Environmental assessment (EA) is the assessment including both positive-negative of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.
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Environmental Impact Assessment: What is Environmental Notification 2020 (EIA 2020)?
What is Environmental Notification 2020 (EIA 2020.)?
According to Wikipedia: Environmental assessment (EA) is the assessment including both positive-negative of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental impact assessment" (EIA) is usually used when applied to actual projects by individuals or companies and the term "strategic environmental assessment" (SEA) applies to policies, plans and programmes most often proposed by organs of state. It is a tool of environmental management forming a part of project approval and decision-making. Environmental assessments may be governed by rules of administrative procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision making and may be subject to judicial review.
Here are some key points Environmental Impact Assessment: Everything important you should know from IPLEADERS blog: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an operation to assess the probable environmental impacts of a propound project or development, taking into consideration socio-economic, culture and human-health impacts are both favourable and adverse. It is basically an environmental gauge of a scheme, stratagem, program, or actual projects, prior to the decision of progressing with the proposed measures. It systematically scrutinizes both beneficial and adverse repercussions of the project and corroborates that these further effects are must to be taken into account. Furtherly, It assists to analyse the most feasible way of the environmental effects in that particular project, proposes measures to alleviate the effects and then forecast whether there will be notable adverse environmental effects, even after the diminution is implemented.
Objectives
There are several objectives of the Environmental Impact Assessment as follows-
- Firstly, It leads to Identification, forecasting and assessing the economic, environmental and social impact of developed activities.
- For the decision-making process, it provides relative information on environmental consequences.
- Through the proper mode of identification of a mitigation process, It promotes environmentally sound and sustainable development.
- It further seeks to increase the apprehensions of the ecological system and natural resources which are essential to the world.
- It also provides a better understanding of the desegregated perspective of a region about and undergoing developments.
- It provides negative and positive aspects of any project.
The campaign has received overwhelming support on social media. It can be said in one word that our country is preparing to simplify the existing environmental laws in these times when the environment is highly debated. No more exploiting nature without the strings of permits.
Environmentalist CR Neelakandan says about the same:
The Comprehensive Environmental Protection Act was introduced in 1984. The first goal was to ensure that industries and so on started only in compliance with environmental laws. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system was introduced in 1994 to involve the public in it. The current law was enacted in 2006 with some improvements and some concessions. Previously, only the central government had the power to approve projects. Later, some projects were given power by the states. It was renamed as A (Center) and B (State) categories.
Concessions previously granted on projects in many sectors have now been increased. The limit for metal processing units has been increased from 30,000 tonnes to one lakh tonnes and the limit for fishing ports has been tripled to 10,000 tonnes per annum. Highway less than 70 meters wide does not require a permit. Irrigation schemes ranging from 2000 ha to 50,000 ha were in the B1 category. It was increased from 10,000 to 50,000 hectares.
Projects for the extraction and refining of marine oil and natural gas were previously in Category A. Now it's doubled. The study, which excludes the most environmentally damaging mining, was divided into two non-study Bs. Permits for thermal power plants have also been simplified. Previously, those with 20 MW and above were in the A category requiring central approval. Now they are divided into three categories, A category only for that above 100 MW and category B for those between 15 and 100 MW. This is how the new updates go.
The new move does not require a study or evidence to obtain an environmental permit for buildings up to 1,50,000 square meters. Previously it was 20,000 square meters. It should be noted that these are buildings up to the T3 terminal of Nedumbassery Airport.
The EIA has decided not to allow mining up to five acres. If the environmental permit is not issued within fifteen days of application, the permit will be deemed to have been obtained. It also changes the way projects are classified based on their environmental impact and requires that investment be considered. - CR Neelakandan added
