Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project

option, a consideration has been made to technical, economic, proven successful previous use,aesthetic, environmental and social aspects of the alternatives.1.2 Environmental Policy, Legal, and Institutional Framework10. Regulatory requirements toward protection and conservation of environment and variousenvironmental resources and also toward protection of social environment from adverse impact ofprojects and activities associated with them have been enunciated by the GoB as well as the cofinanciersPertinent among these requirements are summarized as under.1.2.1 Government Environmental Policy, Regulations, and Guidelines1.2.1.1 National Environmental Policy, 199211. The Bangladesh National Environmental Policy, approved in May 1992, sets out the basicframework for environmental action together with a set of broad sectoral action guidelines. Keyelements of the Policy are:Maintaining ecological balance and ensuring sustainable development of the country throughprotection and conservation of the environmentProtecting the country from natural disastersIdentifying and regulating all activities that pollute and destroy the environmentEnsuring environment-friendly development in all sectorsEnsuring sustainable and environmentally sound management of the natural resourcesMaintaining active association, as far as possible, with all international initiatives related toenvironment12. The Environmental Policy of 1992, which amongst other policies, seeks to ensure that transportsystems, including roads and inland waterways, do not pollute the environment or degrade resources.The Policy states that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) should be conducted before projectsare undertaken.1.2.1.2 National Environment Management Action Plan (NEMAP), 199513. The National Environmental Management Action Plan (NEMAP) is a wide-ranging and multifacetedplan, which builds on and extends the statements, set out in the National EnvironmentalPolicy. NEMAP was developed to address issues and management requirements during the period1995 to 2005, and set out of the framework within which the recommendations of the NationalConservation Strategy are to be implemented. NEMAP was developed based on the following broadobjectives:Identification of key environmental issues affecting BangladeshIdentification of actions necessary to halt or reduce the rate of environmental degradationImprovement of the natural environmentConservation of habitats and bio-diversityPromotion of sustainable developmentImprovement of the quality of life of the people14. To this end, it has grouped all the relevant necessary actions under four heads: institutional,sectoral, location-specific and long-term issues. The institutional aspects reflect the need of intersectoralcooperation to tackle environmental problems those need new and appropriate institutionalmechanisms at national and local levels. The sectoral aspects reflect the way the Ministries andagencies are organized and make it easier to identify the agency to carry out the recommendedactions. The location-specific aspect focuses on particularly acute environmental problems at locallevels that need to be addressed on a priority basis. The long-term issues include environmentaldegradation of such degree that it might become more serious and threatening than they seem to be iftheir cognizance is not immediately taken.1-5