Nepal - Poverty Alleviation Fund Project : environmental assessment

The Poverty Alleviation Fund Project will improve the livelihoods of the rural poor, and socially excluded groups in Nepal, by implementing income generation activities, small-scale infrastructure development programs, and sustaining these programs in rural communities, through training, and capacity building. Nevertheless, it is foreseen that some small-scale infrastructure subprojects, may potentially foster adverse environmental impacts, such as due to water supply and sanitation and irrigation subprojects, deforestation practices, as well as because of improper use of pesticides on agricultural lands. Mitigation measures recommend the following. The use of appropriate bioengineering measures, and appropriate management of excavated soil during water supply pipelines installation should be practiced to prevent soil erosion and landslides; training and capacity building shall be provided on water resources handling to prevent water contamination, and on ways to prevent water borne diseases; similarly, monitoring and periodic cleaning should be conducted as part of operational and maintenance activities to minimize biological water pollution; construction of irrigation subprojects should avoid unstable land areas, encouraging the use of bioengineering techniques to avoid soil erosion, while vegetation, and crop land areas should be avoided as possible, or later on, re-vegetative practices should be implemented; irrigation canals should be relocated so as to minimize adverse impacts on forests, wild habitats, and biodiversity, supported by the appropriate training; adequate drainage systems should be in place to prevent water logging, and, indigenous and traditional methods of water distribution should avoid conflicts on water distribution; market access should be ensured concerning agricultural products to enhance the local economy, strengthened by capacity building, and an agricultural base training.