Environmental Impact

Assessment
Origin of EIA
• USA First country to enact legislation on EIA.
• Decided to respond to environmental issues,
established a National Environmental Policy Act in 1970
to set goals for environmental protection.
Evolution of EIA
• The early EIAs were often focused on inventory of a
possible environmental load and the impact due to this.
• Currently EIA a more complex method
• environmental impact statement (EIS) is one part,
• process to make the document including the public
participation also has become an increasingly important part.
• Social effects are included in the EIA
• Method has developed into a systematic way of finding
a solution with low environmental impact acceptable to
all involved stakeholders.
 EIA
• A systematic method of evaluating the environmental effects
of a project or a plan.
• Simple Description of EIA : Consider the environmental load of
a propose action and identify the effects and find an
agreement between the stakeholders of the best solution.
• Systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate the environmental
effects of proposed actions.
• To aid decision making regarding the significant environmental
consequences of projects, developments and programmes.
EIA described by Morgan: (Morgan 1998):

• Basic purpose is to anticipate important possible effects

of proposed activities on the natural system (water, soil,
air, biological system, human health), anthropogenic
systems (settlements and infrastructure), social and
economic systems (work, education, recreation, health
services) and cultural systems (beliefs, art, literature)
• The process is formally sanctioned by a legislative or
bureaucratic framework set within a national and local
policy context. These policies influence the character
and direction of the EIA process in a given country and
a given setting
Context of EIA Study
• Environment - all aspects of the natural and human environment,
both biophysical and socio economic elements.
• EIA -studies of air, water. Land ecology, sound , weather, flora and
fauna, human health, urban migration, economics, resources etc.
• Seek to establish the condition of physical , biological, social,
economic and other parameters before and after a project is
undertaken.
• Type and the number of parameters to be studied in different
projects vary.
• Impact means change , either positive or negative
• A EIA, therefore , a study of the probable changes in the various
socioeconomic and biophysical characteristics of the
environment resulting from action/project.
Important aspects of EIA

• Risk assessment,
• Environmental management and
• Post product monitoring.
WHAT ALL IS ASSESSED IN ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• (i) Assessment of existing environmental status.

• (ii) Assessment of various factors of ecosystem (air, water,
land, biological, Social).
• (iii) Analysis of adverse environmental impacts of the
proposed project to be started.
• (iv) Impact on people in the neighborhood.

All aspects and variables can be measured, problem is to

value them.
EIA Uses methods and techniques to quantify or to qualify
those changes.
The framework for EIA
• For any given project alternative approaches include
Zero option approach, which mean not taking up the
project at all.
• Each option has economic costs and benefits, as well as
losses and beneficial environmental impacts.
• Adverse environmental impacts reduction results in higher
project cost.
• Some environmental cost means lower Economic benefits to
individual industry but result in higher in social benefit.
• All feasible alterative are supposed to be studied in an
EIA of any project.
• EIA determine mix of environmental and economic
costs and benefits.
Framework Summary
1. The study of the effects of a proposed action on the
environment.
2. The comparison of various alternatives by which a desired
objective may be realized and seeks to identify the one
which represents the best combination of economic and
environmental coasts and benefits.
3. The prediction of changes in environmental quality which
would result from the proposed action.
4. An attempt to weigh economic costs and benefits .
5. A decision making tool.

EIA provides a cost effective method to eliminate or minimize

the adverse impact of projects.
EIA for Projects
Aims and objectives of EIA
The aim is dependent on who is the user as well as on the use of the
result. Some of the aims :
• Project development- Way of avoiding environmental impacts by
using EIA at as early stage as possible in the development. Also a
way of avoiding costs due to these impacts. May be used for
different projects eg industrial plants, construction of roads,
construction of municipal waste or water purification plants. The
users are to be found in the decision makers in the company and
the performer is usually the project team or consultants.
• Development control (licenses, permits etc). Here the EIA is a tool
for authorities to prevent adverse environmental impact from the
kind of projects mentioned above. This kind of EIA has been
introduced in national legislation. The performer may be the
authority but also it may be the task of the performing company.
Also here consultants may be used for the work.
Aims and objectives of EIA
• Plan development. This EIA is a tool for authorities in
planning of resource or land use, infrastructure like
roads, railways etc. This EIA often is called Strategic
Environmental Assessment (SEA). The authority may be
performer if the competence is available, else
consultants are used.
• Policy development. Another use of SEA is in policy
development were the consequences of a policy can be
evaluated by a government. As an example a
government may evaluate the consequences of
promoting a specific type of industry (forest industry or
IT..) as a major primary industry. Also here the work
may be performed internally or byconsultants.
Concept and legal aspect of EIA
Legal Aspects of EIA
• The United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm
in 1972 and subsequent conventions formalized EIA.
• At present, all developed countries have environmental laws
whereas most of the developing countries are still adopting it
(Lee, 1995).
• Multilateral and bilateral lenders included EIA requirements in
their project eligibility criteria (OECD, 1996).
 Legal bases of environmental
impact assessment
• Introduced in India in 1978, with respect to river valley projects.
• Later the EIA legislation was enhanced to include other
developmental sections since 1981.
• EIA is now mandatory for 30 categories of projects, and these
projects get Environmental Clearance
• (EC) only after the EIA requirement are fulfilled.
• EIA appraises the environmental health and social implications of
planned developmental projects.
• Links environment with development. The goal of EIA is to ensure
environmentally safe and sustainable development.
Legal bases of environmental impact
assessment
The EIA is to
(1) Serve as a primary environmental tool with clear provisions.
(2) Apply consistently to all proposals with potential environmental
impacts.
(3) Use scientific practice and suggests strategies for mitigation.
(4) Address all possible factors such as short term, long term, small
scale and large scale effects.
Legal bases of environmental impact
assessment
(5) consider sustainable aspects such as capacity for assimilation,
carrying capacity, biodiversity protection.
(6) lay down a flexible approach with and provides for public
involvement.
(7) have in built mechanism of follow up and feedback for comply
into mandatory requirements.
(8) include mechanisms for monitoring, auditing and evaluation.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
• Environmental clearance or the ‘go ahead’ signal is granted
by the Impact Assessment
• Agency in the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India.
• All projects that require clearance from central
government can be broadly categorized into the
following:-
(1) Industries
(2) Mining
(3) Thermal power plants
(4) River valley projects
(5) Infrastructure and CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone)
(6) Nuclear power projects.
 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENTS OF EIA
Air environment
• Quality of ambient air.
• Wind speed, direction, humidity etc.
• Quantity of emission likely from project.
• Impact of the emission on the area.
• Pollution control desires / air quality standards.
Noise
• Levels of noise present and predicted
• Strategies for reducing noise pollution.
Water environment
• Existing ground and surface water resources, their quality and quantity within the zone.
• Impact of proposed project on water resources.
Biological environment
• Flora and fauna in impact zone.
• Potential damage (likely) due to project, due to effluents, emissions and landscaping.
• Biological stress (prediction).
Land environment
• Study of soil characteristics, land use, and drainage pattern,
and the likely adverse impact of the project.
• Impact on historical monuments and heritage site.
 Steps in EIA process

EIA process is cyclical with interaction between the various steps.

• Screening: The project plan is screened for scale of investment, location
and type of development and if the project needs statutory clearance.
• Scoping: The project’s potential impacts, zone of impacts, mitigation
possibilities and need for monitoring. The EIA agency has to follow the
published guidelines by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)
of government of India.
• Collection of baseline data: Baseline data is the environmental status
of study area.
• Impact prediction: Positive and negative, reversible and irreversible
and temporary and permanent impacts need to be predicted which
presupposes a good understanding of the project by the assessment
agency.
 Steps in EIA process
• Mitigation measures and EIA report: The EIA report should include the
actions and steps for preventing, minimizing or by passing the impacts or
else the level of compensation for probable environmental damage or
loss.
• Public hearing: On completion of the EIA report, public and
environmental groups living close to project site may be informed and
consulted.
• Decision making: Impact Assessment (IA) Authority along with the
experts consult the project-in-charge along with consultant to take the
final decision, keeping mind EIA and EMP (Environment Management
Plan).
• Monitoring and implementation of environmental management plan:
The various phases of implementation of the project are monitored.
• Risk assessment: Inventory analysis and hazard probability and index
also form part of EIA procedures.
Composition of the expert committees for EIA
(1) Eco-system management
(2) Air/ water pollution control
(3) Water resource management
(4) Flora/ fauna conservation and management
(5) Land use planning
(6) Social Sciences/ Rehabilitation
(7) Project appraisal
(8) Ecology
(9) Environmental Health
(10) Subject Area Specialists
(11) Rep of NGOs/persons concerned with environmental issues.
Roles and perspectives in EIA
• Environmental scientist - a process that predicts a
likely change in the environment (eg fish
population, air quality etc)
• Sociologist - a process of informing local
communities about changes in the environment
allowing the population to participate in the
decision-making
• Member of the local community - a way for the
council and developers to justify a development
project
• Consultant - a job
 Roles and perspectives in EIA
• Political scientist - a process that forces bureaucracies to
recognize and respond to concerns about environmental
change
• Politician - a process that demonstrates that decision-
making recognizes environmental issues
• Developer - a process which allows the local authorities to
employ more people
• "Deep" ecologist - a process that allows the government
and developers to maintain long term policy of resource
development and growth without concern for the
environment
 Roles and perspectives in EIA
• Planner - a practical process for balancing the needs of
development with the need to maintain important
environmental and social characteristics of a locality
• Economist - a process for identifying externalities
associated with a proposal and assign them monetary
values
• The information generated by the EIA process is used by
the various groups and individuals, for formal and
informal purposes and while formal purposes may
dominate in terms of legal requirements, the informal
purposes may well have important societal roles.
The Main Participants of EIA
The Main Participants of EIA
(i) Those who propose the project - To predict impacts or effects
(ii) The environmental consultant - To organise overall EIA
who prepare EIA on behalf of - To scrutinise the products
project proponent.
- To ensure the legislation is used
(iii) Pollution Control Board (State correctly
or National).
- To make decisions
(iv) Public has the right to express - To advise decision-makers
their opinion.
- To observe the workings of various
(v) The Impact Assessment parts of the process
Agency.
- To scrutinise follow-up processes
(vi) Regional centre of the - To protect community values
Ministry of Environment and
Forest. - To protect fauna and flora
- To promote sustainable
development
 Method of Preparation of EIA Report
Preparation of EIA report comprises the following steps:
(1) Collection of baseline data from primary and secondary
sources;
(2) Prediction of impacts based on past experience and
mathematical modelling;
(3) Evaluation of impacts versus evaluation of net cost benefit;
(4) Preparation of environmental management plans to reduce
the impacts to the minimum;
(5) Quantitative estimation of financial cost of monitoring plan
and the mitigation measures.
(6) Assessment of expected economic benefits arising out of the
project have to be compared to the all the above mentioned
factors.
EIA Report Contents
 EIA Methodologies
• Aimed to identify, predict and value changes.
• The development of methodologies depend on:
• The relationship between territorial elements (or
Characteristics) and the actions
• The specific measurements and the necessary information to
estimate the impacts.
• The mitigation measures, compensation and follow-up.
 Choice of EIA method depends on Scope
• To ensure compliance with regulations.
• To provide a comprehensive coverage of a full range of impacts,
including social, economic and physical.
• To distinguish between positive and negative, large and small,
long term and short term, reversible and irreversible impacts.
• To distinguish between significant and insignificant impacts
• To identify secondary, indirect and cumulative impacts as well as
direct impacts
• To allow comparison of alternative development proposal.
• To consider impacts within the constraints of an area’s carrying
capacity
Choice of EIA method …..
• To incorporate qualitative as well as quantitative
information
• To be easy and economical to use.
• To be unbiased and to give consistent result.
• To be of use in summarizing and presenting impacts in
the EIS.
Methods of Impact Identification

•Checklist
•Matrices
•Networks
•Map Overlay GIS
•Ad hoc method