Director of Environment, Sandeep Singh is pleading with all businesses to comply with the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process to sustainably safeguard developments in the country.
Singh highlighted the importance of EIA which aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, find ways to reduce adverse impacts and shape projects to suit the local environment.
“In the evolving economy that we have, the many aspirations we all have in terms of development when prohibition notices are issued to businesses or people, then they know they haven’t complied with the EIA.”
“If both the people and businesses comply with the EIA process then it’s a win-win situation for everyone and the environment. The most important thing the businesses should keep in mind is that if you comply and follow the process of EIA then you are ensuring sustainable development and protecting the environment with all the nature and social safeguard in place.”
She added that EIA for developments is required under the Environment Management Act 2005 and to support the implementation of the Act, the EIA Process Regulations 2007 prescribed setting out detailed procedures for EIA of proposed development activities.
“It’s a matter of working together and taking the environment and the laws in place seriously. The department is telling people to please comply with the EIA so that it’s good for Fiji at large.”
“We have been holding business round tables and EIA clinics where we invite the business sector to come and talk about the reports so they don’t end up in non-compliance situations. We will be carrying out more awareness to the public and also the businesses consultation to inform them of the importance of environment safeguard.”
