Steps in EIA Process
NEED FOR EIA
Study the impact Suggest
of project on mitigation
Environment measures
BENEFITS OF EIA
Increase project
Improved project design
acceptance
Reduced Environmental
damage
EIA Process
The EIA process in India consists of the following phases:
1. Screening
2. Scoping and consideration of alternatives
3. Baseline data collection
4. Impact prediction & Assessment of alternatives
5. EIA Report
6. Public hearing
7. Decision making
8. Monitoring the clearance conditions
1. Screening
– Not all development projects require an EIA, as some
projects may not pose any environmental threat at all
– Screening is the process used to determine whether a
proposed project or activity requires an environmental
clearance as per the statutory notifications
– It would otherwise be time consuming and a waste of
resources for all proposed projects and activities to
undergo EIA
– At this stage, the project proponent decides the type of
project and also about requirement of Environmental
Clearance.
Screening
Screening criteria typically consider:
• Project type, location, size (e.g., capital
investment, number of people affected,
project capacity, areal extent)
Project Location
Requirements for screening:
– The screening checklist should include a section on site location
characteristics, including, at a minimum, the four categories of
environmentally critical areas:
– National Parks
– Indigenous people’s area
– Tourist area
– Ecologically sensitive area
Project Location (Cont’d)
– Site selection defines the location of the study
area and the specific environmental resource
base to be examined
– Often the single most important factor
contributing to a project’s potential negative
impacts
– Regional development plans should be used as
guides to select project locations where
environmental conditions will be minimally
impacted
Initial Environmental Examination
– Initial environmental examination (IEE) is intended as a low-
cost environmental evaluation that makes use of information
already available
– Describes the proposed project or activity and examines
alternatives
– Identifies and addresses community concerns to extent
possible
– Identifies and assesses potential environmental effects
– Directs future action
2. Scoping and consideration of
alternatives
– Scoping is a process of detailing the terms of reference (TOR) of EIA
– It has to be done by the consultant in consultation with the project proponent and
guidance, if need be, from Impact Assessment Agency
– The Ministry of Environment and Forests has published guidelines for different sectors
which outlines the significant issues to be addressed in the EIA studies
– Quantifiable impacts are to be assessed on the basis of magnitude, prevalence,
frequency and duration and non-quantifiable impacts (such as aesthetic or recreational
value), significance is commonly determined through the socio-economic criteria
–
3. Baseline data collection
– Base line data collection
Base line data describes the existing environmental status of
the identified study area. The site-specific primary data should
be monitored for the identified parameters and supplemented
by secondary data if available.
Parameters likes air, water, soil, socioeconomics, noise,
biodiversity are studies
4. Impact prediction and
Assessment of Alternatives
– Impact prediction and Assessment of Alternatives
Impact prediction is a way of mapping the environmental
consequences of the significant aspects of the project and
its alternatives.
– For every project, possible alternatives should be identified
and environmental attributes compared. Alternatives should
cover both project location and process technologies.
– Alternatives should then be ranked for selection of the best
environmental optimum economic benefits to the
community at large. Once alternatives have been reviewed,
a mitigation plan should be drawn up for the selected option
and is supplemented with an Environmental Management
Plan (EMP) to guide the proponent towards environmental
improvements.
5. EIA Report
– EIA Report
An EIA report should provide clear information
to the decision-maker on the different
environmental scenarios without the project,
with the project and with project alternatives.
The proponent prepares detailed Project report
and provides information in logical and
transparent manner. The IAA examines if
procedures have been followed as per MoEF
notifications.
6. Public hearing
– Public hearing
After the completion of EIA report the law requires that the public must be
informed and consulted on a proposed development after the completion of EIA
report.
– The State Pollution Control Boards will conduct the public hearing before the
proposals are sent to MoEF for obtaining environmental clearance.
– Any one likely to be affected by the proposed project is entitled to have access
to the Executive Summary of the EIA.
– The affected persons may include:
– a) Bonafide local residents;
– b) Local associations;
– c) Environmental groups: active in the area;
– d) Any other person located at the project site / sites of displacement. They are
to be given an opportunity to make oral/written suggestions to the State
Pollution Control Board as per Schedule IV.
7. Decision - making
– Decision-making
Decision making process involve consultation between
the project proponent (assisted by a consultant) and the
impact assessment authority (assisted by an expert
group if necessary). The decision on environmental
clearance is arrived at through a number of steps
including evaluation of EIA and EMP.
8. Monitoring the clearance
conditions
– Monitoring the clearance conditions
Monitoring has to be done during both construction and operation phases of a project.
– It is done not just to ensure that the commitments made are complied with but also to
observe whether the predictions made in the EIA reports are correct or not.
– Where the impacts exceed the predicted levels, corrective action should be taken.
Monitoring also enables the regulatory agency to review the validity of predictions and the
conditions of implementation of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
– The Project Proponent, IAA and Pollution Control Boards should monitor the
implementation of conditions. The proponent is required to file once in six months a report
demonstrating the compliance to IAA.