The investigation panel of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), probing woes of Chashma Right Bank Canal victims, recommended that the bank should not approve any new loans for future water and irrigation projects in Pakistan unless adequate compensation and mitigation measures are in place.
The final inspection report will be presented to the ADB board of executive directors within one-and-a-half month for financial review.
An ADB inspection committee, funding Chashma Right Bank Irrigation Project (CRBIP)-III, observed in a report aimed at investigating the claims made by victims of the project that it had caused irreparable livelihood and environmental damages in the project area.
On the basis of its investigations, the ADB inspection panel has recommended to negotiate extension of the project and allocation of budget resources from the surplus of the loan to address problems in the project area.
Any new construction work or major changes in the water management regime for the project that are proposed for implementation will have to be undertaken after full assessment of their environmental and social impacts.
Monitoring and evaluation needs to be done by an independent entity that is acceptable to all parties, the report said.
It further said that the ADB also needs to work with the Government of Pakistan in order to seek an arrangement to ensure long-term funding for the implementation of a full environmental management plan for the project.
Uncertain funding will also be an effective obstacle to meaningful consultative and participatory processes, it said, adding, funding needs to be secured for a period of at least five years.
The inspection panel also recommended that before sanctioning any new loans for large-scale canal irrigation projects, the ADB needs to ensure that appropriate, reliable and transparent mechanisms are in place.
The panel contended that compensation for land acquisition is provided on a land-for-land basis or, when that is not possible, with cash compensation at levels that enable the affected households to buy a piece of equivalent to the land that was lost.
Issues related to corruption, particularly the payment of bribes to officials in charge of distributing compensation for land acquisition and resettlement, are well taken care of, the report added.
The borrowing country is committed to implement resettlement programs in a way that is in compliance with the ADB's resettlement policy, the panel remarked.
The bank needs to make sufficient availability of human resources in order to ensure a satisfactory level of support for and monitoring of the implementation of resettlement plants, environmental management plans and similar measures.
The Chashma Right Bank Canal is an extensive irrigation project commanding about 600,000 acres of land in D.I. Khan and D.G. Khan districts.
Direct impacts of the project include the displacement of about 20,000 persons from 22 villages, project induced flooding of about 80,000 acres of land and disruption of the traditional rowed-kohee system. Local communities filed an inspection claim to the ADB executive board two years back, it was reliably learnt.
The report confirmed that the ADB management violated its own policies that resulted in massive livelihoods and environmental losses to local communities.
The panel recommended that all losses should be documented in a transparent and comprehensive manner and local communities should be involved in the assessment of losses.
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