By: Kumudika Perera Public participation is a matter of a nation’s legal, political and administrative arrangements. It nurtures people’s democratic rights. Image Credits: MONGABAY and Cane Mario. EIA: The Guardian of Environs The National Environmental Act, No. 47 of 1980 as amended defines ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ (EIA) as a written, cost-benefit analysis of a predicted environmental project, containing a description of avoidable and unavoidable, adverse environmental effects the project would cause, the alternatives available and
By: Anjalee Udawatta & Lakshitha Edirisinghe EIA assesses viable alternatives for a development project, a combination that will use natural resources more efficiently and will have the least impacts on the human environment. What is sustainable development? Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/ficbiwfOPS The oft-cited definition of sustainable development is found in the 1987 Brundtland Commission report, ‘Our Common Future’, which reads as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
By: Anjalee Udawatta & Lakshitha Edirisinghe In Sri Lanka, conserving nature is a constitutionally established duty of both the State and citizens. As such, EIA becomes a tool with which to enforce constitutional provisions. Image source- https://unsplash.com/photos/DZpc4UY8ZtY With the escalation of development activities and the influence of international agreements, environmental conservation has emerged as a major concern since the 1970s. Even in this day and age, it is becoming increasingly evident that environmental conservation is a dire need for
By: Piyumi Wattuhewa EIAs evaluate development projects and activities. It considers the ramifications, both positive and negative, of projects even before the first stone is laid and the first tree is cut. Image source- https://unsplash.com/photos/UL23OjMTHXE As a developing country, Sri Lanka is the birthplace of many-a formidable development projects; from highways to expressways, from bridges to tunnels, from cities on land to cities on the sea, from hotels, to gyms, to malls, it is not a novelty that something
