The Request concerns the implementation of the World Bank-financed Republic of Chad: N'Djamena Urban Resilience Project (P177044), which aims to reduce flood risk and strengthen climate resilient urban planning and selected flood-related services in N’Djamena. The Request alleges that the construction of a permanent embankment has caused significant harm to hundreds of vulnerable households in the Nguéli area, as well as in the Walia and Lamadji areas. According to the Request, this area is characterized by the presence of numerous orchards, rice fields, and market gardening plots cultivated by the surrounding communities. The alleged existing and anticipated impacts raised in the Request include: (i) compromised agricultural livelihoods due to loss of income-sustaining fruit trees, ecosystem degradation, and disrupted water access and irrigation; (ii) loss of homes, land, and fruit trees; and (iii) community health and safety risks, including food insecurity and structural damage to homes caused by construction activities.
The Request claims that works were undertaken without an adequate feasibility study or a comprehensive census of the assets and livelihoods of affected populations having been conducted. It further alleges that adequate mitigation measures and prior compensation were not provided. According to the Request, allegedly, only a small number of affected households received any compensation; the proposed amounts were calculated using a flat-rate system that does not reflect market value; and many affected assets were excluded from compensation. The Request adds that affected persons were not provided with adequate project information, including on relocation and other promised support, or with meaningful opportunity to express their concerns and receive responses throughout Project implementation.
The Panel is currently reviewing the admissibility of the Request in accordance with its Operating Procedures and mandate.
