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About EIA:
- According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) it is a tool to identify the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a project before it is implemented.
- It compares various alternatives for the proposed project, predicts and analyses all possible environmental repercussions in various scenarios.
Historical Background of EIA:
- 1976-77 : Planning Commission directed the Department of Science and Technology to assess the river valley projects from the environmental point of view.
- 1994: Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (EPA), issued the first EIA notification.
- 2006 notification: It allowed the states to issue EC (Environmental Clearance) in specific cases.
- 2020: Draft EIA in 2020 was perceived to be pro-industry and compromising the ecological concerns, hence created controversy.
EIA process flaws:
- Differentiated risk management approach depending on whether a project is coming up within a protected forest, a reserved forest, a national park, or a critical tiger habitat.
- Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), despite its special needs and as an area of immense ecological importance to the entire country, is treated like any other part of the country.
- Both the old and 2020 draft notifications don’t differentiate the IHR from the rest of India in terms of development needs.
- There is no national regulator for transparent project appraisal and monitoring.
- The cumulative effects of several projects in a region are not sufficiently taken into account by the existing procedure.
Proposed Solutions:
- Set different environmental requirements for IHR projects.
- At every stage of the EIA, address issues unique to IHRs.
- Incorporate IHR-related clauses into the general terms and conditions of every project.
Why in news?
- The Teesta dam breach in Sikkim and the recent floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh reminds that Indian Himalayas need to have its own EIA.
