The progress and prospect of environmental impact assessment system in India: from 1994 to 2020 notification
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2281-4485/15427Keywords:
Environmental impact assessment, environmental clearance, environmental legislation, EIA notification, public hearingsAbstract
In this short communication, we review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) law of India from the 1994 to 2020 amendments. Our study shows that the EIA system of India is undergoing a transitional period. In the 1994 EIA Notification, public hearings are included that ensure the voice of the general people in decision-making for sustainable development. A reverse scenario has been seen in the EIA Notification of 2006 and 2020, respectively, where public participation is almost overlooked, and the high interests of the proponents are taken into consideration. Issues like post-facto clearance and limiting public consultations regarding the proposed projects are the biggest obstacles in EIA Notification 2020. Our study also reveals that although the recent amendment quickens obtaining the Environmental Clearance (EC), it brings forth other problems like corruption, lack of transparency, false and fabricated data, poor monitoring etc that hinder the way of effective EIA system in India.
References
AMITRAJEET, A.B. (1993). Should Large Developing Countries Pursue Environmental
Policy Unilaterally? Indian Economic Review, New Series 28(2): 191.
BARANDIARAN, J., RUBIANO-GALVIS, S. (2019). An empirical study of EIA litigation
involving energy facilities in Chile and Colombia. Environmental Impact
Assessment Review 79: 106311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2019.106311.
BINDRA, P.S., RAWAT, V. (2020). “EIA 2020 legitimises environmental damage,
undermines democracy say environmentalists to MoEF&CC.” Available from:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I4IN27zELy7AKDHUmPr1ZHVW29E9L5Qlp2JnMSwX5WY/edit (Accessed 7 Aug 2020).
CHEN, Q., ZHANG, Y., & EKROO, A. (2007). Comparison of China’s environmental impact
assessment (EIA) law with the European Union (EU) EIA directive. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 132: 53– 65. Doi:iar.2019.106359.
CLARKE, B.D., CONG C. VU. (2021). EIA effectiveness in Vietnam: key stakeholder
Perceptions. Heliyon 7(2): e06157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06157.
JHA-THAKUR, U., RAJVANSHI, A. (2020). Strategic environmental assessment in India: trends
and prospects. In: Fischer, T., Gonz´alez, A. (Eds.), Chapter 25 in International Handbook of Strategic Environmental Assessment. Edward Elgar.
JHA-THAKUR, U., FISCHER, T.B. (2008). Are open cast coal mines in India casting a shadow
on the Indian environment? International Planning Development Review 30(4): 441–458.
JOHNSON, T. (2020). Public participation in China’s EIA process and the regulation of
environmental disputes. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 81:106359. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.e
JOLLY, S., & SINGH, S. (2021). Environmental Impact Assessment Draft Notification 2020,
India: A Critique. Chinese Journal of Environmental Law 5(1): 11-36. https://doi.org/10.1163/24686042-12340062
LEELAKRISHNAN, P. (1992). ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: LEGAL
DIMENSIONS. Journal of the Indian Law Institute 34(4): 541–562. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43953194
MAREDDY, A. R. (2017). EIA practice in India. Environmental Impact Assessment 491–
Doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811139-0.00013-x
MENON, M., & KOHLI, K. (2015). Environmental Regulation in India: Moving
“Forward” in the Old Direction. Economic and Political Weekly 50(50): 20–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44002954
PALIWAL, R. (2006). EIA practice in India and its evaluation using SWOT analysis.
Environmental Impact Assessment Review 26(5): 492–510.
PRADHAN, P. (2020). “Draft EIA Notification 2020: Dilutes EIA process & encourages
violations.” Available from: https://sandrp.in/2020/06/23/draft-eia-notification-2020-dilutes-eia-process-encourages-violations/ (Accessed 7 Aug 2020).
RAMANA, M.V., RAO, D.B. (2010). The environmental impact assessment process
for nuclear facilities: an examination of the Indian experience. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 30: 268–271.
RATHI, A.K.A. (2017). Evaluation of project-level environmental impact assessment and
SWOT analysis of EIA process in India. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 67: 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2017.08.004.
RIO DECLARATION, 1992 Principle 17.
SAINATH, N.V., RAJAN, K.S. (2015). Meta-analysis of EIA public hearings in the state of
Gujarat, India: its role versus the goal of environmental management. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 33(2): 148–153.
SONIA, S. (2021). “Environmental impact assessment in India.”
Available from: https://blog.ipleaders.in/environmental-impact-assessment-in-india/ (Accessed 19 June 2022).
THAKUR, U.J., KHOSRAVI, F. (2021). Beyond 25 years of EIA in India:
Retrospection and way forward. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 87: 106533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2020.106533.
RAJARAM, T., ASHUTOSH, D. (2011). Screening for EIA in India: Enhancing effectiveness
through ecological carrying capacity approach. Journal of Environmental Management 92(1): 140-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.024.
TURAGA, R.M.R., JHA-THAKUR, U., CHAKRABARTI, S., HOSSAIN, D. (2019). Exploring the
role of urban green spaces in ‘smartening’ cities in India. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 38(6): 479-790. https://doi.org/10.1080/14615517.2019.1690864.
TURAGA, R. M. R. (2016). The Politics of Formulation of Environmental Impact
Assessment Regulation in India: A Case Study. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 18(2): 1–30. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1142/enviassepolimana.18.2.03
VALAPPIL, M., DEVYUST, D., HENS, L. (1994). Evaluation of environmental impact
assessment procedure in India. Impact Assessment 12:1.
YANG, T. (2018). The Emergence of the Environmental Impact Assessment Duty as a
Global Legal Norm and General Principle of Law. Hastings Law Journal 70:525–572.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Ziaul Islam, Shuwei Wang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
