Companies are experiencing significant financial losses while waiting for environmental impact assessments to be finalized, according to Vinesh Chand, manager of Nivis Sawmill. Chand noted that the approval process for these assessments can take anywhere from six months to a year, often requiring businesses to keep staff at project sites despite the absence of active work.
“The issue is with the timeline; the assessment takes a long time to be approved,” he stated. Chand emphasized that businesses must bear these overhead costs on their own.
He explained, “We have to retain staff at project locations, even when there’s no work being done, as we wait for the government to complete the assessment.”
In response to these concerns, Mere Bainimarama, the principal environment officer at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, clarified that the timeline for assessments varies significantly based on the nature of the environmental proposal.
“It necessitates thorough checks and balances to ensure compliance with various legislations,” she explained. Bainimarama highlighted that simpler projects, such as building constructions, can be approved within a month, while more complex projects like gravel extraction or mining require a longer review period due to the additional processes and the need to inform relevant stakeholders.
“If it’s just the construction of a building or warehouse, it’s straightforward for us to approve it within a month,” she noted. “However, for gravel extraction or mining, it takes longer because of the involved processes and the necessity to consult stakeholders about our decisions. This explains the differing timelines.”
She also mentioned that companies are required to pay a fee of $255 for an environmental impact assessment.