Implementing environmental management plans : a review of selected urban environment projects in China

20832 Environmental and Social Safeguard Note D E c E M r Ea F I 1 9 1C.LJ 1D1 B E3 E I Implementing Environmental Management Plans: A Review of Selected Urban Environment Projects in China R apid economic growth is according to World Bank Opera- largely based on discussions and changing the face of tional Policy 4.01, "Environmental field visits to selected project sites China's cities. High rise Assessment" Detailed Environmen- in April and May 1999. The sample, office buildings and tal Assessments (EAs) usually albeit limited, has yielded valuable impressive highways intersect a precede these investments, and insights into environmental landscape of crowded living spaces, projects approved after July 1993 management and supervision of Air and water pollution remain must include comprehensive Bank projects in China, as well as serious and social services are environmental management plans general trends in environmental inadequate. To respond to these (EMPs).1 management. We are grateful to problems, the Bank is financing a the task managers, project man- number of environmental im- This note reviews the extent to agement offices, and counterparts provement projects, which are which EMPs have been imple- in local agencies for their coopera- some of the largest in the East Asia mented in the execution and daily tion and thoughtful inputs. and Pacific Region. Because of the operations of several large Bank- enormity of their potential impacts, funded urban environmental WHY ARE ENVIRONMENTAL many of them fall into Category "'A" investments in China. The note is MANAGEMENT PLANS IMPORTANT? f Environmental management plans ,.... ,_- have two critical functionis: To ....... ensure that project implementa- ~~~~~s # 4'R tion-planning, designing, con- .,>x e-. structing, commissioning-has as little negative impact on the ' f u _ t El environment as is possible; and =" g1i jt *- Jff eatI l "A project's envirotmirietntal tanagetint plan consists of tfle set of mitigation, monitoring, and institutional measures to be takeen during iniplenieutation and operationi to eliminlate k E X