Prospects and Retrospects of Environmental Impact Assessment Practices in Eastern Hararge, Ethiopia

Integrity of environmental issues and consequent socio-economic sustainability has been and still supreme global, national and local concerns. EIA as a development and planning tool primarily established to meet national and local sustainable development aspiration well in advance. After the 1992 Rio-Earth summit formal EIA instituted in Ethiopia through appropriate environmental legislations, institutional and administrative arrangements. Despite the above encouraging measures, local EIA administrative organs have been barely empowered with the necessary resources to bring environmental concerns at the forefront of local development endeavors due to inadequate political commitments. Consequently, local EIA bodies faced tremendous hurdles to realize sustainable development in the study area.