Objective and Purpose of the Assignment:
Government of Nagaland (GoN) has applied for financing under Project Readiness Financing (PRF) facility from Asian Development Bank (ADB). The PRF loan is sought for improving project readiness through project preparatory and design activities for “Improving Readiness of Infrastructure Development Projects in Nagaland” (hereinafter referred as PRF Project) covering 16 district headquarter towns (DHTs) in the State of Nagaland, resulting in investment ready ensuing project(s). The Urban Development Department (UDD), GoN is the executing agency (EA), and Directorate of Urban Development (DUD) is the implementing agency (IA). A project management unit (PMU) is established under DUD, with the Director, UD as the Project Director (PD). The PMU is constituted with members from DUD for overall urban component, and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) for water supply component, along with suitable supporting resources.
The expected outputs of the PRF loan are (a) sector strategy and city investment plans prepared; (b) feasibility study, detailed engineering designs, and due diligence of priority sub-projects completed; and (c) institutional capacity developed.
Scope of Work:
The Environment Safeguards Expert will support/ assist/ facilitate the EA/ IA in coordination and reporting of environmental safeguards activities, including stakeholder consultations, and supervise, facilitate and review PDMC consulting firm’s outputs from environmental safeguards perspective on integrated urban sector subprojects. The consultant will also be responsible for validation of environmental safeguards documents/ monitoring reports produced by the PDMC firm, progress monitoring, project related compliance from PRF loan covenants, loan processing support, etc.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output:
Under the supervision of Deputy Project Director(s), and in consultation with the Project Director, and in coordination with other national individual consultants, the expert will support/ assist/ facilitate the EA/ IA in:
• stakeholder consultations, and supervise, facilitate and review PDMC firm’s outputs from environmental safeguards perspective on integrated urban sector subprojects, viz. environmental screening/ categorization/ assessment checklists, IEE/ EIA documentation, inputs for implementation of the comprehensive EMP using the compliance monitoring checklist included in the IEE/ EIA, SPRSS assessment, comprehensive EMP [including HSMP updated as site-specific health and safety management plan (SSHSMP) with site-specific health and safety COVID-19 plan (HS COVID-19 Plan)] in the bidding documents in ADB accepted formats/ templates, and its monitoring status for compliance under PRF Project;
• facilitate to arrive at/ update an initial readiness status when undertaking identification/ review/ finalization and prioritization of–subproject towns/ subproject components in urban areas, based on initial information available for necessary facts like, water resource/ forest land/ State PCB and all other environmental norms etc., related no-objection certificates (NOCs) and/or any environmental clearances etc.
• facilitate to establish the baseline measurement [towards finalizing design and monitoring framework (DMF) for the ensuing project(s)] duly incorporating considerations to monitor environmental safeguards of the project, and review and finalize indicators for monitoring important parameters of environmental safeguards, and to supervise the pre-commissioning baseline monitoring process following the mitigation and monitoring guidelines provided in the IEE/ EIA;
• coordinate and organize analysis of water, air and soils as specified in the comprehensive EMP, and review the analysis reports;
• supervise and review the monitoring report on effectiveness of management of any waste/ debris generated from existing infrastructure/ utilities being removed/ rehabilitated, paying attention to the handling of removed debris until disposal or recycling, and landscaping;
• review and finalize reporting formats to be further used by PMU (DUD) for environmental safeguards monitoring, and supervise monitoring and make sure that results of progress monitoring are reported (monthly/ quarterly/ semi-annual/ annual, as applicable); and later in the project completion report of the EA to represent the performance of competed PRF for submission to ADB, as required, while duly ensuring that these follow ADB accepted formats/ templates;
• ensuring specific integrated urban sector PRF related compliance of loan covenants, from loan agreement and project agreement, project administration manual, environmental safeguard framework(s), etc.;
• guide the implementation and monitoring of the comprehensive EMP, including ensuring any mitigation measures as recommended are implemented during the pre-construction period. This also includes to review any EIA conducted, where required, and facilitation during approval from relevant authorities;
• coordinate and facilitate the PMU (DUD) in dealing with the concerned Roads/ Police Department for the preparation of traffic emergency plans and temporary diversion of traffic to be planned for adoption during construction, with minimal inconvenience to public and impacts;
• review inputs and methodology provided by the PDMC firm to PMU (DUD) for: (i) preparing and maintaining a grievance redressal mechanism, (ii) establishing a grievance redressal committee (GRC), and (iii) carrying-out monitoring on effectiveness, to ensure that GRC will have strong female representation, and the grievance redressal process is implemented effectively, according to the plan and schedule in the IEE/ EIA;
• review and finalize procedures to document and record the grievances and sensitize the authorities, on the communication strategy and grievance redress mechanism, which includes the notification, arranging the GRC meetings and recording/ maintaining the grievance in a database;
• facilitate the PMU (DUD) in any additional studies, including topographical surveys, geo-technical investigations, and demand/socio-economic/willingness-to-pay surveys etc., and any environmental/ social safeguards surveys, etc., as the needs arise; duly ensuring that not only sustainability, facility inclusiveness, affordability, and gender equality and social inclusiveness responsive elements to develop urban services management (where applicable) have been incorporated, but also ensuring that climate and disaster resilience aspects with risk avoidance/ minimization, adaptation and/or mitigation measures have been duly incorporated in the planning and detailed engineering designs for integrated urban sector subprojects by the PDMC firm under PRF Project;
• coordinate structured program sessions for capacity building through training/ workshops/ seminars/ conferences, etc., facilitate in training activities, and impart training in environmental safeguard aspects for integrated urban sector in PMU (DUD);
• facilitate in preparation and validation of draft TOR and EOI for selection of Third-Party Quality Audit Consultant and/or Implementation Supervision Consultant firm(s) for the ensuing project(s);
• coordinate with Urban Development Expert (Project Manager) in delivering/ review of any project activities as and when required; and
• any other task as assigned by the PMU (DUD) from time to time under the PRF, including during the ensuing loan processing.
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
Minimal Educational Qualification: Master’s degree in Environmental Science/ Environmental Planning/ Environmental Engineering/ Environmental Studies/ Environmental Economics/ Natural Resource Management or equivalent; over a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science/ Environmental Engineering/ Civil Engineering or equivalent. Professional Experience: Shall have 15 years of general experience and 10 years of specific experience as environment safeguards/ resettlement expert with exposure in–project formulation, planning, designing, implementation, management, and monitoring-appraisal-evaluation of initial environmental examination (IEE)/ environmental impact assessment (EIA), comprehensive environmental management plan (EMP), environmental and social categorization and other checklists, health and safety management plan (HSMP)/ site-specific health and safety management plan (SSHSMP) with site-specific health and safety COVID-19 plan (HS COVID-19 Plan), etc.
Work experience of five years with any of the following project or project authority shall be preferred: UN umbrella organisation; externally aided project by multilateral development banks (ADB, The World Bank, NDB, etc.)/ bilateral agencies (JICA, DFID, GIZ, etc.); in integrated urban sector. Knowledge of ADB Safeguard Policy Statement 2009 (as amended from time to time), experience with the application of ADB safeguard policy/ assessments/ frameworks, environmental guidelines, and necessary environmental safeguards document preparation and monitoring for compliance is desirable. Shall possess up-to-date knowledge of laws and regulations of India on environmental issues and norms. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English are desirable.
Three years of work experience in North East Region or similar hill states or geographic locations in the Himalayan Region (e.g., Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, UT of Jammu & Kashmir, UT of Ladakh, etc.) in India is an added advantage.
