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INTRODUCTION :
Planned development with an integrated approach is necessary to uplift standard of living of people, revive economies and to alleviate poverty. Poorly planned and rapid development can result in disastrous impacts on our basic life-support systems such as clean air and water, productive soil and the earth's rich biotic diversity. Development of river valley projects like dams, reservoirs are one among them, which can cause significant impact on physical-chemical, biological, cultural, bio-diversity, sustainable development and socio-economic components of the environment. Large dams in India, as in several other countries of the world, have been accompanied by significant alterations in the upstream and downstream physical and biological environment (Larry W. Canter, 1985). These development projects often result in unanticipated and undesirable consequences, which may be so drastic as to reduce or even nullify the socio-economic benefits for which the projects are planned. Appropriate steps, including Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (CEIA) involving preventive/ameliorative measures can minimize the impacts of these incursions.
There are three essential steps that are necessary for any river valley project to be considered environmentally sensitive:
- A complete environmental impact assessment should be conducted before the project is considered for clearance, and the results of the analysis should be used to judge the viability and desirability of the project; this would also entail the tentative costing of the impacts and of the preventive/ameliorative measures, as this would have a bearing on the economic/financial viability of the project.
- If the project is considered viable and desirable on social, economic, environmental, and technical grounds, it is necessary to take preventive and ameliorative measures related to the negative environmental impacts. This requires the formulation of precise and comprehensive workplans, and their implementation.
- Finally, once the project is commissioned, it is critical to monitor the environmental impacts, and the progress of the preventive and ameliorative measures being taken to address these impacts. At this stage it may even be necessary to redesign the project, if environmental, social, or economic imperatives demand it.
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