Project Appraisal Document - IHDP

camps which depend on independent dug wells. Lack of public/ community land for the provisionof essential services will pose an implementation challenge.Project Design FrameworkObjective and Strategic Framework: The PHP’s objective is to rehabilitate the IDP population ofPuttalam by providing improved housing, water, sanitation and environment management withina comprehensive settlement planning framework. This is intended to achieve sustainable habitatand improve the social and economic integration of IDP communities with non-IDP communities.Home Owner Driven Construction: The PHP’s strategy is to provide cash grants to build houses.Its operational scope is to target those IDP families living in poor housing conditions asdetermined by the UHNCR survey. The cash grants would be used to replace all temporary andcomplete all partly-completed houses through the homeowner driven strategy. Those IDPs withpermanent houses would not receive the cash grants except to build sanitation units if required.Basic community services such as drinking water, sanitation and environment management wouldcover all IDPs and select adjacent non-IDP communities.Inclusiveness: The sequencing of refugee camps for housing assistance was done on the basis of atwo stage screening process. All 141 IDP camps were ranked using social indicators thatmeasured housing vulnerability. They were then screened in terms of environmental feasibilityfor the purpose of phasing the investment. Based on this ranking, 20 camps were identified forPhase 1 of the PHP.Building on Past Projects: The design of the housing component is based upon the successfulIDA-financed NEHRP. It is premised on the homeowner-driven approach that entails the phasedrelease of cash grants upon meeting construction milestones as verified by the technical officers.The water component is based on the IDA-financed Community Water Supply and SanitationProject (CWSSP) while the environmental improvement component is based on the IDA-financedNorth East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP). IDA funds are only available to meet theconstruction needs of households currently living in temporary and partly-completed houses inrefugee camps. This meets 55% of the housing needs of the Puttalam IDPs. The funds are notsufficient to meet the needs of married children living with their parents in refugee camps.Flexible Implementation Framework: The phased implementation timeline was designed basedon the implementation capacity of the PPU. The quarterly IDA supervision and mid term reviewwould revisit the Government timeline and targets if necessary.Comprehensive Settlement Planning: Provision of basic services to the IDP community would beprovided within a comprehensive settlement-planning framework. This would synchronize theneighborhood grid, water supply, sanitation and environment management. The preparation ofphysical development plans and the formulation of implementable development regulationsrequire community consultation. Infrastructure planning and technical support would take placethrough community participation. Community mobilization would be required to acquire land forthe provision of common services in the short run. Government budgetary allocations and costrecovery would be essential to ensure service sustainability in the long run. Local communitieswould be mobilized to procure building materials in bulk if required and skilled labor.Land Rights as a Cornerstone of Housing Development: Since investment in housing is spatiallyfixed, the legal title to land is a precondition for the receipt of the cash grant. The PHP wouldvalidate a range of documentation including deeds, leases, grants, permits, notarized land23