Evaluation of Environmental Clearance Process of Development Projects

NEED FOR EIA: Environment and development are not exclusive of one another but are complimentary and dependent on each other. Environment is where we live and development is what we do to improve that living. “Development”, the word is very contradictory. It has both negative and positive aspects attached to it. Development on one hand leads to advancement (i.e. technological, social) which is the “Positive aspect of Development”. It is a pre-requisite for advancement in every sphere of life but it is being evident that development always takes place at the cost of the environment. Thus this is termed as the “Negative aspect of Development”. The world is facing several environmental problems related to technological and industrial development as well as a rapid population growth which has, but tremendous amount of strain on the environmental resources. The Per Capita Ecological Footprints exceed the earth’s biological capacity by about 20%. Thus there is an urgent need for striking a balance between the capacity of the environment and the quantum of development. And as we all aim towards sustainable development, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of all development proposal on the environment. Development is quoted as essential to improve the quality of life. Therefore to have development it was realized that it should be accompanied with sustainable ways so as to reduce the impact of it on the environment. One such effective way is to carry out “ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT” of all proposed projects