{"id":18141,"date":"2023-10-17T18:51:12","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/?p=18141"},"modified":"2023-10-17T18:51:16","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T13:21:16","slug":"the-indian-himalayan-region-needs-its-own-eia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/17-10-2023\/the-indian-himalayan-region-needs-its-own-eia","title":{"rendered":"The Indian Himalayan Region needs its own EIA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Conservation, Disaster Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In News<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Himalayan region needs a different set of environmental standards in the form of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>About: <\/strong>Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the processes defined by the <strong>United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)<\/strong> as a tool to identify the environmental, social, and economic <strong>impacts of a project<\/strong> <strong>before <\/strong>it is <strong>implemented<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Features of EIA:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This tool <strong>compares various alternatives<\/strong> for the proposed project, <strong>predicts and analyses<\/strong> all possible environmental repercussions in various scenarios.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The EIA also helps decide<strong> appropriate mitigation<\/strong> strategies.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The EIA process would <strong>need comprehensive, reliable data <\/strong>and would deliver results only if it is designed to seek the most appropriate, relevant and reliable information regarding the project.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hence, <strong>the baseline data <\/strong>on the basis of which future likely impacts are being predicted are very crucial.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>EIA in India:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In January 1994, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (EPA), promulgated the <strong>first EIA notification<\/strong> making<strong> Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory<\/strong> for setting up some specified new projects and also for expansion or modernisation of some specific activities.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This was later<strong> replaced by the EIA 2006 <\/strong>notification.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change floated a <strong>draft EIA in 2020<\/strong> for public comments which faced criticisms as it was <strong>perceived to be pro industry<\/strong> and <strong>compromising the ecological concerns<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Indian Himalayan Region &amp; need of separate EIA<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Teesta dam breach in Sikkim<\/strong> in early October and the <strong>recent floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh <\/strong>are a stark reminder of the havoc our development model is wreaking on our environment and ecology especially in the mountains.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It is imperative to assess the worthiness of any significant development <\/strong>in terms of its impact on the environment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite all levels of government being <strong>acutely aware of the special needs of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR)<\/strong>, the region\u2019s vulnerabilities and fragility have <strong>not been considered separately<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Challenges<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>&#8220;One size fits all&#8221; approach:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite its special needs and as an area of immense ecological importance to the entire country (it serves as a water tower and the provider of ecosystem services), this region is treated like any other part of the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unsuitability of a graded approach:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian regulatory system uses a graded approach, a differentiated risk management approach depending on whether a project is coming up within a<strong> protected forest, a reserved forest, a national park,<\/strong> or a <strong>critical tiger habitat<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This graded approach for differentiated risk management does not suit or consider the special ecological features existing in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While categorising projects it is important that the impacts of all such projects and activities are seen in the IHR in the context of this<strong> region\u2019s fragility and vulnerability<\/strong> vis-\u00e0-vis <strong>ecology and environment<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unplanned Urbanisation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>unplanned and unauthorised construction<\/strong> has led to the blocking of the natural flow of water, which eventually results in <strong>frequent landslides<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Himalayan slopes<\/strong> have become extremely unstable in the last few decades due to <strong>increased construction, hydroelectric projects<\/strong>, and the widening of the<strong> National Highway<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Construction of Dams:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The creation of numerous dams <strong>without due environmental impact assessment <\/strong>could lead to the <strong>submergence of arable lands <\/strong>and <strong>biodiversity hotspots.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not only would valley habitats be inundated by the creation of reservoirs, but villagers would be displaced.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The effect of dams on<strong> fisheries and fish ecology <\/strong>is also a matter of concern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecology under stress:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Due to <strong>population growth, industrial and commercial activity<\/strong>, the fragile ecology is under great stress.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The common threats are <strong>deforestation, soil erosion and pressure on restricted land<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vulnerability to extreme conditions:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We have enough systemic understanding that the Himalayas are inherently vulnerable to <strong>extreme weather conditions<\/strong> such as <strong>heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides<\/strong> and are seismically active.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate change<\/strong> has added another layer of vulnerability to this ecosystem.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Suggestions<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The needs of these mountains could be addressed at <strong>all four stages of the EIA<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Screening, scoping, public consultation, <\/strong>and <strong>appraisal<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>yardstick for projects and activities <\/strong>requiring Environmental Clearance in mountainous regions should be made commensurate with the ecological needs of this region.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>General conditions mandated for all projects at the end of the notification could also have had a clause about the IHR or <strong>mountains above a certain altitude<\/strong>, or with some <strong>specified characteristics<\/strong> that could increase the liability of the project proponent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Used diligently, the EIA could be the most potent regulatory tool in the arsenal of environmental governance in the IHR to further the vision of sustainable development in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Way ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Denying development to populations living in remote mountain areas would be grave injustice, but the real issue has always been about p<strong>ursuing development in keeping with environmental sustainability<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is an urgent need to <strong>undertake a detailed survey<\/strong> of such settlements by <strong>multidisciplinary expert teams<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Daily Mains Question<\/strong><br><\/span><strong>[Q] <\/strong>What are the ecological threats faced by the Indian Himalayan Region? Examine the need of Himalayan Region to have a different set of environmental standards than the rest of the country.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/17_10_The-Indian-Himalayan-Region-needs-its-own-EIA.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus: GS3\/ Conservation, Disaster Management In News Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) The Indian Himalayan Region &amp; need of separate EIA Challenges Suggestions Way ahead Daily Mains Question[Q] What are the ecological threats faced by the Indian Himalayan Region? Examine the need of Himalayan Region to have a different set of environmental standards than the rest [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18141"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18145,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18141\/revisions\/18145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}