Editorial
Assessing environmental impacts
A necessity for development projects
Whether it is social forestation, shrimp farming or extraction of natural resources, it cannot be carried out without considering the potential impact on the environment and the communities to be affected. Environmental experts have stressed as much at a seminar recently, emphasising on the need for environmental impact assessments or EIAs. Failure to conduct such assessments may result in damage to the environment as well as loss of livelihood and other negative effects on the lives of people in the local community.
Even besides this, people should have a say in what is to become of their land and surrounding areas and to participate in the process of granting environmental clearance for development projects and to the institutions implementing them. Realistically speaking, no one knows the land better than those inhabiting them for years and consultation with these parties can only benefit such projects in the long run. The need for public hearings and environmental surveys prior to providing environmental clearance is also a provision of the Environment Protection Act but has never been implemented to date.
Historically, we have also seen people rise in protest against development projects in their area either because it was justified due to the possible negative impact and lack of adequate compensation, or because they were unaware of the actual advantages and disadvantages of such projects to them. People have a basic right to information and this obviously extends to that related to their land, livelihoods and lives and a participatory approach will only serve to improve the process of planning and implementing development projects.
Protecting and preserving the environment, especially under the existing constraints of climate change and global warming, is a major concern as well as challenge. It is important that the government, development institutions and the people work together towards doing what is best for development while keeping in mind the potential impact on the environment.
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