North East Housing Reconstruction Programme_Environmental Safeguard Unit

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European Union Mission Visit for NEHRP implementing area at Ampara District.more>>>

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RANDOM GALLERIES

This is a rather depressing, yet stunning scene.

ENVIRONMENT SAFEGUARD UNIT

In the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the environment has been affected in many ways due to the war. Further due to the rapid development and reconstruction, environmental impact is felt in different ways.

It is necessary to provide infrastructure facilities in planned manner to the community, which is emerging from the war destruction, in search of new life. While implementing large scale development projects in limited time frame causing damage to environment, requires simultaneous environmental mitigation programmes.

North East Housing Reconstruction Programme is one of the programmes which are arising to rehabilitate the destroyed socio- economic infrastructure due to ethnic conflict.

An Environmental safeguard unit has been started by North East Housing Reconstruction Programme to identify the potential impacts caused to environment by housing reconstruction programme and take necessary remedial actions.

Under the implementation of this programme Environmental Safeguard unit is playing an important role to safeguard the environment and to minimize the negative impact of the environment and to maximize the positive impacts as well as favorable environmental mitigation measures in project areas.

ACTIVITIES

The main activities of the Environmental Safeguard Unit

Completed Environmental Impact Questioners for selected villages.
Tree planting programme as a mitigation measure.
Environmental awareness programme for beneficiaries and VRC members
Environmental awareness programme for the materials suppliers
Environmental training for Divisional Secretariat staffs.
Environmental awareness programme for the school students.
Formulation of Environmental protecting group in each selected villages by using educated youth within village.
Capacity building programme for the ‘Village Level Environmental Protection Group.
Monitoring and maintenance of planted plants
Onside and offside monitoring of environmental conditions
Induce beneficiaries to plant four types of plants in their home garden.
Post Environmental Impact Assessment.

Activities and Objective of the Environmental Safeguard Unit

No	Activity	Objective
01	Preparation of EIQ Reports for NEHRP- selected villages.	Highlighting the project specific environmental impacts (caused during material acquisition from the environment); Suggesting possible alternatives and mitigation measures.
02	Environmental Awareness Programme for Beneficiaries and VRC Members.	Introducing the Beneficiaries about the impacts caused by acquiring resources (sand, lime stone and tree) from the environment for house construction; Introducing mitigation measures and alternative methods for the above.
03	Environmental Awareness Programme for School Students	One School from each DS Division has been selected to conduct the Environmental Awareness Programme where most of the Beneficiaries’ children are studying. The hope of the Programme is to disseminate awareness about environmental aspects (Global Warming, impacts caused by acquiring resources- sand, lime stone and tree, threat for Ground water in Jaffna District, Solid Waste Management and other environmental aspects) from the environment efficiently among society including the Beneficiaries.
04	Environmental Awareness Programme for Material Suppliers (Carpentry Workers and Lime stone Crushing Mill Owners)	Introducing current environmental problems and mitigation measures, importance of tree planting, proper way of acquiring lime stone from the environment, environmental safeguard measures to be adapted in Lime stone Crusher Mills and Ground water problems in Jaffna District.
05	Environmental Training Programme for DS Office and Pradeshiya Sabha Staff.	Disseminating current environmental aspects in collaboration with Central Environmental Authority for Officers who are engaged in works related to environmental safeguard.
06	Implementation of Tree planting Campaign.	Mitigating the effects of tree felling on the environment; Improving the livelihood of the Beneficiaries.
07	Owner- driven tree planting activity (Phase IV).	Introducing the Beneficiaries to plant about 4 types of plants in their home yard; Mitigating the effects of tree felling on the environment; Improving the livelihood of the Beneficiaries.
08	Continuous monitoring of planted plants under environmental mitigation programme.	Assessing the well being and growth condition of the planted plants; Ensuring the existence and the maintenance of the planted plants.
09	Continuous monitoring of onside and offside environmental conditions.	Identifying specific environmental impacts in respective places/ villages.
10	Formation of Village- level Environmental Protection Committee.	Maintaining the environmental safeguard in respective villages; Coordinating and monitoring the owner- driven planting activity in respective village.
11	Conducting Capacity- building Training Programme for Village- level Environmental Protection Committee	Introducing the members with current environmental impacts and mitigation measures; Introducing about the impacts caused by acquiring resources (sand, lime stone and tree) from the environment for house construction; Methods of rearing plant nursery; Inducing the Beneficiaries to plant seedlings in their home yard depending on the availability of space and water and already existing plants.