Evaluation of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan

Mat Cashmore, University of East Anglia

Anna Axelsson, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

April 10, 2023

Lecture structure.

Introduction: Key concepts and project goals.

Overview of environmental, social and governance contexts in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Evaluation results.

Interpreting the results.

Conclusions: theoretical and practical lessons.

Introduction:

Key concepts and project goals.

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Environmental Policy Integration.

EPI as a component of the sustainable development agenda.

Defining EPI: mainstreaming of the environment into non-environmental sectors in the pursuit of sustainable development (Jordan & Schout, 2006).

Policy commitments to EPI at the supra-national and national level, and by most development co-operation bodies.

EC – legal mandate for EPI under Treaty of European Commission.

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Strategic environmental assessment.

First introduced through the US NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) of 1969.

Not until 2000s that it started to be widely used.

Defining SEA: family of related tools that use analytical and dialogical methods to achieve EPI.

Applied to ‘strategic decisions’: policies, plans and programmes.

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SEA and development co-operation.

“Creating unique opportunities for improving policy making and planning by incorporating environmental considerations into high level decision making and by opening new mechanisms for intergovernmental and societal dialogue to reach consensus on development priorities” (OECD, 2008).

Capacity development: e.g. China and Vietnam.

Prodigious quantities of guidance.

Investment in conceptual and methodological development.

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The World Bank SEA model:Innovations.

A central role for institutional analysis.

Policy and social learning as key mechanisms for sustainable development.

Empowering stakeholders through governance reforms (e.g. more participatory processes).

Greater involvement of vulnerable actors will promote equality.

Politicising environmental issues: emphasising their social and economic relevance.

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Project objectives.

To assess the effectiveness in practice of the SEA approach at mainstreaming environmental and social considerations.

To examine how contextual factors affected effectiveness.

To draw theoretical and practical lessons.

Dhaka, Bangladesh: Overview of environmental, social and governance contexts.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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Bangladesh: Area: 147 570 km².

Population: 158,6 million (WB 2008).

Population density: 1093.

Dhaka:Area: 1,353 km2.

Population 13,5 million (UN 2007).

Population density: approx 9000 p/ km2 ?

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Social and economic context.

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GNI per capita: 470 USD (WB 2008).

Poverty rate 40 % (WB 2005).

Literacy rate 47 % (WB 2008).

Large informal sector.

Good progress on e.g.

health related MDGs.

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Social and economic context, cont.

Rural – urban migration.

Urban population 27% (WB 2008).

30% in informal settlements (2005).

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Governance context: historical aspects.

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Young democracy.

Lack of governance experience and capacity.

Patron-client system/quotas.

Elite governance.

Strong hierarchy.

Rapid growth of city.

Lack of planning framework.

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Urban governance.

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Fragmented responsibility for urban management.

Lack of coordination.

Lead agency with dual roles.

Highly politicised.

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Environmental challenges.

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Filling of low-lying flood flow zones.

Traffic congestion.

Industrial establishments.

Inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure.

Deteriorating air and water quality.

Sinking ground water table.

Noise pollution.

Vulnerability to climate change.

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Drivers of urban development and environmental degradation.

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In-migration:poverty in rural areas (lack of land reform etc).

job opportunities in city.

Lack of affordable housing.

Lack of monitoring and enforcement of environmental legislation.

Corruption in responsible agencies.

Evaluation results:

What did the SEA achieve?

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The outcomes of SEA in Dhaka.

SEA goal Contribution in practice

1. Environmental and social policy integration in urban development.

Negligible.

2. Strengthen environmental constituencies.

Negligible.

3. Improve social accountability. Negligible.

4. Promote social/policy learning. Negligible/Some.

Interpreting the results:

What factors explain the results?

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Explanatory factors:Embedding SEA in the administration.

‘Local’ ownership of SEA and its results.“the World Bank pressurised me …they put pressure on the Government, the Ministry and the Chairman [of RAJUK]. I was not happy with the work and report” (RAJUK SEA team #1).

Need for local capacity development: e.g. miscommunication of purposes.

“the moment RAJUK disowned it [the SEA], nobody owned it”

A real ‘window of opportunity’?

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Explanatory factors.

Lack of follow up.

“I think it [the need for follow up] is lost out there in Washington because there are so many other burning issues“ (WB Dhaka).

Naive expectations about fostering learning.

Strengthening environmental constituencies: underdeveloped conceptually.

Conclusions:

What have we learned?

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Constraints to EPI.

Depth and breadth of constraints under-theorised.

Immediate constraints were associated with World Bank:

Urban issues neglected in development co-operation due to sectoral focus and project management rules.

Questionable commitment to local ownership.

Failure to learn lessons from evaluation research.

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SEA concepts and methods.

Many innovations could not be assessed.

Institutional analysis: valuable role in EPI, but need to be strategic in when to use it and with what focus.

Skills for institutional analysis.

Planned long-term intervention: SEA as initial phase.

Importance of local ownership.

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Further reading.

Dhaka SEA report:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTRANETENVIRONMENT/Resources/244351-1222272730742/Final-DhakaSEA-11_Sep_2007.pdf

World Bank Pilot Programme:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/ENVIRONMENT/0,,contentMDK:21907913~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:244381,00.html

OECD DAC SEA task team:http://www.seataskteam.net/

Relevant Journals: EIA Review, Impact assessment and Project Appraisal, Environmental and Planning A, Environment and Planning C.