The anticipated negative social effects of the Program are not expected to be significant provided that land and way leave acquisition are conducted in a manner consistent with Core Principle 4. Social benefits, on the other hand will be significant.
The Social Benefits of rural electrification are expected to be extensive and long-term.
Benefits from provision of electricity to households:
Reduction in respiratory diseases caused by indoor air pollution from kerosene lighting
Electricity for refrigeration, water pumping, entertainment, communication, and computers
Lighting for students doing homework
Generally improved quality of life
Reduced time and energy spent by women at water pumping stations
Opportunities for women and youth to open new business
Benefits from provision of electricity to businesses:
Improved workplace health conditions because of reduction in use of diesel or gasoline-powered generators and other equipment such as grain mills, pumps, leading to reduced emissions of air pollutants, greenhouse gases (GHG), and noise
Higher productivity
Longer business hours
Reduced cost of doing business
Benefits from provision of electricity to communities:
Improvements in operation of schools, clinics, and government offices
Street lighting improves convenience, safety and security
Electric pumps reduce effort needed to fetch water.
Women, girls and children will disproportionately benefit from these provisions. The electricity in the health posts and clinics translate to better hygiene, safer deliveries, and better care of sick children. In schools it makes it possible for children to have access to computers or other devices that will not work without electricity. Women and girls are the primary fetchers of water. Electric pumps make their daily tasks less strenuous; moreover, it allows for access to more water, helping the health of the family in general. Street lighting makes walking at night safer for women and girls.
The main social risks include the following:
Risks from provision of electricity to households and businesses:
Risk of electrocution from substandard internal wiring, meter tampering, illegal connections, or lack of knowledge of electrical systems
Risk of fire from faulty internal wiring, meter bypass, or illegal connections
Risks from land and way leave acquisition:
PAPs might lose part of their livelihoods in the process of clearing the wayleave, such as their cash crops, mainly cashew nuts, banana, mango, coconuts and other fruit bearing trees.
PAPs are unable to replace land or assets that were acquired, because of inadequate amounts of compensation, or pressure to “contribute” land voluntarily
PAPs experience diminished quality of life
Physical cultural resources may be damaged or encroached on
Risk that vulnerable groups will not share equitably in project benefits provision of electricity to communities:
Female-headed households may be disadvantaged in obtaining access to electricity (although statistics show that this is mainly an urban problem)
Persons with low income – the poor, elderly, or handicapped – may not be able to afford the cost of connections or of proper internal wiring
Vulnerable groups may not be able to benefit fully from the provision of electricity due to their life style (for instance pastoralists).
The power lines might pass through some areas that are culturally and spiritually important for some social groups. .
Risk that installation of mini-hydro plants will disrupt environmental services provided by streams:
Downstream water users who depend on the stream for washing, bathing, irrigation, livestock watering, fishing, recreation, or drinking may find those uses curtailed or lost
If loss of fishery occurs, family nutrition and the income of fisher folk will be affected
Risk that community benefits are not sustainable
Power available for the extension to the grid may be insufficient, resulting in black-outs
Electric service for social services such as schools, health centers, and water pumps under management of the District LGA may be interrupted if LGA has not budgeted for payment to TANESCO.
Demand may exceed supply, especially in some of the villages and small towns that will eventually grow into big urban centers due to several government policies including large scale infrastructure development such as road and railways.
Most of these risks can be mitigated, through education on hazards of electricity, house wiring inspections, education on environmental conservation and management of catchment areas, and programs to assist the vulnerable groups. Particular care will be needed to carry out acquisition of land and wayleaves in accord with the national system and Core Principle 4. With respect to mini-hydro plants, special attention should be given to secure environmental flow to sustain downstream uses. Project designs should take into consideration sensitive cultural and spiritual places, with full consultation and participation of the affected communities and, where possible, avoid them. Finally, there should be an official commitment from districts for provision of budget for the electrical bills for social infrastructure. This needs to be followed through M&E.
