a threat to the quality of both surface water in the North as well as groundwater in the South of WDR. Solid waste which is not processed properly, in due course will pose problems for public health. In the PPP project area, farmers exceptionally recycle the agricultural solid waste into mulch and organic fertilizer material and some use the waste to generate bio-gas.

2.2.2 Development of main social issues

Almost the entire Egyptian population lives on just 4 percent of the country’s land, mostly in the fertile areas of the Nile valley and delta. Egypt’s national policy is to provide suitable living conditions outside these overcrowded old lands so that people are stimulated to move to the new lands. Egyptians have a dualistic perception of their country, when they contrast “el wadi” or “Valley” with “el gabal”, literally the “mountain” - a wilderness, which in the Egyptian context refers to the desert. As in the past, Egypt’s contemporary economy, society, and the culture are overwhelmingly based in el wadi. The vast majority of its rapidly growing population resides in packed villages, towns and cities. These communities are all crowded in the narrow confines of the wadi. By contrast, in 1986 only 564,056 people (1.2 percent of Egypt’s total population) lived in the vast territories of what is categorized as the “frontier governorates” of Matruh, Wadi El Gedid, the Red Sea, North Sinai, and South Sinai (CAPMAS, 1991:10-11). Nonetheless, in recent decades the boundaries between the desert and the old agricultural lands of the wadi have become blurred as some of the “red lands” (now referred to as the new lands or reclaimed lands) have been converted to agricultural production. Thus an increasing number of Egyptians from the wadi now see the desert as a new frontier, a new place to invest, to work and to live. Peasant smallholders (those owning less than 2 ha.) comprise 94 percent of all Egyptian landowners. In general, holdings of less than 2 ha are too small for profitable agriculture to farmers with growing families. Consequently, smallholders have to supplement their income by working on the land of larger owners, or by finding seasonal work. Many smallholders have rented their plots for part or all of the year to other peasants, especially to those who owned between 2 and 4 ha. Many of these smallholders in Menoufia, Beheira and Nubariya districts earn additional income by permanently or seasonally working on large farms in the West Delta. The present number of permanent jobs directly related to agriculture in the project area is calculated at approximately 12,500; the number of temporary jobs at approximately 70,000. Most of these laborers commute between the farms and their home towns, as opportunities for settlement in the project area are absent and conditions in the neighboring towns are difficult. There are four main communities around the project area: Sadat City, Wadi El Natrun, Adnan Medani village, and Khatatba city. Workers living in Sadat city, Wadi El Natrun and Adnan city were asked to evaluate 13 basic

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services in their desert communities. Those who had lived in the community for ten years were asked whether, in their opinion, the various services had improved, stayed the same or had deteriorated over the past ten years. Those who had spent less than ten years were asked to compare the services with those in their previous communities by indicating whether the services in their new community were better, the same or worse.

Table 2.1: Assessment of community services (+ improved; 0 no change; - deteriorated)

Services Sadat City Wadi El Natrun Adnan village Basic needs Drinking water + 0 - Food supply 0 + 0 Housing + 0 - Infrastructure Electricity 0 0 0 Transport + + + Telecomm + 0 - Sewage 0 0 not available Social Services Education + 0 0 Health + 0 - Security + 0 0 Cultural & religious services Entertainment + not available not available Places of worship + 0 + Sports not available not available not available

The services that appear to have received the greatest attention by the government is the infrastructure group especially electricity and telecommunication. Except for Sadat city, sewerage is not available, which may result in a groundwater pollution risk. Though improvements in the basic needs and social services groups have been noted in Sadat City, they are also perceived to have deteriorated and sometimes unavailable (such as drinking water) in the small Adnan city. Cultural and religious services show mixed results with large unavailability of sports and entertainment (only one social club in Sadat city). In fact services identified as most needing improvements by first choice of workers indicated health followed by education. Experience from the communities discussed above may be of longer-term relevance for the WDWCIRP with regard to induced development in general and the nature of the work force in particular. Experience from Sadat City clearly illustrates that people will prefer to commute if basic social services are lacking. Conversely, the presence of basic services (schools, food markets, hospitals, water & sanitation etc) will attract permanent settlements. In view of the above, it is expected that most of the additional jobs created in the new lands will be filled by commuters. As indicated in the Social Impact Assessment Study (Annex VI), this has a number of implications for regional development and longer-term sustainability which should be monitored. A baseline study should be prepared and a monitoring program developed as discussed in Section 3 of the ESMP. This could also play a critical role in informing the future planning process with regard to further development in the new lands.

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2.2.3 Autonomous development

For investors in high-tech agriculture in the project area, the autonomous development scenario, i.e. without availability of surface water, is threatening to their lifetime investments. Some foresee a short period of 5-7 years before groundwater is not accessible anymore. Other investors whose farms are located in relatively low terrain near the border with the old lands, say they won’t feel threatened before 10 years time. Some farmers have been rationally using their groundwater wells. As one investor put it "I never operated my wells more than 10 hours a day in order to control the water salinity." Obviously this is linked with the location and size of the farm and intensity of agriculture (irrigated area) in the farm. Not only will the gradual depletion of groundwater resources affect agricultural development but also the related agro-businesses in the entire region that have started to flourish such as the food processing. In its turn this will cause a severe decline in the job market. In addition, the level of agricultural exports in the whole country will fall down significantly. According to one investor "the West Delta is exporting 60% of the country’s grapes, potatoes and strawberries to Europe." He further adds "if no surface water is made available to the West Delta, investors will close their farms in a matter of 10 years if water in the aquifer steadily decreases. However, if the water unexpectedly falls rapidly in the aquifer, these farms could very well close down in a matter of 3 to 4 years."

This scenario then will have a negative impact on job opportunities and settlement in the area in the very near future. The whole area of the West Delta could very well fall into a state of irreversible deterioration. However, the scenario of providing no surface water has to be put in the context of overall development of Egypt. In other words, the surrounding areas of the West Delta such as Menoufia, Beheira, Giza and other governorates will witness inflow of returning settlers, and the loss of temporary and permanent jobs of commuting laborers. The nearby governorates of Menoufia and Beheira are depending to a great extent on the West Delta for providing jobs as well as for their food security. The Nubariya graduate villages, although dependent on surface irrigation and having their own canals, have grown to be dependent on the West Delta farms for finding job opportunities. These graduate villages, which started off as homes for graduates only, have grown into villages that export workers to the large farms nearby. The Nubariya villages as one investor puts it, have improved a lot in terms of social cohesion and services as well. “When Al Shagaa village was built by the government in 1986, each graduate was given a house of 2 rooms and five feddans. Now we have 300 new houses that are homes for inflowing workers from different governorates who are working as skilled and semi skilled workers in nearby farms and businesses."

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3. Present proposal of WDWCIRP 3.1 Project rationale: problems and opportunities

Since the late 1970-ties, approximately 1,000 land holders (PPIAF Study, 2005) have developed successful commercial farming based on groundwater irrigation on the desert fringes to the West of the Nile Delta along the Cairo-Alexandria Highway, between Km 45 and 80. However, these developments have come at the cost of rapid aquifer depletion and increased groundwater salinity, making water quality and availability the main constraints to sustained agricultural activity in the area. With the rapid development over the past few years, there has been an excessive exploitation of the groundwater reserves. With about 47% of the total 100,000 ha under cultivation, water extraction by the year 2002 reached 1,080 million m3 annually, a 36% increase in just a decade. Due to excessive extraction, reserves have been depleted locally and with increasing pumping heads, water quality is also deteriorating. In some places groundwater levels have dropped significantly since the early 1990s and unless the situation is reversed, the water table is expected to drop further at an average annual rate of 1-2 meters/year in some parts of the project area (Box 3.1).

Box 3.1: Groundwater in the West Delta Region

• Groundwater flow takes various directions: 1) The general flow direction is south-east to north-west; 2) The main anomaly is that occurring along the Nubariya canal due to seepage from the canal; 3) Other anomalies prevail around the pumping centers; 4) The changes in the depth to groundwater are a result of overexploitation in the development centers.

• The main source of recharge is seepage from surface water canals and excess irrigation in the surface-water fed areas; while discharge takes place either naturally through evaporation (Wadi El Natrun depression), or artificially through pumping.

• The annual rate of pumping in the entire WDR is about 1,080 cubic meters per year (2002). • The groundwater salinity (TDS) ranges from 500 ppm (CaHCO3 – MgCO3 types), in the east, to more than

4,000 ppm in the west (NaCl type). • This indicates that the main source of salt in the east is the leaching with Nile water; while in the west, the

source is from marine deposits.

This puts the agricultural economy worth $ 300 to $500 million per year, at severe risk, loss of jobs for about 150,000 persons, and salinity build up in the underlying groundwater aquifer. There are three main opportunities to solve these problems: - The Government of Egypt is willing to consider the area as part of the horizontal expansion

program. This makes it possible on policy grounds to make Nile water available for the project.

- The World Bank shows interest in supporting the project through making available to the government a loan of $145 million which will be made available to a private operator as a line of credit to design, construct and operate the system. The AFD and the Government of the Netherlands will contribute a loan of $30 million and grant of $6 million, respectively. The private operator will make available the rest of the capital needed through equity.

- The willingness among the landholders is high to connect to a surface irrigation system to be implemented by a the private sector according to a public-private partnership and on the basis of full cost recovery of the investment and recurrent costs.

3.2 Project preparation process

PPIAF study

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The project preparation process for WDWCIRP started in 2004 with a study called "Conceptual Framework and Transaction Model for a Public-Private Partnership for Irrigation in the West Delta, Egypt" (PPIAF 2005). The study was assigned by PPIAF and was submitted to GoE, MWRI in 2005. Shortly the study is called PPIAF study. Apart from a Main Report, the study presents annexes on: 1. Stakeholders Consultations and Survey Report; 2. Groundwater Survey Report; 3. Technical Options Report; 4. Financial Aspects; 5. Assessment of Institutional Options for Public Private Partnership; 6. Draft Willingness to Connect Agreement. The PPIAF study was conducted with some presuppositions: - GoE wishes to minimize if not fully stop the depletion of groundwater; - GoE intends to practice full cost recovery; - GoE wants practical examples to involve the private sector in the design, construction,

operation and even financing of irrigation water delivery. The Technical Options Report of the PPIAF study analyzed a number of alternative lay-outs and broad system designs, and made preliminary cost calculations. The Groundwater Report analyzed the behavior of the groundwater in the area with and without the project. This study started with a gross study area of 122,000 ha., which later on was sized down to 107,000 ha. (Fig. 3.1). The high southern and western most areas were excluded as potential project areas. A total of 1.6 BCM of Nile water would be made available annually for WDWCIRP.

Figure 3.1 Outline map of WDWCIRP in the PPIAF study (source: PPIAF study 2005)

It is important to underscore that the PPIAF study was principally a conceptual level study, and primarily designed to develop a framework for a PPP transaction model for a possible project. The technical work wasn’t construed to complete the full list of tasks that would be performed in a full feasibility assessment of the project. For that, additional preparatory work was found essential, notably: - In later phases, the layout and designs will be modified according to the actual willingness to

connect. - A staging plan or phasing of the entire project is required.

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- The required environmental and safeguard assessments have to be carried out. DRAINFRAME assessment

By the time the PPIAF study was ready in 2005, a DRAINFRAME1 assessment was made of the intended WDWCIRP (Drainframe 2005). The main objective of this DRAINFRAME study was to generate an adequate understanding of all impacts that will arise from the construction and operation of a surface water system in the west desert fringes currently irrigated with groundwater. This assessment would contribute to further project preparation and design. Following the conceptual design, the DRAINFRAME analysis was another step in the entire project preparation cycle. They will be followed by more detailed design studies, an environmental impact assessment, and environmental management plans. The DRAINFRAME study is conceived as the scoping phase of the current environmental and social impact assessment. Its main findings were meant to serve as an input in the ongoing design process of WDWCIRP and served as a starting point for this ESIA. The study took a broad view on the potential development in the West Delta Region and the assessment of potential impacts was done with a broad scope. Therefore the DRAINFRAME study allowed for a rational narrowing down of the assessment of impacts of the currently propose project. The DRAINFRAME assessment formulated and tested three alternative strategies for the conjunctive use of ground water and surface water: (i) the "business as usual" strategy with continuing 100% use of ground water, (ii) a conjunctive use strategy (ground water use up to sustainability level) and (iii) a strategy without any ground water use. The impact parameters were: economic output, job opportunities, and ground water changes. The main findings of the assessment were that three major drivers of changeare responsible for the expected positive and negative impacts of the project on-side and off-side the project area:

1) The withdrawal of Nile water and its potential impact of it on the old land; 2) The supply of surface water and the residual groundwater use and recharge; 3) Regional development induced by the project.

Hence the study identified the following questions for the design process, so as to deal with the possible negative impacts:

1) What can be done to avoidnegative impacts? 2) If complete avoidance is impossible, how can residual negative impacts be mitigated? 3) If mitigation is not fully effective, how can negative impacts be compensated for?

In an addendum to the DRAINFRAME assessment, the possible impacts of the WDWCIRP project were assessed under the assumption that only 0.4 BCM/y of Nile water would be withdrawn for a first phase project, instead of 1.4 BCM/y as was the earlier assumed. The conclusion was that scaling down the project area and the delivered surface water from 1.4 to 0.4 BCM/year would be without immediate negative effects on water allocation . But it would by no means solve the problems in the long term in the wider area without addressing the new demands within the context of National Water Resources Plan (NWRP). Secondly, reducing the amount of water to be taken from the Nile for desert irrigation would reduce the potential negative impacts on the Old Lands and create time to implement the necessary mitigating (= water saving)

1 Drainframe is a water resources planning tool that ensures the integration of the multiple functions of the natural resources systems and interests of all stakeholders into the planning process and in addressing all the concerns related to a project. It provides a methodology which expands the concept of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to the assessment of the main economic, social and environmental impacts of new structural or management interventions on the natural resource systems and its consequences for stakeholders. Central to the methodology is the integrated analysis of societies’ economic an social needs while safeguarding the ecological values, from a stakeholders perspective at the regional level.

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measures specified in the NWRP. This, among other reasons, has resulted in the present, modest project size. Project Appraisal Document

Successive draft Project Appraisal Document (PAD) is prepared on basis of the above mentioned preparatory studies. This growing document further narrows the room of maneuver for the WDWCIRP’s ultimate design and defines the broad project components. It also indicates what need to be done to counteract the environmental and social impacts and how to respond to the relevant safeguards policies of the World Bank. Important to notice is that the draft PAD states: "Final technical design under this project will be entrusted to a private operator selected through international competitive bidding. Under the terms of the contract, the private operator will complete the final design of the project based on a final subscription of farmers’ willingness to connect". Technical Study

The stakeholder consultations and the design process continued. A Technical Study was prepared and submitted in 2006. The main goal of this study was to assess the most cost-effective and water efficient design that secures the water demands for the beneficiaries throughout the year considering the existing and expected constraints. Among the specific objectives of the Technical Study, the following are of particular interest: - Revise the design-related elements in the PPIAF study and other previous ones. - Develop a phased approach for project implementation. - System sizing based on crop pattern in the project area. - Determine the site impacts of providing surface water to the project area. - Prepare the main parameters required to develop the Terms of Reference for a private

contractor to build and operate the system. Although the Technical Study makes available valuable information on the direction of the design process, the pre-feasibility nature of its designs doesn’t allow for final conclusions on the project design and implementation, and hence doesn’t allow for final statements on environmental and social impacts of WDWCIRP.

3.3 Project proposal

The WDWCIRP’s irrigation system design has not yet crystallized fully. This is logical since the final design will be contracted out to the service provider under a design-build-operate construction (DBO contractor). A precise project description is therefore hard to give. The following aims to summarize which essential choices have been made in the design preparation process, and will figure as prerequisites for the contractor. The information has been derived from the Preliminary Information Notice (PIN 2006) and the Technical Study (TS 2005), as well as from personal communication (PC) with several people involved in the project preparation. Project size and location

The WDWCIRP project, as indicated in the PAD, encompasses a concession area of 80,000 ha. The northern zone (27,300 ha.) delineated in earlier studies is not part of the WDWCIRP anymore. The WDWCIRP location is shown in Figure 3.2 and is composed of the Sections S 01 through S 10. Phasing of WDWCIRP and priority sections

The loan of the World Bank allows for a maximum size of implementation of an order of magnitude of 38,000 ha. (World Bank loan 70%, other donors loan 15%, equity funds by the private

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sector 15% of total investment). The connected farms will be located in a so called concession area of 80,000 ha. (See Table 3.1). Where exactly the connections will be is not yet known. It largely depends on the willingness of investors to connect.

Table 3.1 Sectors of the project concession area

SectorNet CultivableFarm Area

Non-cultivated Farm Area

Total GrossFarm Area

Public non-cultivable Area

Gross SectorArea

S01 7464 393 7857 591 8448S02 7584 399 7983 601 8584S03 7504 395 7899 595 8494S04 7424 391 7815 588 8403S05 7265 382 7647 576 8223S06 5788 305 6092 458 6551S07 7544 397 7941 598 8539S08 5828 307 6134 462 6596S09 10378 546 10924 822 11747S10 8782 462 9244 696 9939total 75561 3977 79538 5987 85524

Source: Technical Study 2005 Figure 3.2 shows the sections presently seen as having priority (highest willingness to connect) (TS 2005). The zone north of Khatatba road, which was initially also part of the WDWCIRP, is presently excluded from the concession area.

Figure 3.2 Overview of WDWCIRP concession area with preliminary lay-out of pipeline systems and sections. Composed from Technical Study and Google Earth images

S 03

S 01S 02

S 04

S 05

S 06

S 07

S 08S 09

S 10

Saddat City Indu

stria

l are

a

Rosetta

Nasseri

Beheira<--Alexandria

Cairo -->

PS

Somed Pipeline

priority section

pipelines

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Alignment of piped connection systemSurface water will be distributed through closed conduits. Figure 3.2 shows the layout of the

main pipe network and boundaries of sections as outlined in the TS 2005. These are preliminary designs which are subject to change in the final design. The pipelines will be buried and the land will remain available for agriculture with minor limitations. Pumping station on Rayah el Nasseri

The pumping station for WDWCIRP will take water out of the Rayah el Nasseri. The exact location is still to be determined in relation to the final design of the pipe network (PC).Provisionally it is situated at kilometer 22 of this canal (TS 2005). Supplementary Pumping Station (SPS)

The Government of Egypt will build a SPS on the Rosetta Branch to supply the Rayah el Nasseri with additional water. This SPS is part of the WDIIP project and will primarily supply the Nubariya Command Area with additional water. The SPS will also replenish the water that is used by the WDWCIRP project. The incremental investments in the SPS for WDWCIRP will be paid for by WDWCIRP over a 20 year period. System capacity

The water duty for WDWCIRP is established at 12,376 m3/ha./y. all losses included. This amount may be increased with a 5% water allocation for non-agricultural uses. The maximum intake capacity is determined at 21.3 m3/sec. (TS 2005) Irrigation

Irrigation will only be allowed through drip and sprinkler systems. Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater is possible and permitted under the present regulations. . Drainage system

Drainage systems are not foreseen in WDWCIRP. The project doesn’t provide extra water for leaching.

3.4 Project components

The project’s total investment cost for Component No. 1 is US$205 million, of which a World Bank loan will finance US$145 million, with the remainder sourced from the farmers and the private operator, and donor funding. In addition, an additional US$8 million will be made available as grants and sub-loans to farmers from bilateral donors (AFD and the Netherlands) for Component Nos. 2 and 3. Component No. 1: Design, Construct, and Start Up of the Surface Water System, and Connection Program for Participating Farms (US$205 million). - This component will finance activities leading to the final design and construction of a surface water irrigation system for the project area of an order of magnitude of38,000 ha in the West Delta. Initial design work was carried out during the technical preparation studies which were based on a “demand-driven approach to planning” where the growers’ willingness to connect and pay guided the technical design options with commensurate tariffs. In addition, a piped system was chosen as the preferred option given its several advantages over open channel systems, particularly with regard to efficient water resource use and lower environmental and social safeguards risks. The final design will be completed by the private operator that will be contracted to construct and operate the system on a long term basis. A fixed allocation of water resource will be made available by the government to the project area, based on the estimated average annual requirement of 12,376 m3 per year per ha. The preliminary design of the system has been sized to meet the peak demand in the summer months. Over the entire year, total usage converges to the annual average. Based on this, it is anticipated that the

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surface water system would meet most of the water resource needs of the farms that will be connecting, allowing the aquifers to recharge and to benefit farmers in adjacent areas. Component No. 2: Market-driven Technical Assistance to Small and Medium Scale Farmers (US$2 million) – This component will be initially funded through donor grants by AFD and will provide technical assistance (TA) to small and medium growers, traders, food processors, to increase West Delta products (fresh or processed) market share on national and international markets. Technical assistance to small and medium size growers, traders, exporters and food processors will be provided in the following areas: • production, post harvest technology and farm management to small and medium size

growers to improve competitiveness and quality of products, • market intelligence (for local and export market) and logistics to small growers, traders

and exporters, to look for new market opportunity and/or increase market share, • food processing, packing and marketing to food processors, to improve competitiveness

and/or create new food products, • organizational arrangement for growers, traders and/or food processors to work in a

coordinated manners within formal or informal organizations to achieve economy of scale and improve supply chain competitiveness.

Following a successful evaluation of the first donor phase activity, loan facilitation would be provided directly to participating farmers. Component No. 3: Support for Institutional Development and Capacity Building of Project Management Unit, Regulatory Office and Water User Organization (US$6 million) –This component will be funded through donor grants by the Government of the Netherlands and will support capacity building of MWRI for PPP contract management, Construction Supervision Consultant, regulatory oversight, and to the user association along the lines of the policies for institutional reforms proposed by the MWRI and in cooperation with the Government of The Netherlands. In addition, it will support activities to disseminate on possible replication of the adopted PPP approach to other areas in Egypt and its riparian neighbors. The main capacity building activities financed under this component include: (i) strengthening the PMU and the contract management activities that will oversee contractual matter between the Government and the private operators on all aspects of the implementation phases, including environmental and social safeguard compliance during the implementation of the project inclusive of groundwater monitoring; (ii) capacity building of economic regulatory office to ensure effective regulatory oversight and equitable treatment of interests between the farmers and the private operator; and (iii) capacity building of the water user association that will be formed to oversee the relationship between farmers vis-à-vis entitlements and usage of the surface and ground water resources. Given the unique nature of the PPP transaction arrangement the TA will also provide for oversight supervisory engineers and technical audits of technical milestones achieved.

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4. E(S)IA Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework This chapter identifies the major policies with bearing on the environmental component of the WDWCIRP project, institutional bodies with direct water quantity and quality management responsibilities, as well as the regulatory framework within which each agency operates. The section also addresses the identification process of the World Bank’s applicable operational policies and the relevant international environmental agreements applicable to the environmental dimension of the WDWCIRP.

4.1 National Policies

4.1.1 Policy framework

The following main policies relevant to the WDWCIRP's environmental component have been identified: 1. National Water Resources Plan: Water for the Future. 2. NEAP 2002 including Law 4: National Environmental Action Plan (MSEA). 3. Agricultural Policy. 4. National Policy for inhabitation of the desert (MHUNC) Summaries of these policies are presented in Annex II.

4.1.2 Legal framework

Table 4.1 is an inventory of the important laws, decrees and regulations for the WDWCIRP project.

Table 4.1: Principal Environmental Laws, Decrees and Regulations Environmental law Date Authority Decrees Regulations Implementing

Agency Law 12 (and its supplementary Law 213/1994)

1984 Main legislation for irrigation and drainage

Has recently been revised and submitted to Parliament. Still under discussion in Parliament.

MWRI

Law No. 4 on Environment

1994 Establishment of EEAA and Environmental Protection Fund; requirement of EIA; regulation of air pollution, hazardous waste management, and marine pollution

Decree No. 338 of 1995 (Executive Regulation including Prime Ministers Decree No. 1741 of 2005)

MoEA; EEAA

Law No. 102 on Natural Protectorates

1983 Designation and management of natural protectorates

Decrees designating sites MoEA; EEAA

Law 117 1983 Supreme Council for Antiquities Regulates the protection of antiquities

HCA

Law No. 124 on Fisheries

1983 Management and protection of fisheries and marine animals

MALR

Law No. 48 on Protection of Nile and its Waterways

1982 Control of pollution of surface waters

Decree No. 8 of 1983 (standards for wastewater discharges to surface waters) The law has recently been modified and sent to parliament for review

MWRI

Law No. 137 on Labor

1981 Control of work place safety and environment

Ministry of Manpower and Immigration

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Law No. 27 on Public Water Sources

1978 Protection of public water sources for drinking and domestic purposes

Decree No. 27 of 1966 (Supreme Committee Water) Appendix IV of 1975 (Standards for potable water)

MoHP; Supreme Committee for Water

Law No. 31 on Public Cleanliness

1976 Control of solid waste management (amends Law No. 38 of 1967)

MHUNC

Law No. 38 on Public Cleanliness

1967 Control of solid waste management (including hazardous waste)

Decree No. 134 of 1968 (waste from domestic and industrial Sources)

MHUNC

Law No. 53 on Agriculture

1966 Regulation of purchase, importation and handling of pesticides

Decree No. 50 of 1966 (registration and licensing requirements)

MALR

Law No. 93 on Wastewater and Drainage

1962 Control of wastewater discharges and drainage to public sewers

Decree No. 643 of 1962 (Standards for wastewater discharges to public sewers)

MHUNC

Law 12 is of particular interest because the amended (but not yet ratified) version regulates the legal status and powers of the Water Boards. Water Quality is addressed separately by two laws and three decrees. The most significant are Law 48 of 1982 and Law 93 of 1962. Further, Law 4 of 1994 plays a role in the management and protection of water quality. These laws are discussed in some detail in Annex III. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is responsible for the protection and conservation of Cultural Properties. This is taken care of in the contracts prepared by the MWRI (Clause 25 of the MWRI general contract no. 3333-b), which states: "All antiquities that can be found by the contractor during the excavations should be remitted directly to the office belonging to the High Council of Antiquities. In the case of projects occurring in or close to an antiquities area, the High Council of Antiquities is responsible to bring technical laborers to observe the location and the antiquities which cost is covered by the contractor".

4.1.3 Administrative frameworkMinistry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI)

The MWRI has sole legal responsibility for the planning and management of all water resources in Egypt. It is responsible for providing water of suitable quality to all users. To accomplish this goal, the Ministry has to ensure that appropriate measures are undertaken to protect both the quantity and the quality of Egypt’s water resources. With increasing trends of pollution, MWRI is intensifying its attention towards pollution control and water quality management. A national water quality monitoring system was established with enhanced information system to support policy development and decision making. The NWRP established the basis for inter-ministerial coordination for water resources management with priority focus on water quality. In practice, water quality management is still a major challenge facing MWRI and only the coming years will show how effective will be the recent policies and intervention in combating the pollution problem. Law 48 for the protection of the Nile and its waterways assigns to MWRI legal respon-sibility over the following functions: - Issue and cancellation of discharge permits into Egyptian waterways, which include the Nile,

canals and drainage networks, lakes and groundwater reservoirs; - Inspection of wastewater treatment facilities;

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- Monitoring of intake sites for potable water treatment plants as well as municipal and industrial discharges;

- Delegating responsibility of proper sampling and analyses of suspected discharges to the Ministry of Health;

- Levying of fines for non-compliance; - Setting of regulations and specifications for discharges into water bodies; - Issue and oversee of licenses for new waste treatment units in floating vessels; - Issue of licenses for the construction of any establishment that directly discharges into

waterways; - The MWRI through its National Water Research Center (NWRC) ) operates its own water

quality monitoring system. The Water Quality Management Unit (WQMU) conduct water quality studies, enhance public awareness and engages in regional and national level strategic water quality debates.

- The specialized departments of MWRI (EPADS, NS, IS, GWS) monitor violations of law 48 by discharges not meeting the standards specified in the by-laws.

- While awaiting the amended Law 12 to be ratified, MWRI has the powers to establish Water User’s Organizations (WUAs, WUOs, and Water Councils) by Ministerial Decree and determine their functions.

With regard to land acquisition and expropriation for irrigation and drainage projects, the MWRI has special responsibilities. These are described in detail in the Resettlement Policy Framework for WDWCIRP, which has been drafted in parallel with this ESIA/ESMP.

Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP)

The MoHP has been given a central role in water quality management, especially in setting standards for the quality of the following: • Potable water sources (River Nile, canals and groundwater wells); • Drain water that can be mixed with other water for drinking water; • Industrial and sewage treatment plant discharges; • Wastes discharged from river vessels; • Besides developing standards, the MoHP is responsible for sampling and analyzing all

industrial and municipal effluents and all drinking water treatment plant influents and effluents as well, which is considered a significant load of work.

Ministry of Environmental Affairs /EEAA

At the national level, the recently established Ministry of Environmental Affairs (MoEA) has the portfolio for environment in the Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers. Within this Ministry, the EEAA has the responsibility for setting national policy for the environment and coordinating environmental management activities within the government. The EEAA’s functions, as established by law 4/1994, include: • Conducting studies; formulating the national plan for environmental protection; • Preparing legislation, decrees, and regulations as needed to protect the environment; • Setting requirements for EIAs of projects; • Monitoring compliance with standards and norms; • Coordinating enforcement actions; managing natural protectorates; • Promoting environmental education. Law 4/1994, the most recent and comprehensive law gives the EEAA the authority to regulate air pollution, management of hazardous wastes, and discharges to the marine environment.

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Furthermore, the law gives the EEAA an array of tools for implementing and enforcing these provisions, including traditional regulatory controls (e.g.. emission standards for air pollutants), economic instruments, compliance monitoring, inspection, and enforcement (e.g., penalties, closures, and imprisonment). Thus the EEAA has significant authority over industry under this law, including the authority to require industries to keep records of the environmental impact of their activities, to collect and analyze samples to ensure that standards are being met, and in the case of a violation to shut down a facility within 60 days if the violation has not been corrected. The EEAA has promulgated regulations (Executive Regulations, 1995 http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/english/main/law4.asp) regarding air pollution, marine discharge, and EIA provisions of the law and is in the process of completing regulations for the management of hazardous substances and wastes. Some provisions were amended by Prime Minister’s Decree No. 1741 of 2005. The law granted industry a three-year grace period (until March 1998) to comply with the new standards. An additional two-year extension was available to those industries that submitted an application by August 1997 and prepared a Compliance Action Plan (CAP) by the end of 1997, demonstrating their progress in meeting the standards. However, this additional extension was rejected by the Prime Minister and the CAP activity was halted.

Ministry of Housing, Utilities and New Communities (MoHUNC)

Within the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities (MHUNC), the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (NOPWASD) has the responsibility for planning, design and construction of municipal drinking water purification plants, distribution systems, sewage collection systems, and municipal wastewater treatment plants. Once the facilities have been installed, NOPWASD organizes training, but the responsibilities for operation and maintenance are left to the regional or local authorities. NOPWASD is supposed to inspect each plant regularly, but in practice this very much depends on the cooperation of the respective governorates. Many domestic wastewater treatment plants are currently in poor condition. The Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, established by virtue of the Presidential Decree number 135/2004, under the Minister of MUNHC, has been entrusted the general economic authorities and public sector companies for water and wastewater in Cairo, Alexandria, Beheira, Damietta, Sharqia, Gharbia, Kafr El Sheikh, Dakahlia, Fayoum, BeniSuef, Minia and Aswan. It has its judicial personality according to the provisions of Law 203/1991 and its executive regulation. Purpose of the company is treating, transporting, transmitting and selling drinking water; and collecting, treating and safely disposing wastewater by itself or by its subsidiary companies as well as establishing, managing and rotating a portfolio to ensure financing bonds, stocks and instruments and any other financial tools or instruments.

Ministry of Industry and Trade

Within the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Wealth (MIMW), the General Organization for Industrialization (GOFI) supervises pollution control, safety and health issues in industry through its General Department for Environmental Protection. It also ensures that new plants include industrial waste treatment units. Ministerial decree No. 380 of 1982 requires compliance with all applicable environmental laws, regulations, and standards as a condition for granting industrial licenses. A clause to this effect is written into all industrial licenses granted by the Ministry, committing the industry to taking the necessary preventive measures, such as installing necessary control equipment. However, GOFI does not perform any inspections at industries and, therefore, does not monitor whether industries are actually in compliance with these license requirements.

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Ministry of the Interior

The Ministry of Interior (MoI), Egypt’s national police force, has for some time maintained the Inland Water Police, a special police force for enforcement of Law 48 and protection of the environment in general. The Inland Water Police provide guidance to citizens and take enforcement actions for violations of environmental laws. Law 4/1994 provides additional authority for this environmental police force, specifying that the MoI shall form a police force specialized in environmental protection within the ministry and in its Security Departments in the governorates (Article 65 of the executive regulations). According to law 48, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Transportation have also some responsibilities (article 7 & 10).

4.2 EIA and ESIA requirements for World Bank

Based on the scoping exercise conducted through the strategic DRAINFRAME assessment, three drivers of change that could have potential positive and negative impacts were identified. This together with the updated addendum to the DRAINFRAME analysis guided the formulation of the ESIA. The drivers are: Avoidance of impacts on old lands. In order to avoid the large export oriented units in the project area being developed at the cost of productivity in smaller family units in the old lands, and thus creating serious longer-term income and livelihood constraints, it is important to introduce sustainable water management systems including both the project area and the rest of the Nile Delta. This is supposedly addressed by the NWRP.

Avoidance of unsustainable groundwater use. The project will seek to reduce the level of dependence on groundwater in the project area. Therefore the implications of conjunctive ground and surface water use on the recharge capacity of groundwater aquifers, and the broader environmental and social impacts, should be assessed for the project area and, as necessary, in the larger area of influence.

Avoidance of negative impacts of induced development. The study will identify those elements of the induced development that are likely to take place within the project area and in the larger area that would have a potential adverse impact on the sustainability of the project objectives. Safeguards policy requirements of the World Bank. The World Bank screening also identified the safeguard policies that could be triggered by the project (Table 4.2).

Table 4.2: Safeguard Policy Applicability Table. World Bank Safeguard Policy Policy

Applicability Reasoning/Notes

Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01, BP 4.01, GP 4.01)

Yes � Category A Project � Direct impacts perceived � External impacts perceived

Natural Habitats (OP 4.04, BP 4.04, GP 4.04)

No � The project doesn’t affect officially recognized Natural Habitats

� The project will not degrade or convert any critical natural habitats.

Forestry (OP 4.36, GP 4.36) No � Command areas are not situated in forests � WDWCIRP does not involve forestation or

combating deforestation � No forests will be affected by the project

Pest Management (OP 4.09) Yes � Increase in cultivated area, hence an increase

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in the application of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides in absolute terms.

� GoE is pursuing IPM practices and reduced considerably the reliance on chemical best pest combating.

� Most farmers in project area are export oriented and producing under the EurepGAP protocol, which promotes IPM and monitors the producers. EurepGAP protocol for IPM is consistent and in compliance with IPM requirements of the Bank.

� Farmers not yet producing under EurepGAP protocol will be stimulated to adopt these practices under the sustainable ground water management plan of the ESMP.

Physical Cultural Resources (OP 4.11)

Yes � No significant cultural resources identified in the project area yet, triggered for precautionary reasons.

� Provisions for chance-find procedures are obligatory.

Indigenous Peoples (OD 4.20) No � No indigenous peoples identified in the project area.

Involuntary Resettlement (OP/BP 4.12)

Yes � Expropriation and rights-of-way will be required for the construction and maintenance of the buried pipeline system.

� Some small-scale expropriation on the Rosetta Branch (uncertain at this stage)

Safety of Dams (OP 4.37, BP 4.37) No � No dams involved in the project Projects in International Waters (OP 7.50, BP 7.50, GP 7.50)

Yes � Review of International Agreements on Nile Waters (to be done by GoE)

� Notification sent to the Riparian (Feb, 21, 2007

Projects in Disputed Areas (OP 7.60, BP 7.60, GP 7.60)

No � Project area is within the sovereign territory of Egypt.

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5. Impact assessment and identification of measures 5.1 Methodology: A nested hierarchy of environmental studies

The creation of a Public Private Partnership for the provision of irrigation water with full cost recovery is a relatively new procedure for which there is no clearly defined project formulation path available. Especially the timing of the environmental and social assessment is difficult. The highly participative nature of this particular process has all characteristics of learning by doing approach, making use of best available international knowledge, and internationally recognized tools such as SEA and EIA.

Stages in the process SEA, ESIA, ESM P

Preliminary design &stakeholder w orkshops

Outreach study & technical design

Drainfram e study & invitationof “outside” stakeholders

Bidding process & detailed design

ESIA identify tasks & responsibilities of governm ent& private partners

ESIA private operatoraim ed at Environm ental M anagem ent Plan

ESIA aim ed at ESM Pfor governm entpartners

Construction, operation & m aintenance

+

Figure 5.1 Project formulation process including environmental and social assessment

Figure 5.1 provides a simplified overview of the steps in project formulation and the moment that impact assessment plays its role. The WDWCIRP project started with a preliminary technical assessment (PPIAF 2005). The PPIAF provided a general framework on how to address the predictable future problems of groundwater availability in the West Delta region by means of surface water supply through a public-private partnership (PPP) and the willingness of the beneficiaries to connect on a full cost recovery basis. This preliminary study provided the basis for the DRAINFRAME study, which has all characteristics of an integrated Strategic Environmental Assessment. Integrated in the sense that economic, social and environmental aspects are taken into account; strategic in the sense that it offers options for decisions by policy makers at the higher levels guided by stakeholders perceptions and the national interest in achieving sustainable development. This could help avoiding costly mistakes and providing additional input to the technical, operational and institutional measures needed to guarantee the sustainability of the project. The early stages of the planning process have been highly participatory. The preliminary PPIAF study was based on a number of stakeholder workshops and interviews throughout the project area. The focus was on identifying the needs and aspirations of farmers in the West Delta area. The DRAINFRAME study has extended the participation to other stakeholders who, based on the strategic assessment can be identified as potentially affected by the project.

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The outreach study made sure that all farmers in the area are aware of the process (in stead of sampled groups) to guarantee broad knowledge of and contributions to the planning process. DRAINFRAME and outreach studies have determined the scope of a further detailed technical study. This technical study, however, is NOT a final design, but provides the boundary conditions for the bidding process. An environmental and social impact assessment is a requirement for all World Bank supported projects. The ESIA at hand moves from the broad overview provided by the DRAINFRAME study, to more detailed project level impact assessment. However, as the final design of the project is not available yet, some issues remain unresolved. Consequently, the impact assessment in many instances cannot go further than defining the various tasks and responsibilities of both private and public partners in the remaining phases the present ESIA in these cases provides a framework for further work. The final design will be made by the private service provider selected from the bid on the PPP project. This party will have to perform an EIA according to Egyptian law, but will be able to make use of all material already available. This EIA study consequently can focus on a detailed ESMP (including monitoring and mitigation measures, and potential capacity development needs) for the activities under responsibility of the private operator. Similarly government has to play its part in the impact assessment process by elaborating an ESMP for the tasks under its responsibility. The use of strategic environmental assessment at the earliest possible stage of project formulation has guaranteed the incorporation of environmental and social issues in the design process. The information collected during the process has been used effectively to reduce the workload in the next stages. The Present Study The present study uses the DRAINFRAME analysis as its point of departure and consequently avoids unnecessary repetition. The following steps have been made in a chronological manner: I: First field mission: September 2006 • Discussion of ToR with relevant sectors at Ministry of Water Resources & Irrigation and

with World Bank representatives. Identification of information needs. • Study of technical reports and appraisal of the design choices that have been made in the

technical study. • Redefinition of drivers of change and expected impacts from earlier DRAINFRAME

analysis, in the light of project design choices that have been made (technology applied and boundaries of intervention area).

II: Combined desk and field research • Where possible, further quantification of effects and impacts. The focus lied on a more

detailed model analysis of the expected physical changes in surface and groundwater hydrology, through the TRIWACO groundwater model.

• Inventory of relevant water quality data from Rahawi drain, Rosetta branch, and Nubariya canal.

• Limited field and desk research on induced development.

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III: Second field mission (November 2006)• Discussion on latest modeling results; collection of remaining information. • Compilation of first draft report IV: Finalization of report.• Forwarding of the draft ESIA report to MWRI and World Bank for comments. • Final draft submitted by MWRI to World Bank and public disclosure. • Forwarding to the Board of the World Bank for approval. Structure of the assessment The DRAINFRAME assessment pointed out that three interventions by the WDWCIRP project are important for the environmental and social impacts which may be triggered by the project. 1. Withdrawal of water from the Nile for the project area. 2. The surface water supply is limited and may dictate the use of groundwater during peak water

requirement periods. 3. The intensification and expansion of the agricultural production will induce new socio-

economic developments in the WDR. Apart from these three main drivers of change, the ESIA at hand will assess whether and to what extent the safeguard policies of the World Bank are triggered by the project, notably on i) natural habitats, ii) involuntary resettlement, iii) cultural physical property, and iv) pest management. Finally, the potential effects and impacts of the actual construction of the project, if not yet dealt with in one of the above themes, will be reviewed.

5.2 Project area, cumulative effects and extended area of influence.

The project area proper, to which this ESIA directly relates, is defined in Section 3.3. It has an area in the order of magnitude of 38,000 ha. (See also Fig. 3.2). It should be noted that the northern sector of the initial WDWCIRP proposal doesn’t form part of it anymore (PIN 2006).

The World Bank will provide a loan for WDWCIRP. This loan represents (70%), while other donor funds contribute (15%) and an equity fund by the private sector is (15%). The World Bank loan and other funding sources will cover the development of an area in the order of magnitude of38,000 ha cultivable land out of a total concession area of 80,000 ha. The Government of Egypt will construct a new pumping station on the Rosetta Branch to replenish the water used by the project. The WDWCIRP will pay its proportional share in operational costs annually and of the investments over a 20 year period. These supplementary supply facilities don’t figure in this ESIA. Based on the DRAINFRAME assessment of the hydrological linkages of the project with other areas in Egypt and the update made in this study, the following extended area of influence has been taken into account in the assessment: • The Old land including all command areas relying on Nile water (DRAINFRAME considered

only the Old Land of the Nile delta). • Wadi-el-Natrun which is influenced through the connected aquifer. • The Nubariya and Bustan command area which may experience a change in water quality. • The groundwater irrigated areas which will not be connected to the pipeline system. Presently no other new projects like WDWCIRP are likely hence there will be no cumulative effects.

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5.3 Main Driver 1: withdrawal of water from the Nile system

This section deals with the impacts that will be generated when significant amounts of water will be reallocated from the Nile system to the project. Details of assumptions, analyses and esults are presented in Annex IV. For the recalculation of the impacts, use has been made of the same computational tools that where used in the DRAINFRAME assessment. SIWARE is used to assess the impacts on the Old Land and TRIWACO to assess the impact on ground water levels. West Delta Quantitative Assessment Sheets (WDQUAS) were designed by the study team for impacts on jobs, agricultural production value, and conjunctive groundwater use. It goes without saying that the conclusions are dependant on the assumption made by the study team which is not necessarily taking the future government plans for water resources management fully into consideration. Potential impacts of withdrawal of water from the Nile system

In the WDWCIRP project area groundwater for irrigation will be replaced by surface water. The surface water will be pumped from the Nile system. Because the Nile system is already being used intensively, negative effects and impacts on the present users of Nile water are potentially to occur if no mitigating measures are taken. On the other hand creeping urbanization within the Nile delta has led to the rapid loss of cultivable land. Comparisons of digital mosaics of LANDSAT MSS and TM scenes, acquired over the Nile Delta suggest significant changes in land use as shown below.

Year Change in land use from agriculture to urban (%) 1972-1984 3.6 1984-1990 5.7

As the pace of rural-urban land conversion continues unabated, by 2010 Egypt would have lost as much as 12% (about 288, 000 ha) of its best agricultural lands to urbanization in the past 38 years. One consequence of this trend in the Nile Delta is that a substantial quantity of water is no longer utilized for irrigated agriculture. Assuming the current average annual consumption of 20,500 cubic meters per ha by the irrigated farmlands (which have among the highest yields in the world and a cropping intensity of more than 200%), the reduction in the Delta water usage in this period can be estimated to be about 5.5 BCM , even allowing for the increased water usage by urban consumers. The water available for all other uses and users decreases by about 0.7% in case 37,800 ha are fully developed. If this water is reallocated proportionally from all existing agricultural uses, the impacts will be various but minimal and difficult to quantify. It is even too small compared with the envisage water savings from the on-going irrigation improvement program and the other measures specified in the NWRP. The impacts, if any, will include reduced benefits from farms and fisheries, lower water quality and environmental degradation of the coastal zone. Some measures will mitigate if not avoid that such impacts may occur. The potential impacts of WDWCIRP have been assessed for the with and withoput project case as indicated in Table 5.1. The annual water supply is calculated by the ESIA study team, using design criteria from the technical study, information from the HEPS and a reference cropping pattern and evapo-transpiration based on field data (Drainframe 2005).

Table 5.1: Summary Characteristics of the cases with and without project area

ha. annual supply

MCM/year peak discharge

m3/s Case O Case without project 37,800 0 0 Case A Case with WDWCIRP 37,800 445 22.19

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The potential impact on agricultural production value in the delta was estimated in Drainframe 2005. Table 5.2 gives updated figures for case O and A to indicate the order of magnitude of the impact on agricultural production in the Old Lands without mitigating measures.

Table 5.2: Potential loss of agricultural production value in Old Lands due to increased water stress

(without any mitigation measures or urbanization effects). withdrawal of

Nile water MCM/y

Loss of agricultural value Million US$/year (cropping pattern unchanged)

Loss of agricultural value Million US$/year (cropping pattern adapted2)

Case O 0 0 0 Case A 445 73.3 21.5

Under the same set of assumptions The DRAINFRAME study showed also potentially adverse impacts on salinity of drainage water, domestic water quality and fish production (Drainframe

2005). The above estimates of loss of agricultural values and other adverse impacts could be regarded as over estimates as it is not taking into consideration the water savings due to agricultural land loss due to urbanization and other water saving measures. The National Water Resources Plan 2017 (NWRP 2004), makes a comprehensive and integrated analysis of Egypt’s present and future water resources. Based on this NWRP, the Government of Egypt has adopted the National Water Policy 2017: "Water for the Future" as its official water policy for the coming years (Annex II). The NWRP shows that a horizontal expansion program with Nile water can be realized through a set of water saving and water management interventions. Number of these interventions, such as irrigation improvement in old lands, is already in progress such as the IIIMP.

However, justification of new allocations of Nile water for horizontal expansion should be obtained from demonstrable structural surpluses in the water balance. This is expected to be the subject of the second phase of the NWRP which well set the details of a policy implementation action plan. The existing comprehensive monitoring program (Box 5.1) of the Nile water distribution (particularly over the main system components) can be used to evaluate the water balance of the past say 10 years, and the results can be used to justify the allocation of water for WDWCIRP.

Box 5.1: Operation of the Nile system The main Nile system downstream of the HAD is operated by the Central Administration of Water Distribution (CAWD). The control system consists of the main barrages and main canal intakes. Annually, before the new hydraulic year begins on August 1, a water allocation plan is prepared, based on historical data (what has been delivered in foregoing years) and actual changes in the demand. This plan is discussed and negotiated with the institutional stakeholders of water (MHUNC, MARL, etc.). H.E. the Minister of MWRI approves the new plan. The day to day operation of the system is governed by actual demands. At the directorate level, Agriculture provides MWRI every 10 days with data on cropping patterns. After review, the Directorates send this information to CAWD, where the new demands are calculated in a comprehensive spreadsheet and instructions are given to gate operators to adjust the settings accordingly. Monitoring of the delivery of water amounts happens on a daily basis near the control structures, and if water levels deviate too much from the planned ones, intermediate adjustment can be made. The operation of HAD is given to a special sector, so CAWD sents a request every 10 days to HAD for a certain amount of water during the forthcoming period, which then will be honored within the limits of the total Nile water availability for Egypt.

2 "Cropping pattern adapted" refers to a situation that farmers themselves will adapt their cropping patterns to less water consumptive crops when they experience a structural decrease of water supply.

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Apart from the above described need to save water in function of new uses, there is an immediate management decision required in case a new pumping station of considerable size on the Nile system starts working. An operational plan has to be in place that regulates the water allocations in the Nile system for the new water uses. From oral communication with the CAWD, this will be done in the annual water use plans. Without further instructions, the water will be sliced from the amounts which used to be available for all other main parts of the system. It is not foreseen that such slicing will cause major reductions in agricultural value due to: (i) the amount to be sliced is too small because of the project size in comparison to the current water allocations, (iii) progress in implementing water saving project such as IIIMP, and (iii) land loss due to urbanization continues with no clear indication of slow down. According the assumptions made and analyses carried out, taking water from the Nile for the project has three main effects: A: The water available for all other uses and users decreases by about 0.7% in the case of

project developing 37,800 ha, while not taking into consideration water savings due to urbanization of agricultural lands. If this water is reallocated proportionally from all existing agricultural uses, the impacts will be various but too small and difficult to quantify, even in case the whole of the groundwater fed area is connected in full to the surface water system.

Measures Implementation of the National Water Resources Plan under a new Water Policy: Water for the Future is underway3. If the measures of the NWRP that have been started already are successfully completed, savings of water in the Nile system will be sufficient to make up for the water requirements of the project. Moreover, the Implementation Support Project for NWRP, which aims at sequencing and prioritizing a range of other NWRP measures, has recently been approved by both MWRI and the Government of the Netherlands and will most likely become operational within a year. Under this project the water balance of the Nile system will be monitored closely to assure that "new plans for horizontal expansion of agricultural area will be made dependent on further water saving measures or the availability of additional water resources" (ARE, 2005). The WDWCIRP project management will, as an input in the NWRP process, identify specific water saving measures which relate to the project (M.1)). These measures, which will seek to ensure adequate supply through the Nile, will include, among others, the following: (a) the promotion of scaling-up within the old lands, as a priority, the successful results of the Bank-financed IIIMP project which has demonstrated the viability of achieving the dual benefits of water savings and improving productivity water (M.2A); (b) get project area prioritized and targeted for water saving measures by GOE, by seeking a direct reference to the WDWCIRP area within the official documentation pertaining to the Horizontal Expansion Program (e.g. for rapidly urbanizing areas) (M.2B).To ensure adequate water supply through the Nile systems, and avoid constraints or shortfall, the DBO contractor and the attached service standards will specify that the operator has to provide the MWRI the monthly water requirements for the upcoming year (M.3). That will be followed with his daily requirements to be submitted 10 days before the beginning of each month. This will enable the MWRI to adjust its operational planning for water distribution in time to ensure adequate water supplies for the project and rest of the system. In any case, a fixed allocation of water will be made available by the government to the project area, based on the estimated average annual requirement of 12,376 m3 per year per ha. The preliminary

3 This includes the GOE Horizontal Expansion Program for Agriculture – the West Delta Irrigation Improvement Project. The WDWCIRP is a first component of this program.

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design of the system has been sized to meet most of the peak demand in the summer months. Over the entire year, total usage converges to the annual average. Based on this, it is anticipated that the surface water system would meet most of the water needs of the farms that will be connecting, allowing the aquifers to be conserved and to benefit farmers in adjacent areas.

B: The hydrology of the Rosetta Branch will change. The water taken for the project is compensated by water from the Rosetta Branch diverted to the Rayah el Nasseri downstream from the project intake. This means that the upper stretch of the river, starting from Delta Barrage, will have to convey higher average and peak discharges and consequently get higher water levels. As a consequence also the erosion and sedimentation regime will change. Because encroachment of the river banks by agriculture and buildings took place since the regime of the river stabilized after the construction of High Aswan Dam, higher water levels may have adverse effects on these functions.

Measures An ex-ante assessment of the potential hydrological changes in the Rosetta Branch is underway,

and the conclusions of this study would inform the ESMP of this project of the design and timing of required specific mitigation measures to guard against any potential river bank flooding, erosion and sedimentation of the Rosetta Branch (M.4). This assessment has been assigned by MWRI to the NRI. The mitigation measures will be in line with the concomitant procedure for involuntary resettlement, if there is any expropriation involved (see Section 4.2 (iv)). The situation will be monitored following the commencement of any hydrological changes in the Rosetta Branch.

C: The water quality in the water system of the West Delta region will change. Rayah el Beheiri and Rayah el Nasseri take water of good quality upstream of Delta Barrage.

Urban and agricultural drainage water (especially the Rahawi drain and the Sabal drain) pollutes the relatively small flow of the Rosetta branch downstream of Delta Barrage (Figure 5.3).

Figure 5.3: Situation sketch of West Delta Main Water System

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The potential problems of water quality in relation to the West Delta Region are twofold: 1. The water quality of Nile water may be low to be used for certain cultures in the new land.

Some farmers may decide, as a mitigating measure, to continue using high quality groundwater for certain crops, albeit groundwater salinity will not be a limiting factor, thus contributing to more stress on the aquifers.

2. If the good quality water of the Rayah el Nasseri is used for the WDWCIRP and this water is replaced by lower quality Rosetta Branch water further downstream, this will have an effect on the water quality in the Nubariya and Bustan water conveyance systems and of the Rosetta Branch, and potentially a negative impact on the water users there. Further downstream on the Nubariya canal there are several water treatment plants for drinking water (Alexandria and local). Diverting more water of lower quality instead of more clean water to the Nubariya Canal will add to the problems of the drinking water treatment. These companies may object to the decrease of water quality.

Due to higher discharges of relatively clean water in the Rosetta Branch to meet the project water demands, its quality will improve because of the dilution of untreated sewage which is disposed in the Rosetta Branch by several drains. The downstream command area of Mahmoudia, and some smaller ones as well as another Alexandrian municipal water plant and the fish farming community will benefit from this effect.

The situation is rather complex, and a quantitative analysis is required to show the magnitude of the problem. A study made by DRI for part of the conveyance system in the West Delta Region should be extended for a situation that includes the expected changes of water supply to the Nubariya Canal as a consequence of WDWCIRP. Preferably also of the whole WDIIP project should be considered.

Measures Sewage treatment in the catchments of the drains polluting the Rosetta would solve the problem

all together. It is clear that such measures are beyond the reach of an environmental management plan of a single project. The NWRP proposes an extensive plan to that end, and GoE allocated about LE 20 billion in 2007 to improve sanitation in a national program. Planning mechanisms in the program include that the hot spots that are influencing water quality will get priority. This means that the WDWCIRP project management should, as a matter or urgency, identify and cost specific priority activities (e.g. improvement of the water quality of the Rahawi drain) within the project which could get priority in the national sewage treatment program under the NWRP.

To get quantitative information on the future water quality in the West Delta Region, a water quality assessment study, aimed at identifying and costing specific priority programs for inclusion in the GOE, LE 20 billion sanitation plan should be undertaken urgently (M.5). This should be completed before WDWCIRP becomes operational. This study can be seen as a follow-up to the study that was recently completed for the Umum Project. This study should also provide the framework for an intensified water quality monitoring program in the main system. The study can be done by DRI under the supervision of MWRI. The outcomes of this assessment would provide the PMU with direct input into the NWRP, with an aim to identify and cost specific priority programs for inclusion in the GOE, LE 20 billion sanitation plan. (M.6).

5.4 Main driver 2: Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater

Detailed information is given in Annex V.

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5.4.1 Hydrogeology

The main aquifer systems are the Alluvium and the Moghra. Other secondary aquifer systems are the coastal and Wadi El Natrun aquifers. The main issues related to the project are: 1) The general flow direction is basically from south-east to north-west; 2) The main anomaly occurs along the Nubaryia canal due to seepage from the canal; 3) Other anomalies prevail around the pumping centers; 4) The changes in the depth to groundwater are a result of overexploitation 5) The main source of recharge is seepage from surface water canals and excess irrigation

in the surface-water fed areas; while discharge takes place either naturally through evaporation (wadi El Natrun depression), or artificially through pumping.

6) The annual rate of pumping is about 1,080 cubic meters per year (2002). 7) The groundwater salinity (TDS) ranges from 500 ppm (CaHCO3 – MgCO3 types), in the

east, to more than 4,000 ppm in the west (NaCl type). 8) This indicates that the main source of salt in the east is the leaching with Nile water;

while in the west, the source is from marine deposits. Figure 5.3 gives a general picture of the depth to groundwater in the project area.

5.4.2 Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution

The groundwater vulnerability to pollution (a combination of the intrinsic vulnerability and total vulnerability) in the area is generally moderate (Figure 5.4). This is mainly because of the nature and characteristic of the aquifer and the depth to groundwater.

Figure 5.3. Depth to groundwater

in the West Delta Region (2002)

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Figure 5.4 Intrinsic vulnerability of groundwater to pollution

5.4.3 Scenarios

Simulation of water requirements for different cases and scenarios shows the following conjunctive groundwater uses. The figures on surface water use were used in the former section. Table 5.5 Estimates of conjunctive use under different scenarios

area covered with summer crops

surface water use MCM/y.

groundwater use MCM/y

Case A0 (37,800 ha, no development) 20% 0 224 Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water) 20% 445 62 Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water) 10% 438 28 Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water) 0% 422 2

Obviously, groundwater use will be reduced strongly if the project will be implemented. This positive impact should be counted for as a credit point. If the summer peak water requirement can be reduced, the groundwater use will decrease further. The scenarios tested in this section are mainly on the groundwater dynamics. Scenarios are defined in Table 5.6.

Table 5.6 Scenarios tested for their impacts on groundwater Scenario Explanation Assumptions Percolation*

(mm/day) I Base case: no surface water (base case) totally groundwater-based

agriculture 0

II Implementation of WDWCIRP (37,800 ha.) Surface water replacing groundwater in 2008.

0.5 mm/day

III Hypothetical implementation of 80,000 ha.** connected to surface water in 2010 0.5 mm/day

* Percolation is applied only in the case of surface water ** To assess effects of any future development.

5.4.4 Test results

Moghra and Nile aquifers

The groundwater conditions under the different scenarios have been tested with TRIWACO, anumerical program for quasi three-dimensional saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow, based on the finite element technique. The program can handle a variety of steady state and transient groundwater flow problems; taking into consideration the interaction between groundwater and surface water. The total area covered by the model amounts to 22,500 km2. Groundwater in most of the area is phreatic except the northern part of Nubariya Canal and the flood plain. The groundwater storage in the aquifers will respond to the gradual change in irrigation source from groundwater to surface water, which is also reflected by the stabilization of the depth to groundwater, and consequently the cost of pumping (table 5.7). The higher the percentage of the area connected to surface water, the more pronounced is the effect. Table 5.7. Cumulative change in storage and depth to groundwater as a response to different

scenarios (year 2020)

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Cumulative Change in groundwater storage

(2006-2020) (million m3 )

Scenario

Nile aquifer Moghra

Decrease in Depth to Groundwater (2006-2020)

(m)

Change in Groundwater Salinity

(2006-2020) (ppm)

I (-) 3,500 (-) 22 (-) 0-7.5 II 120 1.6 0-5 III 400 3.6 1-5

0-30

The effect is quite pronounced in the Nile aquifer system due to the direct recharge from surface activities. The effect is less visible for the Moghra since it needs more time for the recharge to reach the aquifer.

The groundwater quality depends on various factors, namely, the type and quality of the formations through which it moves and the original source and location of recharge. Additional changes may happen to the quality of groundwater due to any interruption that might affect the hydro chemical balance. In the case of the West Delta region, the original types of groundwater are Calcium Bicarbonate (in the eastern portion) becoming Sodium Chloride in the west. This indicates that in theeast, groundwater quality is directly affected by the recharge due to excess irrigation water diverted from the Nile; while in the western portion, the source of salts is rather due to the diffusion from the holding formation. Results of monitoring groundwater levels and salinity do not reflect general trends that relate (very closely) the change in depth to groundwater and the increase in salinity, except at few locations where either the thickness of the aquifer is small to the extent it does not allow for enough dilution (e.g Wadi El Natrun) or due to the enhancement of seepage from low quality (higher salinity) water bodies (e.g. Wadi El Natrun-El Alamein road). The impact of the project for the coming 14 years on the groundwater salinity is not reflected on groundwater in the Moghra aquifer (it will need more time), being of slight improve to the Nile aquifer system (a decrease of 10%).

Results for Wadi el Natrun

The lake of Wadi El Natrun is a natural depression north-west of the project area. The local lakes are maintained by upward seepage from the underlying aquifer due to geological structures. Due to the over-exploitation of groundwater in the last decades, the lake surface area has shrunk considerably. The simulation shows a recovery of the groundwater depth and hence a restoration of the lakes of Wadi el Natrun especially under scenario III. The effect of the project on the recovery of the lake area is thus considered to be positive, although it will manifest itself slowly. Tables 5.7, 5.8 and 5.9 are summarizing the main impacts with possible remedial measures. Impacts and measures are discussed in the following section of this report.

Table 5.7 Technical Aspects Related to GroundwaterScenario (Possible) Reactions Possible On-Site

ImpactsPossible Off-Site Impacts Measures for groundwater to be taken

Deepening wells Additional cost None Determine acceptable depth to fresh g.w. fornext 25 years

Using brackish groundwater Low incomeImpact on fresh g.w.

Little or none Determine availability and depth to brackishg.w.

Reuse of agric. drainage in theeast

Low incomeImpact on fresh g.w.

Little or none (unless it was useddownstream)

Determine impact of drainage reuse ongroundwater, locally and in the direction offlow

No project

Stop development Lossof investmentLossof jobopportunities

Inhabitatntsand workers move to avery crowded delta

None

Surf. water for 37,800ha by 2008

Transfer to surface water in2008 in the served area;conjunctive use during summer.The rest still on groundwater.Groundwater use where it isstill suitable.

Limited recovery ofgroundwater (depthand quality)

Impact on the north delta (SeaWater Intrusion), extent based onreduction in surf. water flow andresponses (more g.w. reuse, etc.)

Determine G.w. depth and quality in 2010Determine Change in g.w. depth and qualityover periodsof 5 yearsup to 20 years

Extending coveragegradually up to800,000 ha (in 5-yearsperiod)

Transfer to surf. water in 2010in the served area; the rest stillon g.w.; Conjunctive use whereg.w. is still suitable.

Improved recovery ofg.w. (depth andquality)

Impact on the north delta (SeaWater Intrusion), extent based onreduction in surf. water flow andresponses (more g.w. reuse, etc.)

Determine change in g.w. depth and qualityover periodsof 5 yearsup to 20 years.Determine impact on sea water intrusion,assuming more dependence on g.w.

Table 5.8 Institutional AspectsScenario Possible Condition Possible Impacts Needs/activities

Surf. water for 37,800 ha by 2008 No WUOs in place Poor water allocation, resultingin disputesand conflicts

-Early delineation of the area.-Early formation and activation of WUOs

Extending coverage of surf. water gradually up to a fullcoverage of 80,000 ha (in 2010).

-No WUOs in place-Connectionsnot fullysatisfied

-Poor water allocation, resultingin disputesand conflicts-Non-committed people intrude

-Timely delineation of areas to be servedbased on agreements with users

-Timely formation and activation of WUOs-Ensure commitment for connections

Table 5.9 Impacts related to induced developmentScenario Possible Condition Possible Impacts Needs/activities

Surf. water for 37,800 ha by 2008

Extending coverage of surface water gradually up to afull coverage of 80,000 ha.

More people move to the areaserved with low facilities(settlements, services, etc.)

Poor sanitation Impact of additional sewage disposal on g.w.to be mitigated

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5.4.5 Impacts and mitigation

Project area and around

One of the objectives of the GoE for WDWCIRP is to diminish if not completely stop groundwater depletion. The project responds to the groundwater depletion and groundwater quality deterioration by supplying surface water for irrigation. Hence the project itself is a forceful mitigating measure for the presently unsustainable water supply system in the area. To which extent the project will succeed in this mitigation depends on several factors. It will be difficult to predict the balance between the use of groundwater and surface water. Moreover, the ratio between groundwater and surface water use may change seasonally, spatially as well as over time. The factors that potentially can influence the balance are many and very different in nature. They include:

1. Cost of surface water delivery compared to groundwater pumping 2. Surface Water duty assigned to the area (now set at 12,376 m3/ha). 3. Physical capacity of surface water delivery system (now set at 21.3 m3/sec). 4. Regulation of groundwater pumping (licensing and metering). 5. Existing groundwater wells, pumps and infrastructure. 6. The suitability of surface water / groundwater for irrigating high value crops:

- bacteriological quality of surface water; - salinity of groundwater; - hazardous pollutants in either source.

7. Cropping pattern: - share of summer field crops; - share of high water consuming crops (like bananas).

8. Irrigation efficiency. 9. Recharge of aquifer.

The combination of the water duty allocated for the project, the limitations posed on the design capacity of the pipeline system and the projections of the peak water requirement for the project when fully developed would make the surface water delivery fall short during about 4 summer months. Since the groundwater pumping infrastructure will remain operational after the project sets on, it is likely that farmers will use the groundwater to make up for the shortages of surface water. This means that groundwater levels may continue to drop albeit in a much slower pace. The salinity of the groundwater has increased over the past decennia as a consequence of the overexploitation of the aquifers, whereas there are also signs of pollution from the upper surface. If this trend continues, deterioration of groundwater quality may not be fully stopped. Falling groundwater levels have also affected the groundwater situation in the deep depression of Wadi el Natrun, where people depend on spring water seeping in from the surrounding areas. Moreover, the wetland of Wadi el Natrun has shrunk. There are some positive factors that should be monitored closely. Firstly, many farmers produce with modern irrigation techniques and under the EurepGAP protocol. Drip irrigation strongly limits the percolation of water to the aquifers and hence the transfer of possible polluting substances from surface to ground water. The Integrated Pest Management requirements under the EurepGAP minimize the generation of agrochemical residuals. The integrated pest

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management practices under the EurepGap protocol will be extended to those farmers which are not yet certified (which will address the Pest Management Policy of the World Bank).

Secondly, the preliminary design of the system has been sized to meet most of the demand taking into account the possibility for conjunctive use of groundwater where required in the summer months. Over the entire year, total usage converges to the annual average. Based on this, it is anticipated that the surface water system would meet most of the water resource needs of the farms that will be connecting, allowing the aquifers to recharge and to benefit farmers in adjacent areas. The possibility to use the groundwater as an emergency source of water in case the surface water delivery fails thus can be maintained.

In order to assure the GoE’s objective to preserve the groundwater in the project area, additional mitigation measures are proposed to further promote improved future quality and quantity of ground water. Measures These measures will be dealt with as an Integrated and Sustainable Groundwater Management package (M.7). The first part of this package is the preparation of a plan which will explore a range of possible measures to mitigate adverse impacts on groundwater quantity and quality. This plan will also identify a site where these measures will be piloted. Implementation of the plan is made the responsibility of the Water User Council jointly with the Groundwater Sector of the MWRI. The range of possible measures which will be explored, in addition to the effect of the project itself, to keep the use of groundwater at a sustainable level include: i) restriction of cropping during summer, ii) modernization of irrigation technology for those farmers still not using such technologies, iii) storage of surface water in basins, iv) artificial recharge of the aquifer, and v) restrictive licensing of groundwater pumping. A combination of these measures will probably be the most attainable. To control the groundwater quality, the following possible measures are identified: vi) encouraging the adaptation of the integrated pest management practices under the EurepGap protocol by those farmers who are not yet certified (which will address the Pest Management Policy of the World Bank), vii) further development of modern fertilizer application techniques (also following EurepGap protocol), and viii) treatment of agro-industrial waste water, existing / new settlements sewerage water and solid waste. The Groundwater sector will (M.8) intensify its already existing groundwater monitoring program in and around the project area. This monitoring program will include the adjacent area of Wadi el Natrun. In a later stage this may be instrumental in demonstrating the positive effect of the project on this particular area.

5.5 Main driver 3: Induced development

A social impact study has been carried out to measure the expected social impact of the introduction of surface irrigation to the West Delta area on the establishment of new settlements and/or the expansion of already existing ones. A critical concern of the SIA is how benefits accrued or expected from the intervention project, usually defined in terms of income and social status are shared among groups of the population. By bringing forward the views, hopes, expectations and the knowledge of the available living conditions of these groups of people to policy-makers, the project can be fine-tuned to turn the project into an opportunity for sustainable social development of the West Delta area.

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This chapter summarizes the findings of a rapid research undertaken in November 2006 to assess the social impacts of the WDWCIRP project (ANNEX VI). Qualitative research was used in this study to gain deeper understanding of the social wellbeing issues for the West Delta area. Semi structured qualitative questionnaires were used to facilitate discussion with 30 respondents, including farm managers, farm owners, investors, semi skilled laborers, skilled laborers (both residents and commuters).

5.5.1 Impacts

There is no doubt that the project, once completed, will have a significant social impact. It will create employment and attract workers and their families (table 5.10). However, it is yet to be determined through which processes and which factors this impact will be felt. Different impacts can be expected in three different stages of the project: planning, construction and operation.

Project planning stage

Real, measurable and often significant effects on the human environment begin to take place from the time of the earliest announcement or even the rumor about a project. The West Delta project has been widely publicized and both hopes and speculations begin to mount. Speculators probably lock up potentially attractive pieces of land in anticipation of the accruing benefits. Land prices are already soaring high in the West Delta region especially those along the road. With the present information it is impossible to discern the effect of the proposed WDWCIRP project from other influences. For example, the construction of the Cairo-Alex desert road probably has had the most overwhelming impact on the development of the area and the land speculation, which is said to be widespread. The impact of the proposed upgrading of this road on land prices could be of the same magnitude as the prospect of a permanent supply of surface water. Along the desert road, estate development is a new and rapidly developing activity; the legal status of some of these activities is questionable and it is difficult to estimate the future direction of this development. It is certain that it involves large amount of investment money. The price of one feddan is said to be worth LE 35,000-50,000 now. Rental prices of flats in Sadat city have rocketed. Flats in Sadat city used to be rented for LE 100 per month. Now it is LE 250. It is very difficult to point to one reason for this. General trend of prices increase of real state in the country and future development prospects play a role, but certainly the increase in demand from the Menoufia university students (located in Sadat City) does so too.

Construction stage

The construction/implementation stage involves clearing land, building access roads, developing utilities camps etc. Possible environmental effects of these activities should be avoided or mitigated. Displacement and relocation of farms would probably occur during this phase. These aspects are dealt with respectively under Sections 2.6 and 2.5 of the ESMP (Part II).

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Operation/Maintenance

Impact 1: Increased labor opportunities in agriculture: high.When surface water is connected to farms, cultivated areas will increase due to the

availability of irrigation water and due to the willingness of investors to invest more in the land and their feeling of security. This will definitely require more labor to join these farms. With spreadsheet WDQUAS the changes in job opportunities and value of agricultural production as a result of WDWCIRP have been reviewed. Table 5.10 summarizes the findings for Case O (without), and Case A (with project) for different scenarios of summer cropping.

Table 5.10: Impact of WDWCIRP I on jobs and value of agricultural production perm.

jobs in m.year Year 1

gain of perm. jobs m.years Y1 to Y13

temp. jobs in m.years Year 1

gain of temp. jobs m.years Y1 to Y13

value of agric. prod. US$*106

Year 1

gain of value agric. production US$*106

Y1 to Y13 Case A0 (37.800 ha, no development, 20% summer crops)

12,457 0 69,922 -11,000 41.56 -16.0

Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water, 20% summer crops)

12,457 14,048 69,922 87,796 41.56 +46.88

Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water, 10% summer crops)

11,835 13,345 64,095 81,226 40.88 +46.1

Case A1 (37,800 ha, surface water, 0% summer crops)

11,213 12,644 58,274 74,661 40.20 + 45.3

Here the main conclusions are: • Not implementing WDWCIRP results in a gradual decline of jobs and production value

because of increasing salinity of groundwater and increasing energy costs. • Implementation of WDWCIRP reverses these processes and allows for intensification of

agriculture; hence jobs and agricultural value more than double. • Restriction of summer cropping has a limited effect on the total value of agricultural

production and permanent jobs, but a considerable effect (-15%) on temporary jobs. When working in the West Delta laborers have two options: • Commuting. The most prevalent option is for workers to commute to their hometowns.

There are two types of commuters. Those who commute daily to Menoufia, Beheira and nearby towns and those who stay on the farm for a week or two and commute back home on week ends. Farm management usually provides transportation on collection points for the first type.

• Migrating into the area. People may decide to migrate and settle in the area with their families. Increased labor opportunities may lead to increased immigration, causing social changes in the area which may be either beneficial for the development perspective of the area, or cause negative impacts and stress if social services and housing opportunities are insufficient.

Impact 2: Migration & settlement: lowAccording to landowners there is no chance for the construction of new villages in the

area, simply because there are no “empty lands left” for that purpose, as phrased by one farm

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manager. Even the existing land between the different farms is very tight to allow any large settlements. The remaining option is to settle with their families in nearby cities and villages, such as El Sadat, Wadi Al Natrun, Khatatba or Adnan Madani. This means that these residential areas will grow in order to accommodate the incoming workers. While job and investment opportunities are important motivations to settle on a permanent basis, the communities in which workers and investors live greatly influence their decisions to settle. Availability of an acceptable level of basic services will contribute to viable communities and greater productivity. Such concerns are especially important in desert communities, which are relatively remote from the country’s main service centers. Whereas economic incentives draw workers to the desert, it is their perception of the community social services and whether these are progressing, staying the same or deteriorating, that encourage them to bring along their families and remain there. Without adequate services and infrastructure, potential migrants may decide that movement as families to the desert is not worth the social costs despite the economic incentives, and instead they might decide, as is the case now with most workers in the West Delta area, to keep on commuting. The main reasons provided by respondents for migrating to their present community are: • to find a job; • to accompany family members; • to gain new experience; • calm area. It is observed however that most laborers prefer to commute to the farms in the area. Interviews show that a number of factors presently work as a disincentives for permanent migration: • Living without family members. Social structure in traditional farming villages is

strong and people are reluctant to leave these structures behind. • Lack of social services / bakery. Table 2.1 provided in chapter 2.2.2 provides an

overview of the present appreciation of social services in the villages surrounding the WDWCIRP area. It is evident that much needs to be improved for people to be convinced that living conditions in these cities are inviting.

• Lack of security in house tenure. At present, this security is lacking in Sadat City where capacity is located. All residents interviewed complained that they do not hold an official house ownership contract. The residents are faced with progressive increases in the prices of houses, which is putting them more and more into debt, some of them stopped paying installments altogether. Apparently, the Sadat City administration body is not setting a clear system for house tenure and this is causing a lot of confusion among residents and raises the houses speculation, making young married couples hesitant about moving.

• Benefit packages. Investors provide benefit packages in addition to salaries that include housing, transportation, sometimes meals or a combination of these. Housing or dormitories as the investors offer, makes workers decide against settling in the area as a family. In on- farm dormitories life is very cost effective. So whereas investors offer this benefit package to ensure that workers are available and arrive on time to work with no time loss, it encourages workers to commute on weekends instead of deciding to move with their families into the West Delta.

• Public transport. A major constraint mentioned by workers and worth mentioning is the transportation. Workers hardly find transportation on weekends when they are going back to their hometowns.

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• Labor uncertainty. Another issue raised by laborers is the absence of permanent employment. A large proportion of the work is seasonal. Permanent jobs are not reliable as they depend on the relationship with the investors. Workers see themselves vulnerable to ‘investors’ whims.

Impact 3: Multiplier effect of new settlement: low Availability of surface water will act as the main driver for economic development in the

region. Farms will need and utilize more laborers in the future since these farms will be fully planted (example Dina Farms are now planting 7000 out of 10,000 feddans). The total job creation will be significantly more than the labor force needed for the direct agricultural activities. This will be realized as the interaction between agricultural and non-agricultural activities increases. Agribusinesses and farms (whether large or small) can be mutually supportive in the sense that farms will find immediate markets for their products and agribusinesses would find the quality produce for their high level of productivity. Figures provided by the DRAINFRAME study on the multiplier effect of agricultural development on population development are under the present conditions unrealistic. Since living conditions are not optimal most laborers prefer to commute. Settlement of people in the area would lead to an increase in construction activities, an increased demand for social and health services (schools, clinics, sports, etc), and an increase in service-oriented activities (such as shops). As long as settlement conditions remain unfavorable this spin-off of the project cannot be fully benefited from. Unlike previous land reclamation programs, where land was assigned to small farmers and jobless graduates and most productive investment and social infrastructure were made by the state, the West Delta relies on large investors to develop the area and manage the project. It is worth noting here that this scenario has one of the following potential outcomes: • Either, the result will be the creation of viable communities, visible only if the

government takes concerted efforts to make the existing cities attractive enough to workers and employees to come and settle with their families,

• Or the result will be a series of dispersed, unplanned settlements and large numbers of commuters, if the government chooses not to invest in the area to sustain the expected economic boom.

The present situation works at the detriment of the long term overall resettlement policy of Egypt. Therefore, a shared vision of the area by both government bodies and West Delta investors should be developed in order to maximally benefit of the opportunities offered in the area.

5.5.2 Measures

Although it is easy to assert that the social impact of the West Delta project will be significant, yet it is difficult to forecast in what manner. The change will be led by the labor demand generated by the investors, and it will therefore be subject to the fluctuations of the market for agricultural products and to the strategic plans of the investors themselves more than the rationality of the government planning. This, however, should not mean that government planning for the area is irrelevant or not required. On the contrary, it means that government planning is indeed needed to go hand in hand with the economic investment in the West Delta. The present situation works at the detriment of the long term regional development policy of Egypt. Therefore, a shared vision of the area by both government bodies and West Delta investors should be developed in order to maximally benefit of the opportunities offered in the area. To

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facilitate this process it is proposed to closely monitor the socio-economic development as the project becomes operational (M.9). It is extremely difficult to predict social changes resulting from a project of this nature. In view of this it is critical to establish a solid monitoring process. A first step would be the preparation of a baseline study which should focus on a limited set of key variables which could be monitored at regular intervals throughout the life of the project and beyond, such as the social changes in the project areas resulting from large-scale commute/migration. This process should also pay attention to the fact that the farmers in the project area vary from major agribusinesses to those growing less than 10 feddans. Although none of the farmers affected by the project are poor, their interests are likely to vary considerably, and it is important to ensure that all voices are heard. The social section of DRI has experience with such monitoring program, as they did already the baseline study during the DRAINFRAME study. The results of this program will be submitted to the Land Use Planning Authority, who is responsible for the integrated socio-economic development of the rural areas.

5.6 Triggered safeguard policies

5.6.1 Safeguards policy on involuntary resettlement

Bank experience indicates that involuntary resettlement under development projects, if unmitigated, often gives rise to severe economic, social, and environmental risks: production systems are dismantled; people face impoverishment when their productive assets or income sources are lost; people are relocated to environments where their productive skills may be less applicable and the competition for resources greater. For these reasons, the overall objectives of the World Bank’s policy on involuntary resettlement are the following: (a) Involuntary resettlement should be avoided where feasible, or minimized, exploring all

viable alternative project designs. (b) Where it is not feasible to avoid resettlement, resettlement activities should be conceived

and executed as sustainable development programs, providing sufficient investment resources to enable the persons displaced by the project to share in project benefits. Displaced persons should be meaningfully consulted and should have opportunities to participate in planning and implementing resettlement programs.

(c) Displaced persons should be assisted in their efforts to improve their livelihoods and standards of living or at least to restore them, in real terms, to pre-displacement levels or to levels prevailing prior to the beginning of project implementation, whichever is higher.

Some activities under the WDWCIRP may potentially trigger the safeguards policy as these may cause (a) the involuntary taking of land resulting in relocation or loss of shelter; (b) loss of assets or access to assets; or (c) loss of income sources or means of livelihood, whether or not the affected persons must move to another location. Because of the many technical and lay-out decisions that still have to be taken, it is in the present stage of project development difficult to assess the magnitude of involuntary resettlement issues to occur. Therefore, this section only provides an overview of the impacts that can be expected, and the measures that can be taken. A separate Resettlement Policy Framework has been designed for WDWCIRP that provides guidance to the formulation of the final resettlement plans during the final design phase.

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It is pertinent that the safeguards policy applies to other activities resulting in involuntary resettlement, that in the judgment of the Bank, are (a) directly and significantly related to the Bank-assisted project; (b) necessary to achieve its objectives as set forth in the project documents; and (c) carried out, or planned to be carried out, contemporaneously with the project. A) Alignment of pipe system and additional measures Based on earlier technical and environmental studies a choice has been made to convey all water within the project area by closed conduit. This avoids several of the earlier identified impacts. The DBO contractor will further optimize the design in order to avoid involuntary resettlement: • Avoiding occupation of land by open canals and service roads. • Avoiding spread of vector-borne diseases • Minimizing the risk of illegal use of water. • Reduced water pollution as open canals cannot be used as waste dump. • Reduced seepage and evaporation losses. • More flexibility to serve peaks in water demand. Yet, from the preliminary design in the technical study it becomes apparent that for the realization of the project some agricultural land will temporarily or permanently be needed.

S 11

S 12

S 13

S 14

S 15

S 16

S 03

S 01S 02

S 04

S 05

S 06

S 07

S 08S 09

S 10

Saddat City

Wadi el Natrun

Indu

stri

alar

ea

Rosetta

Nasseri

Beheira<--Alexandria

Cairo -->

PS

PS

Somed Pipeline

priority section

pipelines

North Sector

Figure 5.8: Overview of WDWCIRP project area with preliminary lay-out of pipeline systems and sections.

A summary overview of temporary or permanently affected lands, based on the preliminary design from the technical study for sectors S 01 – 10:• Main intake + pump house. • Booster stations. 1 Mains booster station and 52 sub-mains booster stations + pump

house + workshop + access road (6m) + electricity feeder line

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• Electricity supply: A new transformer substation is needed to feed the intake pumping station and the intermediate boosters. 126 km of new power lines will be constructed.

• Mains: Fourteen mains serve the south zone with a total length of 154,5 km. Their diameters range between 2200 and 1200 mm. The number of parallel pipes for the carrier mains range from 6 (5 km) to 4 (16 km) to 2 (8 km). Some area is required for different valve chambers along the mains. These chambers are required for control valves at each main ends, air valves if required and drain valves.

• Sub-mains: 250 km of PVC sub-mains further distribute water. Diameters rage from 900mm at the start to 300mm at the end.

• Farm connections: about 920 km of 200 mm diameter PVC pipe bring water to the farm gates.

• Roads system: includes the improvement of the existing road system especially earth roads. This system is essential to reach all boosters and pump stations. A first degree road system 10.0 m width at least will connect the intakes, intermediate boosters and sub-main boosters. A second degree road system 6.0 m width at least will reach till the farm connections.

Resettlement issues • Expropriation. A limited surface area needs to be expropriated for permanent

use for main intake, pump house, 52 booster stations, and valve chambers. • Compensation for temporary disturbance. During construction of pipelines

lands will temporarily be put out of use for construction purposes. Obviously the construction of mains and sub-mains will have the biggest impact, simply because of the size of the pipes and the amount of earth works required to burry these. For example, the first 5 km of mains will include 6 parallel pipes of 2000mm diameter, buried at 1,5 m below the surface. This implies the removal of some 30 m3 of earth for each meter of pipeline.

• Rights-of-way: Land owners have to give rights-of-way for pipes to pass under their lands. All pressurized pipes within the project have a soil cover of 1.5 m at least to allow traffic load and even enough depth for agricultural activities. It is unclear what restrictions will apply to agricultural and other activities over the trajectory of the pipelines.

• Right of way also needs to be arranged for the crossing of power lines. • Roads. As stated a network of roads is needed to service the pipeline

infrastructure, from intake to farm connections. Very few public roads exist in the area (see map below, but many local private roads have been constructed. At the present stage of design it is impossible to provide any sensible comments on the adequacy of the existing road network and the demand posed by the project..

The involuntary character of the impacts created by the closed conduit system does to a certain extent not apply as many of the affected farmers in the West Delta area will also act as beneficiaries of the project. The major problem of course lies with those farmers not willing to connect to the surface water supply system, and consequently neither willing to accept any inconveniences caused by the project.

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Figure 5.9 Public roads in and around the project area

Measures: Avoidance, Mitigation, Compensation The first aim is to avoid involuntary resettlement issues through comparison of alternative technical design solutions (M.10). It has been suggested to situate the main pipelines as much as possible along existing public roads, to avoidtoo much disturbance and expropriation of farm lands. From observations in the area it becomes clear that this may create new problems. For example along the Khatatba road many temporary and permanent structures have been raised which would hinder the construction of the pipelines. On the other hand, there are a great number of local dirt roads which could provide good opportunities for pipeline construction. It should however be observed that roads have not been constructed from a hydraulic point of view. An optimized, hydraulically efficient pipe system, partially based on gravity flow, does not necessarily coincide with the lay-out of roads. If avoidance is not entirely possible, the second aim should be mitigating (i.e. minimizing), in as far as possible, the effects of involuntary resettlement (M.11). Mitigation should be attained, again through comparison of alternative designs, but also by cautious construction procedures and techniques. Farmers are allowed to cultivate their farms, even with embedded pipes. However, it can be imagined that some limitations apply to the cultivation of crops along the path of pipelines, for example for the cultivation of permanent crops (e.g. fruit trees) will be limited. If avoidance and mitigation fail, the final aim should be to compensate (M.12) the remaining damage. Specific implementation responsibilities have been outlined in the Environmental and Social Management Plan (Component V on Safeguard policies). B) Inundation of Rosetta Branch banks and islands. In Section 5.4.2, the changing hydrological characteristics of the Rosetta Branch under the WDWCIRP project, have been discussed. The maximum water level that will occur in the river as a result of the projects, will be higher than today’s normal flows. Since flooding disappeared the river banks and islands have been encroached, legally or illegally, by small holders for cultivation. One can also find buildings at places which erstwhile were not suitable for

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construction. Depending on the rise of the water levels between Delta Barrage and the downstream supplementary pumping station, part of the land and buildings may get inundated and be lost. It will make significant difference whether one assesses the problem from the mere WDWCIRP point of view, or if one takes the entire West Delta Program into account. For the WDWCIRP, the Rosetta flow will increase maximally with 0.9 BCM/y, or about 25%. Potential resettlement issues • Legally or illegally occupied land for agriculture along or in Rosetta Branch. • Legal or illegal constructions like houses, ferry ramps and the like. Measures: Avoidance, Mitigation, Compensation The significance of the problem is unknown. An assessment study (M.4) on the changing river hydrology has been assigned to the Nile Research Institute to reveal the impacts. If the conclusions of this study dictate so, additional environmental/social management measures should be taken.

5.6.2 Safeguards policy on Natural Habitats (OP 4.04)

The conservation of natural habitats, like other measures that protect and enhance the environment, is essential for long-term sustainable development. The Bank therefore supports the protection, maintenance, and rehabilitation of natural habitats and their functions in its economic and sector work, project financing, and policy dialogue. The Bank supports, and expects borrowers to apply, a precautionary approach to natural resource management to ensure opportunities for environmentally sustainable development. The Bank does not support projects that, in the Bank’s opinion, involve the significant conversion or degradation of critical natural habitats. The OP 4.04 defines natural habitats as land and water areas where (i) the ecosystems' biological communities are formed largely by native plant and animal species, and (ii) human activity has not essentially modified the area's primary ecological functions. Critical natural habitats are existing protected areas and areas officially proposed by governments as protected areas, areas initially recognized as protected by traditional local communities (e.g., sacred groves), and sites that maintain conditions vital for the viability of these protected areas (as determined by the environ-mental assessment process. Critical habitats potentially under influence of the project should be influenced by the three distinguished drivers of change: • Hydrological changes in the Nile system caused by new water intake. • Water supply to West Delta area and effects on groundwater aquifers. • Induced development in the West Delta caused by economic incentives. Linked to the Nile system The following natural habitats are hydrologically linked to the Nile system: a) Internationally recognized: • Lake Burullus - listed site under the Ramsar4 Wetlands Convention.

4 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR), is an intergovernmental treaty adopted on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Ramsar is the first of the modern global intergovernmental treaties on conservation and wise use of natural resources. Under the Convention there is a general obligation for the Contracting Parties to include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning. They have undertaken to

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b) Recognized under Egyptian law: • Lake Qarun – protected area: artificial wetland created by drainage water from Fayoum

valley • Wadi el Rayan – conservation area: man-made drainage sink by-passing Lake Qarun.

The situation is dynamic as drainage water inflow tends to decrease gradually, which eventually will lead to degradation of biodiversity values.

To trigger the safeguards policy on natural habitats, the WDWCIR Project should lead to degradation of these areas, where degradation is defined as the modification of a critical or other natural habitat that substantially reduces the habitat's ability to maintain viable populations of its native species. As described in Section 5.4. a redistribution of water within the Nile system will be needed to allow the WDWCIRP project to operate within the available national water budget. The potential impact of reallocation without mitigation measure was estimated at 0.7% of the current allocations in the old lands. Consequently, the potential impact of the project on Lake Burullus and other coastal lakes is too small. The changes that the project will have on the redistribution of water may lead to minor changes in the drainage patterns in the Delta. However, there are many activities having a larger influence on the available amount and quality of drainage water. Irrigation improvement, water treatment facilities, groundwater pumping, and drainage water reuse all have marked effects on drainage flows. Consequently, it will be impossible to distinguish the effect of the WDWCIRP project within a situation where the autonomous development is so dynamic and heavily influenced by other activities, whose influence can not be established with certainty either.

The protected wetland areas around Fayoum have been created by drainage outflows and are man-made. Their status fully depends on irrigation and drainage practices in Fayoum and hence will not be affected by the project.

Conclusion: there are no reasons to assume the WDWCIRP project will significantly affect any critical natural habitats linked to the Nile system. Linked to aquifers in West Delta The area of influence is the aquifer used by conjunctive irrigation and receiving percolated water. Wadi El Natrun area is of particular interest, although it has no official status as Natural Habitat. The depression, lying in north-south direction has its own local aquifer which cuts through the Moghra aquifer and is hydraulically linked to it. Groundwater comes to the surface creating several lakes surrounded by salt resistant wetland vegetation on humid soils (solonchaks). Evaporation creates salt crusts on the soil. The open water body is endoreic (without outlet) and has rather big seasonal variations in water levels and levels of salinity depending on the balance between inflow and evaporation. The area has no formal protected status but it represents a unique landscape feature in the surrounding (partially reclaimed) desert area. In the North the depression is influenced by the groundwater mound under Nubariya and Bustan irrigation systems. In the South the groundwater levels reportedly are lowering due to extraction for irrigation in Wadi el Natrun and Wadi el Farigh areas.

formulate and implement this planning so as to promote, as far as possible, "the wise use of wetlands in their territory".

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Although the groundwater simulation model indicates a slow recovery of the groundwater situation in Wadi el Natrun caused by the WDWCIRP, it will be difficult to show a distinct impact of the project on Wadi el Natrun. Recent developments affecting the immediate surrounding of the lake include the growth of Wadi el Natrun City, creation of a formal industrial estate near Wadi el Natrun City, the establishment of aquaculture ponds around the lakes (particularly in the North), and further reclamation of lands for groundwater-based agriculture.

Box 5.3: Wadi El Natrun Wadi el Natrun is an elongate depression, about 50 km long, with an average width of 8 km, oriented from south-east to north-west and situated west of the Nile delta, c.90 km south of the Mediterranean. It contains a series of nine small lakes (total area over 200 km²), scattered along its general axis. The water in the lakes originates from two main sources: from seepage and from springs in the bottoms of some lakes. The Wadi el Natrun aquifer is a local aquifer consisting of Pliocene rocks. Its transmissivity is generally less than 500 m2/day. It is underlain by the Moghra formation (separated by a thin clay layer). The aquifer is in direct contact with the Nile aquifer system which is overlying it north of Wadi El Natrun. The aquifer is multi-layered, consisting of an alternation of sand and clay. As the depression cuts through the delta aquifer, lateral seepage is generally from the north-east, resulting in the creation of wet salt marshes on the north-eastern shores of the lakes while, in contrast, the southern and western shores are distinctly barren. Water in the lakes is hyper-saline, fluctuating seasonally according to the depth of the water-table. Typha swamps occur at localities along the shores of the lakes where there is a plentiful freshwater supply. Juncus and Cyperus dominate the wet salt marshes on the waterlogged eastern shores. The latter species carpets most of the marsh areas in a dense cover that does not exceed a few centimeters height because of severe grazing pressure. This, however, creates one of the most characteristic and attractive habitats for water birds in Wadi El Natrun. Mudflats and salt-encrusted sabkhas fringe parts of the lake’s shores. The area is designated as one of Egypt’s 34 important bird areas, although it has no formal protected status. Birdlife International provides detailed information on this5 Wadi El Natrun is of modest importance for water birds. In winter 1989/90 a total of c.7,700 water birds was counted. Wadi El Natrun is known to hold some of the largest winter concentrations in Egypt of Tadorna tadorna (Shelduck), Gallinago gallinago (Common Snipe), Numenius arquata (Europan Curlew), Calidris minuta (Little Stint) and Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover). However, with the exception of the latter, none are known to occur in internationally significant numbers. The area is also of moderate importance for migrant water birds; in spring 1990 a total of c.7,800 waders was counted (including some resident species). The area might be more important for staging migrants during autumn. Grus grus (Common Crane) is known to pass through and rest in significant numbers during spring and autumn. Some 12 species of water birds are known or expected to breed in Wadi El Natrun, including the largest breeding population of Charadrius pecuarius (Ringed Plover) known in Egypt. Marmaronetta angustirostris (Marbled Teal – conservation status is vulnerable) previously bred in Wadi El Natrun, at least until 1912. There is no recent indication of breeding. The last observation of the species in Wadi El Natrun was in 1986 and it is unlikely that it will breed again unless disturbance and hunting pressure are curbed. Conservation issues: Land-claim and fish-farming are taking place in and around the lakes, transforming the wetlands. Rapidly expanding, groundwater-dependent agricultural projects, in and around Wadi El Natrun, are threatening to lower the water-table significantly. These will (if uncontrolled) eventually dry up the lakes of Wadi El Natrun. Increased grazing pressure and reed-cutting (for various domestic uses) are threatening the remaining reed-swamps with extermination. The growing population, along with an increase in tourism and industrial development, is leading to greater urbanization, pollution, disturbance and hunting pressure.

Conclusion: effects of the project on Wadi el Natrun don’t trigger the safeguards policy OP 4.04.

Linked to induced development in the West Delta The project area is reclaimed desert area without any distinguished natural habitat. Conclusion: Safeguards policy OP 4.04 on Natural Habitats is not triggered.

5.6.3 Safeguards policy on Cultural Property

The project area of WDWCIRP is not known for antiquities. The empty area started to be reclaimed about 25 years ago. On the farms extensive digging took place to bury the on-farm

5 BirdLife International 2005: BirdLife’s online World Bird Database: the site for bird conservation. Version 2.0. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. Available at: http://www.birdlife.org (accessed 14/11/2006)

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pipelines, without encountering archeological remnants. Because digging for the main pipelines of the project will go deeper, the chance to encounter anything archeologically valuable, although small, cannot be completely ruled out. The safeguard procedures of Egypt for protection of antiquities are clear, appropriate, and applicable for WDWCIRP. The general contract of the MWRI regulates this issue through its clause no. 25 which make contractors responsible for any antiquities during excavation both by calling for the High Council of Antiquities in the case they find any antiquity and by employing and paying for the technicians of the Council during the period of work (M.13).

Known antiquities in the surroundings of the project area are limited to the ancient Copt monasteries in Wadi el Natrun. The monk communities of these monasteries suffered from declining groundwater tables (Drainframe 2005). It is expected that the groundwater levels in the course of time will reestablish themselves due to the project (see Section 5.5). Hence, it is not expected that the safeguard policy on Cultural Property will be triggered on this item.

5.6.4 Safeguard policy on pest management (OP 4.09)

In assisting borrowers to manage pests that affect either agriculture or public health, the Bank supports a strategy that promotes the use of biological or environmental control methods and reduces reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides. In Bank-financed projects, the borrower addresses pest management issues in the context of the project’s environmental assessment. OP 4.09 applies to all Bank lending, whether or not the loan finances pesticides. Even if Bank lending for pesticides is not involved, an agricultural development project may lead to substantially increased pesticide use and subsequent environmental problems. In Bank-financed agriculture operations, pest populations are normally controlled through IPM approaches, such as biological control, cultural practices, and the development and use of crop varieties that are resistant or tolerant to pests. IPM refers to a mix of farmer-driven, ecologically based pest control practices that seeks to reduce reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides. It involves (a) managing pests (keeping them below economically damaging levels) rather than seeking to eradicate them; (b) relying, to the extent possible, on non-chemical measures to keep pest populations low; and (c) selecting and applying pesticides, when they have to be used, in a way that minimizes adverse effects on beneficial organisms, humans, and the environment. The following criteria apply to the selection and use of pesticides in Bank-financed projects: • They must have negligible adverse human health effects. • They must be shown to be effective against the target species. • They must have minimal effect on non-target species and the natural

environment. The methods, timing, and frequency of pesticide application are aimed to minimize damage to natural enemies.

• Their use must take into account the need to prevent the development of resistance in pests.

With respect to the project it can be argued that the project is not an agricultural project since the project only aims to replace groundwater by surface water for existing agricultural activities. However, it is a stated intention of the project to expand agricultural practices on non-cultivated land. This triggers the pest management policy. The specific risk associated to the use of pesticides is the vulnerability of the area and groundwater. In the West Delta area the sandy, highly permeable soils, provide a relatively open connection to the groundwater unless restricting soil layers exist above the water bearing strata.

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An approach for assessing the risk of the use of pesticides on groundwater is pollution risk mapping. Pollution risk maps are the product of combining two land surface zonation maps namely: pollution type and load or threat, and the intrinsic vulnerability map. In this context, mapping the different categories of pollutants threats, i.e. industrial, agricultural and domestic is needed. The first map has been made for the Nile delta area, a relatively large scale exercise. Nevertheless, Figure 5.5 shows that the project area is almost completely located in a zone considered to have a moderate intrinsic risk; in other words, the soils themselves provide little protection mechanism to stop pollutants from reaching the groundwater. A pollution risk map has not yet been made for the West Delta region. This should be part of the environmental management plan for which the Groundwater Sector has special responsibility and the technical capacity (See Section 2.3 of the ESMP). The only available natural protection mechanism is the depth at which groundwater is found. Before reaching the water, pollutants have to travel through well aerated, thick layers of sandy soil of more than 50 meters. In the case of degradable pesticides, these will be degraded under the influence of oxygen before the substances reach the groundwater. A measure to reduce pollution risk by agriculture consequently is the use of modern, biodegradable pesticides, such as the ones prescribed under the EurepGAP certification protocol. Many growers in the project area producing for the European export market produce under this certification scheme. They could serve as training centers for other farmers to learn to use the appropriate plant protection measures. The EurepGAP standards for certification of growers, and the strict monitoring and application practices are in compliance with the World Bank standard for IPM. Moreover, the Good Agricultural Practice protocol also incorporates standards for fertilizer management and social standards for laborers. As a mitigating measure, it is proposed to incorporate integrated pest management in the sustainable groundwater management plan (Section 5.4.5).

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EUREPGAP, including retailers, suppliers/growers and associate members from the input and service side of agriculture was established in 1997 as an initiative of retailers belonging to the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (EUREP). It aims to agree on standards and procedures for development of good agricultural practice (GAP) and is based on Integrated Crop Management. Activities include a certification scheme and harmonization of standards for IPM and minimized pesticide use. The EUREPGAP certificate is a business-to-business scheme, which is used in the production chain and not intended as a label for consumers. The EurepGap protocol applies the following definitions in pest management: • Integrated pest control: The rational application of a combination of biological, biotechnical, chemical,

cultural or plant-breeding measures whereby the use of chemical plant protection products is limited to the strict minimum necessary to maintain the pest population at levels below those causing economically unacceptable damage or loss.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM):The careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep plant protection products and other interventions to levels that are economically justified and reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural and or non-chemical pest control mechanisms.

http://www.eurepgap.org/fruit/Languages/English/documents.htmlhttp://www.eurepgap.org/documents/webdocs/EUREPGAP_IFA_CPCC-Fruit%20Vegetables_V3-

Mar07_010307.pdf

IPM and fertilizer management as part of EurepGAP has been included in the package of measures that protect groundwater quality and forms part of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan (M.7). The objective is to introduce the good practices of the majority of the farmers to those who are lagging behind in this regard.

5.7 System Construction

DiscussionThe project area is predominantly used for agriculture. As it is virtually uninhabited the

construction related impacts will not have any significant human health consequences, nor will these affect the living conditions of inhabitants. Nevertheless, a number of issues require attention. As repeatedly stated, a precise technical design and layout of the project are not known yet. Consequently, this section will only provide an overview of issues which need to be addressed in a detailed ESMP to be produced by the proponent. Crossings

The planned delivery and distribution system has several crossings with the SOMID crude oil pipeline, the Cairo –Alexandria Railway (Supplementary Supply Canal) and the Cairo-Alexandria Desert road. It includes the necessary main structures required where the proposed mains and sub-mains cross existing roads, SOMID pipeline or any other obstacles. Other minor crossings are not included in this overview. The crossing structures are listed below: Culverts for main pipelines • under Cairo Alexandria Desert Road at kilo 9 on Main 03 • under SOMID oil pipeline at kilo 15 on Main 03. • under Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road at kilo 17 on Main 04. • under SOMID pipeline at kilo 21 on Main 04. • under SOMID pipe line at kilo 6 on Main 10. • under SOMID pipe line at kilo 0 on Main 12.

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• under a main asphalted road at kilo 5.5 on Main 18. This is the information from the preliminary design of the technical study; the final design may have a different lay-out. If crossings can be made by hydraulic jacking, the disturbance will be kept to a minimum. However, the Desert Highway is a large obstacle for which it may not be possible to use this technology, especially when pipes of large diameters have to be jacked. The proponent will have to indicate how this crossing will be made, causing as little obstruction as possible to this strategic corridor. (N.B: the Desert Highway will in the near future be upgraded to a four-laned motorway; opportunities to combine construction activities may be explored). Construction Impacts

During construction activities various activities may cause local environmental impacts. These include: • Site preparation and or leveling: dust and particulate emissions. • Excavation of materials and production of spoil. • Performing construction activities such concrete works, metal works, masonry works,

and or electro-mechanical activities. • Mobilization and use of heavy construction equipment: heavy duty transport. • Transport of construction materials and supplies: generation of solid waste. There are mainly four common outcomes of the construction process that would potentially impact the environment. • Dust and Particulate Emissions: especially during the process of excavations and fill

using heavy construction machinery, but also from the storage of piles of free flowing materials in open spaces such as sand and excavated material piles. Although such phenomena are temporary in nature, they may affect nearby agricultural lands. This process of air borne dust and particulate emissions may have environmental health dimensions (particularly to those individuals with respiratory problems), but since he area is virtually uninhabited this is not an issue of great importance.

• Creation of Spoil. Excavation will result in the creation of certain amounts of spoil which have to be dealt with in such a manner that it doesn’t harm agricultural activities in the area.

• Construction Waste: is a typical by-product of the construction process and may include concrete waste, masonry waste, plastics, paper, metals, wood …etc. Depending on the scope and location of the site specific project in question the generated construction waste contributes to the solid waste.

• Material Transport: during the construction process various types of material will be transported to the construction sites. This transport will be performed by heavy duty vehicles that need to pass through small rural roads, potentially leading to damage.

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Measures Appropriate construction management practices are required to avoid these impacts to occur. Good construction practices would mitigate most of these temporary impacts to acceptable levels. Dangerous activities in public areas will be controlled to reduce risk to the public, traffic and warning signs will be placed at construction sites, trenches will be provided by fences, or railings. The construction contract document will incorporate all requirements to minimize disturbance from construction activities. It will be monitored by the Environmental Specialist at the PMU to ensure compliance and implementation of the required provisions by the Contractor. Such measures (M.14) will be indicated in a Clean and Safe Construction Plan as part of the ESMP made by the proponent. The MWRI’s approval of this plan is a prerequisite.

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6. Synthesis This chapter in table 6.1 summarizes for the three main drivers of change the main physical effects of the project, the immediate measures, the effects of the immediate measures (second order effects) their impacts and the response to it by taking second order remedial measures. For the triggered Safeguard Policies and the Construction of the system, a more straight forwarded summary of the avoiding, mitigating and compensating measures is given.

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Table 6.1first order effect remedial measures second order effect impacts remedial measures

Water from NileOver-exploitation ofNilewater

Plan and implementredistribution of water.(M.3)

General water stress General declineof income inclueWDWCIRP in theHE program(M.2B)Assureadequatewater supply throughouttheNilesystem (M.2A)NWRP II prioritization (M.1)

Increased flow in RosettaBranch

Improved water qualityRos. Branch

none

Lower water qualityNubariya

Water quality assessment study (M.5)Intensify water qual. monitoring (M.5)NWRP II prioritization of water qualitymeasures (M.6)

River erosion /sedimentation/submergenceof river banks

Study river morphology (M.4)Assesswater level rise (M.4)Involuntary resettlement policy (M.10-12)

Groundwater useDeclineanddeterioration of g.w.

Implement projectWDWCIRP

Intensification ofagriculture

Improved income and jobopportunities

none

Pollution of groundwater Integrated pest management andfertilizer management (M.7)Agricultural sewagecontrol (M.7)Intensify monitoring (M.8)

Conjunctiveuse Residual declineof g.w. Develop packageof measuresundersustainablegroundwater managementplan (M.7)Intensify monitoring and licensegroundwater use(M.8)

Induced developmentIntensification ofagriculture

Increase in job opportunities Changeof settlement andcommuting pattern

Monitoring socio-economic changeprocesses (M.9)

Safeguards policies Issue Avoiding measures Mitigating measures Compensating measuresInv. resettlement Supplementary canal Comparativestudy of Optimization of design Comply with RPF and GoE legislation

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alternativedesigns (M.10) (M.11) (M.12)Alignmentsof pipelines Optimization of design

and constructionComply with RPF and GoE legislation

River banksof Rosetta Study on river morphology Comply with RPF and GoE legislationCultural physicalproperty

Unexpected encountersalong pipelinealignments inproject area

Apply rules/proceduresofSupremeCouncil ofAntiquities;Optimize research anddesign procedures. (M.13)

Pest management Pollution of groundwaterdue to increased applicationof fertilizers, pesticides,herbicides

Introduce integrated pestmanagement inGroundwater ManagementPlan (M.7)(follow EurepGAPprotocol)

Construction Dust; spoil; waste; andtransport.Important road and railwaycrossings;Crossing with SOMIDCrudeOil Pipeline.

DBO contractor producesEIA and EMP including aClean and SafeConstruction Plan.(M.14)

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PART II: Environmental and Social Management Plan: a framework

1. Introduction In Part I of this report the (potential) environmental and social impacts have been assessed and possible avoiding, mitigating and compensating measures have been analyzed and listed. The ESMP is in part a framework at this juncture, for the following reasons

(i) Some of the specific elements relating to the DBO contractor will be defined through adetailed ESMP once the final design and alignment of the pipeline has been determined.

(ii) Some specific impacts and their mitigation measures (e.g. water quality/sanitation; hydrology of Rosetta Branch) will be determined through detailed follow-on studies and assessments or through ongoing assessments.

(iii) Some proposed mitigation measures are beyond the sole decision of the project, especially those relating to the NWRP (e.g. relating to prioritization of areas for water savings, sanitation programs).

This Environmental and Social Management Plan provides a road map for further project preparation and implementation. A number of potential impacts can still be avoided if the final project design is adapted and if some institutional measures are taken before the start of the project’s operational phase. Parts of the ESMP are already being executed pro-actively. It is the role of the PMU and Regulatory Office to ensure that these aspects are followed through effectively and with continued rigor.

Overall, the measures of the ESMP (summarized in Table 2) are grouped in seven components which refer to the six main impact themes as discussed above and a general component.

I) Safe main Nile system management plan; II) Safe water quality for Nubariya Canal; III) Sustainable groundwater management plan; IV) Social development plan; V) Safeguards implementation plan; VI) Clean and safe construction plan; VII) General support to PMU and Regulatory Office.

Chapter 2 describes for each ESMP component the single remedial measures and actions to be taken, the executive bodies and the supervising agency, the capacity building and monitoring components if relevant, and the financial requirements. Table 1 gives an overview of the measures. This information is consolidated in separate chapters on Monitoring (Chapter 3), Capacity Building (Chapter 4), an Institutional Chapter 5 and a Financial Chapter 6.

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2. Description of the ESMP components All measures described below will be taken or already have been taken by MWRI and as a specific task assigned to the relevant departments and sectors. An indicative time schedule is included in Table 2.

2.1 Component I: Safe main Nile system management plan#

These measures, which will seek to ensure adequate supply through the Nile, will include, among others, the following: (a) under the NWRP project the water balance of the Nile system will be monitored closely to assess availability of water and implementation of water saving measures for the horizontal expansion plans including the project areat. The WDWCIRP project management will, as an input in the NWRP process, identify specific water saving measures which relate to the project (M.1)); (b) the promotion of scaling-up within the old lands, as a priority, the successful results of the Bank-financed IIIMP project which has demonstrated the viability of achieving the dual benefits of water savings and improving productivity water (M.2A); (c) get project area prioritized and targeted for water saving measures by GOE, by seeking a direct reference to the WDWCIRP area within the official documentation pertaining of the Horizontal Expansion Program (M.2B); and to ensure adequate water supply through the Nile systems, and avoid constraints or shortfall, the DBO contractor and the attached service standards will specify that the operator has to provide the MWRI the monthly water requirements for the upcoming year (M.3). That will be followed with his daily requirements to be submitted 10 days before the beginning of each month. This will enable the MWRI to adjust its operational planning for water distribution in time to ensure adequate water supplies for the project and rest of the system. Measure 1 Identify specific water saving measures and provide concrete input to the

NWRP process.

Discussion: Implementation of the National Water Resources Plan under a new Water Policy: Water for the Future is being finalized6. The strategic National Water Resources Plan aims to prioritize a large number of water saving and quality improving measures for implementation. The NWRP is therefore the most important planning mechanism for a "Safe main Nile system management". If the measures of the NWRP that have been started already are successfully implemented in addition to available water due to agricultural land loss to urbanization, savings of water in the Nile system will be sufficient to make up for the water requirements of the project. Moreover, the Implementation Support Project for NWRP, has recently been approved by both MWRI and the Government of the Netherlands and will most likely become operational within a year.

The measures (such as restriction of rice and banana cultivation; treatment of Rahawi drain; IIIMP extensions; Rural sanitation projects; etc.) are beyond the reach of an ESMP of a single project. However, projects like WDWCIRP will help to set priorities in the implementation of the NWRP. The PMU of the WDWCIRP will be

6 This includes the GOE Horizontal Expansion Program for Agriculture – including the West Delta Irrigation Improvement Project.

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the responsible party to work with other MWRI entities to provide the input to the NWRP.

Actions: 1) In addition to other savings due to agricultural land use conversion, identify and assess potential water saving projects with direct bearing on WDWCIRP and introduce theme to NWRP process.

2) Monitoring of the water balance of the Nile system; Monitoring program: action 2) is a regular task of the Central Administration for Water

Distribution. Capacity Building: The Implementation Support Project to NWRP includes relevant capacity

building components. Executive responsibility: The Central Administration for Water Distribution and the PMU in a

coordinating and implementation role. Supervision: The supervision role is assigned to HEPS Timing: As soon as NWRP ISP becomes effective. Financing: The total cost (during all WDWCIRP phases) is an estimated US$ 150,000. Measure 2 Assure adequate water throughout the Nile system

Measure 2A Scaling-up water saving measures within the old lands based on the results of IIIMP.

Discussion: The Government has committed itself to a concession of Nile water for the WDWCIRP. Mitigation of negative impacts of the withdrawal of water from the Nile for this project is therefore the responsibility of the Government and not of the DBO contractor. The MWRI is the competent authority. The proposed measures are based on the stand-still and precautionary principles as defined in the National Water Policy 2017. As a precautionary principle the Policy also states: "New plans for horizontal expansion of agricultural area will be made dependent on further water saving measures or the availability of additional water resources".

Actions: The promotion of scaling-up within the old lands, as a priority in the NWRP implementation, the successful results of the Bank-financed IIIMP project which has demonstrated the viability of achieving the dual benefits of water savings and improving productivity water.

Monitoring: An extensive monitoring program including water saving performance is conducted under the IIP and IIIMP projects.

Capacity Building: notapplicable. Executive responsibility: Irrigation Improvement Sector. Supervision: MWRI Timing: Ongoing Financing: not applicable Measure 2B Seeking direct reference to the WDWCIRP area within the official

documentation on the Horizontal Expansion Program.

Discussion: The Horizontal Expansion Program aims to develop 1.42 million hectares outside the Nile Valley and Delta as new agricultural land. Projects that are recognized for this program can be assigned water in line with official agreed policies. During the study no reference could be made on this to an official document.

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Actions: MWRI will confirm in writing that the WDWCIRP project is part of the Horizontal Expansion Program.

Monitoring: notapplicable Capacity Building: notapplicable. Executive responsibility: Horizontal Expansion Projects Sector of MWRI. Supervision: MWRI/PMU Timing: Before loan negotiations. Financing: not applicable Measure 3 Guard against constraints and shortfall in water supply.

Discussion: When for the WDWCIRP project pumping starts from the Rayah el Nasseri, the downstream command areas of this canal would suffer from serious water shortages without complementary measures. It is planned to refill the Rayah el Nasseri with water from the Rosetta Branch. To prevent concentrated water shortages in the service areas of the Rosetta Branch, the next step is to direct additional water from Delta Barrage to the Rosetta Branch. To avoid any chance on mistakes in the water management system timely planning for the new situation should be made.

Actions: 1) A revised Annual Hydraulic Plan which takes the new project water needs into account.

2) An ex-ante operational plan showing in some detail that the main control structures of the Nile system will be reset timely.

Monitoring: No specific monitoring program needed. Water distribution will be monitored under the regular monitoring program of the CAWD

Capacity Building: not applicable Executive responsibility: action 1) The CAWD is responsible to prepare the Annual Hydraulic

Plan for approval by HE the Minister. The DBO contractor should prepare annually awater allocation request and submit it to the MWRI.

action 2) The DBO contractor will notify every 10 days the water needs he has (within his concessional right) for the next period to the General Directorate of Water Distribution of MWRI. The CAWD adjusts its 10-day operational plan accordingly.

Supervision: CAWD and PMU. Timing: Operational phase of WDWCIRP. Financing: not applicable

Measure 4 Mitigation of impacts of hydrological changes of Rosetta Branch

Discussion: Assuming the discharge of the Rosetta Branch will increase substantially, it may be expected that water levels will rise and erosion/sedimentation patterns will change. This may affect people who in one way or another make use of the banks of the river. Because such assessment is beyond the possibilities of this ESIA, a special study is proposed.

Actions: 1) An additional assessment of hydrological changes of Rosetta Branch and their impacts. This study has been launched already by HEPS to be carried out by the Nile Research Institute of the NWRC. Results will be available by the end of March 2007.

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2) An addendum to the EMP should be produced by NRI if potential impacts dictate so. This relates among others to compensation for those who are negatively affected by the rise of water level in Rosetta Branch, according Egyptian Law. The Resettlement Policy Framework for WDWCIRP provides the necessary procedures.

3) Ex post monitoring of hydrological and morphological changes along Rosetta Branch. This monitoring component can be part of the existing monitoring efforts of MWRI. Extra attention is required during the first couple of years after the increased discharges appear.

Monitoring program: see action 3). Capacity Building: notapplicable Executive responsibility: NRI on assignment by HEPS. Supervision: HEPS supervises NRI and reports to the PMU. Timing: The study has started recently. Results will be available by the end of June 2007 Financing: not applicable

2.2 Component II: Safe water quality for Nubariya Canal

Measure 5 Water quality assessment study

Discussion: Relatively clean water of the Rayah el Nasseri will be used for WDWCIRP. This water will be replaced downstream of the off-take with water of lower quality, which is pumped from the Rosetta Branch. The hydrological and water quality situation is too complex to allow for a quick assessment during the present ESIA. Hence a water quality assessment study is required. The study should be regarded a more rigorous follow-up activity to an earlier prioritization assessment and will comprise both data collection and modeling of impacts of different scenarios with the aim of inclusion of measures in the NWRP.

Actions: 1) A water quality assessment should be conducted further to the study already finalized by DRI (2006) for the Umum Re-use Project and taking its results into account. This study should predict selected water quality parameters in the main water conveyance system of the West Delta Region. It seems logic to assign this study to DRI. Annex VII includes the study proposal.

2) A water quality monitoring program in the region is already part of the regular water monitoring program of the WQMU of MWRI. The monitoring program should be reviewed (based on the findings of the water quality assessment study) and may be intensified (more measuring points and a broader spectrum of pollutants) during the first years of the new hydrological situation.

Monitoring program: see action 2. Capacity Building: There is a need with DRI for more advanced software to simulate the

hydrology of the region, including the behavior of pollutants. Consultancy services will be required to make staff of DRI acquainted with this software, and its practical applications in the setting at hand.

Executive responsibility: DRI of NWRC. Supervision: PMU Timing: Action 1 before construction of WDWCIRP starts; action 2 during operational phase

of the project.

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Financing: US$83,000. The assessment would require US$ 70,000; the extra monitoring US$13,000.

Measure 6 Provide input to NWRP on prioritization of water quality measures

Discussion: What has been stated under measure 1 holds for this measure as well? Priority for instance could be given to extensive sewage treatment in the catchments of Rahawi and Sabal drains.

Actions: Identify and assess potential water quality improvement projects with direct bearing on WDWCIRP and introduce them to the NWRP implementation process.

Monitoring program: not applicable Capacity Building: under NWRP-ISP. Executive responsibility: PMU should provide the input for the Technical Committee of NWRP. Supervision: HEPS Timing: start as soon as NWRP ISP becomes effective. Financing: not applicable

2.3 Component III: Sustainable groundwater management plan

Measure 7 An integrated and sustainable groundwater management system

Discussion: It may be attractive for farmers in the WDWCIRP area to continue, to some extent, the use of groundwater. The wells and infrastructure are in place, the water is (in most cases) still there, the bacteriological quality of the groundwater is better than of the surface water, the farm economic cost of surface water may be higher than of groundwater. A variety of management instruments can be thought of to control the pumping of groundwater and therefore the depletion of the aquifer and of deterioration of the water quality.

Cropping pattern restrictions The peak water requirement in the area occurs in the 4 months May, June July and

August. The surface water supply system will not have enough capacity to deliver all required water. Farmers who want to go for a year round 100% cultivation will use their existing and still functioning wells to make up for the difference. Model calculations show that leaving a portion of 15-20% of the total cultivable area uncultivated in summer will be enough to make groundwater use superfluous. The same area still can be used for other crops during the remaining 8 months of the year.

Regulation of irrigation technology Irrigation efficiency depends highly on the type of irrigation technology that is applied. Most farmers already use modern drip lines in their orchards and certain vegetable cropping, whereas sprinkler systems are used in broadly sown field crops. The measure aims to convert all farmers in the project area to these modern irrigation techniques.

Legal restrictions of groundwater extraction

Law 12 ensures application of licensing of new wells by water users. Licensing of new wells depends on the state of the groundwater.

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Open storage of Nile Water.

Another possibility is to construct surface storage reservoirs to store surplus water during the winter months, to make it available during the summer months, provided that water allocation is not exceeded. The capacity needed would be 600m3/feddan at the maximum, depending on other measures taken to decrease peak water requirements. The DRAINFRAME analysis makes a preliminary calculation of the breakeven cost of the construction of an earth bank reservoir. The local topography is an important factor in the cost calculations. Detailed calculations per individual farm are needed to prove the feasibility of this option. Of course the area of the reservoir will be lost for agriculture.

The option would become more interesting if the reservoirs could be made productive, e.g. for aquaculture. The Keram integrated farm in Bustan is a successful example in this regard.

Artificial recharge of aquifers

Alternative ideas to use the aquifer to store surface water during the lean period for use during the peak season may be considered, provoking extra aquifer recharge during the winter months, provided that recharge is technically feasible and the yearly water allocation is not exceeded. In that case the aquifer is used as an over-season underground storage facility. The disadvantage is the cost resulting from keeping two water supply systems operational. This also triggers discussion about who will pay for the aquifer recharge and who will benefit.

The water quality of the groundwater in the project area is already deteriorating. To prevent further degeneration the following three measures are proposed.

Integrated pest management

Integrated pest management is a package of practices in itself which results in lower agrochemical residues on the produce and also in less dangerous contamination of the soil and finally the groundwater. Substantial number of farmers are certified to produce under the EurepGAP protocol. This means that they already follow Integrated Pest Management methods and wise use of fertilizers. The aim is to bring all farmers to these practices

Fertilizer management

Overdoses of fertilizers generally result in eutrophication of the groundwater. Nitrates and phosphates are notorious. The fertilizer filler may contribute to alkalinization of the soil and groundwater. The EurepGAP protocol also includes wise use of fertilizers. The aim is to bring all farmers to this wise use.

Treatment of domestic and industrial sewage water

Except for Sadat City, no waste water treatment plants are installed. Now that the economic and social activities in the area will intensify because of the spin-off of the project, pollution of the groundwater by the scattered domestic and agro-industrial sources of pollution may increase.

Actions: 1) It is proposed that the above instruments, which may control the groundwater quantity and quality to sustainable levels, will be developed in an integrated package, while taking the following guidelines into account: • There will be no total prohibition of groundwater extraction;

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• Groundwater extraction that takes place will be monitored; • Enforcement of licensing of new wells; • The right and amount to pump water is subject to license; • The amount of groundwater a farmer is entitled to, should be made dependent on

measures he has taken to save groundwater, like artificial recharge, irrigation technology in use, reduction of peak water requirement;

• Groundwater can always be used in case of emergency, i.e. if no surface water is available (groundwater as a back-up asset);

• Free riders (farmers not willing to connect) will get a license for groundwater as well but only to the amount they are used to; hence no new wells. Strict monitoring/policing should be applied here.

2) The responsibility for groundwater management should be shared between the Groundwater Sector of the MWRI and the Water Users Council, an association of farmers-investors, with well specified complementary roles and responsibilities. The WUC has been established already, but it needs to be strengthened in all its duties (Box 1). The responsibility for WUC development lies with the Central Directorate Irrigation Advisory Services (CD-IAS) of MWRI.

Box 1 Formal duties of WUO in WDWCIRP (Annex X)

1) Approval of layout and designs for the whole project. However, DWBs and WUAs will be responsible for the lower levels.

2) Participate in formulation of systems related to financing and water management (including regulations on the water resources management, e.g. conjunctive use);

3) Development of internal regulations and procedures; 4) Ensuring equity in water availability and risks sharing;

5) Settling of conflicts and disputes between users, on one hand, and between the users, the ministries and the operators;

6) Participate in setting and monitoring service standards; 7) Participate in setting tariffs for late entrants; 8) Participate in setting regulations for ownership of assets; and

The duties of the WUC should be extended with the (shared) responsibility for the groundwater management plan.

Monitoring program: The WUC will monitor the groundwater use and report to the GWS (self monitoring of wells).

Capacity Building: CD-IAS will need strengthening to implement action 2, as the nature of this WUC is largely different from the classic WUOs in the Old Land.

Executive responsibility: ad action 1) The WUC albeit with a temporary status has been established recently by Ministerial Decree. The membership of the WUC should be made obligatory for those farmers who connect to the surface water system

Of course the sustainable groundwater management plan can not be introduced overnight. It is a model to which neither the Groundwater Sector nor the WUC are used to, and probably lack the capacity at this moment in time.

Hence it is proposed to follow a process approach in developing this management system (read Box 2).

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Box 2 The Process Approach Given the complex nature of the project area, including the variability of activities, the nature of the water resources (presently only groundwater becoming either totally surface water and/or a combination of both), the variability in land ownerships, the multitude of actors and interests involved and the stage of development, a “Process Approach” will be adopted to achieve the objectives and outputs, as follows: • Division of the project area into (more or less) homogeneous sub-regions, based on both the present distribution of well fields and the preliminary layout and design of branch canals and intakes/outlets. About 3-4 sub-regions (one for each branch/main intake) are foreseen at this stage; but could be modified after consultation with the farming community in the project area.• Nomination of an initiative group, about 8 to 15. These will represent the various types of present development (activities) as well as the various categories of ownership. This means that the process will be a top-down rather than bottom-up. The main reason is to facilitate the agreement upon the initial design of the new water management system and to ensure an early start of the project. • This so-called initiative group can be considered the initial Water Union (WU) and will be responsible for (under the monitoring/facilitation of the MWRI officials): 1. Attending the first meeting at the MWRI to ensure a proper planning of the next steps; 2. Informing the other users in their respective commands about the project and the approach followed and seek their support for the next steps; 3. Giving their first opinions about the primary layout and arrangements of the project; and4. Forming the final WU, Water Boards (WBs) on the sub-basins levels and Water Users Associations (WUAs) on turn outs/intakes (lower level representation). • At a later stage, this group will vanish, giving place to bottom-up elections.

How the groundwater management plan will exactly look like (given the guidelines outlined above, should be left to the participatory process that should take place between WUC, GS and CD-IAS as facilitating partner.

ad action 2). CD-IAS will be responsible for facilitating the further development of the WUC.

Supervision: PMU Timing: To be started during project design. Financing: US$200,000 for the capacity building of CD-IAS and running cost of their program

with the WUC and Groundwater Sector. Measure 8 Intensify groundwater monitoring

Discussion: Groundwater monitoring is part of the groundwater management responsibility. Monitoring is carried out regularly by both the Research Institute for Groundwater and the Groundwater Sector of the MWRI. The periodic monitoring program covers: a. groundwater levels (piezometric heads); b.groundwater quality; and c. extractions.

Results of all these activities are used to update the data base and potential maps of groundwater; which are the bases for licensing new wells and/or assessing pollution sources. A pollution risk map for the project concession area will be derived from the data.

Capacity Building: not applicable Executive Responsibility: The Ground Water Sector of the MWRI Supervision: PMU. Timing: Operational phase.

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Financing: The intensified monitoring of the existing observation wells will require extra maintenance over 5 years, to an estimated amount of US$30,000 while the 5 year cost of sampling program (sample taking and analyses to cover a package of constituents, including pesticide residues, nitrates and bacteriological components) will cost US$330,000. Total: US$ 360,000.

2.4 Component IV: Social development plan

Discussion: Socio-economic changes in the area will be led by the labor demand generated by the investors; government planning is needed to go hand in hand with the economic investment in the West Delta. Additional economic spin-off can be expected in the supply of goods and services for agriculture as well as processing industries for raw products. Such spin-offs can only be exploited to its full potential when sufficient labor is available, with sufficient level of education.

Based on information obtained from the field, it is strongly recommended that an integrated socio-economic development plan for the project region (and beyond) will be put on the national development agenda. Development of an integrated plan for the West Delta region, comparable to a National Water Resources Plan, would be an opportunity (rather than an environmental risk) for sustainable socio-economic development of the region. This is beyond the reach and responsibility of the project. However, it is considered important to monitor on a yearly basis the social and economic development after the project has become operational and submit the findings to the Land Use Planning Authority.

Measure 9 Social monitoring program

Actions: A baseline study should be conducted as soon as practically possible, followed by regular (annual) monitoring program of the main indicators of change. It is critical to avoid an overly complex exercise. The baseline study, on which subsequent monitoring will build, should focus on a few monitorable variables. As highlighted in the SIA the interests of the farmers in the project area vary, and the monitoring process should focus on how the project affects both big and small farmers. The social impacts of the project both on the workforce and the local communities should be monitored. (see Section 3 for a tentative list of socio-economic parameters). This baseline study and monitoring program will be done by the Drainage Research Institute, which has experience in the area and with the subject. The results preferably are submitted to the Land Use Planning Authority which can take the initiative to start integrated planning for the region.

The socio-economic section of DRI has conducted a study on these subjects during the DRAINFRAME assessment and this institute can be assigned the task for a number of years, starting with a baseline assessment. Annex VIII presents a proposal for a follow-up study and monitoring program.

Supervision: The PMU will review the ToR for the monitoring program, and follow–up during the various stages of implementation.

Timing: The baseline study should be conducted one year before the project becomes operational; regular monitoring thereafter on an annual basis.

Financing: Cost of baseline study and annual monitoring program: US$ 55,000

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2.5 Component V: Safeguard policies

2.5.1 Involuntary resettlement

Measure 10 Avoidance of involuntary resettlement

Discussion: In this section, a policy framework and operational procedures for an ESMP are provided, based on the detailed Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) prepared in a separate volume. Annex IX presents more detail, o.a gaps between Egyptian laws and the World Bank safeguards policy; extensive legal and institutional background; various laws and legislation managing the issue of expropriation for public interest; operational procedures stated within Egyptian law that should be followed during the expropriation process and methods of estimating compensation. The policy may be triggered in two occasions: 1) the construction of the pipeline networks in the WDWCIRP area; and 2) land and buildings along the Rosetta Branch, depending on the extent of hydrological changes.

Actions: 1) The DBO contractor will optimize his design of the pipeline alignments for the least expropriation impact.

2) The NRI will produce an addendum to the ESMP in case the study on the Rosetta Branch reveals involuntary resettlement policy is triggered (see Measure 3)

Monitoring program: not applicable Capacity Building: notapplicable Executive responsibility : ad 1) DBO contractor; ad 2) NRI Supervision: ad 1) PMU. Timing: ad 1): during design phase. ad 2): results are expected by end of June 2007. Financing: ad 1): Since this measure will be included in the ToR for tendering, financing comes

out of the contract sum. ad 2) The study has started already with financing from MWRI regular budget. Measure 11 Mitigation of involuntary resettlement

Discussion: Mitigating measures for involuntary resettlement is mainly covered by downgrading from permanent to temporary expropriation or to mere right-of-way situations. One measure has already been implemented when it was decided to change from open canal water conveyance to buried closed conduits. Smart construction techniques and procedures may also mitigate the disadvantages of temporary expropriation or loss of production. Loss of property or livelihood along Rosetta, if occuring, is expected to be permanent.

Actions: DBO contractor optimizes the alignments of the pipelines, roads and other works. Monitoring program: not applicable Capacity Building: notapplicable Executive responsibility: DBO contractor Supervision: PMU. Timing: During design phase. Financing: Since this measure will be included in the ToR for tendering, financing comes out of

the contract sum. Measure 12 Compensation of involuntary resettlement.

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Discussion: Whatever remains on involuntary resettlement after avoiding and mitigating measures have been taken, should be compensated. More detailed information is given in Annex IX which contains the Executive Summary of the RPF and in the RPF itself.

Actions: Responsibilities for implementation of the RPF and subsequent RPs are as follows: 1) MWRI will attach to the bidding document, (i) a copy of the RPF; and (ii)copy of the rules, regulation and procedures enforced by the government of Egypt for compensation for involuntary resettlement; The later specify that standard market rates are determined by independent assessors which should be acceptable to the Bank, for market prices of new reclaimed lands, old lands in the Delta and along the Rosetta canal. The bidding document will also require that the bidders should pay the agreed market price in case full expropriation of land is required and /or temporary or partial land acquisition 2) The bidding documents and DBO contract will require the successful bidder to prepare RP’s, in parallel to the detailed design, to mitigate involuntary resettlement issues related to the project. 3) The Bank will provide its no objection to the successful bidder provided it fully complies with the RPF and the draft resettlement plans prepared by the successful bidder. The contract should stipulate that no civil works can start until the project affected persons (PAPs) are fully compensated. at market rate 4) After contract signature, the DBO contractor will officially submit to MWRI the necessary documentation, including detailed RP’s, for their review and approval 5) MWRI will be responsible to complete the expropriation process in accordance with the RPF and RPs 6) Once the expropriation/ land acquisition process is officially completed, MWRI will require that the DBO contractor provide them the full amount of compensation to the PAPs before issuing the working orders for construction 7) MWRI will submit to the Bank in its semi annual progress report, the status of expropriation/land acquisition and compensations

Monitoring program: Implementation of the Resettlement Plans will be regularly supervised and

monitored by the PMU in coordination with the Governorate. The findings will be recorded in reports to be furnished to the World Bank as indicated above.

Internal monitoring by PMU will follow-up on the actions needed for the Plan implementation; the quality of the actions undertaken; the timely funding for implementing the Resettlement Plans; the administration of all grievances and their resolution; organize periodically external monitoring and evaluation; the outputs that have been delivered.

Capacity Building: not applicable. Executive responsibility: The measures to be taken to avoid or mitigate involuntary resettlement

(it mainly relates to expropriation of land) are the responsibility of the DBO contractor along with HEPS, under the supervision of the PMU, because these precautions form part of the design process of the entire project.

According to Law 10/1990 the Egyptian Authority for Land Surveying (ESA) is mandated to deal with overall coordination of expropriation and resettlement in collaboration with other ministries or local governmental bodies. In this case the MWRI at the national and governorate level would be the appropriate contact point for the DBO contractor. As indicated above, the preparation of Resettlement

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Plans/Land Acquisition plans will be done by the contractor but the review of these plans, the signing of any documents relating to the expropriation of land should be the sole responsibility of MWRI.

Preparation of RPs concerning any expropriation/compensation along the Rosetta Branch is the responsibility of the GoE/MWRI.

Funds for implementing Resettlement Plans will be provided for by the project based on the cost estimated and presented in the Resettlement Plans. In case of overruns of costs due to unforeseen delays or other circumstances, the Regulatory Office will decide the party that will be responsible for providing necessary additional funds as required to cover all resettlement costs.

Supervision: PMU. Timing: The resettlement plan has to be approved and all compensation payments completed

prior to the start of construction Financing: Preparing the Resettlement Plans is part of the ToR of the tender and incurred costs

will be financed from the contract sum. Financial compensation of expropriation is covered by the total contract sum. Funding of the capacity building for property valuators will be part of component 3 of the project.

2.5.2 Framework for loss of Cultural Physical Property

Measure 13 Avoiding loss of Cultural Physical Property

Discussion: The project area is not known for archeological discoveries, nor are there any antique buildings. The Copt monasteries of Wadi el Natrun are outside the project area. Because digging for the main pipelines of the project will go deeper, the chance to encounter anything archeologically valuable, although small, cannot be completely ruled out. The safeguard procedures of Egypt for protection of antiquities are clear, appropriate, and applicable for WDWCIRP. The general contract of the MWRI regulates this issue through its clause no. 25 which make contractors responsible for any antiquities during excavation both by calling for the Supreme Council of Antiquities in the case they find any antiquity and by employing and pay for the technicians of the Council during the period of work.

As regards potential damage to modern cultural and religious objects, the DBO has to follow the Egyptian Law.

Actions: 1) Reconnaissance survey with Supreme Council of Antiquities. 2) Design optimization to avoid any damage to cultural physical property. 3) Acquire clearance from the Supreme Council for Antiquities of the final design. 4) Apply Egyptian Law and procedures in case of unexpected encounters of archeological artifacts.

Monitoring: The DBO contractor is responsible for daily monitoring (self monitoring). Basically the progress of digging the alignments for the buried pipes should be followed on a daily basis. This will trigger immediate action if some antiquity is encountered.

Capacity Building: not applicable. Executive responsibility: actions 1, 2, 3, 4) DBO contractor along with HEPS; Supervision: PMU along with the Supreme Council of Antiquities supervise the DBO contractor. Financial: The budget required to avoid loss of cultural physical property should be part of the

total contract sum. Hence, the item should form part of the ToR for tendering.

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2.5.3 Framework for Pest Management

Pest management in the WDWCIRP project is relevant in view of the protection of groundwater quality. The farmers are organized in the new Water Users Council (see Annex X) and therefore they will have a clear role in the groundwater management plan. (See measure 7). The issue is covered in Section 2.3 where Integrated Pest Management is presented in the wider context of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan.

2.6 Component VI: Construction activities

Measure 14 Clean and Safe Construction Plan (CSCP)

Discussion: The project area is predominantly used for agriculture. As it is virtually uninhabited the construction related impacts will not have any significant human health consequences, nor will these affect the living conditions of inhabitants. Nevertheless, a number of issues require attention. As repeatedly stated, a precise technical design and layout of the project are not known yet. Consequently, this section will only provide an overview of issues which need to be addressed in a detailed ESMP to be produced by the DBO contractor.

Actions: The DBO contractor will indicate in his final design how he will construct the project with minimal damage to the environment and with maximum safety for the laborers and people passing by. This Clean and Safe Construction Plan should be approved by the Regulatory Office before construction can start. The following items should get particular attention in this plan.

CrossingsThe planned delivery and distribution system has several crossings with the SOMID crude oil pipeline, the Cairo – Alexandria Railway (Supplementary Supply Canal) and the Cairo-Alexandria Desert road.

It includes the necessary main structures required where the proposed mains and sub-mains cross existing roads, SOMID pipeline or any other obstacles. Other minor crossings are not included in this overview. The crossing structures are listed below:

Culverts for main pipelines • under Cairo Alexandria Desert Road at kilo 9 on Main 03 • under SOMID oil pipeline at kilo 15 on Main 03. • under Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road at kilo 17 on Main 04. • under SOMID pipeline at kilo 21 on Main 04. • under SOMID pipe line at kilo 6 on Main 10. • under SOMID pipe line at kilo 0 on Main 12. • under a main asphalt road at kilo 5.5 on Main 18.

This is the information from the preliminary design of the technical study; the final design may have a different lay-out.

If crossings can be made by hydraulic jacking the disturbance will be kept to a minimum. However, the Desert Highway is a large obstacle for which it may not be possible to use this technology, especially when pipes of large diameters have to be jacked.

The proponent will have to indicate how this crossing will be made, causing as little obstruction as possible to this strategic corridor. (N.B: the Desert Highway will in

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the near future be upgraded to a four-laned motorway; opportunities to combine construction activities may be explored).

Construction ImpactsDuring construction activities various activities may cause local environmental impacts. These include: • Site preparation and or leveling • Excavation of materials • Performing construction activities such concrete works, metal works, masonry

works, and or electro-mechanical activities • Mobilization and use of heavy construction equipment • Transport of construction materials and supplies.

There are mainly three common outcomes of the construction process that would potentially impact the environment. • Dust and Particulate Emissions: especially during the process of excavations

and fill using heavy construction machinery, but also from the storage of piles of free flowing materials in open spaces such as sand and excavated material piles. Although such phenomena are temporary in nature, they may affect nearby agricultural lands. This process of air borne dust and particulate emissions may have environmental health dimensions (particularly to those individuals with respiratory problems), but since he area is virtually uninhabited this is not an issue of great importance.

• Creation of Spoil. Excavation will result in the creation of certain amounts of spoil which have to be dealt with in such a manner that it doesn’t harm agricultural activities in the area.

• Construction Waste: is a typical by-product of the construction process and may include concrete waste, masonry waste, plastics, paper, metals, wood, etc. Depending on the scope and location of the site specific project in question the generated construction waste contributes to the solid waste.

• Material Transport: during the construction process various types of material will be transported to the construction sites. This transport will be performed by heavy duty vehicles that need to pass through small rural roads, potentially leading to damage.

Appropriate construction management practices are required to avoid these impacts to occur. Such measures should be further detailed in the EMP made by the proponent.

Monitoring program: The DBO contractor has the first responsibility to see that the CSCP is followed during construction. PMU will do regular inspections. EEAA can decide to exert occasionally external inspection.

Capacity Building: not applicable. Executive responsibility: The responsibility for the CSCP lies with the DBO contractor. Supervision: The PMU and EEAA Timing: The CSCP will be ready with the final design. The monitoring takes place during the

whole construction phase. Financing: CSCP is part of the contract and incurred costs will be covered by the contract. Measure 15 Institutional strengthening for PMU

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Apart from the measure-specific components of the ESMP, a general component is included which provides for the required support and capacity within the PMU. The PMU has to monitor the implementation of the ESMP components which are assigned to Governmental Agencies, and follow-up the DBO contractor’s obligations for the ESMP. This component comprises unspecified consultant services and capacity building if and when required, and a relatively large fund for unforeseen expenses which may appear in the other components of the ESMP. This is to allow flexibility of operations during the preparation and implementation of the ESMP. Financing: For PMU support a lump sum of US$ 400,000 will be set aside.

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Table II.1: Overview of remedial measures, implementing agencies and supervising roles ESMP measures implementing

agency supervising

role beforeloan

Design

construc-tion

operation

Component I: Safe Main Nile System Management Plan M.1 Identify specific water saving measures, and provide concrete input to the NWRP process.

CAWD, WMRI

PMU , HEPS7

x x x x

M.2 Ensure adequate water throughout the Nile system, inter alia,: M.2A scaling-up within the old lands of water savings measures based on results of IIIMP. M.2B Seek direct reference to the WDWCIRP area within the official documentation on the Horizontal Expansion Program. so as to get project area prioritized and targeted for ‘water savings measures’ by GOE, by seeking a direct

IIS

HEPS, MWRI

MWRI

PMU

x

x

x x x

M.3 To guard against constraints and shortfalls, the Ministry will be informed ahead of the monthly water requirements for the upcoming year.

DBO contractor and CAWD

PMU x x

M.4 Mitigation measures to guard against any potential erosion and sedimentation of the Rosetta Branch will be based on outcomes of ongoing assessment.

NRI, HEPS, PMU x x x

Component II: Safe Water Quality for Nubariya Canal M.5 A water quality assessment study relating to sewage treatment aimed at identifying and costing specific priority programs for inclusion in the GOE, LE 20 billion sanitation plan.

DRI PMU

x x

M.6 Provide NWRP with above input for prioritization of water quality (sanitation/sewerage) measures

PMU HEPS x x x

Component III: Integrated sustainable groundwater management plan M.7 An integrated and sustainable groundwater management plan which includes several specific measures should be put in place to promote groundwater recharge and improved quality (includes provisions for IPM).

WUO & GWS

PMU x x

M.8 Intensified groundwater monitoring

GWS PMU x x x

Component IV: Social Development Plan M.9 Monitoring of socio-economic DRI PMU x

7 PMU to be given a coordination/implementation role with HEPS given a supervision role.

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change processes Component V: Safeguards Policy

Safeguard Policy Involuntary Resettlement8

M.10 Avoidance DBO contractor

PMU x

M.11 Mitigation DBO contractor

PMU x x

M.12 Compensation DBO contractor

PMU x

Physical Cultural Property M.13 Avoiding through Clause 25 of general contract specifications of MWRI.

HEPS PMU/SCA

x x

Pest Management Policy Addressed through M.7 Component VI: Construction activities

M.14 Clean and Safe Constr. Plan DBO contractor

PMU/HEPS/EEA

A

x x

Component VII: General support and capacity building M.15 Institutional strengthening for PMU

PMU HEPS x x x x

8 More fully dealt with in the Resettlement Policy Framework.

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3. Monitoring plan The following elaborates on the monitoring activities in the ESMP that are foreseeable at this stage of project preparation. This chapter aims to offer a framework and guidelines for a monitoring plan which can only be finalized once the project design is ready and studies, which are proposed, have been conducted. Three levels of monitoring and evaluation are distincted. (i) impact monitoring, (ii) progress monitoring, and (iii) external monitoring and evaluation.

3.1 Impact monitoring

This includes ex-ante effects and impact assessment and ex-post impact monitoring and evaluation of the WDWCIRP interventions. These activities have been described as parts of measures of the ESMP. M.3 Monitoring the hydrological behavior of the Rosetta Branch during operational stage; M.5 Monitoring the water quality of Rayah el Nasseri, Rayah el Beheiri, Nubariya and Nasser

Canals, Rosetta Branch. M.8 Monitoring the groundwater quality and quantity during operation of the project. M.9 Monitoring the social development of the region. In the DRAINFRAME conceptual framework (World Bank-ARD 2004) the following statement is made: “ any intervention in the natural resources system results in changes of the characteristics of the resources. These changes have an effect on the functions of these resources, and finally the affected functions lead to impacts on the users of these functions.” A good monitoring system will attempt to map the three connections in this cause-effect chain: interventions-changes-effects-impacts. The selection of the parameters to be monitored should reflect the causality between the distinct links. M.3 The assessment study, ex-ante will assess the hydrological changes that occur in the

Rosetta Branch when the discharge through Delta Barrage will be increased (intervention). The next step is to make an inventory of the functions of the river and river banks of Rosetta Branch along the stretch that will experience higher water levels and more scouring or sedimentation of the river. The connection is the effect that the changing hydrology has on these functions: e.g. small scale vegetable cultivation; ferry services; place for all kinds of buildings; natural protection against erosion; etc. The third step is to identify the users of these functions and quantify the economic, social or ecological impacts on them.

The ex-post monitoring (i.e. when the hydrology has changed due to project operation) will follow the same steps by monitoring the right parameters:

Intervention: Discharge in Rosetta Branch throughout the year. Changes: - Water levels in the Rosetta Branch at selected points along its course. - Flow velocity. - Sediment load. Effects: - Submerged agricultural land (permanently or seasonally). - Affected buildings, ferry ramps, etc. - Events of river scouring and occurrence of hazardous sediment banks. Impacts: - Economic damage. - Social damage (e.g. to housing, health conditions, etc.). - Ecological damage.

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To avoid the chance that certain impacts will be missed, the monitoring activity should also open a complaints office, where affected people can have listed their perceived detriments or their concern about certain developments. This activity is in line with Measure 12.

M.5 A study will assess ex-ante how the water quality of the main water conveyance system in the West Delta Region will change when the WDWCIRP projects become operational. An ex-post monitoring program will measure the following parameters:

Intervention: Change in discharges in the main conveyance system at selected points. Changes: - a number of water quality parameters: pH, EC, Cl-, BOD, PCB, PCA,

Coli, etc. Effects: - Suitability as raw water for water treatment plants. Impacts: - Cost of extra treatment. - Cost of alternative supply of raw water to treatment plants. M.8 It is assumed that farmers in the project area will conjunctively use groundwater and

surface water. However, it is difficult to predict how farmers will adapt their irrigation practices to the new conditions. At present the Groundwater Sector of MWRI already runs amonitoring program on groundwater in the West Delta Region. This monitoring program will be intensified when the project becomes operational.

Intervention: Supply of surface water to the project area (in m3/day). Changes: - Amount of groundwater pumping by farmers. - Groundwater levels - Groundwater quality parameters (including salinity, agro-chemical

residuals, domestic and industrial pollutants). Effects: - Intensification of cultivated area. - Rate of fallow during the summer season. - Occurrence of inefficient irrigation technologies. - Use of agro-chemicals. - Suitability and availability of groundwater for domestic and industrial

water supply. - Occurrence of artificial recharge and open storage. Impacts: - Socio-economic impacts will be monitored under measure M.9

M.9 Apart from influence on the groundwater, the project also will influence the social and economic environment in which it is implemented. Since this is perceived an opportunity for regional development, a monitoring program will be carried out which follows some important socio-economic parameters. The results will ultimately be an input for regional development planners to deploy a strategy for development.

Intervention: Supply of surface water to the project area (see M.8) Effects: - Intensification of cultivated area. Impacts: - Increase in agri-business. - Number of jobs created, both permanent and temporary.. - Change in commuting pattern. - Cost of housing. - Cost of land (for agriculture and in building areas) - Availability of social services in the area or near by (health care,

education, communication). - Availability of good quality domestic water. - Development of sewage and solid waste disposal

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- Social impacts of project on commuters/migrants and local communities

3.2 Progress Monitoring and Supervision

As discussed in more detail in chapter 5 of this ESMP, the responsibility for the implementation of the ESMP will be with the PMU. These project management units will supervise the various measures of the ESMP and develop an internal monitoring system on the progress of the actions that are undertaken.

3.3 External monitoring and evaluation

External monitoring usually is the responsibility of a project steering committee. Since the institutional set-up has not yet been decided upon, it is not sure whether the highest project authority will be represented by a steering committee. It is recommended to have an external review of the ESMP performance every two years. The external reviewers will report directly to the EEAA and World Bank. Ongoing external monitoring of the ESMP is conducted on basis of the reports submitted by the project management to the Government of Egypt a.o. including EEAA and the World Bank.

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4. Capacity building and training plan In this chapter the following capacity building activities in relation to the ESMP will be briefly discussed. Again the final program depends on the final project design. M.5: External support and software for water quality assessment study West Delta Region. Consultancy services will be required to make staff of DRI acquainted with new

software, and its practical applications in the setting at hand. (see Annex VII). M.7: External support to CD-IAS for WUO strengthening. Training of Water Users

Organization and capacity building for Groundwater Sector. General:Support to PMU and RO. The structure of the WDWCIRP project management is not yet established. This ESMP

will be supervised by the PMU but assumes a distinction between elements that deals with the DBO contractor, and those that will be implemented by other parties (see table II.1). Further it is assumed that both units have dedicated staff people who have the task to do the direct follow-up of the activities of the ESMP. For these staff persons the project should make available yet unallocated specialist consultancy services at a lump sum budget.

NB! M.3/M.6: The measures M34 and M.6 will feed into the Implementation Support Project for

NWRP (NWRP-ISP); component 3: Enhanced planning capacity and capability, and component 4: Enhanced planning procedures. See also Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Enhanced Planning Procedures Objective: Enhanced NWRP planning procedures in Partner Ministries, in Governorates, and between levels Outputs: • NWRP chapter in MWRI 5 year plans and annual

plans • overall operational 5 year NWRP plans (2007-

2012); (2012-2017); fitting in overall NWRP Policy and FtC

• NWRP chapter in 5 year plans and annual plans

• five year pilot Governorate NWRP plan (Governorate Integrated Water Plans)

• GWRP units established in all Governorates • action plans for all Governorates established

Related activities • develop clear and common planning

concept for all planners. • develop criteria for prioritization of

FtC • provide training by doing to the same

planners • assist with the first 5 year NWRP

planning cycle • link the 5-year plans to the FtC

strategy • co-ordinate and co-operate with IRU

and WQMU • assist with first de-central planning cycle • hands-on and formal training • evaluate the experiences and draw

lessons • dissemination of pilot results to all

Governorates source: Project Formulation Document NWRP-ISP

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5. Institutional plan 5.1 Organizational setting

The project organizational structure is outlined in Figure 1. Overall direction will be provided by the Minister of MWRI and managed on a day-to-day basis by a Project Management Unit (PMU) which has already been established. The line department of MWRI that is trusted to overview the project and assists in its preparation and facilitates its implementation is the Horizontal Expansion Projects Sector (HEPS). Since the project will be implemented using a DBO contract with the private sector, the establishment of a Regulatory Office will also be necessary. In addition, an Independent Panel of Experts will be set up as needed to serve as an intermediate mechanism for handling disputes and conflict resolution. Both the PMU and the Regulatory Office will be under the jurisdiction of MWRI. The PMU will include the financial management and disbursement functions and will supervise the contractual arrangements for the initial construction and expansion of the irrigation system. In addition, it will oversee the implementation of the technical assistance components of the Project. Representatives of the PMU have already been designated by MWRI and have been involved throughout the preparation discussions. A Water User Council has also been established as an independent farmers’ organization to take active part in the project preparation and ultimately during implementation, to monitor the relationships and potential conflicts between farmers on such matters as water entitlements, usage, alternating hours of irrigation, etc. The Council will also monitor groundwater pumping in the area along with the more formal program that will be implemented by PMU within MWRI. The Regulatory Office will provide traditional economic regulatory functions for rate adjustments, tariff rebasing and will oversee the contractual commitments of the operator with regard to the prescribed service standards. As indicated, specialists would be recruited when warranted to serve in the Independent Panel of Experts to resolve specific disputed prior to formal arbitration in case conflicts arise between the private operator and farmers or between the private operator and the government. Overall management of the project components will be the responsibility the Project Management Unit (PMU). The PMU will administer the DBO contract for the implementation of component 1 (design, build). The Unit will also administer activities for components 2 (support to small farmers) and component 3 (support to capacity build PMU, Regulatory Office, and Water User Council), as described in Annex 4. The PMU will be responsible for: (i) monitoring and making sure the project activities are being implemented as designed; (ii) ensuring compliance with contract clauses vis-à-vis the Government by the private operator (these tasks will be done by the Contract Management Unit under the PMU); (iii) ensuring adequate implementation of the TA components for strengthening the Regulatory Office, and the Water User Council as well as the initiatives directed at assisting small farmers.; and (iv) co-ordination, oversight, and monitoring of the Environmental and Social Management Plan Framework. The ESMP framework sets out remedial, monitoring and institutional measures, responsibilities for implementation and related costs. The elements of the ESMP framework for which the borrower will be responsible to implement, and other than those related to the DBO contract, will be funded through the TA of Component 3 of the Project at a level of US$ 1.248

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million. To ensure effective compliance, implementation and supervision of the proposed mitigation measures as outlined in the framework ESMP, the following will be undertaken: (i) DBO contracts: The ESMP (Executive Summary and Main Report) and the RPF will be appended to the bid documents. The bidding documents and the DBO contract will include provisions that the successful bidder will undertake develop a supplementary ESMP, RP and CSCP based on the final design and alignment of the surface water system and connection, which will be submitted to the MWRI and EEAA, in accordance with the national Environmental Protection Law # 4 of 1994. (ii) MWRI will coordinate and cause to implement those elements of the ESMP framework for which it has responsibility (e.g. safe main Nile system Management Plan) and these will be monitored for progress by the PMU. (iii) The PMU will have the dual role of implementation and supervision of specific elements of the ESMPs. A full-time Environmental Specialist will be part of the PMU, as reflected in the institutional measures of the framework ESMP. For those mitigation and monitoring measures that the PMU is charged with implementation (e.g. safe water quality) detailed plans will be developed within the first year of implementation. For those that PMU is charged with supervision (e.g. sustainable groundwater management plan, social development) they will develop detailed monitoring plans.

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Figure 5.1 Institutional set-up of the WDWCIRP project

5.2 Overall Responsibility of the PMU

The PMU will have to follow-up a number of measures which lie outside the obligations of the DBO contractor (table 5). The executive agencies are all within the MWRI, which allows for short lines of communication and easy coordination with the PMU. The PMU ago. will: 1) Make sure that WDWCIRP is officially recognized as horizontal expansion project (M.1). 2) Review the ToR for study M.4 and review the study results. before DBO contract is signed. 3) During the design phase, approve the ToR for studies M.5 and M.9 and appraise the results of

the study. 4) Discuss the monitoring programs under M.3, M.5, M.8 and M.9 during the design phase;

follow up the results of the data processing and analyses; formulate required follow-up activities based on the findings of the monitoring programs and take the required actions.

5) Throughout the project, provide the Technical Committee for the NWRP with information and justification for priority setting in the NWRP measures. (M.1 M.6).

6) PMU reports on the progress of the ESMP to EEAA, SCA, World Bank.

MWRI

Project Management Unit (PMU)

Water User Council

Regulatory Office

Private Operator (DBO Contract)

Farmers (Connect Agreement)

Independent Panel

of Experts

HEPS

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5.3 Responsibility of the PMU relating to the private operator

The PMU a.o. will 1) Make sure that the ToR for tendering contains the information needed by the bidders about

the obligatory ESMP measures for the DBO contractor (table II.1): • make an overall EIA and ESMP based upon the final design; • supervise the DBO contractor for timely and correct preparation of water allocation needs

for the WDWCIRP (M.2). • optimize the system design for least expropriation and avoidance of loss of Physical

Cultural Property M.13); • prepare a Resettlement Plan (RP) with the design (M.11, M.12); • prepare a Clean and Safe Construction Plan with the design (M.14).

2) During the design phase: review measures related to the EIA and ESMP including the RP and the CSCP before giving clearance for construction.

3) During the construction phase: supervise the progress made by the DBO contractor in implementing the ESMP and carefully watch the compliance with Egyptian Laws and Regulations. PMU will have instruments to enforce compliance with the terms in the contract between DBO contractor and MWRI..

4) PMU reports to the EEAA, SCA, World Bank and internally in MWRI.

5.4 Staffing Requirements

Since PMU has no definite staffing plan, it is difficult to make an assessment of the staffing requirement. It is proposed to create in the PMU at least one full time staff position for the day-to-day follow-up of the ESMP.

5.5 Consultants input

A lump sum reservation should be made for unforeseen consultancy services. It is expected that Egyptian Consultants can cover this need.

86

6. Financial plan This chapter can only partly cover the financial plan. It concerns the funding of the studies, the monitoring and capacity building activities in as far as they do not come under regular programs. The cost of involuntary resettlement will follow from the project design only.

Table 3: Remedial measures, responsibilities for implementation and related costs Responsibility

Potential Impacts

Measures Implementation monitor

Cost (US$) Component I: Safe Main Nile System Management Plan

Over exploitation of Nile water.

M.1 Identify specific water saving measures, and provide concrete input to the NWRP process.

CAWD, WMRI PMU , HEPS9

150,000

M.2 A. Scaling-up within the old lands of water savings measures based on results of IIIMP. B. Seek direct reference to the WDWCIRP area within the official documentation on the Horizontal Expansion Program. so as to get project area prioritized and targeted for ‘water savings measures’ by GOE, by seeking a direct

IIS

HEPS, MWRI

MWRI

PMU

n.a.

M.3 To guard against constraints and shortfalls, the Ministry will be informed ahead of the monthly water requirements for the upcoming year.

DBO contractor and CAWD

PMU n.a.

M.4 Mitigation measures to guard against any potential erosion and sedimentation of the Rosetta Branch will be based on outcomes of ongoing assessment.

NRI, HEPS PMU n.a.

Component II: Safe water quality for Nubariya Canal M.5 Water quality assessment study DRI PMU 83,000 Deteriorating

water quality in Nubariya and Nasser Command areas

M.6 Prioritize water quality measures under NWRP

PMU HEPS n.a.

Component III: Sustainable groundwater management plan M.7 Integrated and sustainable

groundwater management plan WUO and GWS PMU 200,000 Remaining risk of

groundwater deterioration M.8 Intensification of groundwater

monitoring program GWS PMU 360,000

Component IV: Social development plan Opportunity for sustainable development

M.9 Monitoring of socio-economic change processes

DRI PMU 55,000

Component V: Safeguards Policy

9 PMU to be given a coordination/implementation role with HEPS given a supervision role.

87

M.10 Avoidance by optimization of design

DBO contractor

PMU DBO contract

M.11 Mitigation DBO contractor PMU DBO contract

Involuntary Resettlement

M.12 Implementation of Resettlement Plan

DBO contractor PMU DBO contract

Loss of Cultural Property

M.13 Avoiding through Clause 25 of general contract specifications of MWRI.

HEPS PMU/SCA DBO contract

Protection of Groundwater

p.m. Integrated Pest Management is part of sustainable groundwater management plan M.8

WUO and GWS PMU p.m.??

Component VI: Construction activities M.14 Clean and safe construction

plan DBO contractor PMU,

HEPS, EEAA

DBO contract

Component VII: General support and capacity building M.15 Support & Capacity for PMU PMU HEPS 400,000

total cost (minus DBO contractor costs)

1,248,000

Table 6: Rearranged Budget Lines # item Amount (US$)

Monitoring activities M.1 Identify specific water saving measures, and provide concrete input to the NWRP

process. 150,000

M.5 Water quality assessment study : monitoring 13,000M.8 Intensified GW monitoring in project area: 5 years monitoring 330,000M.9 Monitoring social and economic changes 55,000

subtotal monitoring 548,000

Capacity building and institutional strengthening M.5 Water quality assessment study : modeling, software, training 70,000M.7 Capacity building and support to WUOs and GWS 200,000M.8 Intensified GW monitoring in project area: maintenance of observation wells 30,000M.15 Support and capacity building PMU 200,000

subtotal monitoring 500,000

Safeguards Policy and Construction M.15 Support and capacity building PMU (including salary of full-time Enviornmental

Specialist) 200,000

M.10-M.13

Implementation of safeguards policy will be included in the DBO contract To be determined 10

Total 1,248,000

10 The cost of implementation of these measures will be determined after final surveys, designs, and bids are complete. The cost will be covered by the loan.

88

PART III: Consultation Workshop

1. General The final consultation event was held on April 22, 2007 in the Nile Helton Hotel in Cairo. The consultation was designed to present the findings of the ESIA and RPF as well as the proposed ESMP and receive feedback from concerned stakeholders. The consultation agenda is included in Annex 1.

2. Invitations The list of invited participants included 74 persons representing the media, NGO’s, water users organization in the project area, water users downstream the project area, MWRI departments responsible for the implementation of the ESMP, potential private operators, EEAA, other central level governmental agencies relevant to the project (sanitation, agriculture, antiquities, local development), and relevant local governments. The full list of invitees is included in Annex -2. The meeting was announced to whom ever be interested from the public through the project website (www.mwri.gov.eg/wdip). Draft documents are posted at the same website and project invitations indicated the full website address where the documents could be found and downloaded. Arabic translation of the ESIA, RPF, and ESIA were prepared for distribution at the registration desk.

3. Participants Sixty nine participants attended the workshop; the vast majority of them have come through direct invitations. The invitees have either come in person or delegated colleagues in their respective organizations. Media presence has been more intense than expected and participation from all major invited categories has taken place. The full list of workshop participants is included in Annex 3. News about the meeting and its outcome were in the press during the two following days.

4. Presentations

Project description, ESIA, RPF as well as the proposed ESMP have been presented during the first session of the consultation. The presentations have been made by the project team both from MWRI and the consultancy team. During the presentations, the project team stressed the importance of this event as the implementation of the ESMP will be the responsibility of the project and affiliated parties. The power point presentations are listed in Annex 4.

5. Discussions

The final session of the consultation was devoted to a general plenary discussion where all participants have had the opportunity to express their views. The project team responded with explanations and answers to the questions and comments. The members of the water user organization in the project area actively participated in the discussion and showed good understanding and appreciation of the issues involved. A summary of the relevant topics and discussion points is given below:

89

- Induced developments due to the project: Comment: NOPWASD representative commented that there is a need for coordination and informing NOPWASD ahead of time so that provision of water and sanitation services could be provided within reasonable time frame, given the complicated nature of such projects. Dr. Adel El-Ghandour (a member of the WUO in the project area) indicated that the area inhabitants dream that the project area and surroundings would grow to be one day a stand alone governorate. General El-Hagrassy (a small farm owner in the project area) commented regarding the need to get all relevant governmental entities; such as Ministries of Interior and Transportation involved in the planning process of the area. Response: While the project scope is limited to improvement of irrigation water supply and it does not support directly urban development or social services to area inhabitants, the project has studied these aspects during its preparatory phases particularly the Drainframe analyses. Communications with Urban Development Authority and GARPAD have been initiated by the project team and subsequent actions by relevant authorities are expected. The outcome prompted MOHNC to initiate a study on West Delta Regional Planning. In the mean time, the ESMP calls for monitoring developments in the project area. - Water Quality Improvement in the Rosetta Branch: Comment: NOPWASD representative commented regarding the need for coordination with NOPWASD regarding water quality issues in the Rosetta branch. Response: MWRI responded that in addition to the in-depth follow up study that will take place as part of the ESMP, contacts are taking place between MWRI and MoHUNC at the highest levels regarding the improvement of drainage water quality to the Rosetta Branch. Information is exchanged already about the main sources of domestic/municipal pollution in order to prioritize the waste water treatment projects that will be implemented during the next few years. These communications resulted in including the relevant polluting centers, in the MoHUNC, EGP 20 billion plan for sanitation.

- Introduction of Land Drainage in areas that will be connected to the Surface Water Services and neighboring areas

Comment: Number of participants has shared their experience regarding the fact that introduction of land drainage might be needed after the connection of the area to the surface water services. These comments were provided by the head of El-Rash El-Gharbiea Canal WUA, Dr. Fatma Attia (consultant) and Dr. Samia El-Guindy (Advisory Panel Project). The commentators referred to the experience in the West Nubariya area. Response: The project team and water users in the project area responded that: - preparatory investigations and drainage need assessment indicated that there is no need for

such measure; - the area has been under cultivation and irrigation for relatively long period with no indication

of development of poor drainage conditions related problems such as water logging and/or salinity build up;

- The surface water conveyance system is a pipeline and the DBO contract service standards require the operator to maintain conveyance efficiency of 98%, which will mean minimal water losses.

- the fact that water users are bearing the full cost of water pumping and irrigation is promoting efficient water use in the area.

90

- salt build up in drip irrigated areas is mitigated through leaching fraction that is designed to allow for salt leaching to the bottom of the root zone and it is unlikely this will lead to water logging problems.

- All the above means that shallow water table build up and/or significant seepage to the neighboring areas are not expected to take place.

- Prevention use of non-efficient irrigation methods Comment: Dr. Khaled Abu Zeid (Egyptian Water Partnership) asked a question regarding whether there is a plan for banning gravity surface irrigation in the project area? Response: The project team replied that:

- surface irrigation by flooding is illegal in the new lands where only drip and sprinkler irrigation methods are allowed,

- the fact that users are bearing the full cost of irrigation leads to high efficiency of water use. Accordingly, the use of inefficient irrigation methods is improbable,

- Water Users Organizations in the project area will be actively involved in monitoring compliance with the law in the project area.

- Groundwater Monitoring Comment: Dr. Khaled Abu Zeid (Egyptian Water Partnership) asked whether the effect of the project on the groundwater in the area will be monitored and whether there are enough observation wells in the area. Response: The project team responded that: - the ESMP has a specific measure that calls for intensification of the groundwater monitoring

program, - the number of wells inside the project area is sufficient, however more wells will be made

outside the project area as part of the regular groundwater monitoring program of MWRI. - Effect of the project on water availability for areas downstream of the project area on

Ryah Nassery and Nubarya Canal Comment: Mr. Abdul-Wahab Fayed (El-Bustan WUA) asked for whether water provided for the project would affect water availability for El-Bustan area, which is getting its water from Ryah El-Nassery downstream of the project area Response: The project team responded that water diverted for the project will be compensated by diverting water from the Rosetta Branch to Ryah Nassery downstream of the project water intake from Ryah El-Nassery

- What is the Source of the Water diverted from Rosetta Branch to Ryah Nassery Comment: Dr. Khaled Abu Zeid (Egyptian Water Partnership) asked whether the water diverted from Rosetta Branch to Ryah El-Nassery will be compensated by water saving from other water uses elsewhere. Response: The response of the team was: - The project is part of the national horizontal expansion plan for the country (3.4 million acres)

for which water supply and allocation is confirmed by the national Water Resources Plan 2017, - water savings, are partly due to conversion of agricultural land into urban uses in the Nile

Deltawhich was assessed through satellite images of the Nile Delta during the past 30 years, ,

91

- water savings will be also due to improvement of efficiency of water use in the old lands irrigated agriculture through Irrigation Improvement Project and Integrated Irrigation Improvement and Management Project,

- Other measures for providing water for the WDWCIRP as part of the horizontal expansion program are listed in the National Water Resources Plan.

- Monitoring of pollution resulting from industrial and population centers Comment: Dr. Khaled Abu Zeid (Egyptian Water Partnership) asked a question regarding monitoring of pollution from domestic and industrial centers that will be developed due to the project Response: The project team commented that water quality monitoring is included in the ESMP and that pollution control will be part of the plan dealing with induced development. Chemist Ikhlas Gamal El-Din (EEAA) commented that EEAA would have the leading role regarding monitoring industrial pollution and enforcement of pollution control regulations. - Effect of the project on small farmers Comment: Eng. Khalaf Nassef (Env. & Water Protection West Delta NGO) commented regarding the fact that willingness to connect is 78% of the total project area. Dr. Nawal El-Tatawy (President of the WUO in the project area) followed that all users in the area are willing to connect, however those who have not expressed that formally are mainly small and medium land owners who are concerned regarding the cost of connection. Response: The project team responded that: - Willingness to connect in the first stage concession area, which is under discussion, is 90%, - the project has a component for support of small farmers in order to increase their

competitiveness in production and marketing and hence enable them to connect to the surface water services,

- the project preserves the existing investment, - Possibility for uncontrolled price increases by the operator Comment: Mr. Essam El-Shiekh (Goumohria Newspaper) asked:

- what are the governing laws and regulations? - what are the safeguards against uncontrolled price increases by the operator?

Response: The project team responded that: - the governing documents are the contracts and the project agreements, - adraft presidential decree has been prepared regarding PPP in the irrigation and drainage

sector. - The governing documents are drafted to prevent uncontrolled price increases. - A regulatory office will be established to enforce the terms agreed regarding the tariff and

the service standards,

92

Annex 1 Workshop Agenda

Presentation and Discussion of the Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Framework Study for the West Delta Water Conservation &

Irrigation Rehabilitation Project

Sunday 22 April 2007 – Nile Hilton Hotel (Amira Ballroom)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:30 – 10:00 Registration

10:00 – 10:10 Opening Remarks

(Dr. Hussein El-Atfy)

10:10 – 10:30 Project Introduction

(Dr. Safwat Abdul-Dayem)

10:30 – 10:50 Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Study

(Dr. Hussam Fahmy)

10:50 – 11:10 Resettlement Policy Framework Presentation

(Eng. Ibrahim Harhash)

11:10 – 11:30 Environmental and Social Mitigation Plan

(Dr. Hussam Fahmy)

11:30 – 12:00 Break

12:00 – 2:00 Discussions

2:00 p.m. Lunch

1

Annex 2 List of Invitees No Entity Count Title Name Occupation

1 1 Mr. Hisham Zaki Al-Ahram Newspaper

2 2 Ms. Karima El-Sarougy Al-Akhbar Newspaper

3 3 Mr. Essam El-Sheikh Al-Gomhouria Newspaper

4

Press

4 Mr. Metwally Salem El-Masry El-Youm

5 1 Dr. Khaled Abou Zeid Egyptian Water Partnership

6 2 Dr. Omar El-Badwy Egyptian Water Partnership

7 3 Eng. Khalef Nasef Environment & Water Resources Protection Association in West

Delta

8 4 Dr. Salah Arafa General Association for internal

migration and development

9

NGO’s

5 Council Abdul-Aziz El-Guindy

10 1 Dr. Mwaheb Abou El-Azm CEO

11

EEAA

2 Dr. Fatma Abo Shook Head of EIA Department

12 1 Mrs. Magda Ghoneimy Consortium 1

13 2 Mr. Ahmed Omar Consortium 2

14 3 Mr. Osama Bishay Consortium 3

15 4 Eng. Saled Mohammed Saleh Consortium 4

16 5 Mr. Johannes Abt Consortium 5

17 6 Mr. Shi Li Consortium 6

18 7 Mr. Song Shiwei Consortium 7

19

Potential Private

Operators

8 Mr. Gao Zhonglian Consortium 8

2

No Entity Count Title Name Occupation

20 1 Dr. Nwal Abdel-Monem El-Tatawy

Farm Owner, Chairperson WUO

21 2 Eng. Ibrahim Allam Dina Farms General manger, WUO

Member

22 3 Dr. Sami El-Zeini Farm Owner, WUO Member

23 4Counsil

Walid Hamza Farm Owner, WUO Member

24 5 Dr. Adel El-Ghandour WUO Member

25 6 Dr. Gamal Abdel-Hai Member of Al Hoseen Cooperative,

WUO Member

26 7 Gen. Mokhtar El-hagrasy Member of Al Moatmadia

Cooperative, WUO Member

27 8 Dr. Asem Shaltoot Member of Ain Shams

Cooperative, WUO Member

28 9 Dr. Mohamed El-Kheshen Member of Mostkbal Cooperative,

WUO Member

29

Water Users From the

Project Area

10 Mr. Sameer Roshdy Member of Al-Mahdy Cooperative,

WUO Member

30 1 Mr. Abdul-Wahab Haddad Al-Rash Al-Gharbiya WUA

31

Water Users From

Neighboring Areas 2 Mr. Abdul-Wahab Fayed Al-Bustan Water Council

32 1 Dr. Bahaa Saad Senior Undersecertary

33 2 Dr. Safwat Abdel-Dayem WDWCIRP Coordinator

34 3 Dr. Shaden Abdel-Gawad NWRC, Chairperson

35 4 Dr. Hussien El-Atfy Minister’s Office Sector, Head

36 5 Dr. Khaled Wasif Water Media Unit

37 6 Eng. Ibrahim Harhesh HEPS, Head

38

Ministry of Water

Resources and

Irrigation (Concerne

d with ESMP)

7 Dr. Samia Al-Guindy Advisory Panel Project

3

No Entity Count Title Name Occupation

39 8 Eng. Nahed Khalil GWS, Head

40 9 Eng. Reda El-Bandary IS, Head

41 10 Eng. Abdul-Hamid Al-Gayyar Central Administration for Water

Distribution, Head

42 11 Eng. Abdul-Monem Hengel Irrigation General Director for

Giza

43 12 Eng. Fathi Al-Gweily Irrigation General Director for

West Beheira

44 13 Eng. Eng. Mohammed Bedaiwy

HEPS General Director for West Delta

45 14 Eng. Hussam Hasan General Director for Survey

Authority – Giza

46 15 Eng. Laila Boutrous General Director for Survey

Authority – Beheira

47 16 Eng. Nagwa Kamel General Director for Survey

Authority – Menofia

48 17 Dr. Fathy El-Gamal Water Management Research

Institute

49 18 Dr. Ahmed Fahmy Nile Research Institute

50 19 Dr. Ahmed Khater Groundwater Research Institute

51 20 Dr. Laila Aabed Environmental Research Institute

52 21 Eng. Somia Sherif Contract Administration Unit

53 22 Dr. Basem Gorgy Contract Administration Unit

54 23 Eng. Mohamed El-Khazragy Project Team

55 24 Eng. Ahmed Rashad Project Team

56 25 Eng. Nehal Adel Project Team

57

Ministry of Water

Resources and

Irrigation (Concerne

d with ESMP)

26 Dr. Mohammed Anwar Project Team

58 1 Dr. Aly Naser Environment Institute

Ain Shams Univ.

59 2 Dr. Mohammed Nour El-Din Environment Institute

Ain Shams Univ.

60

Academia

3 Dr. Ayman Nassar Ain Shams University, Associate

Professor

4

No Entity Count Title Name Occupation

61 1 Mr. Bahaa Al-Sebaey Giza Governorate

62 2Mr./Ms.

Participant by Giza Governorate Giza Governorate

63 3 Gen. Essam Naeem Secretary General

Menoufia Governorate

64 4 Mr. Ahmed Ragab Environmental Affairs Menoufia Governorate

65 5 Gen. Mohammed Hassib Behira Governorate

66

Local Level Govt.

6Mr./Ms.

Participant by Giza Governorate Behira Governorate

67 1 Dr. Samir Abu Soliman Ministry OF Agriculture

68 2 Mr. Saber Selim Mohammed Supreme Council for Antiquities

69 3 Mr. Samir Gharieb Minsitry o Local Development

70 4 Mr. Jean Moulignat AFD

71 5 Mr. Tarek Murad Dutch Assistance

72

Concerned Parties

6 Eng. Samy Omara Head of NOPWASD

73 1 Dr. Hossam Fahmy Study Consultant

74

Study Consultants 2 Dr. Fatma Attia Study Consultant

5

Annex 3 List of Participants

No. Entity Count Title Name Occupation

1 1 Mr. Hisham Zaki Al-Ahram Newspaper

2 2 Ms. Karima El-Sarougy Al-Akhbar Newspaper

3 3 Mr. Essam El-Sheikh Al-Gomhouria Newspaper

4 4 Mr. Hamdy Salah Al-Gomhouria Newspaper

5 5 Mr. Metwally Salem El-Masry El-Youm

6

Press

6 Mr. Abdel-Nasser Farid Al-Ahrar Newspaper

7 1 Dr. Khaled Abou Zeid Egyptian Water Partnership

8 2 Dr. Omar El-Badwy Egyptian Water Partnership

9 3 Eng. Khalef Nasef Environment & Water Resources Protection

Association in West Delta

10

NGO’s

4 Eng. Karima Hanafy Environment & Water Resources Protection

Association in West Delta

11 1 Mr. Mahmoud Allam EMP Manager

12

EEAA

2 Mrs. Ekhlas Gamal El-Din Water Quality Dept.,

General Manager

6

No. Entity Count Title Name Occupation

13 1 Mrs. Magda Ghoneimy

14 2 Mr. Mohammed Abdul-Raouf

15 3 Mr. Wael El-Alfy

16 4 Mr. Ahmed Fahmy

17 5 Eng. Ramadan Mohammed

18 6 Mr. Mahmoud Yassin

19 7 Eng. Mohammed Othman

20

Potential Private

Operators

8 Eng. Ihab Amer

21 1 Dr. Nwal Abdel-Monem El-Tatawy

Farm Owner, Chairperson WUO

22 2 Eng. Ibrahim Allam Dina Farms General manger,

WUO Member

23 3 Dr. Sami El-Zeini Farm Owner, WUO Member

24 4 Dr. Adel El-Ghandour WUO Member

25 5 Dr. Gamal Abdel-Hai Member of Al Hoseen

Cooperative, WUO Member

26 6 Gen. Mokhtar El-hagrasy Member of Al Moatmadia

Cooperative, WUO Member

27

Water Users

From the Project Area

7 Eng. Sameer Roshdy Member of Al-Mahdy

Cooperative, WUO Member

7

No. Entity Count Title Name Occupation

27 1 Mr. Abdul-Wahab Haddad

Al-Rash Al-Gharbiya WUA

28 2 Ms. Mona Hasan Al-Rash Al-Gharbiya WUA

29

Water Users From

Neighboring Areas

3 Mr. Abdul-Wahab Fayed Al-Bustan Water Council

30 1 Dr. Safwat Abdel-Dayem WDWCIRP Coordinator

31 2 Dr. Hussien El-Atfy Minister’s Office Sector, Head

32 3 Dr. Khaled Wasif Water Media, General

Manager

33 4 Eng. Ibrahim Harhesh HEPS, Head

34 5 Dr. Samia Al-Guindy Advisory Panel Project

35 6 Eng. Nahed Khalil GWS, Head

36 7 Eng. Abdul-Hamid Al-Gayyar

Central Administration for Water Distribution, Head

37 8 Mr. Reda ElBendary Head of Irrigation Sector

38 9 Eng. Fathi Al-Gweily Irrigation General Director for

West Beheira

39

Ministry of Water

Resources and

Irrigation (Concerned with ESMP)

10 Dr. Medhat Aziz NRI, Deputy Director

8

No. Entity Count Title Name Occupation

40 11 Eng. Mohammed Bedaiwy HEPS General Director for

West Delta

41 12 Dr. Taha Moustafa Water Management Research

Institute

42 13 Eng. Hussam Hasan General Director for Survey

Authority - Giza

43 14 Dr. Mohammed Abdo Environmental Research Institute, Deputy Head

44 15 Ms. Nemat Ahmed Public Affairs

45 16 Dr. Ahmed Khater Groundwater Research

Insitute

46 17 Eng. Somia Sherif Contract Adminstration Unit

47 18 Dr. Basem Gorgy Contract Adminstration Unit

58 19 Eng. Mohamed El-Khazragy

Project Team

49 20 Eng. Ahmed Rashad Project Team

50 21 Eng. Nehal Adel Project Team

51

Ministry of Water

Resources and

Irrigation (Concerned with ESMP)

22 Dr. Mohammed Anwar Project Team

52 1 Dr. Mohammed Nour El-Din

Ain Shams University, Department Head

53

Academia

2 Dr. Ayman Nassar Ain Shams University,

Associate Professor

9

No. Entity Count Title Name Occupation

54 1 Mr. Youssry Abdul-Hamid

Giza Governorate Environmental Affairs

55 2 Ms. Hoda Youssef Giza Governorate

Environmental Affairs

56 3 Mr. Sood Mohammed Giza Governorate

Environmental Affairs

57 4 Dr. Alaa Abdul-Hafez Giza Governorate

Environmental Affairs

58 5 Ms. Amani Ahmed

Menoufia Governorate

59 6 Mr. Ahmed Ragab Environmental Affairs Menoufia Governorate

60

Local Level Govt.

7 Mr. Magdy Zakaria Behira Governorate

Environmental Affairs

61 1 Mr. Saber Selim Mohammed

Supreme Council for Antiquities

62 2 Mr. Samir Gharieb Ministry of Local

Development

63 3 Mr. Ola Al-Wakeel AFD

64 4 Mr. Tarek Murad Dutch Assistance

65 5 Eng. M. Zaky Nasr NOPWASD

66 6 Mr. Osama Yassein Farm Owner

67

Concerned Parties

7 Dr. Osman El-Hefnawy

68 1 Dr. Fatma Attia Study Consultant

69

Study Consultants

2 Dr. Hosam Fahmy Study Consultant

10

Annex 4 Presentations

11

Presentation 1 Project Summary

12

13

14

15

Presentation 2 ESIA

16

17

18

19

Presentation 3 RFP

20

21

22

23

24

Presentation 4 ESMP

25

26

27

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Arab Republic of Egypt, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Planning Sector. National Water Resources Plan for Egypt.Draft (version 2.1). NWRP Discussion Paper No. 5. Cairo, June 1, 2004.

Castalia 2006.Design, Build and Operate: Transaction for the West Delta Irrigation Project, Egypt. Regulatory and Institutional Arrangements. Report to World Bank. August 2006

DRI 2006. Alternatives to operate the Umum Project (translation from Arabic). Internal report October 2006.

Hammad M.A. 1975. Soil Associations Map of Egypt. Appendix 2 Soil Survey Papers.

Hoevenaars, J & R. Slootweg (2004).Rapid Assessment Study Towards Integrated Planning of Irrigation and Drainage in Egypt – In support of the IIIMP. Natural Resources Perspective. IPTRID Working Paper, FAO, Rome.

IWACO Egypt Consultants 2003. Towards integrated water and soil management in El Sadat City. Final Report. MWRI, Groundwater Sector Project no.: 54.0023.

M.I.M.R. 1981. Geological Map of Egypt. The Egyptian Geological Survey and Mining Authority, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. Cairo, Egypt.

Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation: Groundwater Sector and National Water Research Center: Research Institute For Groundwater, 2003. Impacts of Future Surface Water Development on Groundwater Aquifer System in The West Nile Delta Region. Draft Final Report.

MISR Consult 2004. Final EA Study Report -Part 2 - Detailed Assessment Document Moretti Stefano, Fioravante Patrone, Ariel Dinar and Safwat Abdel-Dayem, 2006. Alternative cost and

benefit sharing cooperative arrangements in the West Delta, Egypt. ARD-World Bank. Washington.

Nasser Ayman 2005. Technical study. NWRP Project (2000). National Water Resources Plan for Egypt - Fisheries and Water Resources. NWRP Technical

Report No. 6. WL/Delft Hydraulics.

Research Institute for Groundwater, 1998. Assessment of Groundwater Potential for Various Uses Sadat City. Progress Report No. 1.

RIGW/GS and Iwaco 2001. Groundwater protection in Sadat City area: a challenge for the public and private sector to maintain the overall good quality of groundwater. Mission report on hydrogeological and groundwater management aspects.

RIGW/IWACO, 1999. Contributions to Environmental Management of Egypt's Groundwater Resources. Final Report EMGR Project 1994-1999.

Samir M. Farid and A. Tuinhof, 1991. Groundwater Development Planning in the Desert Fringes of the Nile Delta. (p. 43-52). Special Issue. Round Table Meeting on Planning for Groundwater Development in Arid Regions. Papers prepared by the staff of the Research Institute for Groundwater. Water Research Center Cairo.

Schooten, M.L.F. van, Vanclay, F. & Slootweg, R. (2003). Conceptualizing social change processes and social impacts. In: Becker and Vanclay (eds): International Handbook of Social Impact Assessment: Conceptual and Methodological Advances. Chapter 6. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Social Assessment of the Toshka program. Final Report.

World Bank 2002. Arab Republic of Egypt. Cost assessment of Environmental Degradation. Sector Note. Report No. 25175-EGT. Rural Development, Water and Environment Department Middle East and North Africa Region. June 29, 2002.

World Bank 2002. Arab Republic of Egypt - cost assessment of environmental degradation. Sector Note.

World Bank 2005. Conceptual Framework and Transaction Model for a Public-Private Partnership in Irrigation in the West Delta, Egypt. Draft report.

World Bank. Operational Manual on OP4.01, OP4.04, OP4.09, OP4.12 and OPN 11.03. Information on WWW.Worldbank.org/projects/policies and procedures/ as per September 4, 2006. World Bank 2005. WDWCIARP Drainframe Analysis, Main Report, by F. Attia, H. Fahmi, G. Gambarelli, J. Hoevenaars, R. Slootweg and S. Abdel Dayem.