Managing the Environment and Studies of Development Projects

EPA – The Environment Protection Act
MINAS – The Minimal national standards – To be followed by all
industries in the country.
The ministry of Environment and Forests is under EPA and has framed
MINAS.
These standards refer to the maximum limit of concentration of pollutants
in the effluent and emission discharges.
These standards can only be made more stringent by the state pollution
control boards (SPCBs)
The present standards are based on the concentration of pollutants in the
effluents and emissions.
National and zonal task forces have been constituted for the
implementation of standards in industries like fertilizer, iron and steel,
thermal power plants, cement, pulp and paper and oil refineries.
The main functions of the task forces are…
1. To create a form for industries and SPCBs to interact with a view to
hastening the process of compliance of standard
2. To disseminate to the industries, the latest technologies available for
control of pollution in specific industries
3. To prepare status of compliance at national level for respective
industrial categories.

Environmental Impact Assessment Studies of Development Projects
The major purpose of the national Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is to
ensure that the environmental quality is fully considered in the decision
making process.
It is an objective analysis conducted to identify & measure the likely
economic, social, aesthetic & environmental effects of the proposed action
& the various reasonable alternatives.
The measure of impacts is the next logical step in the impact assessment
process. This is done by defining the impacts such as impact on air
quality, noise quality, income, economy, energy, land, historical
presentation, water, transportation & rare or endangered species.
The final step involves the aggregation of project impacts into an overall
assessment of the project’s effects.

Environmental Audits (EA)
Environmental auditing, as a policy instrument for abatement of industrial
pollution, was introduced in India by the Government of India in 1992.
It aims to identify the information & technological gaps, incentives &
programmers that are important for the integration of environmental
concerns into decision making at all levels.
The EA can be divided into three phases as follows…
1) The Pre Audit
Phase
This includes nomination of a team, setting out tasks & priorities,
& preparation of background report.
2) The On Site Phase This includes interaction with the local staff through both informal
& structured meetings, field inspection, sampling & tests, review
of records, tentative findings & recommendations for actions to
be taken.
3) The Post Audit
Phase
This includes the finalization of the report & proposing an action
plan.
The EA incorporates an assessment of risks, an investigation into field
conditions & a study for waste utilization.