9.1 General
With the existing design and the layout of the operations, based on consultations with various stakeholders, the project is not expected to have direct social safeguard impacts, such as land acquisition, involuntary resettlement and impacts upon indigenous people. The project will use the existing reservoir and tunnel. All construction operations will take place within existing fenced off WAPDA areas. There will be no additional inundation or land acquisition necessary. The likely social impacts under the project, both positive and negative will all be related to construction operations. Potential impacts or opportunities for enhancement of consequences of the project can be found in the following areas:
Employment during construction;
Possible disturbances and inconveniences to local population;
Considerations regarding health, safety and wellbeing of construction workers;
Increased exposure to risks, such as health, safety and security;
Potential opportunities to assist local communities.
Direct adverse social impacts are expected to be marginal given the nature and the design of the project. Associated social enhancement measures however could increase or distribute the benefits of the project. These measures are identified in the following sections.
9.2 Summary of Assessed Impacts
1. The project’s potential social impacts and their significance have been assessed using the methodology described in Section 8.2. A summary of these impacts and their significance is presented in Table 9.1.
WAPDA
Table 9.1: Significance of Social Impacts
Impacts Phase Sensitivity Magnitude Significance Prior
to Mitigation and Enhancement
Mitigation and Enhancement Measure Residual
Significance
Social Legacy
Pre-construction
Medium Moderate Moderate Adverse • Outstanding cases will be resolved; funds allocated in
the Project cost. Negligible
Employment generation Construction Medium Moderate Moderate beneficial • Local priority preference
• Workers’ code of conduct
• Occupational H+S organized and managed to
international standards to address inherent Project risks and unanticipated emergencies
• Monitoring of labor rights, workforce management, and working and living conditions
• Labor grievance mechanism in place
Major beneficial
Operation Low Moderate Low beneficial • Adherence to WAPDA’s environmental management
and human resource policies and procedures Moderate beneficial
• Safety hazards for public Construction Medium Moderate Moderate adverse • Good siting of temporary accommodation
• Traffic management plan addressing general access and women’s mobility
• Blasting procedures in place
• Safety and security actions and procedures to protect local community
• Procurement strategy in Workers’ Accommodation Plan for preventing pressures on local markets for goods and services required for keeping construction labour force healthy and well
• CLO active and project performance grievance mechanism in place
• Implementation of social assistance program
Slight adverse
• Resettlement Construction - - No impacts
predicted
• Principles and procedures for resettlement planning
identified in SIMF. -
• Health, Safety and Well-being
of Workers Construction Medium Moderate Moderate adverse • Project commitment to workers’ rights
• Workers’ Code of Conduct
Negligible
Impacts Phase Sensitivity Magnitude Significance Prior to Mitigation and Enhancement
Mitigation and Enhancement Measure Residual
Significance
and Operation • Health and Safety Plan and procedures
• Workers’ Accommodation Plan
• Training Program
• Community health, safety,
security and well-being Construction and Operation
Medium Moderate Moderate adverse • Traffic Management Plan (including provisions for female mobility)
• Equipment and personnel safeguarding activities (fencing, visitor procedures and registration, signage)
• Security staff training
• Safeguards and awareness raising against communicable diseases.
Low adverse
Respect of local cultural norms
and values by work force Construction Medium Moderate Moderate adverse • Awareness raising program for workers Low adverse Increased load on local services
and supplies Construction Medium Moderate Moderate adverse • Contractor to procure camp supplies in a manner not
affecting availability of essential commodities. Negligible
9.3 Impacts during Pre-Construction Stage 9.3.1 Land Impacts
WAPDA owns the land where the Tunnel 4 activities will take place and the infrastructure built. The land is currently uninhabited and has low productivity value.
The land required for expanding the switchyard and upgrading the access roads is also unused. No known archaeological or cultural heritage remains exist on the parcels of land intended for use. No land acquisition and resettlement impacts for the main construction site are anticipated. Site reviews and discussion within WAPDA also indicate that WAPDA has plenty of lands of its own available in the immediate and surrounding areas.
These are sufficient to meet the needs of any additional land requirements.
Mitigation/compensation
The project is not expecting to have any land impacts such as land acquisition or lease.
However, given the possibility that the contractors may propose changes in its construction operation plan, there is a remote possibility that additional lands may be required outside the control area. In this unlikely event these lands will be purchased or leased on a normal commercial basis. The SIMF provides a guideline for such planning efforts.
9.4 Impacts and Opportunities during Construction Stage 9.4.1 Employment Opportunities during Construction
The total work force employed during five years of construction has been estimated at 2500 people. This includes unskilled and skilled labor, technicians and employees. For operation of the new power plant and associated facilities about 300 permanent employees will have to be recruited. Employing construction workers and other staff from the region will offer an opportunity to create local employment, increase the local skill base and provide a boost to the local economy. Local communities in the region have requested to provide employment preferences to those already living near the project. They have high expectations of the employment opportunities generated by the project. Moreover they expect an important in-migration of people from the region, the creation of new business opportunities and other economic benefits. In an area with a relatively high percentage of unemployment the project will certainly attract a number of job seekers and followers. However, the number of new business opportunities will be limited since the project area is a restricted area, which is only accessible for employees of WAPDA and related services and their families.
In order not to advocate too high expectations which could lead to social unrest, it is important that the project provides adequate and realistic information on the opportunities the project would offer. This could be done through regular updates in the local newspapers and other media. For a number of jobs qualified people from other regions of Pakistan will have to be attracted. Local affected people including women should be encouraged to take up construction employment. Women can be organized in female working groups to undertake discrete construction tasks, tree planting, health services and other supporting services.
Mitigation
The contractors will be responsible for the hiring for the construction needs. WAPDA has developed a set of principles and requirements for the contractors to follow during construction. The contractors, as part of the construction operation plan, will develop an implementation plan for hiring for construction employment, following the above-mentioned principles. The plan will detail the steps of laying down employment criteria, how employment information will be disclosed locally including job descriptions, terms of employment conditions and benefits, how preference will be given to local population, pre-job training arrangements, who would be responsible for implementing and monitoring this plan, consultations with local government and WAPDA over the implementation of this plan. This plan will be submitted to WAPDA, as part of the construction operation plan, for review and endorsement.
9.4.2 Construction Workers’ Rights
The project will provide an opportunity to ensure policy and procedural consistency in the implementation of the project with international labor standards related to workers’
rights and obligations.
Mitigation and enhancement measures
The contractor(s) would observe and apply the following standards and requirements:
Observing statutory requirements relating to minimum age for employment of children and meeting international standards of not employing any persons under the age of 16 for general work and no persons under the age of 18 for work involving hazardous activity; The construction contractor/s would not hire people under the age of 18 on permanent contracts but would include short training activities for youth to the extent possible;
Ensuring acceptable conditions of work including by observing national statutory requirements related to minimum wages and hours of work;
Ensuring no workers are charged fees to gain employment on the Project;
Ensuring rigorous standards for occupational health and safety are in place (see below);
Having the Contractor establish a labor grievance mechanism and documenting its use for complaints about unfair treatment or unsafe living or working conditions without reprisal.
In addition to the above commitments, the Contractors are required to:
Adopt a Human Resource Policy appropriate to the size and workforce which indicates the approach for management employees (this could be part requested in the tender process);
Produce job descriptions and provide written contracts and other information that outline the working conditions and terms of employment, including the full range of benefits;
Provide health insurance for employees for the duration of their contracts;
Provide insurance for accidents resulting in disabilities or death of employees for the duration of their contracts
Develop a recruitment process community employees that involves local authorities in clearly understood procedures;
Employ a community liaison officer (this could be full time or part of another post’s responsibilities);
Raise awareness prior to recruitment, clarifying the local hire policy and procedures, including identification of opportunities for women to participate in employment and training;
Report regularly on the labor force profile, including gender, and location source of workers (for instance from Swabi and Haripur Districts, from KP, from outside the Province);
Report regularly on labor and working condition key performance indicators, for instance hours worked (regular and overtime) during period and cumulatively, hours lost, number and type of accidents, near misses, site audits and meetings; trainings, and use of labor grievance mechanism;
Hold toolbox talks on workers’ rights and the labor grievance mechanisms during the construction phase;
Organize a training program and keep training registers for construction workers;
Establish Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures in the overall environmental management system which provide workers with a safe and healthy work environment taking into account the inherent risks for this type of project.
Details are given in ECP 17, Worker Health and Safety.