Environmental impact assessment application in infrastructural projects in Malawi

• Published in: Sustainability science Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 51 - 57
• Main Author: Kosamu, Ishmael Bobby Mphangwe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Springer-Verlag 2011; Springer Japan; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Assessments; Climate Change Management and Policy; contractors; Deforestation; development projects; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; environmental assessment; environmental degradation; Environmental Economics; Environmental impact; Environmental impact assessments; Environmental Management; Environmental policy; GDP; general practitioners; Gross Domestic Product; guidelines; Infrastructure; Internet; interviews; issues and policy; Landscape Ecology; Laws; Management; Monitoring; Natural resources; Planning; politics; Population; Public Health; questionnaires; Special Feature: Original Article; stakeholders; Studies; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; urban planning; Malawi; Sustainability science; Infrastructural project; Environmental impact assessment; Environmental management
• ISSN: 1862-4065; 1862-4057
• DOI: 10.1007/s11625-010-0122-0

The current increase in the number of development projects in Malawi is leading to loss of natural resources and the general degradation of the environment. Both the Malawi Environmental Management Act of 1996 and the Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of 1997, prescribe a list of infrastructural projects that must undergo environmental impact assessment (EIA) before their implementation. This study identifies the key limitations of EIA application to infrastructural projects in Malawi. A desktop study used to gather information in this study involved a review of several documents such as EIA reports, policies and laws, books, journals and internet articles. Primary data was obtained from policymakers, contractors, EIA practitioners and the general public using both structured and unstructured interviews, as well as through questionnaires. Focus group discussions and direct observations were employed wherever necessary in the study. Major limitations to successful EIA in infrastructural projects in Malawi include: (1) limited experience and practice of EIA practitioners; (2) cost of EIA process; (3) limited links between EIA and urban planning procedures; (4) lack of political will; (5) project delays; (6) lack of effective monitoring and auditing, (7) lack of data, especially those to be used in predictive models. This violates the principles of sustainability science and the international best practices for EIA that were developed by the International Association for Impact Assessment. It is recommended that active environmental management should actively involve the interests of all stakeholders, and that follow up of predicted environmental impacts resulting from any project should entail monitoring, auditing and reporting.