002-i

Advisory review: EIA for Punjab tanneries effluent treatment - Pakistan

Project details

Status

Issued

Country

Pakistan

Activity type

ESIA/SEA advice

Subject

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Industry, Waste management

Last modified

10 May 2019

The NCEA issued an advisory review of the EIA for a tanneries effluent treatment plant in Punjab. It concluded that important aspects were missing from the EIA report and recommended supplements to be added. Based on the NCEA's advice, the Dutch government - which funded the project - decided to shift the focus of the activities.

Significant details

The project proposal was based partly on information from the EIS and compiled before the Commission’s advisory review. The project proposal was consulted when carrying out the review of the EIS. In its advice the Commission concluded that the EIS contained insufficient information to assess the environmental impacts of the proposed project. It is of the opinion that the proposal as described would simply shift existing environmental impacts elsewhere, and probably even lead to a worsening of the situation. The Commission also believes that there are alternative options not mentioned in the EIS which could result in sustainable improvements in environmental quality. It recommended that a supplement be prepared examining alternatives which tackle the environmental problems nearer the source, in the tanneries themselves. Alternatives should also be examined which address the management of collective waste flows and additional processing techniques for those flows and describe additional measures to prevent environmental pollution. The DGIS, following the Commission’s advice, decided to shift the emphasis of its support for tackling the environmental impacts of tanneries in Pakistan towards integral measures directed at the source of the emissions. A number of studies have subsequently been carried out. These are described under project 017.

Advisory reports and other documents

13 Jan 1994: Advisory review

Parties involved

Members of the working group

Azher Uddin Khan

drs. Jacob Langerwerf

dr. ir. Ike van der Putte

de Vries

Chair

mr. Jan-Willem Kroon

Technical secretary

ing. Reinoud Post

Proponent

Governments of Pakistan, Norway and the Netherlands & the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation

Competent authority

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs