EIA is a study that predicts the environmental consequences of a proposed development. It evaluates the expected effects on the natural environment, human health and on property. The study requires a multi-disciplinary approach.
The EIA compares various alternatives by which the project could be realized and seeks to identify the one which represents the best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits. Alternatives include location as well as methods, process technology and construction methods.
EIA is one of the most important tool for sound decision making and for achieving sustainable development.
Mauritius first adopted formal procedures for EIA in June 1993 following the amendment of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) 1991. In order to further consolidate and reinforce the institutional and legal framework for the protection of the environmental assets of Mauritius and a sustainable development, a new Environment Protection Act is in force as from 5 September 2002. The EPA 2002 provides for environmental stewardship, greater transparency and public participation in the EIA mechanism as well as a streamlining of the EIA procedures. The EPA 2002 also specifies the contents of the EIA.
Undertakings requiring an EIA licence are listed in Part B of the Environment Protection (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2006. The EPA 2002 also empowers the Minister to request an EIA for any non- listed activity, which, by reason of its nature, scope, scale and sensitive location could have an impact on the environment.
• Asphalt plant, other than asphalt plant set up temporarily for the purposes of a project by public departments
• Assembly of motor vehicles
• Block making plant manufacturing above 10,000 blocks per day
• Bulk processing, storage and handling of petroleum products, liquefied gas, coal and petro-chemical products
• Clinic and hospital, including animal hospital
• Construction of airports and runways
• Construction of breakwaters, groins, jetties, revêtements and seawalls
• Construction of dam and dyke
• Construction of marinas
• Conversion of forest land to any other land use
• Creation of, and/or development on, barachois
• Desalination plant
• Distillery
• Dyehouse
• Fish farm in the Fish farming zones undersection 8A of the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act 2007
• Fishing port
• Golf course
• Harbour dredging operation, construction and development
• Highway and mass transit system
• Hotel and Integrated Resort Scheme, including extension, with first boundary within 1 kilometre from high water mark
• Housing project and apartments above 50 units within 1 kilometre from high water mark
• Incineration of municipal solid waste, quarantine waste, medical and clinical wastes
• Industrial manufacture of beer, wine and spirit
• Lagoon dredging and reprofiling of sea beds
• Land clearing and development, including installation of high tension lines in environmentally sensitive areas such as water catchment areas, waterlogged areas, wetlands, mountain slopes and islets.
• Landfill
• Manufacture of batteries
• Manufacture of dangerous chemicals, chemical fertilizers and pesticides
• Manufacture of lime
• Manufacture and packing of cement
• Manufacture of pharmaceutical products
• Modification of existing coastline such as beach reprofiling, coastal protection works and removal of basaltic and beach rock
• Municipal wastewater treatment plant
• Offshore sand mining
• Parcelling out of land above 5 hectares -
o otherwise than by way of division in kind among heirs;
o to be allocated to persons other than such persons as may be approved by the Minister responsible for the subject of agriculture and who are-
• bona fide occupiers of housing units forming part of sugar estate camps owned by sugar milliers or sugarcane planters;
• bona fide occupiers of housing units forming part of tea estate camps;
• workers affected by the closure of a sugar factory; or
• workers opting for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme
• Petroleum refinery
• Power generating plants
• Pulp and paper manufacture
• Rearing of monkeys
• Rock quarrying
• Sea outfall
• Shipyard and dry dock
• Stone crushing plant, other than Stone crushing plant set up temporarily for the purposes of a project by public departments t
• Sugar factory or refinery
• Tannery and leather finishing
• Transfer station for solid waste
• Used or waste oil treatment and disposal
Undertakings requiring a Preliminary Environment Report (PER) are listed in Part A of the Environment Protection (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2006. These undertakings of a lesser scale and by their very nature, are not highly polluting.
PER is a short form of EIA and this preliminary analysis is undertaken to identify the impacts associated with the proposed development and the means of mitigation. PER is also a tool to ascertain whether the project can go ahead as proposed or whether there are sufficient likely significant adverse environmental impacts to warrant a full EIA.
1. Construction of helipads
2. Coral crushing and processing
3. Creation of bathing areas by mechanical means
4. Depot for 50 buses or more
5. *Discotheque and night-club
6. Food processing industry, excluding small and medium enterprises
7. Foundry, smelting plant or metallurgical work
8. Galvanising industry
9. Industrial-scale laundry and dry-cleaning within 1 kilometre of high water mark
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11. Manufacture of animal feed
12. Manufacture of ceramics
13. Manufacture of paint, pigment and varnish
14. Manufacture of photographic films
15. Manufacture of plastics and plastic products
16. Manufacture of rubber products
17. Mechanical removal of marine flora such as sea grasses and marine algae
18. Parcelling out of land above 5 hectares for agricultural purposes, where the parcelling involves infrastructure work
19. Quarantine station for livestock
20. Ready-mix concrete plant
21.** Rearing of livestock including cattle, goat, pig and sheep
22. Rearing of poultry above 5000 heads
23. Recycling plant
24. Rendering plant
25. Sawmill
26. Slaughter house
27. Textile industry associated with washing, bleaching and printing
28. Timber treatment plant
NOTE:
*Application for PER for Night Club should be in compliance with the guidelines for Night Clubs prepared by the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure.
**Applies for the rearing of more than 20 cattle heads, more than 50 goat heads and more than 50 sheep heads.
Livestock rearing on a smaller scale upto 20 cattle heads, upto 50 goat heads and upto 50 sheep heads has to be carried through self adherence to the Environmental Guideline: livestock rearing including cattle, goat and sheep for self adherence available on this Ministry's website. For pig rearing prior to an application for PER, Clearance from the Ministry of Agro industry & FS shall be obtained
As per Government Notice No 212 of 2013, the application for an EIA licence under section 18m of the EPA and for a PER approvsl under section 16 of the EPA shall be subject to the following processing fees:
Application for EIA licence - Rs 15,000
Application for approval of a PER - Rs 3,000
