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Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approval System in Bangladesh: A Review of the Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023

Received: 8 September 2025     Accepted: 17 September 2025     Published: 19 December 2025
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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.

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

Keywords

EIA, ECR, Bangladesh

References
[1] Ahmed, K. & Faysal, K., 2008. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) in Bangladesh: Empirical evidence from EIA of a power plant. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 15(4), pp. 315-321.
[2] Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2003. Environmental assessment guidelines. Manila: ADB.
[3] Bowen, G. A., 2009. Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), pp. 27-40.
[4] Bryman, A., 2016. Social research methods. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[5] Chanchitpricha, C. & Bond, A., 2013. Conceptualising the effectiveness of impact assessment processes. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 43, pp. 65-72.
[6] Department of Environment (DoE), 2023. Environmental Conservation Rules (ECR) 2023. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh.
[7] Department of Environment (DoE), 1997. EIA guidelines for industries initiated by DoE. Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh.
[8] EIA Guidelines, 2021, Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bangladesh.
[9] Ghauri, P. & Grønhaug, K., 2010. Research methods in business studies. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.
[10] Glasson, J., Therivel, R. & Chadwick, A., 2012. Introduction to environmental impact assessment. 4th ed. London: Routledge.
[11] Gilpin, A., 1995. Environmental impact assessment: Cutting edge for the twenty-first century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
[12] International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), 2006. Public participation: Best practice principles. Fargo, ND: IAIA.
[13] International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), 2009. What is impact assessment? Fargo, ND: IAIA.
[14] Kabir, S. M. Z. & Momtaz, S., 2013. Sectoral environmental impact assessment in Bangladesh: Scope and limitations. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 42, pp. 35-42.
[15] Momtaz, S. & Kabir, S. M. Z., 2013. Evaluating environmental and social impact assessment in developing countries. Oxford: Elsevier.
[16] Morgan, R. K., 2012. Environmental impact assessment: The state of the art. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(1), pp. 5-14.
[17] Overseas Environmental Cooperation Center (OECC), 2000. Chapter 2. History of EIA systems and measures taken around the world. In: Environmental impact assessment for international cooperation: Furthering the understanding of environment impact assessment systems for experts engaged in international cooperation activities. Tokyo: OECC. Available at:
[18] O'Faircheallaigh, C., 2010. Public participation and environmental impact assessment: Purposes, implications, and lessons for public policy making. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 30(1), pp. 19-27.
[19] Owoyemi, O. & Bamigboye, O., 2013. Contemporary environmental impact assessment issues in Nigeria. RMZ - Materials and Geoenvironment, 60, pp. 219-224.
[20] Petts, J., 2003. Handbook of environmental impact assessment. Oxford: Blackwell Science.
[21] Sadler, B., 1996. Environmental assessment in a changing world: Evaluating practice to improve performance. International Study of the Effectiveness of Environmental Assessment, Final Report. Ottawa: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
[22] United Nations, 1992. Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro. Available at: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm (Accessed 27 May 2025).
[23] United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2002. EIA training resource manual. 2nd ed. Available at:
[24] Vanclay, F. & Bronstein, D. A., 1995. Environmental and social impact assessment. New York: Wiley.
[25] Wood, C., 2003. Environmental impact assessment in developing countries: An overview. IAIA Conference Proceedings.
[26] World Bank, 2017. Environmental and social framework. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Cite This Article
  • 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

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    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

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    AMA Style

    Saha MK, Sarker DK, 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

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  • @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}
    }
    

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    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.
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