Social Impact Assessment Social Impact Assessment (SIA)(SIA)

Tools and Techniques in SIA for Infrastructure Development

Projects

SIA: Setting the SceneSIA: Setting the Scene• SIA emerged as a field of social science during 1960s – SIA emerged as a field of social science during 1960s – realized EIA inadequate for addressing social issue.realized EIA inadequate for addressing social issue.

• Since 1970s adopted SIA for addressing social impacts.Since 1970s adopted SIA for addressing social impacts.

• For resettlement projects, SIA has evolved basically-For resettlement projects, SIA has evolved basically-

– To identify project-affected people– To find measures to mitigate negative impacts, and– To compensate irreversible losses following a

participatory process

SIA ActivitiesSIA Activities

• Identify affected parties,

• Facilitate and Coordinate participation of stakeholders,

• Collect baseline data,

• Provide an in depth review of the local cultural contexts,

• Predicts likely impacts and how stakeholders will respond,

• Assist in evaluating alternatives,

• Assist in site selection,

Cont…Cont…• Recommend mitigation measures

• Develop coping strategies to deal with non-mitigatable impacts,

• Advise on appropriate institutional and coordination arrangements for all parties, and

• Assist in devising an d implementing monitoring and management programs.

Managing ImpactsManaging Impacts

• Avoid

• Minimize

• Mitigate

What is SIA?What is SIA?SIA is a process of identifying:SIA is a process of identifying:

• Intended and unintended Social impacts(+ & -) of Planned interventions,

• Social change processes invoked by those interventions, and

• In an infrastructure projects, SIA determines whether a RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN is required.

Means/Process of SIAMeans/Process of SIA

• Social Screening,

• Consultation Meeting with stakeholders,

• Cadastral Survey

Categories of Social ImpactsCategories of Social Impacts

• Household Assets (land, house, trees & animals),

• Access to common property resources,

• Livelihood (way of subsistence, culture and

relations),

• Local economy

Conti…Conti…

• Cultural Resources (tangible and intangible),

• Social Capital (mutual help, institutions),

• Vulnerability (Exclusion).

Type of ImpactsType of Impacts

Direct Resettlement and livelihood restoratioon

Indirect Induce Mitigation and change in local economy/ecosystem,

Permanent Land acquisition and Discipline,

Temporary Noise during project constructions

Physical Housing & land loss

Economic Jobs: business.

Timing of ImpactsTiming of Impacts

• Project Designing

• Project Construction

• Project Operations

SIA Building BlocksSIA Building Blocks

• Baseline,• Alternative Analysis for Site,• Define ZOI• Consultation Process• Identify Cultural Resources• Identification of Vulnerable People/Groups• Identification of PAPs and SPAPs• Socio-economic Profile of SPAPS• Stakeholders Identification

1. Baselines1. Baselines• Define the Pre-project situation

• Each project will require different information (baseline), depending on expected impacts,

• Number of beneficiary population (district, VDC, Project area)

Baseline Cont…Baseline Cont…

• Possible positive and negative impacts of the project,

• Other related information.

2. Social Screening (SS)2. Social Screening (SS)

• Project preview (short note)

• Number of beneficiary population (ZoI),

• Number of affected people (direct and indirect)

• Identification of SPAP and PAP

SS cont…SS cont…• Identification of legal owners, squatters or

encroachers, and other category of land tenure arrangements,

• Key economic indicators on local economy and HHs,

• Severity of impacts on land, structures and common property

3. Cadastral Survey3. Cadastral Survey

• Identification of actual land donors (title holders),

• Identification of non-title holders,

• Initiation of land ownership transfer process

The 5 Ws of SIAThe 5 Ws of SIA• Why?: Manage Risks & Mitigate Impacts

• Where?: Project area of influence

• When?: As early as possible.

• Who?: Directly affected people & other stakeholders, and

• What?: Negative Impacts and opportunities.

Activities of SIAActivities of SIA

• Identify affected people/parties

• Facilitate & coordinate participation of stakeholders

• Collect baseline data

• Provide an in depth review of local cultural contexts.

Activities of SIA Cont…Activities of SIA Cont…

• Recommend appropriate mitigation measures,

• Assist in site selection,

• Assist in evaluating alternatives

• Predicts likely impacts and how stakeholders respond,

Activities of SIA Cont…Activities of SIA Cont…

• Develop coping strategies to deal with non-mitigatable impacts

• Recommend appropriate institutional and coordinate arrangements for all parties,

• Assist in developing & implementing monitoring and management programs.

Alternative AnalysisAlternative Analysis

• Compare different options to achieve the same goal

• Compare impacts (social, economic and environmental and so on)

• It is a key tool to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts.

Definition of Area of ImpactsDefinition of Area of Impacts

• Identification of project area and ZoI

Project

•Direct impact area

•Indirect impact area

Vulnerable PeopleVulnerable People

• Project influence is not equally distributed to all in a given population

• Gender, ethnicity, age, economic variables may determine different degree of impacts

• Poverty lines may help in determining vulnerable people

SIA MethodsSIA Methods• Socio-economic survey,

• Land tenure surveys & mapping exercise,

• Focus groups discussions,

• Key informants interviews, and

• Analysis of secondary information

Socio-Economic ProfileSocio-Economic Profile

• Profile of livelihood losers,

• Profile (hh) of SPAPs, and

• Other related information as require by the project.

Cultural ResourcesCultural Resources

• Physical cultural resources

Burial places

Worshiping places and

Sacred forest and locations.

Cultural Resource Cont…Cultural Resource Cont…

• Intangible cultural resources

Customs,

Ritual Practices

Sense of attachment to place

Structure of SIA ReportStructure of SIA Report• Executive summary,• Background• Description of the project• Methodology• Stakeholders analysis & cunsultations• Analysis of Impacts (direct & indirect)• Alternative analysis• Socio-economic profile of ZoI• Other related data, maps, documents and so on.