ELAW Exposes Cut and Paste EIA

January 10, 2008
Dear friends,

ELAW partner Ritwick Dutta

In theory, EIAs are supposed to help communities make good decisions about the environment. But that theory breaks down when an EIA is fraudulent!

A multinational mining company received a 74-year lease to mine bauxite in Maharashtra, India, based on an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared for a mining project in Russia!

ELAW Staff Scientist Mark Chernaik uncovered the fraud.
The Mint, a national newspaper in India partnered with The Wall Street Journal, quotes Mark:

"Unless, by some amazing coincidence, mineralization in the Barja river in India and the Vorykva river in Russia both peak at 452.95mg/liter during the summer months, then the water quality information in the Indian EIA for the Ashapura project in Ratnagiri is fraudulent."

ELAW partner Ritwick Dutta called on Mark to review the EIA for the Ashapura project. Ritwick is working to protect communities and local waterways from polluting mining projects. He helped found Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment in New Delhi, and traveled to Oregon to participate in the 2007 ELAW Annual Meeting.

Ritwick recently wrote to ELAW partners around the world:

"Mark did an excellent critique of an EIA in India which revealed that it was plagarised from a Russian EIA for a bauxite mine. While we have challenged the clearance, Mint did a lead story on the EIA expose. It also gives the process through which ELAW helped do the analysis."

Congratulations Ritwick and thank you Mark!

Best regards,

Maggie Keenan
Communications Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide