National groundwater management improvement program: environmental and social systems assessment
The Government of India has requested World Bank support to help improve groundwater management in the country given the significance of the resource for meeting societal needs and development objectives, and the growing threats to resource availability and quality. The proposed $1 billion National Groundwater Management Improvement Program (NGMIP) will build on current national and state efforts targeted at the long term goal of arresting resource decline. Considering the complexities of reaching this goal, the Program Development Objective (PDO) is to improve the management of groundwater resources in selected states. This is a realistic objective for the six-year program, and will be achieved by enhancing the enabling framework for action, and implementing appropriate investments and management actions. This Environmental and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) is prepared in response to the PforR Policy, and considers relevant factors, such as: promoting environmental and social sustainability, avoiding, minimizing or mitigating adverse impacts on the environment, natural habitats and physical cultural resources; protecting public and worker safety; managing land acquisition and loss of access to natural resources; the cultural appropriateness and equity of benefits; and avoiding social conflicts.