Environmental & Social Management Framework - About ...

Environmental and Social Management FrameworkVarious forms of informal or unregistered title, including usufruct rights(permanent or temporary use), seasonal use rights, rights of access to commons,and others that adds to the complex nature of resolving land-use conflicts.However, lack of legal tenure of land or assets should not be regarded as acriterion for withholding financial compensation or assistance in relocation.Instead, it is important to distinguish those who were living in the project areaprior to project approval from those who have invaded the area simply to benefitfrom the relocation.New road generally stimulate ribbon settlement along the alignment, oftenresulting in incremental adverse environmental and socio-economic problems ifnot properly managed. Some of the undesirable activities of people living ormoving near roads are over-grazing of terrains otherwise needed forembankment stabilization, unauthorized and inappropriate collection offirewood/fodder/mowing from road reserve and vicinity, cultivation withoutterracing in the immediate vicinity of road, cultivation to the very edge of terracesor cut slopes, uncontrolled quarrying of stone and clay from the road cut slopes,poor construction and maintenance of irrigation canals causing water to seep intoroad slopes and slash and burn cultivation in road vicinity.It is strongly emphasized to control and restrict ribbon development after new orupgraded road projects come into operation. Good land-use planning must bedeveloped to reverse the direction of such undesired development. In specific,markets areas need to be planned for further expansion to avoid increasedcongestions, accident risks and impediments for large transport vehicles anddelivery of goods. As applicable, road bypass solutions need to be considered asprincipal mitigation and future planning measure.c. Disruption of Community Structure and LivelihoodRural communities owe much of their vitality to economic and social interactions.Ironically, while roads are central to continuing interaction, new or widening ofroads can cause disruption to local interactions which outweigh benefit. Thus,both new road and significant widening has the potential to split a community.Neighbourhoods can be disrupted and, in the worst instances, broken upcompletely by large construction projects. People who meet on a daily basis andwho constantly do each other small but important favours may be left deprivedwhen separated by physical barriers or long travel distances. The split effect ofroads crossing through settlement poses specific risks when school children haveto cross that road repetitively during school days.Introduction of faster traffic, access controls, and median barriers generally cutstraditional lines communication. Alternative routes for local movements providedafter new construction can be sometimes substantially longer, directly affectingbusinesses, pedestrians, and users of non-motorized transport. The burden ofaccommodating to changesis generally greater forthe poor. In rural areas,the normal links betweenvillagers and theirfarmlands may be cut by anew road or increasedtraffic.By-pass roads can alsocreate social conflictsbetween road use andcommunity interests. Onthe positive side, by-passChapter 4-22 April 2007