OBJECTIVE
The objective is to create an efficient and safer transport corridor between Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Multan to ensure enhanced connectivity between the various parts of Pakistan.
DESCRIPTION
The Project will construct a 64-kilometer (km) four-lane, access-controlled motorway connecting Shorkot and Khanewal in Punjab Province, which is the last missing section of the national motorway M-4 to be constructed. It will provide a faster, safer, and more cost-effective north-south route in support of the country’s economic and social development.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION
The Project’s Environmental and Social (ES) risks and impacts have been assessed in accordance with the ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (2009) (ADB SPS), since (i) it is consistent with AIIB’s Articles of Agreement and materially consistent with the provisions of AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy and relevant Environmental and Social Standards; and (ii) the monitoring procedures that ADB has in place to ascertain compliance with the ADB SPS are appropriate for the Project.
Under the ADB SPS, the Project has been assigned Category A for Environment, Category A for Involuntary Resettlement, and Category C for Indigenous Peoples. This categorization recognizes the need for in-depth review of environmental and social impacts and preparation of a detailed planning instrument to support involuntary resettlement and land acquisition.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the entire M-4 was prepared and approved by ADB and the government in 2007. The EIA has been updated with the implementation of the M-4, and the updated EIA has been approved by ADB and the government. The updated EIA was disclosed on ADB’s website in March 2016, the link was subsequently disclosed on AIIB’s website on April 26, 2016. Site-specific Environmental Management Plans (SSEMPs) were prepared by the contractors in accordance with ADB guidelines. Traffic Management Plans, Waste Management Plans, Health and Safety Plans etc. were prepared as part of the SSEMPs.
The Implementing Entity National Highway Authority (NHA) of Pakistan has prepared and submitted to ADB the final land acquisition and resettlement plan (LARP) based on the completed detailed design, which has been disclosed by NHA and ADB. An independent land valuation study has confirmed that compensation rates for affected land are reflective of full replacement cost. Public consultation and information disclosure were undertaken during the preparation of the LARP, including with displaced people and the communities along the project road. The link to LARP was disclosed on AIIB’s website on April 26, 2016.
