DPR seeks to bridge gaps in EIA studies – TheNigerialawyer

The Department of Petroleum Resources has said it will close the
gaps identified in Environmental Impact Assessment studies being
submitted by consultants in the downstream sector to the
agency.

The Deputy Director and Zonal Operations Controller, Lagos Zonal
Office, Mr Wole Akinyosoye, disclosed this in Lagos during a
technical sensitisation workshop on quality improvement of
environmental impact studies in line with current oil and gas
industry regulations.

He stressed the need to improve on the process and quality of
environmental studies and reporting.

Akinyosoye said, “If you compare the upstream with the
downstream in terms of environmental impact reporting, you will see
that there are a lot of gaps. The essence of this workshop is for
us to bridge that gap to ensure that we bring up to speed those who
are operating in the downstream sector to ensure that we deliver
quality to the industry.

“We are saying environmental impact analysis must be done for
all projects in the downstream sector. The essence of this is for
us to know the risks inherited in the projects.”

According to him, the DPR has noticed a trend of ‘copy and
paste’ in some environmental reports submitted to the
department.

He said, “Sometimes we found that the logic for arriving at
critical conclusions is absent in the body of reports. Such a
situation often leaves us with no choice other than outright
rejection of such reports or asking for a new report. You will
agree that such avoidable waste of time should be discouraged.

“We are here to reiterate the obvious by ruminating on the
essence of environmental studies. Why we do what we do. How can we
help ourselves to do better? Essentially, we are here to start a
cultural change, in the ways we do environmental studies and
reporting, to bring us in alignment with international best
practices.”

The Head, HSE, Lagos Zonal Office, DPR, Mfon Attih, stressed the
need to realign the focus of the consultants on the agency’s
expectations in the area of environmental impact analysis.

“Over time, we have identified gaps in terms of quality
assurance in the EIA studies that are being delivered. The whole
essence of the workshop is to bring the consultants together and
realign their focus on what the expectations of the DPR are with
regard to the existing guidelines and standards for the
industry.”

The EIA is a process of evaluating the likely environmental
impact of a proposed project or development, taking into account
inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impact,
both beneficial and adverse.

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!