Why in news?
Recently, the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report released for the mega development project in the Great Nicobar Island has highlighted serious concerns about submission of incorrect or incomplete information, scientific inaccuracies, and a failure to follow proper protocol.
- Terms of Reference (ToR) was finalised to prepare the EIA report in May 2021 by a committee of the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
What is it?
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)-
- Environmental Impact Assessment or EIA is the process or study to identify the effect of a proposed developmental project on the environment prior to decision making.
- It is a used to assess the positive and negative environmental, economic, and social impacts of a project. EIA acts as a tool which is used by planners to attain the goal of environmental preservation along with ensuring developmental activities.
- UNEP defines EIA as a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to decision-making. It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
- By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.
- EIA origin can be seen in the early 1970s when it was formulated as a mandatory regulatory procedure. And the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) 1969 was implemented in the US.
- Rio Conference: The role of EIA process was formally recognized at the Earth Summit in Rio Conference in 1992. The Rio declaration stated that EIA shall be taken as national tool for proposed projects which might adversely impact the environment.
History of EIA in India-
- In India Environmental Impact Assessment come into picture in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) asked the Department of Science and Technology to inspect the river valley projects from an environmental angle.
- Before 1994 there was no any legislative support for environmental clearance in any proposed project, it was an administrative decision only. Then in January 1994, government made EIA mandatory under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986. Environmental clearance was made essential for expansion or modernisation of any activity/for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.
- The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified EIA legislation in September 2006. The notification made environment clearance mandatory for following projects:
- Mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbours and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units.
- However, unlike the EIA Notification of 1994, the new legislation provided the state government with the responsibility of clearing projects depending on the size or capacity of the project.
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has published the draft Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2020. The Key Proposals of the 2020 Draft include:
- Public Hearings: One of the major steps of the EIA Mechanism is the public participation. The 2020 draft proposes to reduce the notice period for public hearings from 30 days to 20 days.
- Exemption of Projects: It classified various projects into A, B1 and B2 and number of projects are exempted from public scrutiny. Category B2 projects do not require mandatory Environment Clearance (EC), unlike the Category A and B1 projects.
- The Exempted Projects in the notification are
- Offshore and onshore oil, gas and shale exploration.
- Hydroelectric projects up to 25 MW.
- Irrigation projects between 2,000 and 10,000 hectares of command area.
- Small and medium cement plants.
- Acids other than phosphoric or ammonia, sulphuric acid.
- MSMEs in dye and dye intermediates, bulk drugs, synthetic rubbers, medium-sized paint units.
- Aerial ropeways in ecologically sensitive areas.
- All inland waterway projects and expansion or widening of highways between 25 km and 100 km with defined parameters.
- These include roads that cut through forests and dredging of major rivers.
- Specified building construction and area development projects; built-up area up to 1,50,000 sq. m.
- The Exempted Projects in the notification are
- Penalty for Firms: Firms found violating the terms and conditions of their establishment, if they have to get the clearance, however, will have to pay a penalty.
- Post-clearance compliance: It implies that once a project gets approved by the concerned authority, the proponent projects are required to adhere to certain rules laid down in the EIA report in order to ensure that no further environmental damages take place.
- Annual Submission of Reports: There is provision to submit the compliance report annually pertaining to the project.
EIA Process-
- Screening: The project plan is screened for scale of investment, location and type of development and if the project needs statutory clearance.
- Scoping: The project’s potential impacts, zone of impacts, mitigation possibilities and need for monitoring.
- Collection of baseline data: Baseline data is the environmental status of study area.
- Impact prediction: temporary and permanent impacts need to be predicted.
- Mitigation measures and EIA report.
- Public hearing.
- Decision making.
- Monitoring and implementation of environmental management plan.
- Assessment of Alternatives, Delineation of Mitigation Measures and Environmental Impact Assessment Report.
- Risk assessment.
Stakeholders in the EIA Process–
- Those who propose the project
- The environmental consultant who prepare EIA on behalf of project proponent
- Pollution Control Board (State or National)
- Public has the right to express their opinion
- The Impact Assessment Agency
- Regional centre of the MoEFCC