Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. How to be an effective participant in the eia process. A public hearing is the only medium in the environmental clearance process through which people can interact directly with government officials and the project proponents regarding projectrelated concerns. The eia process also serves an important procedural role in the overall decisionmaking process by promoting transparency and public involvement.
The quality on public participation in environmental impact. Public involvement is a feature of nearly all eia systems. Electronic copies of the eis summary for the public esp were also posted in the emb website annex. Public hearing provides an opportunity to the directly affected people to express their concerns and brings transparency in the environmental clearance system. Violations in ken betwa eia and public hearing process. Public consultation and participation in eia in pakistan. Department of city and regional planning, university of engineering and technology, lahore, pakistan. In producing reasons for more public participation in the eia process. Public participation process in relation to the assessment of the environmental impact of any application for an environmental authorisation, is defined in terms of national environmental management act, 1998 act 107 of 1998. Procedure for public hearing guideline for conducting pubic hearing consultation as per eia notification, 2006. This article investigates the involvement of local stakeholders in the environmental impact assessment eia processes of ghanas first offshore oil fields the jubilee fields.
Other benefits are intangible and incidental and flow from taking part in the process. The applicant may also directly forward a copy of the approved public hearing proceedings to the regulatory authority concerned along with the final environmental impact assessment report or supplementary report to the draft to the draft eia report prepared after the public hearing and public consultations. Public hearing within the environmental impact assessment. Public hearing document summary of eiaemp of gevra oc expansion project 45 mtpa page 2 of 35 1. In 2001, a first public hearing on the utility of creating a centre for lowlevel waste and clearing land for the future centre was held. Explaining the process of an eia, including the public hearing for a proposed development project, he pointed out that the public hearings and assessment has become a meaningless formality which.
The full eia is not available on madhya pradesh pollution control board website, hindi eia has too many errors to be useful, executive summary is hidden on the website, the project does not have a valid, there are no special conditions for this first link of the. Environmental impact assessment eia is the formal process used to predict the environmental consequences positive or negati ve of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to the decision to. Impact assessment authority along with the experts consult the project in charge along with consultant to take the final decision, keeping in mind eia and emp environment management plan. The key principles that this study considered to be imperative were. The public hearing is a mandatory step in the process of environmental clearance for certain developmental projects. Eia process public hearing free download as powerpoint presentation. Eia public hearings have become a meaningless formality. Permits, licenses, grants, loans, use of federal land or resources. Promoting the sustainability of some prqjects blackwell et al 1992. Public hearing report environmental impact assessment and.
Public hearing is a public inquiry into the environment impact statement. The idea of presenting ones views on a project to the board members and staff and then answering questions might appear to be quite intimidating. After the completion of eia report the law requires that the public must be informed and consulted on a proposed development after the completion of eia report. Lithuanian population to participate in decisionmaking during the eia process has been restricted due to the lack of cooperation from the side of belarus.
A public hearing may be a formal meeting for receiving testimony from the public at large on a local issue, or proposed government action. Under section 107 of the national environment act cap 153 1st may 1998 part i. The range of stakeholders involved in an eia typically includes the local people, the proponent, government agencies, ngos and academics, etc. By the amendment in the year 1997, public hearing was made compulsory before impact assessment was finalized. Further, the consultation process has been divided into two, public hearing for local people and submission in writing from other plausible stakeholders. Public consultation and participation in eia in pakistan and. Initial environmental impact assessment about 50,000 annually environmental impact assessment about 5600 annually eas 7 categorical exclusionscategorical exclusions nepa affects private parties only when there is a federal handle on a ppp p groposed private action e. This provides a legal space for people of an area to come facetoface with the project proponent and the government and express their concerns. Presented by government of nepal environmental impact. Poisson, in radioactive waste management and contaminated site cleanup, 20. Public hearing report environmental impact assessment. The process of public hearing is conducted prior to the issue of noc from spcb. A guide to the environment impact assessment processissue i.
Bangkok, office of natural resource and environmental policy and planning, in thai. However, a perusal of the eia and public hearing process reveals startling facts. Time period for completion of public hearingtime period for completion of public hearing ph shall be completed within a period of 45 forty five da sdays from date of receipt of the req estrequest letter regulator shall sent the public hearing proceedings to the concerned regulatory authority within 8daysof the completion of the public. The role of public participation in environmental impact. Overview of the eia process environmental law alliance. However, there are no consistent rules for public participation among current eia systems. Environmental impact assessment is a formal process used to predict the ecological consequences of any development project. Lithuania was not provided with eia documentation in due time, the quality of translation of the eia report was of extremely poor quality, proper public hearing. Often, the focus is dominantly environmental biophysical. Download citation public hearing within the environmental impact. Yet a closer look at the literature unveils that, beyond this general assertion, opinions of the precise meaning, objectives and adequate representation of public participation in eia considerably diverge. At some public hearings it is a good idea to get on. An evaluation of the participation of local stakeholders in environmental impact of ghanas jubilee oil fields.
Public participation in eia is commonly deemed to foster democratic policymaking and to render eia more effective. Experience indicates that public involvement in the eia process can and does meet these aims and objectives. Public participation in environmental impact assessment. In view of the colossal damage to the environment, governments and public are now concerned about the environmental impacts of developmental activities. A public hearing is defined as an open gathering of officials and citizens, in which citizens are permitted to offer comments, but officials are not obliged to act on them or, typically, even to respond publicly. Project defines an action or activity that leads to projects with an impact on the environment. A public hearing is an opportunity for interested individuals to present their views to the board and to participate in an exchange of views with board members. The gevra ocm is an existing mega opencast project in the thick seam zone of secl command area. Public hearings in environmental clearance process. When and how to hold them is a detailed guide to holding a public hearing with tips, detailed information, and additional resources. All levels of government hold public hearings from city on up to the national level. The overall goal of public consultation is to engage key stakeholders groups such as citizens. Procedure for the public hearing gujarat pollution control. Guidance on public participation in environmental impact.
If the eia process is successful, it identifies alternatives and mitigation measures to reduce the environmental impact of a proposed project. Any one likely to be affected by the proposed project is entitled to have access to the executive summary of the eia. The public involvement of stakeholders in eia is widely recognized as a fundamental element of the process. Involving public is one of the basic principles of a successful eia process. In the eia process, the goal of public participation is to enable citizens to take responsibility for environmental protection and. Public consultation and participation in eia in pakistan and lessons learnt from international practices obaidullah nadeem1, rizwan hameed and sajjad haydar. Stages of environmental impact assessment environment.
The public is involved early in the process the full spectrum of opinions and values is exposed. Eia is mainly used at the level of specific developments. Public hearing state pollution control board, odisha. Eia is intended to identify the impacts both beneficial and adverse of a proposed public and private development activities. Jul 18, 20 by the amendment in the year 1997, public hearing was made compulsory before impact assessment was finalized. Public participation in decision making is an essential part of the environmental impact assessment eia process, which has become a widely applicable tool for environmental decision making in the world since 7075ies, ensuring consideration of environmental concerns within the planning. Many benefits ar e concrete such as improvements to project design see box 1. Good practice recommendations on public participation in. These regulations may be cited as the environmental impact assessment regulations, 1998. On completion of the eia report, public and environmental groups living close to project site may be informed and consulted. Testimony from both sides of an issue is usually recorded for public record, and a report summarizing the key points is generated. The quality on public participation in environmental. Pdf this article investigates the involvement of local stakeholders in the environmental impact assessment eia processes of ghanas first. In public hearings within the context of the ghana eia process shareholders and proponents are.
Eia history india under ep act eia notification was issued in 1994 cost of project was criteria for screening in 2006 again new eia notification was issued substituted old one multilateral banks environmental and social risks are integral part of loan appraisal equator principal signatory banks bank is the top authority which can either appraise or reject the. Successful eia studies should then involve the public. The recommendations were initially discussed at a meeting on. In public hearings within the context of the ghana eia process. Extending and improving public awareness of environmental concerns. The participants in the moscow meeting of the task. Yet a closer look at the literature unveils that, beyond this general assertion, opinions of the precise meaning, objectives and adequate representation of. Figure 1 shows a general flow diagram of the eia process, how it fits in with parallel technical and economic studies and the role of public participation. Even within a particular country, there can be variations in the quality and extent of public involvement in the eia process. Nov 10, 2019 environmental impact assessment is a formal process used to predict the ecological consequences of any development project.
Public participation pp is an element of a process that gives citizens the opportunity to influence major decisions that may affect their community and their environment. A no action alternative describes the option of not proceeding with any action and provides a vital baseline for the comparison with other altematives. Then, a second hearing was held in 2002 concerning the authorization to operate and the building permit request. In other words, it is a study to evaluate all the predictable outcomes and find the best economical way to carry out the project so that it remains beneficial for all. Impact assessment authority along with the experts consult the projectincharge along with consultant to take the final decision, keeping in mind eia and emp environment management plan. As part of the public comment process, written comments will be accepted during the open. However in the eia process, the public hearing or public consultation stage is the only stage where there is some scope for intervention by local communities, where comes our role. Notice of public hearing was published in the newspaper, the manila bulletin, on january 2 and january 9, 2019, and was posted at the emb website.
Glucker, an, ppj driessen, a kolhoff and hac runhaar 20 public participation in environmental impact assessment. Environmental impact assessment eia development projects in the past were undertaken without any consideration to their environmental consequences. Thus, to assess the environmental impacts, the mechanism of. Introduction to public participation in strategic environmental assessment. The two instruments detail procedures to enable the public to be informed about and.
15 1086 552 350 32 436 967 194 240 629 534 970 1220 222 937 1203 262 1242 1156 748 1298 1064 366 76 1433 357 1078 646 493 616 254 334 760 285 1058 30 797 654 522 918 313 171 1144 1337 1265 642