Friday, June 19, 2009

Re: Environmental Impact Assessment of west Seti project

June 19, 2009

Dear Dr Kaoru Ogino

Thanks a lot for your encouraging words. I take it that you are not flattering me. By the way I don’t deserve to be called "Dr." as I, simply, not one. I am a management professional who is also incidentally a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a corporate lawyer. I got dragged into the water resource sector by the quirk of fate or a historical incident. Now I am a self taught water resource analyst.

I agree with you that the only important issue here is: how objective, credible and reliable the assessment on environment impacts is. Because it is clear beyond reasonable doubt that the entity that conducted the EIA is not independent and they were doing the study while under conflict of interest.

I hope EIA division (or the responsible entity) in ADB is aware of the fact that the entity conducting EIA for west seti project is not independent.

Thanks for clarifying that ADB is to "review, analyze, and assess the reports "independently" if they are acceptable. In case of ADB, we independently check the EIA prepared by the project owner(s), in accordance with our policy and guidelines at the exit point. In this sense, our argument may be whether the objectiveness of the assessments should be ensured at the entry or exit point."

I do certainly believe that ADB should ensure the objectivity of the report "at the entry"; meaning before ADB invests money in the project.

Ascertainment of the same at "exit point" will be like bolting the stable after the horse has run away.

I wish people in ADB responsible for such studies will join in in this discussion.

With best regards,

Sincerely,


Ratna Sansar Shrestha, FCA
Senior Water Resource Analyst
http:www.ratnasansar.blogspot.com/
________________________________________
From: kogino@adb.org [mailto:kogino@adb.org]
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 8:17
To: rsansar@mos.com.np
Subject: Re: Fw: Environmental Impact Assessment of west Seti project

Dear Dr. Shrestha,

I appreciate having your comments on the EIA process.

You are very professional and familiar with the matter.

While the interpretation of "assessment" and "independence" may make our slight different views on the process, I trust we are in the same line and objective. The matter is how we get objective, credible and relaible assessment on environment impacts.

The report can be prepared by the project owner(s) or any other independent person(s). The important thing is how we accept it; the Government and ADB review, analyze, and assess the reports "independently" if they are acceptable. In case of ADB, we independently check the EIA prepared by the project owner(s), in accordance with our policy and guidelines at the exit point. In this sense, our argument may be whether the objectiveness of the assessments should be ensured at the entry or exit point.

I hope that you trust our independent position on the EIA in this regard.

Best regards,
Kaoru Ogino

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for your all valuable articles which are really useful to me and my collegues as well. Somedays ago, I have read your article on Hydro Nepal which is very good resource for my research. But in that article you havent mention that why second efforts by the EurOrient not succeed?to build the project. If you have any aricle or contribution on the Arun III, it would really appriciable.

Im looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

samaghim@uni-bonn.de