Application of an SEA framework in Palar River Basin Tamil Nadu, India

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Application of an SEA framework inPalar River
BasinTamil Nadu, India

• Presentation at
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Sesssion
• February 26, WaterWeek 04
• N. Harshadeep
• South Asia Environmental and Social Development
  Unit (SASES)
• The World Bank

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The FrameworkMerging SEA IWRM Approaches
Do No Harm Minimize environmental/social
risks Do Good Maximize sustainable
environmental/social benefits
Maximize Sustainable Productivity of Water (Net
Benefits of Water)
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Basin
EA Sectoral EA Regional EA
Integrated Water Resources Planning Management
(IWRM)
Issues/Information
Knowledge Base
Proactive Scoping/Screening
Supply, Demand, Quality
Holistic Basin Framework
Cumulative Impact Assessment
Analysis of Alternatives
Scenario Analysis Modeling
Stakeholder Consultation
Stakeholder Participation
Policy/Institutional Reforms
Institutional Capacity Building
Upstream Input into Decision Making
Decision Support Systems
Sustainable Basin Planning Management
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Limitations of Approach

• Limited awareness of environmental issues, SEA,
  or IWRM
• Multiplicity of Stakeholders
• Fragmentation of Institutions
• Lack of effective consultative frameworks
• Limitations of Knowledge Base/Analysis
• Strong political will to implement
  recommendations
• Mental move from crisis management to shared
  vision planning and management

• but there are few other options left for many
  basins such as the Palar

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Location Characteristics of the Palar Basin
TAMIL NADU

• Palar Basin Characteristics
• Basin Area 18,300 km2 (10,910 km2 in TN)
• Rainfall 1039 mm (SW 458 mm NE 461 mm)
• Potential Supply About 1,500 MCM SW 2,700 MCM
  GW
• Current Demands 2560 MCM (88 Irrigation)
• Industries 88 large 22,695 small (30 MLD
  effluent)
• River flows for 15 days in year!
• Storage 11 reservoirs, 4,900 rainfed tanks and
  661 system tanks
• About 250,000 wells (mostly dug wells)
• GW 50 blocks over-exploited 41
  critical/semi-critical
• Population 5.4 million (62 million in TN)
• Agricultural land 63
• Farmers 62 marginal (lt0.5 ha) 18 small
  (0.5-1 ha) and 20 mediumlarge (gt1ha)
• About 450 Tannery units (in Vellore) with 9
  CETPs

River Basin Map
Palar Basin
Boundaries are indicative and may be under dispute
First Multi-Stakeholder Basin Board in South Asia
Region
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Overall (environmental awareness, competition for
water, growing demands, construction and
operation-related safeguards, environmental
knowledge base and decision support systems,
adequacy of policies, institutions, instruments,
incentives coordination in management of the
resource base and service delivery cultural
property management, appropriate indigenous
knowledge use)
Typical Environmental Issues in a Basin Context
Climate Disasters (droughts, floods and other
natural disasters, climate change)
Land Forest Management (catchment protection
for soil and water conservation, soil
degradation, incl. salinization, biodiversity
conservation, recharge, water harvesting,
non-point source runoff)
Fisheries-related (exotic species, access to
resources, disease pollution)
Industry Power (access to required water,
industrial effluent and sludge management,
thermal pollution, industrial disasters)
Dams (siltation, dam safety, downstream releases)
Rural Water Supply Sanitation (access to clean
water, pollution of local water bodies, drinking
water quality testing)
Irrigation (access to water, waterlogging, water
quality, siltation/erosion)
Urban (health benefits from access to clean water
and sanitation, domestic and stormwater runoff
treatment/management, sludge management, solid
and hazwaste management)
Tourism (waste management, seasonal demands)
Navigation (dredging spoil management, spills)
Agriculture Livestock (pesticide and fertilizer
pollution, livestock fodder, grazing land
availability, medicinal plants, pest/pesticide
management, organic cultivation, clean milk
production)
Environment (water quality/pollution monitoring,
instream flow requirements (incl. community use),
wetlands protection, biodiversity conservation,
sand mining)
Groundwater-Related (Overexploitation Pollution
from natural sources e.g. of As, Fl and from
anthropogenic sources e.g. of Nitrates,
Pesticides, TDS)
Coastal Zone Management (Saline water intrusion,
coastal wetland management, ocean pollution,
coastal hazard management, fisheries-related)
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Palar BasinMultiple Issues for Multiple
Stakeholders
Palar Basin Board Secretariat
Water Resources Organization Institute for Water
Studies
Water Pollution (Tanneries, Waste Dumps,
Textiles, Other Industries, Domestic,
Fertilizer/Pesticide)
Tank Degradation
Agr. Dept/Agr. Engr. Dept WUA/Farmers
Livestock Department
Sand Mining
Water Scarcity
TWAD Board
Inter-Basin Transfer
MetroWater
Salt-impacted Agricultural Productivity
Competing Water Uses Unclear Entitlements
Forest Department
Industry Department Tanneries/CLRI
Rural Water Supply
Fisheries Department
Catchment Degradation
TNEB
Environment Department TN Pollution Control
Board Loss of Ecology Comm.
Water Harvesting
Urban Water Supply Sewerage
Coastal Zone Management
Industrialists Local Government Academia NGOs,
Politicians, etc.
Tank/Canal/Groundwater Irrigated Agriculture
Groundwater Management
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Work Undertaken So Far

• Meetings, Workshops, Discussions
• Consultant Inputs
• Knowledge Base Development
• Background Notes/Presentations
• Training/Awareness Building
• Vision Statement Action Plan
• Mainstreaming into work supported by Tamil Nadu
  Water Resources Consolidation Project (TNWRCP)
  with WRO, IWS, State Surface and GW Data Center,
  River basin boards, technical secretariat,
  environmental cells, multi-disciplinary project
  preparation panel, industry groups, agriculture
  dept, Agr. Engr. Dept, Water User Associations,
  Research Institutions, Academia, etc.

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Summary of Key Environmental Issues Possible
Approaches in the Palar Basin

• WW Treatment
• HRTS
• IPM/IPNM
• Other

• Optimize Cropping Patterns and Irrigation
  Technologies
• IPM/IPNM
• Manage Pollution

• Supply-Side (Desilt Tanks as appropriate,
  Improve Recharge, regulate sand mining)
• Demand-Side (Use less water intensive crops
  irrigation systems)
• Management (Improve water regulation)

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Interaction of Issues
Social
Environmental
Livelihoods Equity Access to clean water Social
structure Migration Poverty Alleviation Health
Pollution (from industry, settlements) Sand
mining Groundwater depletion Tank
siltation Catchment degradation Sustainable
agriculture
Sustainable Incomes Subsidies Efficiency Sustainab
le Growth Investment Prioritization
Economic
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Progression of Issues in the Palar

• Costs involved in repairing tanks and shifting
  water supply structures

Macro Economic Basin Wide Issues (Costs of
Remediation Shifting, Rehabilitation of
structures, etc.)
Distortion on Employment and Income Generation
(Loss of livelihood Occupational shifts and
migrations)

• Labour shifts from agriculture to industrial
  sector

Risks to Health Ecosystems (Water borne
diseases Occupational health Bioaccumulation of
pollutants)

• Prevalence of water borne disease
• and other health problems

• Increased pollution of ground and surface waters
• Degradation of Tanks and water supply structures
• Siltation in tanks and intake channels
• Decrease in the yield and quality of
  agricultural crops

Degradation of Environment (Water Soil Crops
Infrastructure)

• Decreased availability of water due to
  overexploitation of groundwater resources
  Increased sand mining in the Basin

Depletion of Resources (Water Forests Sand)
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Targeted Outcomes

• Enhance knowledge base analytical capacity
• Provide a focal point for stakeholder
  participation
• Improve Awareness
• Move to more level playing field
• Elicit and discuss multiple stakeholder
  perspectives
• Develop shared vision planning of basin
• Improve networking, coordination
• Inform decisions (e.g. tasks, investment
  priorities)
• Determine priorities, low hanging fruit and
  areas of conflict
• Move towards resolution of problems

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Stakeholder MeetingsKey Ingredients (e.g. Dec03
mtg in Kancheepuram)
Good Stakeholder Group
Political Support
Balanced Breakout Groups
Facilities/ Equipment
Effective Facilitation
Enthusiastic Participation
Information Resources Preparatory Work
Hard work Behind-the-Scenes
Structured Interaction
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Draft Vision Statement for the Palar Basin Board

• The Palar River Basin Management and Development
  Board (PRBMDB) seeks to improve, safeguard and
  monitor the water and land resources programs of
  its member organizations. As an apex body, the
  PRBMDB endeavors the primary role in sustainable
  water resources planning and management in an
  integrated manner covering the activities of all
  departments concerned.
• To promote, advice, direct and coordinate
  sustainable management and development of water,
  land and forest resources including the
  environmental aspects in the basin.
• To increase awareness, participation and
  commitment of people and to protect and enhance
  their wellbeing.
• To follow a participatory, transparent and
  objective approach and become a model for other
  river basins in India.

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Structured Process to move from Vision to Action
Vision
Objectives
Principles
Issues
Strategies Problem solving process
Tactics How will it be done?
Tasks/Actions What? Alternatives? Who? When?
Where? Resources? Capacity? Indicators?
Institutions
Policy/Regulations
Resources
Information
Instruments
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Sample Group Worksheet Table EntryObjective ?
Strategy ? Tactics ? Tasks
Group on Resource DegradationObjective One
Groundwater Resource Restoration
STRATEGY TACTICS TASKS
Water Demand Management Artificial Recharge Mininise Sand Mining Change In Cropping Pattern Water Reuse Recycling Withdrawal Priorities Micro Irrigation Systems RWH at Community Level Conjunctive Use Substitutes For Sand Implementation In Critical Areas Systematic Assessment Of Resources Municipal Sewage Treatment And Use Awareness Creation Apportioning Among Sources/Sectors Augmentation Through Recharge Structures Community Wells Research And Development for Substitute For Sand Sprinkler Drip Irrigation
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A Proposed Development Plan
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Draft Action Plan Key Elements
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Next Steps

• Palar Basin SEA Multi-stakeholder Workshops
• Refinement, initial implementation monitoring
  of Action Plans on
• Pollution Management
• Health and Agriculture
• Water Resources
• Integration into Proposed Successor TN Water
  Resources Project (social and environmental
  assessment, decision support systems, investments
  considered, partnerships facilitated)

A long way to go, but a good start
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Summing Up

• Requirements for an SEA approach for IWRM
• Manifestation of real problems
• Political, bureaucratic other stakeholder
  commitment to achieve consensus to move ahead
  emergence of champions
• The 4 Is Institutions, Information, Instruments,
  Incentives
• Work demonstrates inextricably interlinked nature
  of environmental, social, economic and water
  issues
• A Structured SEA process complements and
  supplements basin management
• Processes are as important as Products
• Shows great potential for other basins but it
  is essential to develop customized approaches for
  each basin!

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