KASHKADARYA OBLAST WASTEWATER MODERNIZATION …

NOVEMBER 2019

REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN, KASHKADARYA OBLAST

SUE “KASHKADARYA SUVOQAVA”

EUROPEAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

KASHKADARYA OBLAST WASTEWATER

MODERNIZATION PROJECT

FEASIBILITY STUDY

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY

KASHKADARYA OBLAST

DRAFT

KASHKADARYA OBLAST WASTEWATER

MODERNIZATION PROJECT

FEASIBILITY STUDY NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY

KASHKADARYA OBLAST

DRAFT

NOVEMBER 2019

ADDRESS CECT Consulting LLC

3-5, bld.1, Gazetniy Lane

125993 Moscow

Russian Federation

TEL +7 495 629 93 92

FAX +7 495 629 88 84

WWW cect.eu

PROJECT NO. 161

DOCUMENT NO. Volume 4

VERSION 2

DATE OF ISSUE 14 November 2019

PREPARED AKAD, EVLA

CHECKED AEK

APPROVED SS

KASHKADARYA OBLAST WASTEWATER MODERNIZATION PROJECT - FEASIBILITY STUDY

Non-Technical Summary 3

ABBREVIATIONS

Company,

Client,

Enterprise

State Unitary Enterprise “Kashkadarya Suvoqava” (Kashkadarya Oblast Water

& Wastewater Company)

EBRD, Bank European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

E&S Environmental and Social

EHS Environment, Health and Safety

ESAP Environmental and Social Action Plan

LTIP Long-Term Investment Program

NTS Non-Technical Summary

O&M Operation and Maintenance

OHS Occupational Health and Safety

PIP Priority Investment Program

PR EBRD Performance Requirements

SEP Stakeholder Engagement Plan

SPZ Sanitary-Protection Zone

WTP Water Treatment Plant

WW Wastewater

WWPS Wastewater Pumping Station

WWTP Wastewater Treatment Plant


Non-Technical Summary 4

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 1-5

1.1 Why the project in the water sector of Uzbekistan is needed? 1-6

1.2 Who will pay for the improvements? 1-7

2 Description of the new system 2-9

2.1 New construction, reconstruction of sewage street networks and main sewers 2-10

2.2 New construction, reconstruction and modernisation of wastewater pumping stations and discharge stations 2-10

2.3 Reconstruction / Construction of WWTP in the City of

Karshi 2-11

2.4 Development of a hydraulic model, GIS and implementation of SCADA 2-12

2.5 Supply of maintenance and repair equipment, special

machinery for the city of Karshi 2-13

3 Summary of E&S Report 3-14

3.1 What will be the Project impacts? 3-14

3.2 Environmental and Social impacts and benefits 3-14

3.3 Land Acquisition, Involuntary Resettlement and Economic

Displacement 3-17

3.4 Tariff Affordability 3-18

4 Summary of ESAP 4-19

5 Proposed engagement of stakeholders 5-21

5.1 Who are the stakeholders? 5-21

5.2 How and when are the stakeholders engaged? 5-21

5.3 Grievance mechanisms for stakeholders 5-22


Non-Technical Summary 1-5

1 Introduction

State Unitary Enterprise “Kashkadarya Suvoqava” (hereinafter referred as “Company” or “Enterprise”)

provides water and wastewater services in Kashkadarya oblast which includes 11 cities, 210 urban-type

settlements, and about 400 rural settlements. Government of Uzbekistan, on behalf of the “Kashkadarya

Suvoqava” has approached the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “EBRD” or

the “Bank”) with the request to finance a priority investment program (“PIP”) for rehabilitation of

wastewater infrastructure (the “Project”) operated by the Company. The total population of the

Kashkadarya Oblast is approx. 3.1 mln. people.

State Unitary Enterprise “Kashkadarya Suvoqava” is 100% owned by the Ministry of Communal

Affairs. The Company provides municipal services including water and wastewater services to

residential customers, industries and organisations. The Company’s responsibilities cover the provision

of services to the consumers is provided below.

The “Kashkadarya Suvoqava” has the following subsidiaries:

› Occupational district branch of the

"Suvokava"

› Qoson district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Karshi district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Nishan district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Yakkabog district branch of “Suvoqava”

› Kamashi district "branch of “Suvoqava”

› Shahrizabz district branch of the

"Suvoqava”

› Qitob tuman "branch of “Suvoqava”

› Charakchi district "branch of “Suvoqava”

› Guzar district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Dehkanabad district branch of the

"Suvoqava”

› Mirishqor district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Mubarak district branch of the "Suvoqava”

› Shakhrisabz Water Production Branch

› Talimarjan-Mubarak branch of water

production

› Karshi city "Suvoqava" branch

According to the Company’s data, the total population provided with water supply services at the level

of connection to the household is 451,692 people (2018), which is only 15% of the total population of

the Oblast or 28% of the population living in the Company’s service area.

The level of provision with a water supply connection varies from 80% in Karshi City to 5–10% in the

rural settlements where connected water supply is available. Among the areas, with only decentralised

sources, the worst situation is observed in Dehqonobod District where the population uses springs,

channels and wells with low-quality and unsafe water.

For water supply purposes, the Company uses both underground (77%) and surface sources (23%).

The centralized wastewater system in Kashkadarya Oblast has been in operation since the 1970s and is

provided in three cities – district centers: Karshi, Mubarak, Shahrisabz. The wastewater system is

separated, it ensures the collection and transportation of household and industrial wastewater. There is



no organized collection of storm runoffs. The total population of the Oblast is about 3.1 mln; of them,

the population provided with wastewater services, according to the Company’s data, is 197,124 people

(48,929 customers), which in percentage terms is only 6.3% of the total population of the region. The

population in other settlements uses freestanding cesspools, pit toilets, septic tanks.

The terrain relief has a continuous slope rising from west to east, therefore, wastewater disposal is

performed mainly by gravity.

There are 14 wastewater pumping stations (WWPSs) in Karshi, 5 of which are in a critical condition

and are out of operation. All stations are manually operated. Operators on duty attend them day and

night, manually turning on/off pumps depending on the level of wastewater in the receiving chamber.

Screen chambers are flooded in order to reduce the frequency of the pumps starts. There are no bar

screens on any of the WWPSs. Electrical and mechanical equipment is worn out.

It was not possible to obtain reliable data on actual effluents inflowing to the pumping stations since

there are no flow meters. The flows are estimated based on the running time of pumps and their design

capacities.

The total length of sewage networks in Karshi is 175.9 km. A major part of the sewage networks is made

of reinforced concrete and asbestos-cement pipes. Breakdown rate on the sewage networks is

persistently high, according to the data for the last three years, this is 4 breakdowns (including cloggings)

per 1 km per year.

Wastewater treatment is not performed in the cities of Karshi, Shahrisabz, and Mubarek as the existing

treatment plants are in a critical condition. The design capacity of Karshi WWTP is 25,000 m3/day. The

plant was put into operation in 1978, and aero-tank rehabilitation was performed in 2004.

No treatment process is currently performed at the plant. Effluents run via capital structures of the

screens, sand traps, then run through a by-pass channel bypassing the other facilities and are discharged

into the collecting drain.

Wastewater discharge is carried out 24 hours a day. It is not possible to obtain reliable data on actual

flows since there are no flow meters at the inlet and outlet of wastewater. According to the Company,

the average flow is 20,000-25,000 m3/day.

To ensure the required degree of treatment the project provides for multi-stage, mechanical and

biological treatment of incoming wastewater. The Project also assumes dehydration, post-treatment and

maturing of the sludge. Tertiary treatment for nutrient removal is not required in line with the EU Urban

Waste Water Treatment Directive, based on the capacities of the WWTP and absence of sensitive

receptors. ESDD has concluded that a through connection of new customers to the wastewater system,

accounting for and controlling the quality of wastewater entering the system, improvement of the

wastewater treatment process (currently non-existent), the Project will reduce sanitary and

epidemiological risks and adverse impacts on the environment and on water bodies. Construction and

reconstruction of the existing WWTP will result in decreased H&S and environmental risks related to

the use of wastewater leaks while allowing for the connection of at least 50,000 people and increased

reliability.

1.1 Why the project in the water sector of Uzbekistan is needed?

This Project is based on a technical, financial and institutional assessment of the wastewater treatment

system of the area serviced by SUE “Kashkadarya Suvoqava”. It incorporates the technically and

financially sound investments aimed at achieving a safe and reliable wastewater treatment to households

residing in the project area in an environmentally and economically sustainable fashion.

The objectives of the project are:

› improvement of the Company’s operational efficiency (energy efficiency and resource

efficiency);



› reduction of operational costs;

› improvement of services’ reliability and quality;

› reduction of wastewater leakages and minimisation of impact on water quality (public health);

and, last but not least,

› minimisation of negative environmental impacts.

Implementation of PIP projects will allow reaching a significant effect in the social environment due to

increasing in total operating reliability and sustainability of wastewater removal and treatment.

The activities included in PIP were defined as a priority because of they:

› Improve the reliability of the service;

› Create new connections;

› Improve compliance with the national regulations and EBRD PRs;

› Improve the quality of wastewater treatment;

› Improve of the operational efficiency, the safety of the employees and the quality of the work;

› Are financially feasible.

The project will have the following outcomes:

› Reduction of environmental impacts in respect to land, water, and groundwater contamination;

› Reduction of community health risks related to secondary contamination;

› Improved natural resources management through the operation of low-energy equipment;

› Improvement of reliability of wastewater services as well as the quality of life in the communities

as a result of better Company’s asset management;

› Operating in compliance with national legislative requirements.

1.2 Who will pay for the improvements?

EBRD is considering a senior loan Government of Uzbekistan to finance priority investments in

rehabilitation and modernisation of wastewater infrastructure for the Company. The Project is expected

to allow the connection of the new customers, improve the quality and reliability of services, reduce

losses, as well as enhance the operational and financial efficiency of the Company.

A loan from the Bank will be the source of the financing of the Project. The loan is expected to be repaid

from cost savings and increased revenue generation.

Project Categorised as “B” in accordance with the EBRD's Environmental and Social Policy 2014. The

Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) for the proposed Priority Investment Programme

(PIP) for the Project was carried out as part of the Feasibility Study by independent consultants engaged

under the IPPF. It included a review of current practices, and assessment of the Project's potential E&S

impacts and a review of the Company's E&S provisions and management capacities. All PIP

components in the future will be subject to local permitting procedures and passing the local EIA process

(OVOS – local Environmental Impact Assessment). An Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP)

has been developed for the Project and forms an integral part of the Loan Agreement.

The Company has assigned environmental, H&S and HR personnel with a good understanding of

environmental and social national legal responsibilities related to its operations. The Company is

operating in compliance with national legislation and related permits (where issued) with some non-

compliances addressed with corrective measures in the ESAP.

Project Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) was carried out within the scope of the

Feasibility Study so as to identify risks, impacts, and benefits and to structure the Project to comply with



the EBRD Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) (2014) and Performance Requirements (PRs). The

works undertaken within the scope of ESDD included, among others:

› Identifying existing and Project-related environmental and social impacts and risks (including

implications in terms of gender and for vulnerable groups);

› Describing and characterising relevant environmental and social baseline commensurate with the

risks posed by the current site operations and the Project;

› Addressing gender issues in the ESDD and through the PRs related to the Project, including

employment opportunities for women and tailored stakeholder engagement provisions;

› Reviewing the Project Company existing environmental and social management systems, policies

and practices, including human resources and employment, occupational health and safety, and

pollution prevention measures available at the facilities.

Carrying out an Environmental and Social Assessment and developing a draft Environmental and Social

Assessment Report in accordance with the Bank’s requirements as defined in the ESP, including a

Summary table on Compliance with the Bank’s PRs.



2 Description of the new system

Priority investments program (PIP) proposed to implement activities on integrated reconstruction and

modernisation of wastewater facilities of Kashkadarya oblast. The long-term investment program for

the modernization of the wastewater treatment systems involves a much more extensive list of projects,

including projects for wastewater treatment modernisation. All projects are developed using modern

technologies and standards and meet national requirements and the requirements of the EU.

PIP includes the following components:

1. New construction, reconstruction, and modernisation of wastewater pumping stations;

2. New construction, reconstruction of sewage street networks and main sewers;

3. Reconstruction/construction of wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 60 thousand

m3/day in the city of Karshi including a central laboratory for wastewater analysis;

4. Development of a hydraulic model, GIS, and implementation of SCADA;

5. Supply of maintenance and repair equipment, special machinery for the city of Karshi.



2.1 New construction, reconstruction of sewage street networks and main sewers

Currently, the level of the population connected to the wastewater system in the city of Karshi is about

50%. An increase in the population provision with centralised wastewater disposal services requires a

considerable expansion of the sewage system.

The networks have been in operation since the seventies and their major part requires repair and

reconstruction; the total length of the sewage networks is about 175 km. The main problem is

breakdowns, clogging on the gravity networks, about 1.5 breakdowns (including clogging) per 1 km of

network per year. The age of 90% of the pipelines (160 km of networks) is about 50 years. 10–15 km

per year are required to be replaced in order to rehabilitate all the old pipelines within the nearest 10–15

years.

The project involved the reconstruction of sewage the street networks and main sewers involves

reconstruction of street and main gravity and pressure sewers. The total length of the networks to be re-

laid is 40 km, which is about 20% of all the city networks length. A breakdown is given in the table

below.

The new construction involves the construction of street and main gravity and pressure sewers. The total

length of the new networks will be 50 km, which is about 30% of the whole scope of the city sewage

networks.

Expected environmental and social benefits include:

› reduction of environmental damage from wastewater spillage due to sewage networks clogging

and ruptures;

› ensuring stable wastewater disposal (wastewater delivery to the WWTP), the possibility of

wastewater disposal in new districts;

› improvement of sanitary, hygienic and social living conditions, reduction of epidemiological

risks;

› ensuring city development;

› development of industrial areas;

› wastewater disposal in new districts, growth of subscribers’ number;


risks.

2.2 New construction, reconstruction and modernisation of wastewater pumping stations and discharge stations

All the WWPSs provide for wastewater pumping, however, they are in partially serviceable condition,

i. e. there are defects and damages that decrease the bearing capacity, but there is no danger of a sudden

collapse, crippling; functioning of the structures and operation of the buildings are possible either with

their technical condition control or with implementation of necessary activities on rehabilitation or

strengthening of the structures and subsequent monitoring of their technical condition (if necessary).

The WWPSs reconstruction is required to be envisaged along with the wastewater system development,

improvement of wastewater removal schedule. Construction of new WWPSs is also required for the

implementation of the city development plans, an increase in the level of connections.

Reconstruction, modernisation of all the existing 15 WWPSs are envisaged. It is necessary to replace

all the process, mechanical, electrical equipment, provide for complete automation of technological

processes with subsequent connection to the central SCADA. A complete overhaul of the WWPSs

structures and buildings is required.



The PIP also includes a project for the supply and installation of a complete automated discharge station

in the city of Pitnak, which will allow tightening control, accounting and organising wastewater

receiving from private companies’ sewage trucks. A discharge station provides access to wastewater

discharge only to authorised suppliers in a certain quantity and with ensuring total control and recording

of parameters of effluents discharged.

Project implementation will provide to reliable services as well as higher resource efficiency.


› ensuring city development;

› development of industrial areas;

› wastewater disposal in new districts, growth of customers’ number;

› reduction of operating costs;

› improvement of the wastewater system energy efficiency;

› reduction of the number of operating personnel (full automation of the process);

› ensuring metering and control over wastewater discharges from the sewage trucks;

› organise wastewater discharge from the sewage trucks, the possibility of additional incomes;


risks.

2.3 Reconstruction / Construction of WWTP in the City of Karshi

This project involves reconstruction or construction of a new wastewater treatment plant for the city of

Karshi, arrangement of a central wastewater laboratory as a part of the WWTP.

The WWTP has been in operation since 1978. Its design capacity is 25 thous. m3/day. Actual inflow

with an account of groundwater infiltration and surface runoff is 20–25 thous. m3/day. Wastewater from

the city is delivered over gravity and pressure pipelines and is discharged into an open collecting drain

virtually without any treatment.

There is no equipment at the facilities including the auxiliary buildings or that is not repairable; utility

systems are completely missing. Buildings and structures are partially destroyed. The use of the existing

buildings and structures will be determined during design and only after an instrumental investigation

of the engineering structures.

There is no control of wastewater discharged into the municipal sewage system. The PIP plans the

construction of a new WWTP with full-scale biological treatment. Effluents discharge into the municipal

sewage networks with an exceedance of permissible pollutants’ concentration may lead to

malfunctioning of the biological treatment facilities. The monitoring of wastewater from enterprises

discharged into the sewage system is required to be arranged in order to prevent such discharges.

The project involves the construction of a new plant or reconstruction of existing facilities (to be

determined during design documents development) to the capacity of 60 thousand m3/day. Placement

of the newly designed facilities will be within the existing boundaries of the site.

The scope of works includes supply and installation of equipment, civil works, demolition works,

construction of internal and external utility lines, construction of process pipelines, complete automation

of processes, landscaping of the WWTP territory.

Construction of a separate building (or as a part of the office building) of the central laboratory

comprising microbiological and physical/chemical departments of wastewater analyses is also

envisaged as a part of the WWTP. The laboratory will be provided with furniture and equipment in

accordance with standard equipping accepted for similar facilities.



The project implementation will not change the population of the project implementation areas. The

project implementation will result in an increase in the reliability of the wastewater collection services

and create the possibilities for the new connections to the sewerage system.

The principal long-term effect is related to the minimizing of negative environmental impacts on the

surface water bodies, soil and groundwater and providing safe sanitary conditions for the population of

the city of Karshi and neighboring settlements.


› Wastewater treatment instead of untreated wastewater discharge;

› Positive impact of re-use of treated effluents;

› Improvement in environmental sanitation health and reduction in associated health hazards within

the cities / settlements;

› Improvement in quality of life, human dignity and increased productivity;

› Odours from the operational plant;

› Eliminating the risk of imposing environmental fines on the enterprise;

› Increasing of services reliability;

› Reduction of the contamination in the basin of river Kashkadarya;

› Ensuring the possibility of developing a wastewater system and the construction of new houses

with their connection to the sewerage system;

› Ensuring the control over-discharge of wastewater from sewage trucks, the possibility of

additional income;

› Ensure the quality control of sewage discharged into the urban sewerage systems;

› Compliance with national and EU requirements on wastewater treatment.

2.4 Development of a hydraulic model, GIS and implementation of SCADA

Currently, the Company does not have a single map or map boards of wastewater networks that fully

reflect the location of all linear and areal facilities. Separate maps are based on data from the 1980s.

The Company currently does not have any means of instrumentation control of process parameters of

the wastewater system’s main facilities. Wastewater levels in the WWPS reservoirs are determined by

an operator according to a float in a vertical pipe connected to the reservoir. Information on wastewater

flows, on the pressure in the pressure pipelines, status (on/off) of pump units and other devices is

completely lacking. There is no centralised control and accounting of the facilities’ operation. All data

are communicated to the control room only by phone at the dispatcher’s request.

The introduction of the GIS and hydraulic model will allow the Company to provide a more accurate

accounting of fixed assets, increase the efficiency of emergency recovery work, and improve the quality

of customer service. The implementation of this project is necessary for the successful implementation

of a number of other projects, including projects for the reconstruction of pumping stations, SCADA

implementation project, and installation of control valves.

This component involves the development of the Karshi wastewater system electronic model. The model

will be based on the cities electronic map, which will be built on the basis of the geographic information

system (GIS).

The project also includes installation of means for data transmission, processing and storage (flow rates,

pressure, water levels in reservoirs and other process parameters) at the CCU and on-duty personnel of

the process facilities. The transmitted data will serve as a basis for prompt changing the facilities’

operation modes (existing and designed pumping stations, treatment plants).



Implementation of the project shall include both installations of necessary control and measuring

equipment (in case of its absence) and incorporation of data received from the equipment installed within

the implementation of other projects into the system. It is supposed that a major part of the necessary

sensors and devices will be installed within the implementation of other projects.

These two components have no significant environmental and social impacts at the construction stage,

although it will essentially increase the energy and operational efficiency of the system.

The project implementation will allow increased reliability of wastewater services to the customers

because of the enhanced operational efficiency of the pumps and other equipment.

Benefits from the implementation of this PIP component are the following:

By improving the hydraulic modes of networks and SCADA, the implementation of this component will

result in the following environmental and social benefits:

› Reduce energy consumption for pumping of water and wastewater;

› Reduction of costs for ERW;

› Improvement of reliability and safety of the system facilities;

› Reduce wastewater leakages into the ground;

› Reduce electric power consumption for wastewater pumping;

› Optimise the WWPSs operation modes;

› Improve the efficiency of the wastewater system operation and efficiency of the systems

development planning;

› Reduction of operating personnel number with the implementation of other projects.

2.5 Supply of maintenance and repair equipment, special machinery for the city of Karshi

The Company currently experiences a shortage of equipment for technical maintenance and repair of

utility networks and facilities. The Company’s fleet includes 15 units of machinery. 40% of the

machinery has over 15-years’ service life and require overhauling or are not subject to rehabilitation at

all.

As a result: (i) many emergencies are not recovered for months, (ii) majority of valves are out of

operation, (iii) the sewerage system is clogged, (iv) wastewater pollutes the environment, and (v) the

scope of scheduled repairs and maintenance is very low.

The project includes the procurement of special vehicles, machinery and equipment, including the

following types: portable diesel generator, welding unit for welding PE pipes, motor pump, electric

welding unit, sewer cleaning equipment, sewer remote inspection equipment, wheeled excavator, wheel

loader, sewage truck, ERW truck, channel flushing (hydrodynamic) machine.

No additional negative environmental impacts will arise at the operation stage.

Benefits from the implementation of this PIP component are the following:

› Better quality of the performed works;

› Better working conditions;

› Improvement of operational safety;

› Reducing the time for the emergency repairs;

› Reducing number and probabilities of wastewater leaks;

› Improvement of the efficiency of Company management.



3 Summary of E&S Report

3.1 What will be the Project impacts?

The Environmental assessment process involves an assessment and comparison of potential major

impacts that may occur during some of the Project phases and the identification of adequate measures

for mitigation of negative impacts, as well as for enhancement of possible positive impacts.

3.2 Environmental and Social impacts and benefits

The main immediate positive effect from the Project implementation will be the connection of new

customers in Kashkadarya oblast to the sewage removal and treatment network. This will significantly

improve the sanitary conditions and minimise the risk of morbidity by water-borne infectious diseases.

The Project implementation will allow improvement of the wastewater treatment. Reconstruction of the

WWTPs in the town of Karshi will eliminate the discharge of the untreated wastewaters to the basin of

river Kashkadarya and drainage canals. This will contribute to the improvement of the sanitary condition

of the area, better water quality in the river and the elimination of potential environmental penalties to

the Company.

The negative impacts have, mostly, a short-term nature and relate to the construction stage. They are

almost always localised within construction sites except for the projects related to modernization of

main sewers and sewage networks, which imply the implementation of the works outside the Company’s

existing operation sites. These impacts include noise generated by equipment, a local short-term increase

of traffic intensity and corresponding air emissions, soil and landscape disturbances during excavation

works. These impacts can be mitigated by proper works organization, in particular, by the

implementation of measures recommended by the Consultant in the Environmental and Social Action

Plan.

In order to reduce the key impacts associated with reconstruction/construction types of PIP projects, a

selected main contractor (or main contractors if different for various projects) has to develop a

Construction Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (the “CEMMP”) in the framework of

PIP implementation. The CEMMP shall be prepared with due consideration of the identified risks and

impacts as well as mitigation measures proposed for the construction phase in the ESDD Report and

described in the ESAP. Therefore, it is expected that the PIP implementation can potentially cause

moderate impacts which can be reduced to minor through appropriate management of the construction

works.

The Company will be required to provide a regular performance monitoring of the contractors and/or

subcontractors with respect to CEMMP compliance.



The long-term effects of the overall PIP implementation have mostly a positive social character and

relate to the provision of better services to the population, i.e. improvement of wastewater services,

creation possibilities for new connections to the sewerage systems. It should also be noted, that among

all groups of customers the main beneficiaries of PIP implementation will be women since traditionally

in Uzbekistan they do most of the housekeeping. The current status of a sanitation system is very poor

which results in an adverse effect on life standards. Therefore, the implementation of PIP will give a

contribution to solving gender issues and providing better living standards for women in the region.

In terms of environmental benefits, one can expect mitigation of the risks of pollution by minimizing

production and discharge of pollutants from point sources (e.g. domestic (households and services) and

industrial premises), improving water quality up to the levels provided by the national legislation and

EU standards by implying adequate quality of receiving water bodies so that they do not present risks

to the environment or human health, tangible reduction of water losses, improvements of occupational

safety and working conditions for the Company personnel. In general, the more reliable functioning of

the WW systems is expected.

The PIP is an essential step in the complex upgrade of the wastewater system of the whole Kashkadarya

oblast. It covers some of the major social and environmental problems; however, some of the

investments from the long list were out of the PIP and will be implemented later. Some suggestions for

the EHS system modernisation for the Company are also provided in the ESAP.

The analysis of the PIP components shows that short-term adverse environmental and social impacts are

possible during the implementation of construction works. The projects’ implementation will indeed

contribute to a tangible enhancement of the Company’s environmental and operational performance and

will reduce its impact on the environment. The expected effects of the PIP implementation are outlined

below.

Environmental effects

Negative impacts are mostly of a short-term nature and relate to the construction stage. These impacts

include noise generated by equipment, local short-term increases in traffic intensity and corresponding

air pollution, and soil and landscape disturbances during excavation work. These impacts can be

mitigated by a proper organization of works.

Wastewater treatment improvement

Currently, near untreated wastewaters are discharged into the drainage collectors in the basin of river

Kashkadarya. Reconstruction of Karshi WWTP will eliminate this discharge from the city of Karshi. It

should also be noted that complete modernisation and expansion of WWTP in the town of Shakhrisabz

is planned under financing from other sources. Upon completion of these projects the discharge of

approx. 85% of untreated wastewater from various sources in Kashkadarya Oblast will be completely

stopped. It will have a pronounced positive effect on the conditions of surface water bodies as well as

groundwater and soil.

Energy saving

During the PIP projects implementation, outdated electrical installations will be replaced, and adequate

conditions will be created for the selection of the most efficient operational mode of the overall system.

The expected energy savings because of the implementation of wastewater pumping stations (WWPS)

modernisation component are 20.5 MWh/year. However, due to the construction of new WWPSs, the

electricity consumption will increase by 273 MWh per year. Besides, the operation of modernised

WWTP in Karshi will add another 3 822 MWh/year of power consumption. Thus, the resulting increase

in electricity consumption after PIP implementation is estimated at 4 075 MWh per year.



Water resources saving

Implementation of the wastewater treatment project, combined with the technical upgrade of the

respective facilities will help to significantly increase wastewaters recycling and provide possibilities

for enhancing water saving.

Greenhouse gases emission reduction

The indirect reduction of greenhouse gases emissions because of modernisation of existing WWPSs is

estimated as 10.9 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

However, the overall indirect greenhouse gases emissions will be increased because of raised electricity

consumption as a result of the whole PIP implementation. The total increase of GHG emissions (under

Scope 2) is expected at the level of 2 172 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. This estimate is based on the

most recently published national electricity grid factor for Uzbekistan (0.533 t CO2 equiv. per MWh).

Table 1 Calculation of emissions of greenhouse gases as a result of PIP in Kashkadarya Oblast

PIP Component Reduction of electricity

consumption*, MWh/year

Grid factor in Uzbekistan**,

t CO2 equiv/MWh

Reduction of GHG emissions*,

t CO2 equiv/year

Modernisation of existing WW Pumping Stations

20,5 0,533 10,9

New WW Pumping Stations (273,0) 0,533 (145,5)

Rehabilitation and expansion of WWTPs

(3 822) 0,533 (2 037,3)

Resulting values (4 075) (2 172)

*The positive values mean reduction of electricity consumption and GHG emissions, respectively, while the

negative values mean increase of these parameters

**Reference: the 'The IFI (Interim) Dataset of Harmonized Grid Factors (Version 1.0)’

Social effects

Improvement of wastewater removal system reliability

A set of the projects on networks development planning, on the rehabilitation of WWTPs, and on

adjustment of operational modes will allow improvement of the operational reliability of the system, as

well as reduction of the total failure rate and, correspondingly, the frequency of repairs and emergency

disconnections of the consumers.

Connection of the new residential areas

Implementation of the project will lead to the development of the wastewater system of the region, and,

thus, will create possibilities for new connections to the WW systems in Karshi.

Labour costs and Employment

Implementation of PIP will allow reducing labour costs of the Company by decreasing 23 staff positions

at wastewater supply pumping stations. These changes are related to the automation of the processes at

WWPS facilities. It should be also noted that the eliminated job positions are currently occupied by the

low-paid employees doing non-qualified manual work. At the same time, it is expected that such PIP

components construction and reconstruction of WWTP will allow creating 22 job positions, which will

be occupied by qualified staff. The future increase in services will also lead to the creating of new well-

paid job positions. Therefore, the effect of PIP on employment can be regarded as mostly positive.

Gender-related issues

No additional negative impact on women is expected from the project implementation if all mitigation

measures (construction workplace arrangement in the first place) will be dully met. There is also a



limited gender-related impact as stability of the water supply will benefit both genders, however, it is

benefits housewives slightly more.

Mitigation

Project mitigation measures aligned with the ESAP will include steps aimed to eliminate and minimize

project impacts:

Legal compliance – development of the separate EIAs (OVOS), Design for Maximum Permissible

Discharges (MPD) under the national legislation and obtaining approvals and permits prior to the start

of any activities based on the development of legal compliance checklist. Including standardized clauses

specifying that contractors shall comply with the Environmental, Social, Labour, and Health and Safety

requirements as described in the requirements of the Uzbek legislation, best international practices and

constant control (monitoring) will allow to minimizing the risks of non-compliance.

Competence – company and governmental authorities will hire suitable qualified EHS (Environmental

and H&S), Manager and Social (Labour & stakeholder engagement) Manager and environmental

specialist (or Environmental Engineer) to oversee implementation of legal and EBRD E&S

requirements.

Environmental – development of EHS procedures and instructions based on the best international

practices that can be applied in the frame of RUz legislation. Specific procedures/plans outlining correct

practice and management for significant environmental / H&S / Labour aspects/risks to be developed

during the project implementation. The environmental indicators and benchmarks implementation will

allow to constantly monitor progress towards project aims and goals. Planning the construction works

for reconstruction will be outside of the spawning period in order to minimize impact on the fauna.

Labour and Social – development of the “feedback” procedures and internal grievance mechanism under

formalized HR policy will enable employees and non-employee workers including construction workers

and other relevant workers to present their proposals on working conditions improvement as well as to

submit their complaints. Screening procedure for any physical or economic displacement and further

development of appropriate compensation and/or resettlement and/or livelihood restoration action plan

if required upon screening will minimize the social risks. Construction and other activities especially on

agricultural areas will be started after consultation with potentially affected people, and plans will be

corrected in order to minimize the impact on local people’s incomes. Additional information campaign

on the water meters’ installation before the project Component implementation

Safety mitigation measures will include both administrative and physical actions, Health and Safety Plan

of the Contractor (including Trench Safety procedures and Confined Space Working procedures),

program to reduce cases of the secondary bacterial contamination of water, wastewater monitoring

program, training program, Community Health and Safety Management Plan, development of

emergency preparedness and response plan, as well as ensuring proper fencing and guarding of

construction sites, preventing spreading of asbestos-containing dust, proper training on EHS subjects

will positively minimize the safety associated risks.

3.3 Land Acquisition, Involuntary Resettlement and Economic Displacement

The proposed PIP may cause minor temporary economic displacement of industrial enterprises or

farmers. This is due to the need for reconstruction of the wastewater networks within the industrial

and/or agricultural lands.

There is no evidence of physical displacement for the Project from the sewage street networks and main

sewers construction and replacement. The expansion will occur on lands that do not trigger physical

displacement criteria due to the pre-existing industrialisation and lack of occupation on sites.

In order to avoid or minimise impacts on people, at the design stage the PIU and the Company will

develop a screening procedure to identify all the land users, and determine the impacts on such users as



a result of PIP implementation. If economic displacement will be identified during the screening, a

Livelihoods Management Plan will be developed in accordance with EBRD requirements to minimise

impacts by devising appropriate mitigation measures and assuring compensation where needed. All the

land users will be consulted with. It is expected that most of the affected land users and their families

will benefit from the replacement of wastewater removal networks.

No cultural heritage findings are anticipated in the work implementation area. The chance find

procedures will be executed in accordance with the national law.

3.4 Tariff Affordability

An affordability analysis was carried out within the framework of a feasibility study for the wastewater

systems modernization project in the Kashkadarya oblast.

The EBRD affordability methodology has been applied, which defines affordability as “share of monthly

household income/expenditure spent on utility bills”. The EBRD methodology applies different

threshold levels for different utility services. For wastewater utility services threshold level of 5.0% is

used, implying that tariffs resulting in household payments of more than 5.0% of household

income/expenditure are considered unaffordable and, potentially, leading to the decreased collection

and increased water utility accounts receivables.

Based on the analysis for this project, it is expected that tariffs will not pose affordability constraints on

households, as the expenditure for average income households is below 0.39% during the highest year

and substantially lower than the 5% threshold. It will be important that information about the tariffs will

be distributed to the households in a timely manner and that there will be a clear link between the tariffs

and the delivery of improved services.



4 Summary of ESAP

According to the Environmental and Social Policy of the EBRD, an Environmental and Social Action

Plan (ESAP) should be developed for and implemented during the Project in order to ensure

implementation of the project according to the EBRD Performance Requirements (PRs).

The ESAP prepared for the proposed Project is related to the modernization of the wastewater system

and includes the programs and systems to address the environmental and social impacts with allocated

timeframes, responsibilities and resources required.

The main measures included in the ESAP are measures to enhance environmental and health and safety

management systems and interaction with contractors, measures to ensure a better quality of

environmental monitoring, measures to ensure safe operation of the facilities and others.

The ESAP requires the Company to implement a number of improvements designed to meet the EBRD's

PRs. The key ESAP actions are related to:

› Kashkadraya WW Priority Investment Programme requires preparation of separate EIAs,

Design for Maximum Permissible Discharges (MPD) under the national legislation. The

Company will complete that and obtain the necessary construction and environmental approvals

and permits prior to the start of any activities. EHSSM Plan will include the preparation of a

checklist of permits for ensuring legal compliance to be used during inspections and audits.

› Company and PIU will employ suitable qualified EHS (Environmental and H&S) Manager,

Environmental Specialist (or Environmental Engineer) and Social (Labour & stakeholder

engagement) Manager to oversee implementation of legal and EBRD E&S requirements and

implementation of this ESAP at planning, tendering and construction stage

› Company will develop EHS procedures and instructions based on the notes and

recommendations of the best international practices that can be applied in the frame of RUz

legislation and circulate it through the Company.

› Company will need to assign a relevant budget for tasks related to environmental issues in a

separate block in annual planning.

› Standardized clauses specifying that all contractors shall comply with the Environmental,

Social, Labour, and Health and Safety requirements (including development of “Construction

Environmental Management and Monitoring Programme” (CEMMP)) as described in the

requirements of the Uzbek legislation, best international practices and ESAP will be developed

and integrated into the tender documents and new contracts.

› Contractors monitoring programme will be developed and implemented which will include

briefing Contractors on the Project EHSS and labour requirements, and regular checks on their

performance to ensure compliance with the E&S requirements.



› Formalised HR policy and procedures/supporting documentation including “feedback”

procedures and internal grievance mechanism in order to enable employees and non-employee

workers including construction workers and other relevant workers to present their proposals

on working conditions improvement as well as to submit their complaints will be developed as

part of ESAP.

› Including H&S clauses about briefing/training Contractors on the Project EHSS and labour

requirements and regular checks throw inspections and audits on their performance to ensure

compliance with the E&S requirements.

› ESAP implementation will include “feedback” procedures and internal grievance mechanisms

in order to enable employees and non-employee workers including construction workers and

other relevant workers to present their proposals on working conditions improvement as well as

to submit their complaints.

› Public awareness program aimed to reduce cases of the clogged pipes and other accidents of

sewage networks will be part of ESAP.

› Actions aimed to prevent the spreading of asbestos-containing dust, especially during the

demolition of structures and excavation of old pipes, development of a procedure for the

handling of asbestos wastes will be the part of H&S actions.

› development of tariff structure that would provide for the guaranteed subsidies to contain the

tariff growth to the acceptable levels and implement a monitoring system to ensure affordability

to low-income and vulnerable groups.

The ESAP includes the environmental and social management systems and measures to be implemented:

› by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) during the design phase (preparation of documentation,

procurement of works, and procurement of equipment from suppliers);

› by the PIU and contractors during construction works;

› by the Company during the operation of the wastewater treatment system.



5 Proposed engagement of stakeholders

5.1 Who are the stakeholders?

The stakeholders are the organisations, institutes, and individuals who are responsible for, interested in

or affected by the proposed Project. The employees of the Company are the internal stakeholders of the

Project. Other parties are the external stakeholders and may include suppliers and contractors,

customers, national regulatory and certification authorities, investors, local civil society groups, trade

unions, NGOs, political parties, other companies, and the press and social media.

5.2 How and when are the stakeholders engaged?

The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will be established within the Project Implementation Agency

(Ministry of Housing and Communal Services) during project planning and construction phase. The PIU

will make sure that the Uzbek governmental agencies, local community organisations, the mass media

and the general public including men and women and vulnerable people are informed about the Project

and can participate in the process of identifying and communicating issues of concern, and in an analysis

of the Project. The Project-related information and consultation activities will be also carried out during

all other phases of the Project preparation and implementation so that concerns of people potentially

affected by the Project could be known and addressed.

The information provided about the Project should be sufficient at least for describing what changes will

be caused by the Project, where and when these changes are expected.

A stakeholder engagement and disclosure plan detailing methods and content of engagement and

disclosure for each type of stakeholder is presented in SEP. Project ongoing engagement with

stakeholders will be done mainly through:

› information disclosure on the website;

› ongoing engagement during routine operations, directly and in coordination with the

Governmental responsible;

› external feedback and grievance mechanism;

› regular reports to EBRD;

› development and disclosure of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan.

The Company will identify the most culturally adapted communication channels to target messages

effectively so as to be fully transparent and informative. Possible methods to reach the target audience

include, but are not limited to, the following:

› meetings (individual or group, opened to all or focused on specific stakeholders);



› brochures, posters, and informative leaflets;

› special events;

› the media (newspaper, radio, TV);

› website and social media: in particular, to keep ongoing communication with NGOs and other

interested stakeholders.

All interactions with stakeholders will be documented and logged, and follow up activities recorded.

A major part of information about the Project preparation was provided to stakeholders during the

Feasibility Study and the Environmental and Social Due Diligence. Draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan

(SEP) was prepared and will be disclosed. The PIU will update the SEP and use it as an instrument for

planning and recording of the public information and consultation activities. The updated versions will

be disclosed.

Claims of persons and companies are to be submitted at:

Kashkadarya region, Karshi city, Khonobad High Road, bldg. 1

Phone: +998 (03) 75 224 07 30

E-mail: [email protected]

If the claims are related to the implementation of this Project, they will be further transferred to the

Project Implementation Agency (Ministry of Housing and Communal Services) during the project

planning and construction phase.

5.3 Grievance mechanisms for stakeholders

At the stage of construction and operation of the Project facilities the comments, questions and possible

complaints will be addressed within the grievance mechanism. The Project Stakeholder Engagement

Plan includes a special mechanism for receiving and addressing the grievances from the external

stakeholders during the Project implementation. This grievance mechanism will be based on written

forms, which can be filled in by any affected person or organisation and submitted to the SUE

“Kashkadarya Suvoqava” of Kashkadarya oblast or the Project Implementation Unit in Karshi city, who

will take action, if required, and inform the author of grievance on the action taken in response to the

submitted grievance within 15 days if the answer does not need involvement of other parties or site visits

and 30 days if involvement of other parties or site visits are required.

mailto:[email protected]



Public Grievance Form Reference No:

Full Name

Contact Information

Please mark how you wish

to be contacted (mail,

telephone, e-mail).

By Post:

Please provide mailing address:

_____________________________________________________

By Telephone:

_____________________________________________________

By E-mail

_____________________________________________________

Preferred Language for

communication

Uzbek

Russian

_______________________

Other

Description of Incident or

Grievance:

What happened? Where did

it happen? To whom did it

happen? What is the result

of the problem?

Date of Incident /

Grievance:

One-time incident / grievance

(date _______________)

Happened more than once

(how many times? ______)

On-going

(currently experiencing problem)

What would you like to see

happen to resolve the

problem?

Signature:

_______________________________

(personal signature)

Date:

_______________________________

(day-month-year)

Please return this form to: Name of Contact Person, Position and Title:

_____________________________________________________

Address:

E-mail:

Tel.:

Fax:

Documents

KASHKADARYA OBLAST WASTEWATER MODERNIZATION …