At the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) in New Delhi, the 21-odd staff members of the three Environment Impact Assessment Divisions had an impossible task: to scrutinise some 1.7 million suggestions, comments and objections received through e-mails and by post in the past five months. Technically, and by law, every correspondence has to be carefully studied to cull out the ideas and feedbacks that will form the basis of India’s environmental governance in the days to come. MOEFCC has, by media accounts, allocated this work to the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.
The communications received are in response to the Union government’s draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 Notification. Arguably, no other environment-related notification has gathered such a response. Most of the comments are against the proposed provisions.
On March 12, two weeks before the national lockdown was imposed to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, MOEFCC published the draft EIA 2020 Notification on its website for public feedback. Some 15 years ago, in 2006, the government had adopted a new set of EIA procedures and mandatory requirements. The proposed notification will replace the EIA 2006 Notification.
Issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the notification is the country’s only set of legally binding regulations to “make a scientific assessment of the likely impacts” of projects such as industrial units, waste treatment plants, mining and dams. It has provisions for mandatory public consultation and public hearing for clearance by local communities.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 16, 2020 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 16, 2020 من Down To Earth.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
