EIA Draft 2020: Time to change !!

 

    Since the beginning of the Year 2020, it has been devastating. Global Healthcare facilities, food control systems, economy are buckling beneath the strain of Novel Corona Virus (nCoV) or COVID-19. Every nation is trying its best possible measures to overcome the pandemic. Climate change on the other hand is not lagging far behind, causing catastrophic effects. Accounting forest fire, drought, heavy rain, cloud bursting leading to flash floods and landslides in several regions of India depicts a clear picture of uncontrolled and unplanned developments in these regions. All these natural hazards are interlinked with the changing climatic conditions which are the impact of ongoing anthropogenic activities in an uncontrolled manner.  

    These disastrous events raise question on the working ability of the policymakers, the regulatory framework up to the topmost ministerial level from where the laws are being framed and passed on. A recent example of such a law is the new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) draft 2020 that has been brought up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), India which has become a subject of the nation wise campaign and protest. Unfortunately, information on such notification and laws are also being made available to the common public via media platforms in a very short and unclear manner that is being showcased at last with minimal preference that doesn’t catch many audiences. 

    The new draft of EIA notification 2020 that has been brought up by the ministry which is a subject of replacement by 2006 EIA notification; that then came after several revisions and amendments. Yet the new draft notification 2020 is being opposed nationally, there are very small group of peoples who are well aware of the upcoming consequences, it is going to cause if it is being passed.

    EIA is a very powerful tool to assess the impact of any developmental activity on the environment which also contributes to Nation building. Such drafts are being merely discussed or been put on the table for discussion in any legislative assemblies or in parliamentary sessions. 

    Its high time for our nation when professionals and agencies from potentially relevant sectors to sit together to work and thing in a harmonious way and bring necessary amendments that not includes public participation but also focuses upon the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that should directly focus upon the type of project and EIA component to be studied likewise carried out in several developed countries of the western world.


Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

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