Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a regulatory process that evaluates the likely environmental consequences of a proposed development project — including impacts on air, water, land, biodiversity, and human health — before it is approved. In India, EIA is governed by the EIA Notification, 2006 (under the Environment Protection Act, 1986) and requires projects above specified thresholds to obtain Environmental Clearance (EC) from MoEFCC (Category A projects) or State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for Category B projects.

• 1 Governed by EIA Notification 2006 (under EPA 1986, Section 3)
• 2 Process stages — Screening → Scoping → Baseline Data Collection → Impact Assessment → Public Hearing → Expert Appraisal Committee → EC Grant/Denial
• 3 Category A — cleared by MoEFCC (large projects like thermal plants >500 MW, mining >50 ha)
• 4 Category B — cleared by SEIAA (smaller projects); B1 requires EIA, B2 exempt from EIA
• 5 Public hearing — mandatory for Category A and B1 projects (can be waived for strategic/defence projects)
• 6 EIA Amendment 2020 (draft) — controversial proposals to allow post-facto clearance, reduce public consultation period; faced strong opposition
• 7 EIA Amendment 2026 — further rationalisation under scrutiny
• 8 Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) — technical body that reviews EIA reports
• 9 Cumulative EIA — assesses combined impact of multiple projects in a region (rarely done in India)

The EIA Amendment 2026 proposal to further streamline environmental clearances has been criticised for diluting public participation and enabling post-facto approvals for projects that started without prior clearance.