POLICY PAPER | NOVEMBER 11, 2014 | RELEASE 1.0 SANJAY UPADHYAY & AHMAD RAFAY ALAM Shared Environmental Concerns between India and Pakistan Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4 I. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 II. Constitutional Schemes: The Environment as an Afterthought ....................................................................... 5 III. Shared Concerns, Challenges, and Opportunities in Environmental Law and Development .................... 6 A. Regulatory Mechanisms on Environmental Law Compliance: Lessons from India and Pakistan .......... 7 1. Regulating Flood Plains .................................................................................................................................. 7 2. Unregulated Growth in Urban Centers ......................................................................................................... 8 3. Environmental Impact Assessments ............................................................................................................. 9 4. Cumulative Impact Assessments of Hydropower Development in India .............................................. 10 5. Strategic Environmental Assessments in Pakistan ................................................................................... 10 6. Public Hearings and Monitoring of Environmental Clearance Conditions ........................................... 10 7. Process of Forest Clearance and Monitoring ............................................................................................. 11 B. Institutional Perspective .................................................................................................................................. 12 1. The Indian Perspective .................................................................................................................................. 12 2. The Pakistani Perspective ............................................................................................................................. 12 3. The Supreme Court of India and Its Continual Interventions in Environmental Obligations ............ 13 4. The Pakistan Supreme Court and Other Appellate Courts on the Environment .................................. 13 5. The National Green Tribunal in India ........................................................................................................ 14 6. Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Tribunals ....................................................................................... 14 7. Executive Bodies in Environmental Decision-Making ............................................................................. 14 8. Appellate Authorities in India ..................................................................................................................... 15 9. Appellate Authorities in Pakistan ................................................................................................................ 16 10. The Feasibility of NEPA-like Institutions in Both Countries ................................................................. 16 C. Capacity-Building on Both Substantive and Procedural Environmental Laws ........................................ 17 1. Capacity Development in India .................................................................................................................... 17 2. Capacity Development in Pakistan .............................................................................................................. 17 3. Environmental Education in India .............................................................................................................. 17 4. Environmental Education in Pakistan ........................................................................................................ 18 5. Training Environmental Lawyers in India ................................................................................................. 18 6. Training Environmental Lawyers in Pakistan ........................................................................................... 18 7. Building Administrative and Regulatory Institutions .............................................................................. 18 D. The Role of Environmental Law in Corporate Governance ........................................................................ 19 1. The Indian Experience .................................................................................................................................. 20 2. The Pakistani Experience ............................................................................................................................. 20 3. Corporate Environmental Responsibility in India .................................................................................... 20 4. Corporate Environmental Responsibility in Pakistan .............................................................................. 21 E. Significant Environmental Concerns for India and Pakistan ...................................................................... 22 1. Saving Critical Habitats in India .................................................................................................................. 22 2. Saving Critical Habitats in Pakistan ............................................................................................................ 22 3. Trans-boundary Wetlands ............................................................................................................................ 22 4. Ecologically Vulnerable Wetlands in India ................................................................................................ 23 5. Ecologically Vulnerable Wetlands in Pakistan .......................................................................................... 23 6. India’s Ecologically Sensitive Areas Debate ............................................................................................... 23 7. The Supreme Court of India and the Concept of ESA ............................................................................... 24 8. Ecologically Sensitive and Critical Areas in Pakistan ............................................................................... 24 F. Tenure Security and Eliciting Local Community Participation for Conservation .................................... 25 INTERNATIONAL SECURITY | @NEWAMERICA | Shared Environmental Concerns 2 1. Recognition of Forest Rights and Tenure Security in India ..................................................................... 25 2. Recognition of Forest Rights and Tenure Security in Pakistan ............................................................... 26 3. Addressing Special Areas of Administration in India ............................................................................... 27 4. Unique Tenure Arrangements in Pakistan ................................................................................................. 28 F. Sharing Trans-boundary Waters ..................................................................................................................... 28 IV. Shared Lessons and Opportunities: The Way Forward .................................................................................. 29 A. Constitutional Schemes .................................................................................................................................... 29 B. A Modern Environmental Law Framework ................................................................................................... 29 C. Proactive Apex Courts in Both India and Pakistan ....................................................................................... 30 D. Resurrecting Executive Institutions ............................................................................................................... 30 E. Regulatory Mechanisms ................................................................................................................................... 30 F. Institutional Support for the Environment .................................................................................................... 30 G. Building Capacity in Executive Bodies ........................................................................................................... 31 H. Strong Statutory Appellate Authorities ......................................................................................................... 31 I. Building Substantive and Procedural Environmental Laws ......................................................................... 31 J. Shifting to Corporate Environmental Responsibility ................................................................................... 31 K. Protecting Critical Habitats ............................................................................................................................. 32 L. Strong Tenure and Community Participation in Conservation .................................................................. 32 M. Special Areas of Administration ..................................................................................................................... 32 N. Shared Water Resources .................................................................................................................................