Most of the world bank's transport projects have typically been concerned with renewing, improving and marginally expanding existinginfrastructure (or with providing transport equipment) and have rarely created measurable disturbances to the environment. There are occasions, however, when transport projects can raise important environmental issues which need to be taken into account in the selection, design and evaluation of transport projects. The bank's general environmental policies concentrate on ensuring that bank projects are designed and implemented according to sound environmental principles which minimize adverse impacts on the environment and enhance beneficial ones; they also aim to assist the agencies dealing with environment in the bank's developing member countries to strengthen their institutional capacity. The major environmental impacts encountered in transport projects include disruption of land-use patterns, severance of communities, pollution, damage to marine and other natural resources, spread of disease (by construction workers), damage to flora and fauna, and disruption of indigenous populations. Problems in these areas can usually be addressed by proper design, adequate documentation, special attention to construction activities, and efforts to strengthen local environmental institutions. Responsibility for dealing with environmental issues rests with the bank's regional transport staff, supported by regional environmental units. Such staff attempt to strengthen environmental institutions in the bank's developing member countries and operationalize the bank's other environmental objectives by: (i) identifying potential adverse impacts (assisted, as necessary, by formal and informal operational guidelines); (ii) reflect these remedial measures in project design and in project documentation. Implementation of such measures are often made conditions of project appraisal, etc. Future policy will continue to emphasize this objective, but is likely to increasingly focus on strengthening local environmental institutions. (a).
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