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Environmental Council to put in place a system for mandatory EIA
2007-08-25 09:26:54
By Lydia Shekighenda
The National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) is putting in place a system that would require experts to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on business and other development projects as well as on foreign and local investments.
In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, the Director for Environmental Information, Communication and Outreach, Anna Maembe said that the envisaged system would help in acquiring detailed information necessary for environmental management.
``We are still working on the special system. The council is currently scrutinizing competent experts that would assist in conducting EIA on investments and development projects,” she said.
For several years, investors and project developers were free to select their own experts to conduct EIA, as they were not bound to do otherwise.
Maembe said that after the Environment Management Act 2004 came into force in 2005, all investment and development projects have to secure expertise to conduct EIA.
In view of the said legal requirement, the council is developing a comprehensive system under which environment assessment would be conducted by experts authorized by NEMC.
She said apart from directing prospective developers and investors on the need for EIA, NEMC is also mandated to advise on expertise to conduct EIA on the projects.
Maembe said prior to the completion of other formalities they had a list of people who conducted EIA, but they have now started to officially register experts on environmental issues.
``We want this work to be conducted by experts so that we can get comprehensive information which would help in the environmental management,`` Maembe said.
She explained that the Environmental Management Act directs all projects or undertakings to have an EIA certificate which determines the effect of the project to the environment.
``All projects which were established before the enactment of the law are supposed to conduct an environmental audit, to determine their impacts and recommend an environmental management plan,`` Maembe explained
She said all projects must be subjected to the EIA to determine their effects on environment and recommend an environmental management plan.
“Failure to comply with the law is an offence punishable by law”, she said.
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