The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) serves as a mechanism to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic consequences of a project before any decisions are made. In recent years, however, governments, environmental specialists, researchers, media, and local communities have developed a comprehensive legislative and institutional framework for the EIA. To mitigate the environmental and social risks associated with any proposed project and its related components, as well as to safeguard and conserve the environment from negative effects, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has established specific regulations, policies, and guidelines. The EIA study has become a regulatory requirement for all RED categories and certain ORANGE categories of projects, contingent upon the directives issued by the Department of Environment (DoE), as specified in the Environment Conservation Rules. This study is essential for securing the Environmental Clearance Certificate, which is a prerequisite for any industrial and developmental initiatives. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in accordance with Section 20 of the Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) 1995, has introduced the Environmental Conservation Rules 2023 (ECR 2023), thereby repealing the previous regulations enacted in 1997. According to Rule 5 (1) of ECR 2023, for the issuance of the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), every industrial unit or project will be categorized into four classifications based on their site and environmental impact. This categorization is determined by the spatial extent of potential impacts on human health and both natural and manmade resources. The current review outlines the rules, fundamental principles, and procedures for EIA approval, while also highlighting the comprehensive guidelines for EIA approval in Bangladesh as per the new ECR 2023.
| Published in | American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 14, Issue 6) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16 |
| Page(s) | 312-324 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
EIA, ECR, Bangladesh
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APA Style
Saha, M. K., Sarker, D. K., Amin, R., Roy, S., Reza, N., et al. (2025). Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approval System in Bangladesh: A Review of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 14(6), 312-324. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16
ACS Style
Saha, M. K.; Sarker, D. K.; Amin, R.; Roy, S.; Reza, N., et al. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approval System in Bangladesh: A Review of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2025, 14(6), 312-324. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16
@article{10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16,
author = {Mrinal Kanti Saha and Debobrota Kumar Sarker and Ruhul Amin and Shorove Roy and Nasim Reza and Nazmul Husain},
title = {Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approval System in Bangladesh: A Review of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023},
journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
volume = {14},
number = {6},
pages = {312-324},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20251406.16},
abstract = {The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) serves as a mechanism to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic consequences of a project before any decisions are made. In recent years, however, governments, environmental specialists, researchers, media, and local communities have developed a comprehensive legislative and institutional framework for the EIA. To mitigate the environmental and social risks associated with any proposed project and its related components, as well as to safeguard and conserve the environment from negative effects, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has established specific regulations, policies, and guidelines. The EIA study has become a regulatory requirement for all RED categories and certain ORANGE categories of projects, contingent upon the directives issued by the Department of Environment (DoE), as specified in the Environment Conservation Rules. This study is essential for securing the Environmental Clearance Certificate, which is a prerequisite for any industrial and developmental initiatives. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in accordance with Section 20 of the Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) 1995, has introduced the Environmental Conservation Rules 2023 (ECR 2023), thereby repealing the previous regulations enacted in 1997. According to Rule 5 (1) of ECR 2023, for the issuance of the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), every industrial unit or project will be categorized into four classifications based on their site and environmental impact. This categorization is determined by the spatial extent of potential impacts on human health and both natural and manmade resources. The current review outlines the rules, fundamental principles, and procedures for EIA approval, while also highlighting the comprehensive guidelines for EIA approval in Bangladesh as per the new ECR 2023.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approval System in Bangladesh: A Review of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023 AU - Mrinal Kanti Saha AU - Debobrota Kumar Sarker AU - Ruhul Amin AU - Shorove Roy AU - Nasim Reza AU - Nazmul Husain Y1 - 2025/12/19 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16 DO - 10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16 T2 - American Journal of Environmental Protection JF - American Journal of Environmental Protection JO - American Journal of Environmental Protection SP - 312 EP - 324 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-5699 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20251406.16 AB - The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) serves as a mechanism to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic consequences of a project before any decisions are made. In recent years, however, governments, environmental specialists, researchers, media, and local communities have developed a comprehensive legislative and institutional framework for the EIA. To mitigate the environmental and social risks associated with any proposed project and its related components, as well as to safeguard and conserve the environment from negative effects, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has established specific regulations, policies, and guidelines. The EIA study has become a regulatory requirement for all RED categories and certain ORANGE categories of projects, contingent upon the directives issued by the Department of Environment (DoE), as specified in the Environment Conservation Rules. This study is essential for securing the Environmental Clearance Certificate, which is a prerequisite for any industrial and developmental initiatives. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), in accordance with Section 20 of the Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) 1995, has introduced the Environmental Conservation Rules 2023 (ECR 2023), thereby repealing the previous regulations enacted in 1997. According to Rule 5 (1) of ECR 2023, for the issuance of the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC), every industrial unit or project will be categorized into four classifications based on their site and environmental impact. This categorization is determined by the spatial extent of potential impacts on human health and both natural and manmade resources. The current review outlines the rules, fundamental principles, and procedures for EIA approval, while also highlighting the comprehensive guidelines for EIA approval in Bangladesh as per the new ECR 2023. VL - 14 IS - 6 ER -