Impact assessment on dev projects must

Development projects that have not been assessed for possible environmental impacts can cause irreparable damage to the environment and impede people's lives and their livelihoods, said speakers at a workshop yesterday.
People's participation is necessary in granting environmental clearance to institutions and projects, they said.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela) organised the workshop titled “Public Opinion on Decision-Making: The Importance of Determining Environmental Impact” at Cirdap auditorium in the capital.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bela, emphasised the need for conducting environmental impact assessments (EIA) to determine and analyse the environmental impacts of a project in a given area.
She said the Environment Protection Act mentions the need for public hearings and environmental surveys before granting environmental clearance to an institution or a project. However, these points were never implemented, she added.
Participants at the workshop decided that Bela would formulate a draft policy on this issue, take recommendations from other environmental organisations and submit the final draft to relevant authorities.
Speakers said natural forests are being destroyed, biodiversity is decreasing, and the rights of forest-dwelling people are being violated as a result of implementing social forestation without assessing its environmental impacts.
Speakers also highlighted that development companies are grabbing land in natural places across the country.
Similarly, shrimp farming in Khulna and other areas are taking place without any consideration of the impact on the community and the environment, they added.