ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT

Dr.S KARTHIKEYAN, M.E., Ph.D

Associate Professor,
Centre for Environmental Studies,
Anna University, Chennai
Mobile: + 91-9884612135;
E-mail: ksingaram@gmail.com
Environmental Impact Assessment

 the history
 its philosophy
 the legislation
 the procedure
 case examples
Environmental Impact Assessment

 the history
 its philosophy
 the legislation
 the procedure
 case examples
Environmental Impact Assessment

 Before the First World War, rapid industrialization and urbanization in

western countries caused rapid loss of natural resources.

 Continued after the Second World War giving rise to concerns for pollution,
quality of life and environmental stress.

 As a result of this, pressure groups formed with the aim of getting a tool
that can be used to safeguard the environment in any development.
Environmental Impact Assessment
First introduced in USA

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) became law on January 1, 1971

Established environmental quality as leading national priority by stating a

national policy for the environment;

Made environmental protection mandate of all federal agencies

Established a Council on Environmental Quality in the Office of the

President
NEPA (USA, 1971)

 Requires federal agencies to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for major

actions or projects that can affect the environment;

Impact Statements must contain:

 A description of the proposed action, its purpose, and description of the environment
affected

 The relationship to land use plans, policies, and controls for the affected areas;
NEPA (USA, 1971)

 The probable environmental impacts, positive and negative, direct and indirect, and
possible international implications;

 A discussion of alternatives;

 The probable negative impacts that cannot be avoided or mitigated; The relationship
between local and short-term use and long-term considerations;

 An irreversible commitments of resources;

 A description of federal actions to mitigate and offset adverse effects

 Comments from reviewers.

Environmental Impact Assessment

EUROPEAN IMPLEMENTATION

 In 1977 the European Commission began drafting a directive on EIA and

finally published a proposal in 1980

 Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and

private projects on the environment – the ‘EIA Directive’ was adopted in July
1985 and Member States had until 3 July 1988 to implement its requirements
The EIA Directive
 The EIA Directive requires projects likely to have significant effects on
the environment by virtue of their nature, size or location to undergo an
environmental assessment before the competent authority in question
grants consent

 The EIA Directive defines a project as the execution of construction

works or of other installations or schemes, other interventions in the
natural surroundings and landscape including those involving the
extraction of mineral resources
THE EIA DIRECTIVE

 The EIA should identify, describe and assess the direct and
indirect effects of a project on the following factors:

 human beings, fauna and flora

 soil, water, air, climate and the landscape
 material assets and cultural heritage
 the interaction between the above factors
 EIA should therefore have a strong social dimension

Development consent means:

 the decision of the competent authorities which entitles the
developer to proceed with the project.
 THE EIA DIRECTIVE
Mandatory assessment:
 crude-oil refineries
 thermal power stations and combustion installations (> 300 MW) and nuclear
power stations

 permanent storage and final disposal of radioactive waste

 cast iron and steel works

 extraction, processing and transformation of asbestos (various size limits)

 integrated chemical installations

 THE EIA DIRECTIVE

Mandatory assessment:

 construction of motorways, express roads and lines for long-distance railway

traffic, airports with basic runways
 ports and inland waterways which permit vessels

 waste disposal (incineration, chemical treatment or land fill) of toxic and

dangerous wastes.
THE EIA DIRECTIVE

Optional
 agriculture  food industry
 extractive industry  textile, leather, wood and paper
 energy industry  rubber industry
 processing of metals  infrastructure projects

 manufacture of glass  others

 chemical industry
THE EIA DIRECTIVE
infrastructure projects:
 industrial estate development projects
 urban development projects
 sky lifts and cable cars
 construction of roads, harbors, and airfields
 canalization, flood relief works
 dams and other water storage
 tramways, railways, underground
 oil and gas pipelines …. etc.
Environmental Impact Assessment

Belgium 1985 Italy 1988

Denmark 1989 Netherlands 1986
Germany 1990 Portugal 1990
Greece 1990 Spain 1986
Ireland 1990 UK 1990
Environmental Impact Assessment

 the history
 its philosophy
 the legislation
 the procedure
 case examples
Environmental Impact Assessment

 Systematic process to identify potential positive and

negative impacts on the environment (physical,
biological, socio-economic, cultural) associated with
proposed activity

 Examine alternatives / management measures to

minimize negative and optimize positive
consequences

 Prevent substantial detrimental effects to the

environment
Environmental Impact Assessment

 EIA is defined as a systematic process to identify, predict and

evaluate the environmental effects of proposed actions and
projects. This process is applied prior to major decisions and
commitments being made, and particular attention is given
in EIA practice to preventing, offsetting and mitigating the
significant adverse effects of proposed undertakings
Environmental Impact Assessment

EIA is as a preventive measure.

It gives environmental considerations equal weight

with technical, Social and economic aspects.

Public participation ensures acceptance of projects

implemented.
Environmental Impact Assessment

 the history
 its philosophy
 the legislation
 the procedure
 case examples
EIA NOTIFICATION 2006

 Prior Environmental Clearance is Mandatory

 Applicant has to submit Form 1 & 1A to EAC / SEAC
 Four Stages
 Screening
 Category ‘A’ ‘B1’ and ‘B2’
 B2 does not require EIA study
 Scoping
 Terms of Reference will be prescribed by EAC / SEAC
 Then conduct EIA study and prepare draft EIA report
 Public Consultation Meeting
 Apply to Member Secretary of Concerned SPCB
 Conduct Public Consultation Meeting
 Appraisal
 Present the project, EIA findings and get clearance
Environmental Impact Assessment

 the history
 its philosophy
 the legislation
 the procedure
 case examples
 Stages of EIA
Screening (does the project Impact assessment
require EIA?) (interpreting the impacts)

Scoping (what issues and Mitigation (what can be done to

impacts should the EIA address?) alleviate negative impacts?)

Baseline studies (establish EIS preparation/review

the environmental baseline) (document the EIA findings)

Alternatives (consider the Public consultation

different approaches) (consult general public and NGOs)

Impact prediction (forecast Monitoring (monitor impacts

the environmental impacts) of project)
 Screening
 Is an EIA needed?

 Projects may have no significant environmental

effects

 A screening mechanism to identify those projects with

potentially significant adverse environmental effects
 Scoping
 The scope of an EIA is the issues and impacts it
addresses

 Scoping is the process of deciding which of a project’s

possible alternatives and impacts should be
addressed in the EIA

 An EIA should focus only on the significant issues and

impacts
 Baseline studies
 Current status of the environment

 The baseline study should anticipate the future

state of the environment assuming the project is not
undertaken - the ‘no action alternative’

 This provides the ‘baseline’ against which future

impacts can be assessed

 Should be undertaken for each alternative site

 Alternatives

 EIA is ideally undertaken for a project and its alternatives

 e.g. different locations, scales, designs & even the raw materials
 Impact Prediction

 Using Models or professional Experience,

forecast the impact
 Impact assessment

 evaluating the significance of the impacts identified

 Significance determined through professional judgement, reference to

regulations etc.

 The conclusions of the impact assessment can ultimately be used by

decision-makers when determining the fate of the project application

 Potential for bias in determining what is significant

 Types of impacts & their attributes

 Direct & indirect impacts  Intensity

 Direction
 Short-term & long-term
impacts  Spatial extent

 Duration
 Adverse & beneficial
impacts  Frequency

 Reversibility
 Cumulative impacts
 Probability
 Mitigation

 Negative impacts on the environment identified during the EIA can

be alleviated through mitigation measures

 Mitigation hierarchy: Avoid - Reduce - Remedy - Compensate -

Enhance

 Impacts remaining after mitigation are known as residual impacts

 EIS preparation / review

 The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a formal document which

includes information on the development and information relating to
screening, scoping, baseline studies, alternatives etc.,

 Common requirement to include a non-technical summary

 EIS preparation / review

 Once complete, the EIS is submitted to the competent authority (along

with the planning application)

 The EIS is often reviewed (either formally or informally)

 The review enables the competent authority / reviewer to decide

whether the EIA is adequate, accurate and unbiased
 Public consultation

 The EIA Notification requires public consultation on the application

for development and the EIS
 Post-project monitoring

 Monitoring should determine:

 the accuracy of the original predictions

 the degree of deviation from the predictions

 the possible reasons for any deviations

 the extent to which mitigation measures have achieved their objectives

 What are the improvements required?

Environmental Impact Assessment & Project
Cycle
 Advantages of EIA

 To authorities:

 Decision making;

 Improvement / protection of environmental

quality;

 Management to sustainable utilization of

resources;
 Advantages of EIA

 To interested and affected parties

 An opportunity to be heard;

 Protecting environmental rights;

 Increasedknowledge and environmental

awareness

 Utilization of local and indigenous knowledge;

 Advantages of EIA

 To developers:

 Proactively asking the right questions

 Adequacy of natural resources

 Risks associated with environmental factors (geologic

stability, hydrology regimes, fire, etc)

 Pollution potential and prevention

 Energy and water saving and associated financial savings

 Appropriateness of activity in terms of strategic planning

 Limitations of EIA

 ToR are poorly drafted

 Potentially serious issues are not assessed

 Delays in project approval and cost increases

 EIA report is incomplete or not scientifically-defensible resulting either in

project rejection or extended delays to address deficiencies

 Susceptible to bias and personal interests (developer as well as

pressure groups)

 Quality of data (out of date or the level of detail may be insufficient)

 Types of EIA
Project-level EIA:
Examines potential environmental impacts of a single project
or activity

Cumulative effects assessment (CEA):

Examines potential impacts of multiple projects

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA):

Involving systematic evaluation of potential impacts of policies,
plans and programs (PPP)

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment

Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment

 METHODS OF EIA

 Ad hoc

 Checklists

 Matrices

 Networks

 Overlays (GIS)
Ad hoc Method
useful when time constraints and lack of information require
that the EIA must rely exclusively on expert opinion

 Experts opinion

 No scientific analysis and Conclusion

 Easy, takes less time

 Cannot be considered for decision making

Descriptive Checklist
Weighting and Scaling Techniques
 Example Network
Urban Increase in Increased fresh
More Run-off
Development Paved Area water estuary

Loss of Aquifer Reduction in

Recharge Estuary Salinity

Go for private water Loss of Drinking Water Decrease in Growth

source in wells and size of Shellfish

Cost of Water goes up Biodiversity of Estuary

Ecosystem reduces

Reduction in Fishing
Activity
 CHANGING QUAL IT Y CHANGING QUAL IT Y
OF LIFE FOR W IL DLIFE OF TOURISM

Lo ss o f Ha bi t at Inc re a se d Inc i de nt s
b et we en Lo ss o f Na t ural
Wi ld l ife & Peo p le Wi ld e rn ess Val u e

De forest at i on & Ero si o n of Ri v er Ba nk Ov erg ra z in g Ch an g es in

Lo ss o f Bi o di ve rsi t y Go rge Ero si o n Aro un d
An i mal Be ha vi o ur
Ac ce ss Pat hs Wa te r Hol es

To o sma ll an area
for an im al nu mb ers

Ri p ari an Co nst ric t io n Ha rra ssm en t

Sel ec t iv e Cu t ti n g o f wi l dl i fe
o f t re es for Wa te r Wa ve Ve ge t at i on o f wi l dl i fe
Pol lu t io n Effec t s Re du c ed mo ve me nt s
Cu rio Woo d
Mo re Fe nc es/ Vi sua l Di stu rba nc eInc re a si n g
Oi l y d isc ha rg es Ri v er Ba nk & Isla nd En cl o su res Impa c ts o f wi l dl i fe n oi se le v el s
fro m bo a ts et c. De ve l op me nt

Ne w Ro a d
De ma nd fo r Ex pa n si o n of Mo re Ai rcraft Mo re & Bri dg e a t Ol d
Mo re Mo re
Cu rio s Ra fti n g Jet t ie s & Ho t el s/C amp s Fly in g Ove r Mo to r Dri ft / Za mb ez i
Inc re a se d & To uri st Fa c il i ti e s Fal ls & To wn Ve hi c le s Na t io na l Park
Li c en ce s Bo at Li c en ce s

Inc re a se d Vi si to r Numb e rs

De ma nd fo r Mo re Di rec t Impro ve d Bo rde r Impro ve d Ro a d Li nk s

Lo w-spe nd i ng Int ern at i on al Fac il i ti e s - L iv i ng sto n/ Lu sak a
To uri sm In cre ases Fli gh t s - Z am bi a/ Bo t swan a/ Nami b ia
Inc re a se d c ust oms co -op erat i on
Ai rpo rt Up gra di n g b et we en Zi mba b we/ Z amb i a
 Overlay Maps

 Separate mapping of critical environmental features

at the same scale as project's site plan
 e.g. wetlands, soils, floodplains, bedrock outcrops, wildlife
habitats, vegetative communities, and cultural resources...

 Older Technique: environmental features are

mapped on transparent plastic in different colors

 Newer Technique: Geographic Information Systems

(GIS)
 Overlay Maps

 Advantages
 maps are commonly available
 Excellent for showing spatial dimension and
location of impacts
 Most useful for assessing alternative routes for
linear developments, e.g. pipelines, roads,
transmission lines
 Disadvantages
 Less successful with timing, reversibility, and
probability of impacts
 Sharp boundary definitions can be misleading