Forms and Leaflets Used in Resettlement Plan

SECTION III 6 COMMON QUESTIONS

Trung Son Hydropower project will construct a new dam with height of 88m in Ma river, in Trung Son commune. This dam will store water in a reservoir with area of 13 km² serving to hydropower plant with installed capacity of 260 MW.

Besides generation, the reservoir shall help to reduce annually flood in dam downstream. Dam shall provide water to industrial, agricultural, tourism, transportation and aquatic sectors.

A access road of 22km length shall be upgraded from Hoa Binh province to dam site, due to time for transportation from Hanoi to dam site reduces to four hours. This also help this region to develop thanks to this road shall connect with commercial centers in national wide. Two new transmission lines shall be constructed to connect the project with national grid.

The duration of the project implementation is 05 years and cause impacts to people living in the project site. Construction shall start from access and operation road, this road shall be used to transport workers and heavy equipments to construction sites in the project.

The project shall have land required for construction of dam, reservoir and other items. Some people shall loss agricultural and forest productive land such as land for bamboo raising. Some people shall relocate and resettle. However, the project shall compensate completely to that damages and assist all people affected to restore and improve their livings.

There will be about 4,000 workers working for the project. A worker camp zone shall be provided to workers. Workers also brings about other people coming to the project – people wish to sell goods and provide entertainment services, etc. Construction site cause noise, dust, traffic jams and increase risks of epidemic, evils and accidents.

When activities completed and reservoir fulfilled, upstream water level shall be increased to 70-80 meters and a reservoir shall be created. Some agricultural land area and forestry zone shall be inundated, consisting of bamboo raising areas. Some residential lamd and houses shall be also flooded. Livelihood resources such as fish catching and living environment of types of birds and wild animals as well shall be affected. Important cultural sites shall be also affected.

Improvement of people’s living standard is an important part of the project. The PMB has relocate a budget to compensate to people affected, in order to built new villages and improve old villages to help them a suitable houses with provision of electricity, water, school, road, gangway and health care services. The project shall have assistances focusing on conditions of physicals, health, capacity of income’s creation by local people cultural properties and public infrastructures if these affected by the project in any case.

The project with a such large scale shall also bring local people opportunities such as they can have new customers to their products and handicrafts, and they can also find jobs in the construction sites.

5. How am I affected by the project?

Majority of local people does not have to relocate. Site of dam construction and of reservoir had been selected after careful review of 03 dam site alternatives and this selection cause at least impacts on relocation and resettlement. Construction of project shall affect to 1,205 households in 29 villages in 06 communes. In which, 555 households shall be resettled (2011 foreseen data). List of villages affected is attached in the final part of common questions. If local people are living in one of that villages, they might be affected by the project. For further information, local people needs to contact to villages leaders, or Commune People’s committee or Trung Son HPMB. Local people can also find information in resettlement, livelihood and ethnic minorities development programs recorded in the commune people’s committee.

This shall depend on where your house is. Majority of local people shall relocate before reservoir filling, it means that during years of 2013 to 2014. However some households should relocate in earlier in 2010 or 2011 to construct construction and operation road to dam site. A detail plan for resettlement plan for local people affect had been prepared. The local people can ask village leader or Trung Son HPMB on time of relocation.

Households, individuals or businessman having land, houses or assets required by the project are entitled to compensate. Because majority of local people is ethic minority, local people are entitled to receive assistance under three plans: (a) Resettlement plan; (b) Livelihood improvement plan; and (c) Ethnic minority development plan.

The two final plans shall be implemented in all communes affected by the Project. Details on these plans are in commune centers and local people can ask TSHMPB for further information.

8. Which type of compensation can I get?

In common, damage on land, whether productive land or residential land, shall be compensated in cash or to land, if this land has not larger value, it shall be at least equal value and near to the original land pots. Assets affected shall be compensated as new assets without any depreciation. Infrastructures and public services shall be rebuilt or compensated.

If local people resettle in new zone, relocated people shall be provided a new house built by the project. However, local people can also move and update their houses into resettlement site. New infrastructure, public services and additional resources shall be also provided.

The project shall provide some assistances to help people to improve or at least remain their living standard in period of movement as relocation assistance, rice assistance and other assistance related to health and education, addition to two plans mentioned in order to improve livelihood of communication and to protect ethnic minority.

People, who does not have certificate on land use right but they live in that land before cut-off-date, that is on December 10, 2008, shall be entitled compensation.

9. How can I receive compensation?

TSHPMB staff and authorities of commune, district people’s committees shall visit and discuss with local people on land and other assets damaged. Then, local people shall be provided a guideline book – red book on compensations and that the local people shall receive and time of receiving compensation, expected in three phases. TSHPMB staff shall go to household affected and compensate. In general, local people shall receive compensation and assistance that they are entitled. In common, people affected need to receive compensation from 3-5 months prior to house, productive land or other business assets required. Compensation shall be made based on replace cost for land and house.

People who receive compensation in cash instead of land should think carefully on how to invest their money to restore their living standard. If local people do not use this amount of compensation in suitable manner to create income for their own family, they might meet difficulties when that money are exhausted. This case occurred. Therefore, local people shall be consulted on financial management if necessary. A part of community livelihood improvement is to help local people to learn new skills or invest money in efficient ways. The project group, as member of TSHPMB, local authorities and experts shall implement this plan with local people.

All villages, where local people’s livelihood are affected by the project, are entitled to receive livelihood assistance based on magnitude of impacts. Community livelihood improvement plan shall be implement to meet local people’s demand in best way. A budget of 2 million USD has been allocated to this plan.

Livelihood improvement plan shall help to enhance people’s available skills or teach new skills to enable local people use their resources in sustainable way. This plan also help local people to diversify their income in order to ensure better financial resource. Small assistances for breed trees, fertilizer and other equipments can be provided in some cases. Assistance shall be provided to small credit assistance to start new business or other income creation.

Plan to the poor’s income and livelihood assistance shall be concentrated specifically.

There will not be any obstacle to local people to make decisions on what they want to do to their compensation. If local people have good ideas, they can discuss with village leaders, or staffs of the PMB under livelihood assistance program. We are also trying to coordinate with existing non-government organizations, this organization is supporting to develop to produce bamboo – when local people contact with other centers, there will be many chances on livelihood that they can consider.

About 98% of population are Thai, Muong or Hmong people, the local people also get benefit from a separate plan to protect their cultural characters. This is the reason for us to implement Ethnic minority development plan. Based on consultations with local people, we prepare implementation steps based on local people’s expectation on tomb issues and reconstruction of traditional houses of community. In order to develop livelihood, local people shall be provided assistance to improve traditional handicraft as wooden spade and weaving.

Special assistance shall be provided to poor households, households in which women is householder or vulnerable households. Language barrier when participating into the project and health matters shall be also mentioned in the plan.

14. What about environmental protection?

Management of impacts due to construction and resettlement on how to minimize environmental impacts is a key of the project. Main concerns are water quality protection both upstream and downstream towards dam site, and protection of fish sources, wild animal, forests and three protected areas in the project area as well. Surveys and investigations have been completed and budget has been relocated for forest protection after construction. Contractors shall be responsible for ensuring that surrounding area shall be restored after completion of the project.

Impacts on health by construction and worker camp have been surveyed and a health plan has been prepared for both worker camp and people affected by the project. Local people can also find more information on environmental plans from district people’s committee and commune people’s committee and TSHPMB as well.

15. What if I do not receive compensation or I have some queries on compensation?

Because there are many households affected by the project, TSHPMB has prepared a detailed plan in order to make sure that all queries and complaints related to compensation shall be resolved as soon as possible.

If people have complaints, first it is necessary to discuss with village leaders or commune people committee’s authorities. People also make complaints to the social safety group under Trung Son hydropower project management board when the social safety group visit monthly villages affected or make complaints directly to the group’s office in the project site. If the local people are not satisfactory with the decision made by commune level, the local people can make complaints to district people’s committee (DPC), and DPC shall provide decision within 15 days. If the local people are still unsatisfactory with that decision, the complaints shall be submitted to Province People’s committee (PPC) and finally to District Court. PPC and the District court shall provide decision within 45 days.

It is hoped that TSHPMB shall avoid divergences arising in the beginning through an agreement with each household on compensation packages in order to meet local people’s expectations. The TSHPMB also found a supervision system to ensure tha compensation has been resolved satisfactorily. If divergence appears and this can not be resolved, TS HPMB’s staffs shall help local people to find solution in higher level.

The TSHPMB and local authorities have had consultations with local people affected by the project before preparation of resettlement, livelihood and ethnic minority development programs. According to local people’s expectations, the HPMB and local authorities changed resettlement relocations of some villages and awarded people affected right of selection of resettlement sites where they expect to resettle. Consultation meetings shall also continue to implement during implementation of the project.

The important thing is participation of households in these consultations. Local people should share their interests, concerns and proposals frankly and to ensure that concerns and proposals should be taken into consideration. We prepared data for people who can not read paper and there will be interpreter if local people want to communicate in their own language. Local people shall also be provided information and CD or cassette on explanation on safety polices to protect local people and their livelihood, communication and environment.

17. How can I get information?

The first and best information resource is from the village leader. The village leader keeps a summary of environmental and social impacts of the project. The community can ask information on procedures and their entitlements from cassettes kept by the village leader.

The community can also receive information from staff of the TSHPMB when these staff visit their villages monthly, and from authorities of the commune people’s committee. Full plans, cassettes and common questions are kept by the district people’s committee.

Contacts of Trung Son Hydropower Project Management Board:

Trung Son Hydropower Project Management Board

No.710B Lac Long Quan street, Nhat Tam ward, Tay Ho district, Hanoi city.

Telephone: 0437100596; Facsimile: 0437100597

Website: http://www.trungsonhp.vn

TSHPMB office on the site:

No.173, Sub-area No.04, Mai Chau town, Hoa Binh province

Telephone: 02183819020, Fax: 02183819021

Email: hienhngoc@gmail.com

The entire entitlement matrix is made available in the leaflet.