Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban policy, institutional and capacity development - Urban sewerage - Urban solid waste management - Urban water supply

The Project is a key urban environmental improvement initiative of the Jilin provincial government (JPG), and the Heilongjiang provincial government (HPG) to control pollution in the Songhua River Basin (SRB). It is classified as a targeted intervention because it contributes to achieving Millennium Development Goal 7, Target 10, which calls for the halving of the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation by 2015. The Project will help to (i) reduce water pollution, (ii) protect water resources, (iii) address water shortages (by recycling effluent) and meet the demand for high-quality treated water through 2015, (iv) control nonpoint source pollution through effective solid waste

management (SWM), (v) promote sustainable economic development, and (vi) improve the environment and living conditions in the project counties and cities (see footnotes 9 and 10 in the main text) in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. The Project has three components, five subcomponents, and 20 activities. The components are (i) an improved and expanded water supply and wastewater services in 11 counties and cities in Heilongjiang province; (ii) improved and expanded wastewater facilities and SWM in 15 counties and cities in Jilin province; and (iii) capacity development and training on project management, institutional and SWM and wastewater management, and tariff reform for all the project implementing agencies (IAs). The Project supports the Government's 11th Five Year Plan (FYP) which includes the goals of improving living conditions and health in cities and promoting sustainable economic development. It also supports the Songhua River Basin Water Pollution Prevention and Control Master Plan (SRBPCMP), which calls for improving water quality in the SRB from the current class IV, V and below V to class III by 2020.

Component I: Improved and expanded water supply services, and wastewater treatment in the project counties and cities in Heilongjiang Province

Component II: Improved and expanded waste water treatment, solid waste management, and river improvement in the project counties and cities in Jilin Province

Component III: Institutional capacity development for project management

For Heilongjiang Province, the following were completed: construction of 4 water treatment plants (WTPs) with a cumulative capacity of 49,500 m3/day and 120 kilometers (km) of water transmission pipelines; and construction of 9 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with a total treatment capacity of 381,000 m3/day and 199 km of sewer pipelines.

For Jilin Province, the following were completed: construction of 9 WWTPs with a total capacity of 178,000 m3/day and 368 km of sewer pipelines; construction of 10 sanitary landfill facilities with a total capacity of 2,400 tons per day with service life ranging from 13 to 22 years; and river improvement at the source of the Songhua River with 2 WWTPs with total capacity of 3,100 m3/day, 3 solid waste transfer stations with total capacity of 40 tons per day, and 3.8 km of sewer pipelines.

Institutional capacity development was done through trainings to strengthen the organizational structures and staff resources to implement, operate, and maintain project components; strengthen management practices in human resources, finance, and corporate planning; and support for the Government's public awareness program to ensure the sustainability of project benefits.

Category A. A summary of the environmental impact assessment was circulated to the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) along with two environmental management plans on 11 July 2008, and uploaded to the ADB website on 11 July 2008.

October 2013 loan review mission confirmed that overall, the implementation of EMPs of subprojects has been effective and no significant environmental impacts have occurred due to construction and/or operation of subproject facilities. Monitoring results presented in the annual environmental monitoring reports indicate that major negative environmental impacts could be avoided. The Mission noted with satisfaction that all wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) that were put in operation comply with relevant emission standards in terms of effluent quality, odor, and noise. Environmental management training and capacity building activities were conducted according to the approved plan.

Category A. Resettlement impacts have been identified and resettlement plans have been prepared in accordance with PRC laws and regulations governing land acquisition and resettlement and ADB's Involuntary Resettlement Policy. The land acquisition and resettlement program is designed to ensure that affected persons will be better off (or at least not worse off) as a result of the Project. Overall, the land acquisition and resettlement impact of the Project will be significant. A total of three full resettlement plans and 18 short resettlement plans with three due diligence reports, and six statements of land acquisition and resettlement have been prepared by the IAs with the assistance of the local design institute.

Overall, the land acquisition and resettlement of the Project progressed well. The implementation of land acquisition and resettlement program by the local government and respective IA is in compliance with the RPs and resettlement covenants of the loan and project agreements. The compensation rates of land acquired, and houses and associated auxiliaries demolished were the same with or higher than the rates in the RPs, and accepted by the APs. The interview with the APs by the Consultants demonstrates that they are satisfied with the compensation.