VEHA
Guidance
Guidance
Virtual Environmental and Humanitarian Adviser Tool – (VEHA Tool) is a tool
to easily integrate environmental considerations in humanitarian response. Sector Planning guidances allow you to environmentally align your project strategy design.
People have access to safe shelter while minimising any negative programme impact on the natural environment
% of temporary and emergency shelters with solid waste management facilities, including waste separation, repurposing, re-use, and recycling.
# of collective centers with adequate sanitation and source of water collected from local sources, such as rainwater harvesting.
% of transitional dwellings using non-renewable material (e.g. concrete, timber).
# of site designs based on learning from environmental assessment and incorporating environmental analysis.
Does your shelter intervention apply Sphere Shelter and Settlement Standard 7 on environmental sustainability, including the five key actions and guidance?.
Cash for shelter: Do your activities in financial support for shelter include an environmental plan, set of environmental criteria, or environmental safeguards, to avoid agency funds being spent on potentially substandard accommodation or accommodation with high environmental impact?.
Accommodation management/regular monitoring reports/on-site monitoring/evaluation.
Include WASH elements into your shelter intervention reporting system.
Registers of afforestation and deforestation from the ministry in charge.
Environmental assessment study and mitigation plan.
· Develop an exit strategy from the beginning which considers who will take charge of the infrastructure afterward; its future use; the kind of materials to be used and their source; and whether materials be recycled/reused after dismantling.
· Consider sustainable sources of water; greywater reuse; groundwater recharge; energy/fuel; food provision systems; waste generation and waste management and recycling.
· Waste management plans should address wastewater, organic, recyclable, and non-recyclable waste streams, management of healthcare (especially biomedical) waste, as well and management of waste oils and batteries. It should not be assumed that the local authority will take charge of waste management without compensation since this increases public debt – shelter waste management should be based on a “polluter pays” principle.