Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM)

The ESMP outlines the environmental and social safeguards for installing Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) in Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Royal Manas National Park. Categorized as a Category B project, the installations are expected to have site-specific, reversible impacts. The plan details mitigation measures for construction waste, noise, and occupational hazards, while ensuring compliance with both Royal Government of Bhutan laws and WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP).

• The project is classified as a Category B project because potential adverse environmental and social impacts are "site-specific, reversible and can be readily mitigated".
• The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) will install two standalone Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) procured from M/s MicroStep in Slovakia, one each at Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (PWS) and Royal Manas National Park (RMNP).
• The AWS units will record temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, wind direction, speed, and air pressure every 15 minutes, transmitting data via GSM to a centralized database in Thimphu.
• Installation activities at both sites involve approximately 80 days of civil work, including site preparation (10x10 m area), foundation construction, fencing, cable trenching, and mounting structures.
• Potential construction-phase impacts are identified as minor and short-term, specifically construction and household solid waste, noise and dust pollution, and occupational hazards for the 5-10 workers expected per site.
• Mitigation measures for waste include separate collection of biodegradable and non-degradable waste and a prohibition on dumping in non-designated places; noise is mitigated by restricting work to 7am—7pm and watering the site twice daily.
• In cases of discrepancy between Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws and WWF’s Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP), the WWF SIPP provisions shall prevail, particularly regarding compensation for non-title holders and community consultation requirements.
• The total budget for construction is estimated at Nu. 2.0 million, with Nu. 0.5 million allocated to each AWS installation and an additional Nu. 23,900 for safety gear for the NCHM installation team.
• The project implements a multi-tiered Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) including BFL-specific, WWF, and Green Climate Fund (GCF) Independent Review mechanisms.

APA

WWF International (2025). Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM). https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/83d9v5peu_23.NCHM_ESMP_2025.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM). 2025. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/83d9v5peu_23.NCHM_ESMP_2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) |date=2025 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/83d9v5peu_23.NCHM_ESMP_2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2025environmental, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM)}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/83d9v5peu_23.NCHM_ESMP_2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }