KOCHI: The draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has stirred a hornet's nest in Kerala with activists alleging that the proposals are anti-people and anti-environment.
The notification devices projects into three categories based on social, economic, and geographic impact. The activists have identified around 30 dilutions which can trigger a construction spree that can devastate the environment. The proposals to grant post facto approval to projects, reduction in the time frame for public hearing, and provision to provide environmental clearance to projects with a total built-up area of less than 1.5 lakh sq.m have caused concern among activists.
As many as 40 projects from clay extraction to effluent treatment plants have been exempted from prior environmental clearance. Unfortunately, the draft indicates that all environmental considerations are sought to be ignored. The EIAs drawn by the previous governments were also defective.
However, the new proposal completely does away with numerous restrictions, allowing the destruction of the environment with complete impunity, said ecologist Madhav Gadgil, who recommended that the entirety of the Western Ghats should be declared an eco-sensitive zone.
This draft notification should be thrown into the dustbin, and the government should constitute another expert team to submit a fresh set of proposals, said V S Vijayan, former chairperson of the Kerala Biodiversity Board.
As per the draft notification, no prior environmental clearance is needed to establish a polluting industry in a forest area. Who will compensate the damage caused to the environment if the project is scrapped after post facto assessment? We should ensure a balance between development and environment. No project should be allowed in protected zones including sanctuaries, wetlands, river banks and national parks, he said.
The proposals don't conform to our declared development ethos like sustainable development, penalty on pollution, and precautions to ensure green environment. The proposal will provide an opportunity for industrial units illegally functioning in ecologically sensitive zones to obtain environmental clearance by submitting a revised plan and paying a penalty. It is an attempt to weaken environmental regulations and silence voices of dissent, said activist C M Joy.
Meanwhile, M P Sukumaran Nair, former chairperson of the Kerala Public Sector Restructuring and Audit Board, welcomed the proposal to engage specialised firms with right competency for environmental impact assessment. However, he said the provision to allow new projects and expansion of existing projects without prior environmental assessment committee has to be exercised most prudently, as it could be misused.
A clear protocol should be laid down for tackling noncompliance of environmental clearance conditions. Public hearing shall be conducted, allowing adequate time of about a month to raise objections in a fine and fair manner.
All EIA-related documents should be brought to the public domain except projects concerning national security. Pollution load certificate should be replaced with a parametric assessment of overall environmental burden arising out of the modernisation of projects, he said.