PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)
CONCEPT STAGE
Project Name
Region
Sector
Project ID
Global Supplemental ID
GEF Focal Area
Borrower(s)
Implementing Agency
Environment Category
Date PID Prepared
Estimated Date of
Appraisal Authorization
Estimated Date of Board
Approval
Report No.: AB4738
POPs Elimination, Mitigation and Site Management Project
EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
Agricultural extension and research (40%);Crops (40%);Mining
and other extractive (10%);General public administration sector
(10%)
P098889
P116013
P-Persistent Organic Pollutants
GOVERNMENT OF TAJIKISTAN
Executive Office of the President
[X] A [ ] B [ ] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined)
April 27, 2009
July 15, 2010
September 30, 2010
1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement
In Tajikistan, improperly stored obsolete pesticides pose serious hazards to public health,
drinking water, and the local and global environments. Most of these pesticides are persistent
organic pollutants (POPs). POPs persist in the environment, bioaccumulate in human and animal
fatty tissues, biomagnify in food chains, transport across great distances, and pose adverse risks
to human health.
POPs pesticides were used intensively during the Soviet period to boost cotton production,
especially in the southern Khatlon and the northern Sugd regions. After becoming obsolete or
banned, large quantities were buried in dumpsites or stored in warehouses in the 1980s.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union these sites were not attended. Furthermore,
availability of pest management products to farmers became scarce. As a result, most of these
sites have been breached and stripped of reusable building materials. Some pesticides have been
excavated for use or sale. Grazing animals and playing children often access these sites. The total
amount of such obsolete pesticides is estimated at 10,660 tons while the amount of soil and
pesticide mixtures is estimated at 4,500 tons.
POPs pesticides continue to be smuggled into Tajikistan. Farmers who use have poor awareness
of related risks or the availability of superior pest management technologies. Quality control and
labeling of imported pesticides remain weak, as does access to professional advice on judicious
use. Tajik legislation is incomplete with regards to laws and guidelines on the management,
storage and destruction of obsolete and banned pesticides.
Khatlon is considered a priority region for POPs pesticide management interventions in a
constrained resource environment. It has been Tajikistan’s most intensively cotton-cultivated
region and, according to the National Implementation Plan on POPs, may contain more than
7,600 tons of obsolete pesticides, including 7,500 tons in the Vahsh burial site. The Khatlon
region and in particular, the burial site, drains into the Tikrovaya Balka Nature Reserve which
offers refuge to a diverse number of important plant and animal species. The pre-identification
mission visiting Khatlon in October 2008 observed that growers of cotton and other crops lacked
knowledge about proper pest management. Furthermore, the mission was informed that
smuggled pesticides were commonly used.
Policy and Government Strategy
The Republic of Tajikistan is committed to addressing the POPs problem. The Tajik Parliament
has ratified the Stockholm Convention (SC) on POPs. In 2005, the National Environmental
Action Plan identified POPs as a key environmental issue threatening public health and the
environment. In 2007, a National Implementation Plan on POPs (“POPs NIP”) was adopted by
the Government. The Action Plan of the NIP identifies international donor assistance, GEF, and
republican budget as key potential financial sources. In a July 1, 2008 letter, the Chairman of the
Committee for Environmental Protection (“Environment Committee”) and GEF Operational
Focal Point requested World Bank assistance in preparing an implementation project partially
funded with GEF grant funds. A project concept was agreed with the Environment Committee
during a pre-identification mission in October 2008. A project information file on this project
requesting USD 4.02 million in grant funding was endorsed by the Chairman of the Environment
Committee on April 9, 2009. The GEF CEO endorsed the PIF for inclusion in the GEF work
program on April 22, 2009.
The proposed project would reduce risks posed by POPs pesticide stockpiles and wastes in
priority areas; reduce farmer reliance on POPs pesticides; strengthen POPs related legislation and
enforcement; and promote regional information dissemination. Thus, the project would support
the POPs NIP that identifies as high priorities: “re-packaging and elimination of obsolete and
forbidden pesticides,” and the removal of “potential threat for public health and environment by
rehabilitative measures in Kanibadamski and Vahshski burial places of pesticides.”
Relevance to Bank Country Strategy
The proposed project will be included in the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for 2010-2013
that is currently under preparation. It will support “Pillar 1 – Sustaining Economic Growth” as
integrated pest management will contribute to increased agricultural yields and farmer incomes.
The project will also support Pillar “2 -Preserving Human Capital and Social Protection” as the
elimination of poorly stored obsolete pesticides will reduce the risk of related water pollution.
POPs concerns are not mentioned in the current CPS, which covers Bank support through June
2009. When that strategy was prepared, the POPs NIP had not been finalized and little dialogue
existed on possible Bank support for POPs management. Nevertheless, the project will support
the current CPS’s objective of “preserving and enhancing health” by reducing risks of water
contamination.
Relevant Donor and Bank-funded Projects
The proposed project would build upon the ongoing Bank-supported USD 15 million Cotton
Sector Recovery Project (CSRP) and the Emergency Food Security and Seed Imports Project
(EFSSIP). Both projects are presently designing activities to support the provision of agricultural
advice in the Khatlon region. CSRP’s activities include community outreach programs in seven
project districts and farmer field school programs in four districts. Both projects employ the
“farmer field schools” approach to guide farmers in a hands-on manner throughout the crop
cultivation cycle, including on pest management. CSRP also supports knowledge delivery
through day-long seminars and easily accessible booklets on crop management. EFSSIP
supports training of input providers. The proposed project will complement these efforts by also
generating awareness to farmers on the hazards of POPs and other smuggled and counterfeit
pesticides.
The project would also build upon the integrated pest management (IPM) activities supported by
the IFC – Sida Southern Tajikistan Agribusiness Supply Chains Development Project, which will
close at the end of FY2009; the EU-funded Support to the Establishment of a National
Agricultural Advisory Service (SENAS) Project; and the ICARDA Central Asia IPM Project.
During project preparation, potential linkages will also be explored with the IDA -funded
Ferghana Valley Watershed Management Project.
In addition, the proposed project complements other partners’ POPs management activities,
including a UNEP GEF regional project entitled “Demonstrating and Scaling Up Sustainable
Alternatives to DDT for the Control of Vector-borne Diseases in Southern Caucasus and Central
Asia” implemented in Georgia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The project would also build on integrated pest management (IPM) activities supported by the
IFC – Sida Southern Tajikistan Agribusiness Supply Chains Development Project, which will
close at the end of FY2009; the EU-funded Support to the Establishment of a National
Agricultural Advisory Service (SENAS) Project; and the ICARDA Central Asia IPM Project.
During project preparation, potential links will be explored with the IDA -funded Ferghana
Valley Watershed Management Project.
Finally, the Bank has significant global experience in implementing POPs pesticide elimination
projects, including in Moldova, China and several African countries. The Bank has the unique
ability to transfer experience among countries and regions to the benefit of its clients.
2. Proposed objective(s)
The proposed project will reduce the environmental and public health hazards associated with
stockpiles of POPs pesticides by eliminating stockpiles and reducing farmer reliance on POPs
pesticides.
3. Preliminary description
A Global Environment Facility (GEF) sector investment grant is considered as a lending
instrument given the large share of investment activities in the proposed project. A GEF grant of
USD 4.02 million would be requested. A GEF project preparation grant of USD 200,000 has
been requested to support client preparation tasks.
The Bank Team has also obtained approximately USD 650,000 from the Canadian Trust Fund
for Chemicals Management for a related POPs pesticide study (“Canadian TF study”) in the
Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. In Tajikistan, these funds will support training,
inventory, and site characterization and prioritization in Khatlon.
Preliminary project components and cost estimates are:
1. Reducing risks from POPs pesticide stockpiles in priority areas (USD 4.56 million, including
USD 3.44 million GEF and USD 1.12 million cash or in-kind from the Tajik Government
and donors). This component’s outputs would include:
(i) Repackaging, collection, transportation, interim storage and final disposal/destruction
of approximately 800 tons of POPs pesticides and wastes;
(ii) Safeguarding priority storage sites; and
(iii)Containment or remediation of the Vaksh pesticide burial site.
2. Reducing farmer reliance on POPs pesticides (USD 6.42 million, including 0.19 million
GEF and USD 6.24 million cash and in-kind from the Cotton Sector Recovery Project
(CSRP), the Emergency Food Security and Seed Imports Project (EFSSEIP) and the Tajik
Government). Expected outputs include:
(i) Enhanced capacity for IPM promotion through training, study tours and equipment
provision to IPM advisors and their trainers and development of booklets, leaflets and
other materials for farmers;
(ii) Increased farmer knowledge of IPM and POPs pesticides hazards through seminars
and farmer field schools in the Khatlon region.
3. Strengthening POPs-related legislation and enforcement (USD 0.59 million, including USD
0.28 million GEF and USD 0.31 million cash and in-kind from the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Tajik Government). Expected outputs include:
(i) Incorporating the provisions of the Stockholm Convention (SC) and international
agreements and code of conduct on pesticides and hazardous chemicals into Tajik
legislation by drafting a law on POPs and guidelines on the management, storage and
destruction of obsolete and banned pesticides, and revising existing laws and
regulations, including the Law on Production Waste;
(ii) Training regulators and enforcement officials on the provisions of the SC and
international agreements and code of conduct on pesticides and hazardous chemicals,
and supply of essential equipment; and
(iii)Raising public awareness of POPs hazards and related mitigation measures.
4. Project management and regional information dissemination (USD 0.47 million, including
USD 0.12 million GEF and USD 0.35 million cash and in-kind from the CSRP and the Tajik
Government) supporting:
(i) Administration of project activities, procurement, financial management, monitoring,
evaluation, and reporting; and
(ii) Organization of and participation in annual regional knowledge sharing workshops on
relevant technical topics such as IPM and cost-effective containment and remediation
technologies.
4. Safeguard policies that might apply
The project is expected to trigger Environmental Assessment (OP/BP 4.01) and Pest
Management (OP 4.09). Given planned transportation and disposal of hazardous waste, the
project will likely be categorized as “A” requiring a full environmental assessment (EA)
although this classification will be revisited at the QER stage in early 2010 on the basis of the
findings of the Canadian TF study. Specific impact mitigation measures during site
remediation/containment and removal of obsolete pesticides will be included in the EMP to
ensure that any temporary impacts are addressed during implementation. Pest management
activities supported under the project trigger OP 4.09 and a pest management plan will be
prepared as part of the EA. The EA will also determine whether Natural Habitats (OP/BP 4.04)
and Projects on International Waterways (OP/BP 7.50) are also triggered. A detailed social
assessment and site visits by the project team will determine whether the Involuntary
Resettlement Policy (OP/BP 4.12) is triggered. Use of contaminated sites for grazing purposes
may constitute a resettlement issue in cases where such the remediation or other safeguarding of
the site interferes with this use.
5. Tentative financing
Source:
BORROWER/RECIPIENT
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Local Communities
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT - Associated IDA Fund
Foreign Multilateral Institutions (unidentified)
Total
6. Contact point
Contact: Tijen Arin
Title: Sr Environmental Econ.
Tel: (202) 473-5535
Fax:
Email: tarin@worldbank.org
($m.)
.56
4.02
.02
6.69
.75
12.04