The Environmental Impact Assessment originally stated in the United States of America when the local public pressured the government. To further the same, they introduced the National Environmental Policy Act, 1970. After several years, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change made Environment Impact Assessment compulsory for all types of Infrastructure Development Projects since the enactment of new Environment Impact Assessment Legislation which was introduced in September 2006. It made it mandatory for several other projects including Mining and other projects related to electroplating for environmental clearance. To balance the responsibility, the legislation made sure to give equal responsibility to the state governments of the projects and the policies.
Under the same various types of Environmental Impact Assessments were introduced such as-
1. Sectoral Environmental Impact Assessments
- This particular environmental impact assessment helps in identifying particular problems with respect to the environment. Then these specific problems are to be reduced with the help of rigorous planning and implementation of development projects in various sectors.
2. Project Level Environmental Impact Assessments
- This particular environmental impact assessment focuses on the development activities carried on by different projects and often in a far off place in isolation. In this assessment, they only assess the impact that can be caused to the specific region where development activities are carried on and not on the entire adjoining regions.
3. Regional Environmental Impact Assessments
- This particular environmental impact assessment focuses on concerns relating to the environment when there is a development planning conducted for development in a specific geographic region. Hence, the focus is to use renewable resources gathered and obtained from nature in order to ensure sustainable development.
4. Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments
- This particular environmental impact assessment as the name suggests focuses on making strategies which would help in considering the level of environment harms that a potential development activity can cause and then only proceed with the development.
When we talk about the Environmental Impact Assessment, 2006 legislation, they have divided the projects into two categories- A and B which will be assessed differently;
Category A- These projects shall be evaluated by the Central Government and their Environmental Impact Assessment committee. Further, these projects shall include development of physical infrastructure whose cost and size is more than the specified level. Some of the examples include Highways, Ports, Transportation in Urban Areas, Solid Waste Management, etc.
Category B- These projects shall be evaluated by the State Government and their Environmental Impact Assessment committees and their Environmental Impact Assessment
authorities. Further, these projects shall include development of physical infrastructure whose cost and size is lesser and comparatively smaller.
The various stages of Environment Assessment Impact include-
1. Screening- Conducting full or partial assessment of the Infrastructural Project.
2. Scoping- Deciding specific impacts that need to be assessed taking into consideration legal requirements, international legal conventions, knowledge, etc. It also involves assessing factors that would adversely affect the environment.
3. Assessment & Evaluation- Deciding the possible impacts that can be caused on environment and what strategies should be adopted to mitigate them, identifying alternatives.
4. Forming the Report- the Environmental Impact Assessment Report is formed as per the Environmental Management Plan for the large public which shall get affected.
5. Decision Making- Approval or Rejection of the Project and specific conditions if necessary.
6. Monitoring along with Compliance and Auditing- Assessing whether the project happened as per the Environmental Management Plan.
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