The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Review of Initial Environmental Examination and Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations, 2014 provide the regulatory framework for the preparation, submission and review of environmental assessments for projects in Sindh.
These regulations were issued by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) under Section 37 of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 201
Key Regulations
Regulation 1 – Short Title and Commencement
Provides the name of the regulations and states that they come into force at once.
Regulation 2 – Definitions
Defines important terms including IEE, EIA, Agency, Committee, Director General and Environmental Consulting Firm.
Regulations 3–6 – Projects Requiring Environmental Assessment
Specify projects requiring an IEE, EIA or environmental checklist and identify projects that do not require an IEE or EIA.
Regulation 7 – Preparation of IEE/EIA and Environmental Checklist
Provides requirements for preparing environmental assessment documents and allows SEPA to issue general and sector-specific guidelines.
Regulation 8 – Review Fees
Provides for payment of the applicable non-refundable review fee when submitting an IEE, EIA or environmental checklist.
Regulation 9 – Filing of IEE, EIA and Environmental Checklist
Sets requirements for submission of environmental assessment reports and supporting documents to the Agency.
Regulation 10 – Preliminary Scrutiny
Provides for preliminary examination of submitted environmental assessment documents.
Regulation 11 – Public Participation
Provides requirements for public participation and public hearings, particularly in relation to EIA projects.
Regulation 12 – Review
Sets out the Agency’s review process for environmental checklists, IEEs and EIAs.
Regulation 13 – Decision
Deals with the Agency’s decision following review of the environmental assessment.
Regulation 14 – Conditions of Approval
Provides for conditions that may be attached to environmental approval.
Regulation 15 – Confirmation of Compliance
Deals with confirmation that the requirements of the approved environmental assessment and approval conditions have been complied with.
Regulation 16 – Deemed Approval
Provides for deemed approval in accordance with the applicable provisions and specified time periods.
Regulation 17 – Extension in Review Period
Deals with extension of the prescribed review period where applicable.
Regulation 18 – Validity Period of Approval
Specifies provisions concerning the validity of environmental approval.
Regulation 19 – Entry and Inspection
Provides SEPA with provisions relating to entry and inspection of project sites.
Regulation 20 – Monitoring
Covers environmental monitoring and compliance with approval conditions.
Regulation 21 – Cancellation of Approval
Provides for cancellation of environmental approval in specified circumstances.
Regulation 22 – Registers of IEE, EIA and Checklist Projects
Provides for maintenance of registers of projects subject to environmental assessment.
Regulation 23 – Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Provides special requirements for projects located in environmentally sensitive areas.
Regulation 24 – Environmental Assessment Advisory Committee
Provides for constitution and functions of the Environmental Assessment Advisory Committee.
Regulation 25 – Repeal and Savings
Provides for repeal and savings relating to the earlier environmental assessment regulations applicable in Sindh.
Schedules
The regulations also contain schedules covering project categories, forms, review fees and other requirements related to the IEE and EIA process.
