China, People's Republic of: Asia Cube Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project
The Project will support expansion of wastewater treatment (WWT) capacity and upgrade of discharge standards in Henan, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang and Guangdong provinces in the PRC. As majority of China Cube Water(CCW) wastewater treatment plants are located in provinces along the Yellow River, the project is directly complementary to East Asia Regional Departments Yellow River Basin program (2021-2025). Finally, the Project will track specific pollutants to contribute to ADBs Action Plan for Healthy Oceans.
Project Details
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Project Officer
Bhattacharya, Aditi
Request for information -
Country
China, People's Republic of -
Sector
- Water and other urban infrastructure and services
| Project Name | Asia Cube Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project | |||||
| Project Number | 54401-001 | |||||
| Borrower/Company | China Cube Water Limited |
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| Country | China, People's Republic of |
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| Location | Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Henan, Shaanxi | |||||
| Type or Modality of Assistance |
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| Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth |
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| Drivers of Change | Partnerships Private sector development |
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| Sector / Subsector | Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Other urban services |
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| Gender Equity and Mainstreaming | Some gender elements | |||||
| Responsible ADB Department | ||||||
| Responsible ADB Division | ||||||
| Responsible ADB Officer | Bhattacharya, Aditi | |||||
| Project Sponsor(s) | Asia Cube Water Limited |
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| Description | The Project will support expansion of wastewater treatment (WWT) capacity and upgrade of discharge standards in Henan, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang and Guangdong provinces in the PRC. As majority of China Cube Water(CCW) wastewater treatment plants are located in provinces along the Yellow River, the project is directly complementary to East Asia Regional Departments Yellow River Basin program (2021-2025). Finally, the Project will track specific pollutants to contribute to ADBs Action Plan for Healthy Oceans. | |||||
| Objectives and Scope | The project will support expansion of WWT capacity and upgrade of treatment and discharge standards at operating WWT plants with a focus on the Yellow river and Huai river basins in the PRC. The project is designed to support private sector participation in the water environmental protection sector in the PRC. Further, the project will bundle projects typically too small and expensive for international banks to finance on a stand-alone basis. As such, the project is designed to be a least-cost solution to financing smaller-scale WWT upgrade and expansion projects in the PRC. | |||||
| Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | The project is aligned with operational priority 4 (making cities more livable) by reducing pollution through expansion of wastewater treatment capacity and by supporting water quality improvements through higher discharge standards of treated wastewater. The project is also consistent with operational priority 2 (accelerating progress in gender equality) with measures designed to promote gender-sensitive solutions and gender-responsive infrastructure assets. Furthermore, the project contributes to operational priority 1 (addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities) by providing employment during the projects construction and operation phases. The project supports the strategic priorities of ADBs country partnership strategy for the PRC, 20212025 to strengthen climate resilience, address environmental degradation and achieve high-quality, green development. |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | B |
| Involuntary Resettlement | B |
| Indigenous Peoples | C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
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| Environmental Aspects | ADB has categorized the proposed investment in compliance with ADBs Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) as Category B for environment. ADB engaged external consultants for the audit of the corporate- and subproject-level environmental and social management systems (ESMS) and the environmental and social performance of the subprojects. The E&S audit did not find any potential significant adverse, irreversible, diverse, or unprecedented E&S impacts that may be caused by the upgrade, expansion, and operation of the nine subprojects. Auxiliary facilities such as pipelines and sludge treatment stations are built, operated, and maintained by local governments and will not be financed by the ADB loan. The subprojects are not located in or adjacent to any legally protected areas, critical habitats, or areas of cultural, historical, or religious significance. Each local government determines the location of subprojects based on local land use planning. There were no outstanding non-compliances or complaints, and no significant incidents or accidents reported during the conduct of the E&S audit. Treated wastewater from each subproject is discharged to water bodies designated by the government and is strictly monitored against the applicable effluent discharge standards by the local regulatory agency through a real-time wastewater online monitoring system. CCW has existing environment, health, and safety (EHS) policies and procedures which are cascaded from the corporate level to the subproject levels. The audit recommended corrective actions to ensure that relevant EHS procedures are adequate and compliant with applicable national and local laws and regulations, good international industry practices, and ADB's SPS requirements: (i) application of ADB's prohibited investment activities list, (ii) establishing and maintaining an appropriate ESMS at the corporate level satisfactory to ADB before disbursement, (iii) developing and implementing formal ESMSs at the subproject level, (iv) establishing coordinated corporate- and subproject level EHS management mechanisms, (v) developing and implementing an EHS training program, and (vi) implementing corrective actions for each subproject-specific issue identified during the audit.. ADB will require CCW to report on the progress of the implementation of the ESMS, the corrective actions and the E&S performance of the nine subprojects. |
| Involuntary Resettlement | ADB has categorized the proposed investment in compliance with ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) as Category B for involuntary resettlement. The audit found that each of CCW's subprojects required land acquisition at some point in the past, and most before CCW acquired the physical asset. Four subprojects were found to have administrative deficiencies in the land use right permits shown during the audit, which CCW has agreed to rectify as part of corrective actions. The audit found through discussions with CCW staff that it is likely that the Xianyang subproject may require additional land beyond its current fence line should conceptual expansion plans be realized in the future. |
| Indigenous Peoples | ADB has categorized the proposed investment in compliance with ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) as Category C indigenous peoples. The audit confirmed that none of the subprojects are in areas where distinct and vulnerable ethnic minority groups reside. |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | ADB appraisal found that CCW's subproject related information disclosure, consultation and participation are based on the requirements of national environmental impact assessment, completion check, and acceptance processes. Corrective actions at the corporate and subproject levels include development and implementation of a stakeholder engagement plan and grievance redress mechanism. |
| Timetable for assistance design, processing and implementation | |
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| Concept Clearance | 25 Nov 2020 |
| Credit Committee Meeting | 05 Apr 2021 |
| Approval | 14 May 2021 |
| Last PDS Update | 14 May 2021 |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.
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| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Asia Cube Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project: Report and Recommendation of the President | Reports and Recommendations of the President | Apr 2021 |
| Asia Cube Wastewater Treatment Upgrade Project: Initial Poverty and Social Analysis | Initial Poverty and Social Analysis | Jan 2021 |
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
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