Environment

EIA NOTIFICATION, 2020 SOUNDS DEATH KNELL FOR INDIA’S ENVIRONMENT – SCRAP IT OR STRENGTHEN IT

Green Minute News

Environmentalists, conservationists, ecologists, think tanks, academicians, students and activists have called for complete scrapping of the draft EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) notification, 2020 issued by the NDA government to speed up industrial development. The move to ease environmental norms will sound the death knell for India’s environment, fragile protected areas, reserve forests, grasslands, rivers, catchment areas, hills and other natural resources, they opine.

The Delhi High Court has extended the date for filing public objections to draft EIA 2020 till August 11. Earlier, it was June 30 and people had raised objections to this with the pandemic raging across the country.

Experts and activists add the notification only serves the interests of industry as it shortens the timelines for getting environmental clearances, increases the period of mining and riverbed related projects to 50 years and more and provides total EIA exemption for all sorts of expansion (specially mining) projects. In fact, the exclusion list under which many projects are exempted from getting environmental clearances has expanded to no end.

Presently, the country is grappling with the spread of COVID-19 outbreak, migrant workers issue and Chinese intrusion. So there is no time for any discussion or country wide debate on the draft EIA 2020. As per this notification, many new industries will be excluded from environmental clearances while public consultations will come to a naught.  Calling for the notification to be scrapped in toto, environmental experts question the government’s very decision to open this issue for suggestions when the pandemic is raging in the country. 

MAKE IT EASY FOR BUSINESS

Bringing in wide ranging changes to EIA 2006 rules, the new draft notification 2020 makes it easy

(i)                             for doing business

(ii)                          to do away with public hearings for development projects  

(iii)                        also ease rules for expansion of harmful projects. 

An environmental health expert adds, “Even though there is clear evidence, fragmentation of wildlife habitats aids emergence of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, they have put many sectors on exemption list.  Public consultation is an important component concerning local communities that includes tribal communities and forest dwellers as they bear the brunt of mining and other hazardous industry. They must be taken into account at the project design stage itself. This notification makes a joke of this law as now many projects don’t need a public consultation before getting environment clearances.”

NO DILUTION OF EIA

According to the World Air quality report, 6 out of 10 world’s most polluted cities are in India. New Delhi has the worst air pollution record of any capital city in the world. United Conservation Movement activists add, “EIA 2020 draft with more than 25”red “ and”orange “ toxic industries exempted from Public Consultation and Expert Appraisal approval will mean we are okay with “business as usual” scenario of creating toxic conditions that kill 1.25 million people in India every year. Can we ensure our children are given the basic right to breathe clean air and drink clean water? So, exercise your right to Say NO to dilution of EIA through the draft EIA2020.”

Further, mixed Waste to Energy incineration plants are capable of belching out carcinogenic compounds that are hazardous to public health. UCM adds, “Imagine having these massive wastes to energy plants right in your backyard or 0 km from wildlife sanctuary putting both people and wild animals at risk. Do we want to risk our children’s health by diluting EIA? So, either Scrap or Strengthen the EIA.”

A concerned forest official says, “The EIA notification 2020 will sound the death knell for forest and wildlife habitats and will have far reaching impact on climate and its patterns. Recently, the Centre cleared 16 projects (through video conferencing) for mining, highways, roads, linear structures and hydroelectric without any discussions or even a site visit to project sites in 11 states.” 

GRAPPLING WITH COVID-19

The most obvious concern in the EIA notification is that they heavily favour industries and not the environment. The world is grappling with the impact of climate change while the NDA government is prioritizing industrial development at the cost of environment, climate and health.

A former chief wildlife warden says, “For such an important notification that has far-reaching impact on India’s environment and forest protection, the MoEF&CC has opened it up for a short length of public comments right in the midst of pandemic and is closing it so soon. This is unbelievable as many will not be able to either look up or even express their opinion or opposition on a wide-ranging change affecting land patterns in their vicinity.”

Giving powers to district collectors to clear projects and legalising the illegalities committed by industries, the draft notification if finalized will impact our environment seriously. “The MoEF&CC’s objectives are very clear – to hasten clearances at any cost like dividing the Kali Valley for a dubious railway line, destroying Aarey forests for the Mumbai Metro depot, destroy the Sharavathi for unfeasible pumped storage project, clearing Mysuru-Madikeri line that destroys the Cauvery catchment area and the submergence of the Dibang Valley in the north east for mining. There is no end to the list of habitats being cleared for infrastructure and mining projects in Central India. In fact, this draft notification makes a mockery of environmental clearances in India,” says an anguished activist.

STUDENTS’ CONCERNS

In this regard, a comprehensive letter signed by several student groups (including AISA, Youth4Swaraj, JNUSU, IISER, E.C.H.O MAHI, AIIMS Bhopal, Jain University and many more) has been sent to MoEF&CC addressing their concerns on the new EIA Draft Notification. 

These student political unions, university student unions, college environment clubs, and other youth groups have stood in solidarity to condemn the EIA Notification 2020 and have demanded its immediate scrapping and provide revisions to strengthen it, if not scrapped.