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Discussion
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Sindh Environmental Protection Agency Review of Initial Environmental Examination and Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014 provides the necessary details on the preparation, submission, and review of IEE and EIA reports as required by the section 17 of Sindh Environmental protection Act 2014. These regulations categorize the projects which require an IEE, EIA or an environmental checklist on the basis of anticipated degree of environmental impacts.
Categorization – Based on the environmental impacts, Regulations 3,4 and 5 classify the projects requiring an IEE (projects falling in schedule-I), EIA (projects falling in schedule-II) and environmental checklist (projects falling in schedule-III) respectively.
Filing – Regulation 9 requires submission of ten hardcopies and two electronic copies accompanied by an application form (schedule-V), copy of receipt of payment of review fee, NOC from relevant departments (where applicable) and environmental checklist (if project falls in schedule III).
Preliminary scrutiny – Regulation 10 states that within 15 days of report submission the agency shall review the report and inform the proponent for submission of any additional information.
Review – The agency shall review the EIA report within four months after issuing confirmation of completeness as per Regulation 9. It shall also conduct an experts committee meeting or solicit views from concerned advisory committee.
Validity – Regulation 18 defines the validity period of approval of an IEE or EIA to be three years from date of construction and construction must start within three years of report approval. A three year extension at a time may be granted upon the agency’s discretion with or without the submission of a fresh IEE or EIA.
Monitoring – Sub-regulation 20 requires the submission of a report to agency on completion of construction of project and after issue of confirmation of compliance, the submission of annual report summarizing operational performance of the project with reference to conditions of approval and maintenance and mitigation measures adopted by the project.
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