Environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan Kelo major irrigation project - Raigarh

August 26, 2010

Irrigation projects are the stepping stones in increasing the food production and leads to alround development of the farming community. Yet, these irrigation projects lead to submergence of houses and house sites rendering the people homeless . In addition, causes loss of agricultural land affecting the overall social fabric of the affected people. It goes without saying that such adverse social impacts are unavoidable but there is a great need to minimise or completely avoid such impacts by way of providing alternative sites for resettlement, through provision of housing,infrastructure and allied facilities related to education, road, drinking water, electricity, hospital, etc., as well as extending suitable rehabilitation support. This way it will help affected people to regain at least their earlier former levels of living standards. To achieve success, it requires careful planning and implementation of there settlement and rehabilitation management plan with in built monitoring system, both by the Project administrators / managers and of course the affected lot as well.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Central Water Commission of the Government of India have been identified as the nodal agencies for scrutinising and according sanction for the irrigation projects in particular. These organisations are very keen on minimising and / or if possible avoiding both direct and indirect adverse impacts while according sanctions to such projects. The Irrigation Department of Chattisgarh State is equally interested in keeping the negative /adverse impacts of the projects at the bare minimum or if possible prevent these adverse impacts both on ground as well as on population before sanctioning budgetary Introduction provisions for implementation of the Project. It is, therefore, evident that it requires a detailed Resettlement and Rehabilitation Plan for implementation for minimising the Socio - Economic Environmental impacts and making necessary provision for alternatives for reducing . avoiding such adverse effects, if any. Therefore , the present study is in line with the above needs for environmental clearance by the concerned authorities.