The World Bank’s support for the $15.5 million feasibility studies continues to raise questions about the Bank’s application of its operational safeguard policies on the project.
The Director of the Asian Development Bank’s Private Sector Operations Department, Robert Bestani, notified the Bank’s Board of Directors last week that it will take the Phulbari Coal Project in Bangladesh out of the Bank’s funding pipeline.
Civil society groups from South Asia are planning to boycott the Asian Development Bank’s consultation meeting on its safeguards policy update, to be held in New Delhi, India tomorrow. The groups, from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh state that the ADB’s consultation draft, released in October 2007, greatly dilutes the Bank’s earlier policies on Environment (2002), Involuntary Resettlement (1995) and Indigenous Peoples (1998), and is opposed to indigenous peoples’ rights and subverts environmental considerations.
Citing violations of five of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) own policies, non-governmental organizations from around the world have petitioned the ADB to discontinue its pre-appraisal of the Phulbari Coal Project and remove it from the funding pipeline.
Civil society in the Middle East demands that the Bank give full consideration to viable alternatives to the costly project.
Civil society remains concerned about limited public participation and energy planning, risks to Chad-Cameroon pipeline and forest reserves, and expectations that the dam would serve industrial interests.
In a written response to civil society organizations, the World Bank has agreed to disclose its comments on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the planned Lom Pangar hydroelectric project in eastern Cameroon.
IRN, GVC and BIC have released a report on the proposed Lom Pangar Dam in eastern Cameroon, outlining concerns about the anticipated impacts of the project on the environment and local communities and questioning the selection of the dam as the best way to resolve the country’s energy crisis.
The report was developed after a three day site visit by members of civil society organizations. It will be submitted to ADB Management and Board in order to highlight outstanding resettlement provisions and several other compliance deficiencies.
ADB requested to move quickly on establishing an independent resettlement monitoring panel.