EIA/SEA: The road to development- is it paved with good intentions?

Azerbaijan, a country that in 1991 declared independence from the Soviet Union, is looking to expand and strengthen its trans-national trade. The proposed “Masalli-Astara” motorway, (which will be funded by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Republic of Azerbaijan), looks to upgrade an entire 240 km of existing highway known as M3. This road will increase trade between Russia and Iran, helping to revive the trade, strengthen the economy and create new employment opportunities. However, the main question is: “At what price?”

Despite the many economical benefits of the project, the main concern lies in the negative environmental, social and health impacts. The fact that the government is considering this project to be so important that no ‘without project’ scenario was discussed shows how political interests outweigh any other concerns.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report from September 2011, listed the following as areas of concern:

– destruction of trees found in the Red Book
– aggravation of a national nature reserve housing indigenous plants and trees
– division and displacement of communities
– decreased food production from channeling agricultural land to other uses
– spread of sexually transmitted disease, such as HIV/AIDS
– noise and vibration impacts
– water, air and soil pollution
– negative long-term cultural impacts due to increased traffic
– possible destruction of historical, cultural and archeological sites
– lack of representation and participation of the local community

The EIA report, concludes that the “anticipated adverse environmental impacts can be minimized to acceptable levels through the implementation of adequately funded environmental management and monitoring”. (Report, pg 75) However, the report goes on to state that “the entire environmental program at the Azerbaijan Road Service, (which will be responsible for monitoring), is still more a concept than a reality, [and] none of the specified monitoring functions by the designated agencies have been satisfactorily performed in-country.” (pg 65) The lack of skilled technical staff with, little previous experience of implementation and management of such projects, demonstrates that once the project starts, there will be a high probability of low transparency, accountability and monitoring.

Without the necessary and adequate mitigation skills, any probable negative impact could become extremely dangerous. The process of complaint, in case such incidents occur, is long and bureaucratic, making any incident of violation hard to prove and prevent.

This case is a perfect example of the price developing countries are willing to pay to increase their economy, despite the obvious social and environmental price tags these projects carry. The question is: “What will be more beneficial in the long-run, executing the project or safeguarding the environmental and social interests?” It is worth discussing this case further to examine the answers.

Work Cited:

ADB. (2011). “AZE: Road Network Development Program Masalli-Astara Motorway.” Asian Development Bank. Accessed on February 7, 2012 from: www.adb.org/documents/Environment/AZE/…/39176-023-aze-eia.p.

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