in america, a great and developed country, there is an agency called EPA (environment protection agency). this agency along with several govt departments is in charge of doing environment impact assessment (eia), environment protection, setting environment standards, etc.

although severly criticised, the epa of america is doing a fairly decent job.

in india, moef (ministry of environment and forests) along with several central and state departments (such as pollution control boards) is in charge of preserving india's environment. in india there are strong laws regarding environmental impact assessment.

this eia is very vital as it gives the impact of a particular work on the environment. but this eia has been abused so badly in past that it can be safely called industry go-ahead law. there are huge violations of eia all across india.

when we india want to be like america, shouldn't we also want to have a clean environment like america; when we india want to be like america, the superpower, should'nt we want the clean air and water that americans have for granted; when we tell proudly that india is a 5000 years old culture and america is a new culture, shouldn't we want to stay ahead of americans; when we say we want to live like americans, shouldn't we also tell that we need good environment to live in.

pipe dreams, i suppose, does not make real dreams...

manju menon and kanchi kohli of kalpavriksh has written how project growth is screwing up india's environment and how the new eia notification - being made into law by fake means by moef - will impact india's crucial environment on which depend millions of people.

their article capture how eia is being twisted in a para below.
Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa is home to the Dongria Kondh tribe. It also houses one of the world's largest bauxite reserves. Mining by Vedanta Alumina Limited in this area will impact the health of the forests and the water sources, directly affecting the livelihoods and survival of the communities inhabiting the area. The project proponent has twisted facts and delinked two components of the same project to get the requisite environmental clearance.

and as the autors point out the eia should not compromise the lives, livelihood of tribals in name of mindless development. from the article: Ideally, the EIA reforms process should have drawn from these experiences to create a clearance regime that will not compromise the lives of tribal and other communities. The new fast-tracking of clearances to reduce delays has paid no attention to the need for detailed impact studies, transparency and effective public participation in decision-making processes, strict monitoring and action against violators. As a result of the so-called reforms, some of the flaws in the old clearance process have been amplified.

(malanjkand mine in MP. these were once forest areas on which lived and depended several thousand tribal people. copyright frontline.)
(kudremukh peaks in mined and destroyed state. copyright ammen ahmed.)

(kudremukh tailing dam to store the mined tailings from mixing into the ecosystem. enough damage was done by kudremukh mines till SC put a stop to mining)