Gross Violation of EIA Law and Safeguard Policies
The EIA law and Safeguard Policies are, however, mostly breached or circumvented by key stakeholders. which serve to undermine the laws, to the detriment of project host communities and the environment.
Up and down the country there are massive mining and construction projects going on without the informed consent of affected communities and adequate assessment of how they affect surrounding air, water and soil. In some cases properties and livelihoods are destroyed and communities are displaced without compensation. In other cases people are made to work under unsafe conditions and without living wages.
One of the strategies we have adopted at the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) for the protection of people and the natural environment is to strictly monitor the EIA process for all category ‘A’ projects and project proponent’s compliance with Social Safeguard policies. This will be achieved by applying strict ethical standards like those proposed by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA, 2009).
It comprises standard scientific methods involving desktop studies, field research, consultations, laboratory analysis, impact assessment, recommendation of mitigation measures to guarantee that the project meets with the requirements for environmental and social sustainability.
