(Seminar on Private Sector Participation in Hydropower Development, 1-9 May, 2002 pp. DP6-17).
Environment is the current catchword. As it happens with many of the catchword people tend to use it without appreciating its meaning. Simply stated, the environment can be defined as one’s surroundings. However, a more specific definition is needed to appreciate the issues involved.
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 states that “environment includes water, air and land and the inter-relationship which exists among and between water, air an land, and human beings, other living, creatures, plants, micro-organism and property”. Here we are basically concerned with water and environment and its environmentally sustainable development.
Another current catchword is Sustainable Development. It has got man connotations. However, the most common definition is the one given in the famous report of World Commission on Environment and Development viz. “Our Common Future”. It states “Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
