Prolegomena
Over the last three decades of its existence
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has undergone significant development.
As the paradigm of human development shifted from economic growth to sustainability,
EIA faced the challenge to reorient itself as a planning tool for ensuring
long-term maintenance of assimilative capability. This monograph puts forward
a revised framework of EIA to meet the challenge.
EIA has remained a principal focal theme of research at the Centre of Mining
Environment (CME), a constituent Centre of the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad,
almost since its inception in 1987. During the intervening period faculty
of the Centre investigated various aspects of EIA.
This monograph draws together much of the experience gathered by Dr.I.N.Sinha
during the course of his academic research. The result is an authoritative
document comprising a comprehensive treatment of EIA as a tool for ensuring
environmental sustainability. It gives me immense pleasure to commend this
monograph to a wide audience belonging to diverse disciplines of environmental
planning and management.
(Gurdeep Singh)