The guideline has seen changes where the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is now not needed for projects to repair roads and construct housing.
The Environment Ministry reviewed their project list that requires an EIA and publicized it on Friday.
As per the change, EIAs are not required for road repair projects and housing construction projects, which was required as per the guidelines previously.
The list includes 25 types of projects that can move forward without an EIA:
- Vegetable plants, fruit plants or plants that are planted to make the environment greener and more beautiful that have been permitted to be imported for private houses, state buildings and offices, and general service areas.
- Wells can be kept for general or personal use.
- Fish, cattle, chicken and birds that have import permissions can be kept in private housing.
- Plants that produce less than five tonnes of water or ice daily.
- Existing desalination plants without any additional boreholes or intake lines.
- Temporary use of a generator that produces less than 300 kilowatts.
- Making use of wood to build vessels.
- Taking sand from a permitted area through using machinery
- Bait trap/netting placements.
- Transferring boats between land and sea without digging in the lagoon with machinery.
- Removal of a tree that is absolutely necessary or the cutting of a tree if its leaves are clogging roof drains or water tanks.
- Disposal of human waste or dirty water into the ocean at an island that does not have an established sewerage system.
- Taking precautionary steps to protect housing due to erosion at islands.
- Building temporary huts on the shore without cutting trees.
- Conducting agriculture in inhabited islands at a plot less than 5,000 square feet that does not have adult coconut palms or trees.
- Repairing seawalls and jetties without changing the original structure.
- Building platforms and jetties that negates waves from crashing onto land.
- Affixing solar panels onto the roof of buildings that have been finished.
- Constructing towers, antennae, etc without environmental harm such as reclaiming land, cutting down trees, etc.
- Repairing pipes in the ocean after EIA approval.
- Taking necessary steps in emergency situations to protect people, their houses and goods.
- Projects to construct houses.
- Establishing a waste management center in the islands.
- Road repair projects.
- The initial establishment of storage, accommodation blocks and communication tower for the development of a new tourist resort or hotel.
The EIA saw changes last year as well in order to expedite government projects.
Last year's amendment saw EIAs to be expedited if related to projects prioritized by the government. A project can be considered a priority if it is a project for national development that has been determined by the Cabinet or the Cabinet Committee, as per the amendment.
Along with the amendment to the EIA, the government has changed the EPA to the Environmental Regulatory Authority (ERA) and brought changes to its operational framework.
