Environmental Impact Assessment

The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as “the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals before major decisions are taken and commitments made.” Environment Impact Assessment was first formally established in the USA in 1969. It has spread worldwide and received a significant boost in Europe with the introduction of the European Community (EC) Directive on EIA in 1985. In India, the Environmental Impact Assessment was started in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission asked the then Department of Science and Technology to examine the river-valley projects from an environmental angle. Subsequently, this covered all the projects, which required approval of the Public Investment Board. However, these were administrative decisions that lacked legislative support. On 23rd May 1986, the Government of India enacted the Environment (Protection) Act. Environmental Impact Assessment was made statutory to achieve the objectives of the Act. A notification was issued on 27th January 1994 making environmental impact assessment statutory for 30 activities. This notification was subsequently amended on 4th May 1994, 10th April 1997, and 27th January 2000 (Annex 1). This is the most important legislation governing environmental impact assessment in India.