SFG1139 V9 Environmental,Impact,Assessment,of,the,laboratory,construction,at,the, Machakos,District,Hospital by,the,World,Bank,funded,EAPHLNP, ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! May!2!2015! Minutes!of!the!public!consultation!on!the!environmental!and!social!impacts!of!the! laboratory! ! Introduction, , As!part!of!the!Environmental!Impact!Assessment,!the!public!health!team!at! Machakos!District!Hospital!embarked!on!public!consultations!with!key!beneficiaries! and!stakeholders!around!the!hospital!and!in!Machakos!town.! The! Ministry! of! Health! has! undertaken! the! construction! of! a! laboratory,! through! funding! from! the! World! Bank! under! the! East! Africa! Public! Health! Laboratory! Networking! (EAPHLN)! Project,! to! be! located! within! the! compound! of! Machakos! District!Hospital.!! ! The!laboratory!is!expected!to!improve!the!diagnostic!services!by!increasing!the!test! menu,!as!compared!to!what!is!being!offered!currently.!This!will!translate!to!better! health!services!for!the!population!of!Machakos!and!neighboring!areas.!! !! According!to!the!Environmental!Management!and!Coordination!Act!(EMCA!1999),!a! project!of!such!nature!should!be!subjected!to!an!Environmental!Impact!Assessment! (EIA)! and! a! project! report! prepared! for! review! by! the! National! Environment! Management! Authority! (NEMA).! EIA! is! an! assessment! of! the! possible! impacts— positive! or! negative—that! a! proposed! project! may! have! on! the! environment,! considering!natural,!social!and!economic!aspects.!The!purpose!of!the!assessment!is! to! ensure! that! decision! makers! consider! the! ensuing! environmental! impacts! to! decide! whether! to! proceed! with! the! project! or! not.! An EIA was prepared for this facility in 2012. A certificate was issued by NEMA on 29 May 2013 authorizing the construction of the facility (see annex). ! During! the! current! consultations,! the! public! health! team! sought! to! get! views/opinions! on! the! Machakos! District! Hospital! laboratory,! and! explained! to! participants! that! their! information! would! be! treated! with! high! regard! and! great! confidentiality,!thus!urged!them!to!be!frank!and!objective!in!their!responses.! ! The!team!further!explained!to!the!stakeholders!that!the!construction!involves!a!bio! safety!level!two!building!with!a!ground!and!first!floor!plan!which!has!been!designed! to! address! the! movement! related! to! patients,! personnel! and! specimens! as! well! as! other! high! standard! laboratory! design! provisions.! The! team! also! highlighted! the! possible!negative!effects!during!the!construction!process!and!during!operation.!The! team! informed! the! participants! on! the! proposed! mitigation! measures.! These! measures! included:! scaffolding/fencing! off! the! site! during! the! construction! period,! provision!of!protective!gear!for!all!workers,!provision!of!sanitation!facilities!for!the! workforce!during!the!construction!period,!provision!of!first!aid!kits!on!site,!erection! of!the!appropriate!signage!to!direct!the!public!and!provision!of!fire!and!emergency! exits!have!been!proposed.!! ! The! following! sections! provide! a! summary! of! the! main! feedback! from! the! consultations!with!respect!to!the!topics!discussed.! ! Q.1…Positive,Impacts:!In!view!of!the!project’s!magnitude!and!proposed!activities,!it! was!noted!that!the!project!has!led!to!some!positive!impacts,!such!as!the!creation!of! job!opportunities!(both!directly!and!indirectly),!and!provision!of!the! muchVneeded! hospital!laboratory!services!for!the!people!of!Machakos!and!its!surroundings.!!The! stakeholders!were!asked!if!they!supported!the!project!and!almost!all!agreed!that!it! is!a!welcome!venture.!The!stakeholders!said!that!the!availability!of!more!tests!at!the! Machakos! District! Hospital! will! mean! that! the! referrals! to! Nairobi! will! be! reduced! and!that!some!unemployed!youth!benefited!from!jobs.!! ! ! Q.2...! Safeguard, Provisions, during, Construction:! Roughly! twoVthirds! of! participants!were!“quite!satisfied”!with!the!proposed!provisions.!This!is!because!the! law!will!be!followed!to!the!letter,!as!the!proposed!provisions!will!minimize!a!lot!of! health!hazards!which!may!arise!and!the!contractor!will!comply!with!the!Workman’s! Compensation! Act.! However,! some! felt! there! was! need! for! an! extra! incinerator! to! cater! for! the! voluminous! hazardous! waste,! which! will! be! generated! by! the! laboratory.! It! was! also! suggested! that! full! training! of! the! operator! and! personnel! handling!waste!should!be!done.!! ! Q.3.....Mitigation,Measures,to,minimize,environmental,health,hazards,posed,by, the,project,implementation,and,operation,process.,Facilitator,explained,that,a, number, of, measures, were, planned,, including, watering, the, site, to, keep, dust, down,, utilization, of, electric, machines, in, place, of, diesel, run, machines, or, manual, labor,, disposing, waste, materials, in, a, designated, dumpsite, and, properly, tuning, all, diesel, run, machines, to, ensure, efficient, combustion:!60%! supported! the! proposed! mitigation! measures! as! explained! by! the! facilitator.! The! participants!stated!that!the!mitigation!measures!may!possibly!increase!the!costs!of! running!the!whole!project.!But!they!hoped!that!the!cost!will!be!minimized!to!ensure! maximum!efficiency!and!effectiveness!in!the!proposed!project!to!be!achieved.!! ! Q.4.....Historical, or, Cultural, Importance:!Most!people!did!not!notice!any!features! which!are!historical!or!cultural!which!needed!protection!at!the!construction!site.! ! Q.5....Suggestions:! 90%! felt! that! frequent! conversations! and! discussions! with! the! public!who!frequent!the!hospital!could!be!conducted!for!them!to!air!their!views!on! the!best!ways!to!carry!out!the!project.!The!frequent!discussions!with!the!members! of! the! public! will! achieve! the! concept! of! being! socially! friendly.! An! environmental! audit! should! be! carried! out! as! well.! Officers! from! the! National! Environment! and! Management! Authority! can! frequent! the! place! from! time! to! time! to! assess! how! friendly!the!project!is!and!if!there!are!any!measures!which!need!to!be!carried!out,! they!would!then!be!addressed.!! ! ! Attendance!List ! , , , Annex, Questionnaire,for,Consultations,with,Stakeholders,on,the,Environmental, Impact,of,the,Public,Health,Laboratory,constructed,under,the,World,Bank, funded,East,Africa,Public,Health,Laboratory,Networking,Project, ! Instructions!to!Facilitator:! Step!1:!Explain!the!project!–!title,!objective,!components,!coverage,! financiers,!beneficiaries,!etc.!Tell!the!participants!about!the!project! Step!2:!Explain!the!positive!effects!or!benefits!(social,!economic,! environmental,!health!and!safety);! Step!3:!Explain!the!potential!risks!(social,!environmental,!health!and! safety)!likely!to!be!associated!with!the!project!at!all!phases! (Constructional!and!operational);! Step!4:!Tell!them!about!the!ESIA/ESMP!and!Health!(or!Medical)!Care! Waste!Management!Plan!that!has!been!prepared!to!ensure!better! compliance!with!safeguards!policy!of!the!World!Bank!and!the! Government!of!Kenya.!Explain!measures!put!in!place!to!enhance! benefits!but!also!to!prevent!and!address!any!potential!impacts;! Step!5:!Seek!participants’!opinion!and!perceptions!about!the!project,! using!questions!below!to!guide!discussions.!Allow!questions!from! participants.!Listen!to!them.!Respond!to!their!complaints.!Record!and! document!their!questions,!expressions!of!support!and!complaints;!! Step!6:!At!the!end!play!back!to!them!what!has!transpired!including!their! fears,!support!and!the!explanations!the!project!has!offered.!Then!close! the!meeting.! ! The! Ministry! of! Health! has! undertaken! the! construction! of! a! Laboratory,! through! funding! from! the! World! Bank! under! the! East! Africa! Public! Health! Laboratory! Networking! (EAPHLN)! Project! to! be! located! within! the! compound! of! Machakos! District!hospital,!which!is!within!your!neighborhood.!! ! The!laboratory!is!expected!to!improve!access!the!diagnostic!services!by!increasing! the! test! menu! as! compared! to! what! is! being! offered! currently,! and! to! assist! in! dealing!more!efficiently!with!disease!outbreaks.!This!will!translate!into!better!health! services! and! improved! public! health! for! the! population! residing! in! this! neighborhood!and!in!region!more!broadly.!!! !! According!to!the!Environmental!Management!and!Coordination!Act!(EMCA!1999),!a! project! of! such! nature! should! be! subjected! to! Environmental! Impact! Assessment! (EIA)! and! a! project! report! prepared! for! review! by! the! National! Environment! Management! Authority! (NEMA).! EIA! is! an! assessment! of! the! possible! impacts— positive! or! negative—that! a! proposed! project! may! have! on! the! environment;! considering!natural,!social!and!economic!aspects.!The!purpose!of!the!assessment!is! to! ensure! that! decision! makers! consider! the! ensuing! environmental! impacts! to! decide! whether! to! proceed! with! the! project! or! not.! ! An! EIA! was! prepared! for! this! facility!in!2012.! ! As!part!of!the!EIA!process!stakeholder!consultations!are!expected!to!take!place.!In! that!regard,!we!would!like!to!get!your!views/opinions!on!this!Busia!District!Hospital! laboratory!project,!hence!the!following!questions.!Your!information!will!be!treated! with!high!regard!thus!we!urge!you!to!be!candid!in!your!responses.! ! Indicative,Questions,for,Discussion, ! The! proposed! two level building, ground and first floor plan is designed to expand access to high quality, reliable and timely laboratory services specimens as well as other high standard laboratory design provisions.!! ! 1. In%view%of%the%project’s%magnitude%and%envisaged%activities,%it%is%envisioned%that%the% project% is% generating% some% positive% impacts% such% as% the% creation% of% job% opportunities% (both% directly% and% indirectly),% and% provision% of% the% much% needed% hospital%laboratory%services%for%the%people%of%Busia%and%its%surroundings.%%%% Yes! !! No! !!! ! Reason!for!the!above!answer! ……………………………………………………...…………………………….…….…………….! ………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………… ………………………! ! 2. To% minimize% public% health% hazards% posed% by% the% project% implementation% and% operation%process,%some%measures%including%scaffolding/fencing%off%the%site%during% the%construction%period,%provision%of%protective%gears%for%all%workers,%provision%of% sanitation% facilities% to% the% workforce% during% the% construction% period,% provision% of% first% aid% kits% on% site,% erection% of% the% appropriate% signage% to% direct% the% public% and% provision%of%fire%and%emergency%exits%have%been%proposed.%%Are%you%satisfied%by%the% proposed%provisions?% Yes! ! ! No! ! !! ! Reason!for!the!above!answer! …………………………………………………………………………………….…….…………….! …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………… ………………………! What!other!suggestions!could!you!give?! ………………………………………………………………………………………! …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………..! ! 3. To% minimize% environmental% health% hazards% posed% by% the% project% implementation% and% operation% process,% some% measures% including% watering% the% site% to% keep% dust% down,% utilization% of% electric% machines% in% place% of% diesel% run% machines% or% manual% labor,%disposing%waste%materials%in%a%designated%dumpsite%and%properly%tuning%all% diesel% run% machines% to% ensure% efficient% combustion,% % would% be% applied.% Do% you% support%the%proposed%mitigation%measures?% Yes! ! ! No! ! !! ! Reason!for!the!above!answer! …………………………………………………………………………………….…….…………….! …………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………… ………………………! What!other!suggestions!could!you!give?! ……………………..………….…….………………………………………………! …..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………! ! 4. %Are%there%any%areas%or%features%of%historic%or%cultural%importance%on%or%around%the% project%site%that%need%protection?% ! No.% ! Yes%(if%so,%list%them%below)% …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………..! …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………..! ! 5. What%suggestions%would%you%give%to%assist%the%project%to%be%more%socially%and% environmentally% friendly?% ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………% …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………..! ! 6. Over%all,%do%you%support%the%proposed%project?% Yes! ! ! No! ! !! ! Reason!for!the!above!answer! …………………………………………………………………………………….…….…………….! ………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………… ………………………! What!other!comments!could!you!give?! ……………..……………………………………………………………………………! ………………………………………………………….…….…………………………………………………..……… ………………………! ............................................................................................................................................................................... ................................! ! !