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‘Public participation essential in environmental issues’
MORE than 70 representatives of the stake-holders in the environment sector held a discussion on how to improve participation of citizens in public hearings held in connection with the formulation of Environmental Impact Assessments. The meeting was convened by the Pakistan National Committee of IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) in Karachi on March 11.
The participants of the meeting, presided over by Javed Jabbar, included: Shujaat Qarni, Secretary, Environment, Sindh Government; Aban Marker Kabraji, Regional Director, IUCN Asia; Abdul Latif Rao, IUCN Country Representative; Haider Raza, Director General, Hydrocarbon Institute of Pakistan; Patrick Bird, Chief Executive, Premier Oil; Dr Saba Gul Khattak, Executive Director, SDPI Islamabad; Naseer Memon from the WWF for Nature; and Director General, Sindh Coal Authority. The meeting took note of the fact that while Pakistan was amongst the first countries in Asia to initiate legislation and policies in the environment sector as early in the 70s, and that the country had failed to implement existing laws and rules in an effective manner. One reason cited for this failure was the lack of participation by the people in the decision-making process affecting the formulation and implementation of development projects. This is why the practice of holding public hearings was vital to ensure relevant inputs from all stakeholders, particularly people at the grassroots level, the participants agreed.
The roundtable recommended that: (1) Public hearings should be organized at the union council level and at the sites affected by project; (2) The additions made to recommendations of EIAs be issued in a letter form and made public. (3) EIA processes should be made simple and cost effective; (4) The quality of the EIAs conducted should be improved and made relevant to the Pakistani context; (5) Roles for conducting EIAs and implementing their recommendations need to be defined, deficiencies identified and gaps filled; (6) Public access to EIA reports should be ensured, and their simplified versions taken out in local languages; (7) The monitoring process should be made more inclusive by bringing in more stakeholders, and monitoring reports be made public; (8) Community input be sought in designing and conducting EIAs and IEEs; (9) The scope of EIAs be broadened from sectoral concerns to environmental concerns; (10) Wildlife conservation be given due consideration in EIAs; (11) Implementation and monitoring of Environmental Management Plans be ensured. The post-EIA mechanism for implementing recommendations to be defined; (12) Implementation of the EIA recommendations be monitored and ensured; (13) The level of information-sharing among the stakeholders be enhanced; (14) Oil and gas companies and other corporations need to be made more accessible and transparent in sharing information; (15) Provision be made through legislation to grant the EPAs the requisite autonomy and authority as originally designed under the Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997; (16) EIA be made part of the planning process and should be post-audited and monitored, (17) The need for environmental accounting and budgeting be actively advocated by civil society and media and adopted at national, provincial and district government levels; (18) Federal and provincial agencies, private sector, etc, be targeted individually for awareness-raising regarding the EIA process and its implementation; (19) The media should place more focus on environmental issues to raise public awareness; (20) Need underlined for raising awareness on environmental priorities at the higher decision-making level (21) Need was pointed out to constitute a forum acting as a pressure group for conducting and implementing EIAs; (22) Need was identified for making IEE and EIA of national-level mega projects in the public sector such as RBOD, Sind On-Farm Water Management Project, Lyari Expressway, etc., mandatory.
It was noted that exploration and development of the Thar coalfields would lead to massive environmental and social impacts; hence it was recommended that the related concerns should be addressed at the initial stage. It was also recommended that in view of the rapid degeneration in urban environment in Pakistan, IUCN/PNC should address this as a priority area. It was recommended that the capacities of public interest organizations (NGOs, CBOs) to analyse EIA issues and documents should be enhanced substantially. Besides it was also emphasized that the capacities and competencies of stakeholders involved in the EIA process (other than government agencies) need to be built. Besides, it was also stressed that the capacity to deal issues scientifically should also be developed. — Sci-tech World Report
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