GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Environment
Source: DTE
Context: The EIA Notification, 2006 has been amended over 100 times in the past five years (as per the records of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change)
What is EIA Notification 2006?
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, is the governing legal instrument to grant green clearance for the establishment or expansion of an industry on the basis of the expected environmental impact of the project.
- The notification was introduced in 1994, and after several amendments, was revised in 2006.
Major changes introduced in the EIA Notification, 2006 over the past five years:
| Change Introduced | Potential Impact |
| Star Rating System for state environment impact assessment authority’s (SEIAA) Performance | The SEIAAs may be pressured to fast-track clearances without due diligence, potentially leading to a decrease in the quality of environmental assessments |
| Compliance module for projects granted environmental clearance | It will help in streamlining the compliance and monitoring process and avoiding delays in the submission of environment compliance reports (by industries).
However, it’s unclear if these reports and supporting documents will be accessible to the public. |
| Allowing 20% expansion in production in the mining of minor minerals on the basis of public consultation | Public consultation may not adequately capture the concerns of local residents, potentially leading to negative impacts on their health and livelihoods |
| In the case of legacy mining leases that were granted environmental clearance under the 1994 EIA notification | These projects now only have to conduct public consultation, not follow the entire process of the public hearing |
| Reducing the time limit for public consultation and appraisal of projects from 45 days to 30 days | It may result in inadequate consideration of the environmental and social impacts of projects |
| Allowing for post-facto clearance of projects | Projects may be constructed or expanded without obtaining environmental clearance, leading to irreversible damage to the environment |
| Exempting certain categories (highways of strategic importance, thermal power plant upto 15MW etc.) of projects from the public consultation | Projects that are likely to have a significant impact on the environment may be exempted from public consultation, leading to inadequate consideration of their environmental and social impacts |
For the significance of EIA for India: Click here
The way forward and Conclusion:
EIA Notification changes were made without public consultation and could harm the environment, disturbing the balance between ecology and development. Upgrading the status of the EIA from a notification to a rule under the Environment Protection Act will ensure parliamentary scrutiny and maintain the integrity of the assessment process.
Insta Links:
Mains Link:
Environmental Impact Assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by the Government. Discuss the environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at coal pitheads. ( UPSC 2014)
