ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT
(EIA)

ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Basic Concepts for EIA. Visit

www.encapafrica.org 1
Need of EIA

 The production of goods and services to meet global

population demands has caused a number of activities
which have depleted the globe's natural resources and
in several instances contributed to environmental
degradation through pollution.

 These activities done in the pursuit of economic

development have also caused the loss of several
species of plants and animals and now threaten the
existence of man himself, if left uncontrolled.

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 Need of EIA
 Recognition of the question of the globe's capacity to
sustain these activities and the general environmental
problems associated with them, which are common at the
community, national, regional and international levels, led
to a number of international conferences, treaties,
conventions, and protocols on the management of the
earth's resources in an effort to ensure sustainable
economic development.

 In 1987 the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

adopted a set of goals and principles on environmental
impact assessment. At the national level legislation has been
enacted in almost every country.

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Need of EIA

 While several cases can be cited both nationally and inter

nationally, to illustrate the progressive degradation of the
earth's natural resources.

 As a result of the need to manage the environment and to

control and regulate development and the activities which
affect the environment; various environmental management
policies, procedures, processes and tools have evolved.

One such tool is the Environmental Impact

Assessment (EIA).

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Need of EIA

 The EIA is one of the most commonly used

environmental management tools to integrate
environmental concerns effectively in the
development process.

 Unlike the environmental audit (EA), which is

conducted on existing projects, the EIA is
applied to new projects and the expansion
aspects of existing projects.

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Basic Concepts for
Assessing Environmental Impacts
Definition of EIA

 An EIA is a study of the effects of a proposed action on

the environment. In this regard the environment includes
all relevant aspects of the natural and human resources.

 The EIA evaluates the expected effects on human health,

the natural environment and on property. The study
therefore requires a multi-disciplinary approach.

 It should be done very early at the feasibility stage of a

project. In other words a project should be assessed for
its environmental feasibility.

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Definition of EIA

 The EIA compares various alternatives by which the

project could be realized and seeks to identify the one
which represents the best combination of economic
and environmental costs and benefits.

 Alternatives include location as well as methods,

process technology and construction methods.

 The EIA is based on predictions. It attempts to predict

the changes in environmental quality which would
result from the proposed project/action.

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Definition of EIA

 The EIA attempts to weigh environmental effects on a

common basis with economic costs and benefits and
finally it is a decision-making tool.

 The EIA is a procedure used to examine the

environmental consequences, both beneficial and
adverse, of a proposed development project and to ensure
that these effects are taken into account in project design.

 EIA should be viewed as an integral part of the project

planning process.

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Review: Definition of EIA

Environmental
 Impact Assessment is
A formal process for identifying:
• likely effects of activities or Environment is
projects on the broadly interpreted:
ENVIRONMENT, and on physical, biological,
human health and welfare. and social.

• means and measures to

In EIA, the term
mitigate & monitor these “impacts” is used
impacts instead of “effects
of activities.”
Aspects of the environment: What is an
Physical: soil & water resources, air quality
Biological: fauna, flora, ecosystem impact?
Social: human health and welfare, culture, religion, and local values
Or: Economical, social and eco-systemic 10
What is an impact?

The impact of an activity is

a deviation (a change) The baseline
from the baseline situation situation is the
that is caused by the existing
environmental
activity. situation or
condition in the

! To measure an impact, you

absence of the
activity.
must know what the
The baseline
baseline situation is. situation is a key
More…
concept in EIA.

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The baseline situation
Water Quantity, quality, reliability,
In characterizing the accessibility
baseline situation,
Soils Erosion, crop productivity,
many environmental fallow periods, salinity,
components MAY be nutrient concentrations
of interest Fauna Populations, habitat

The components of
Env Health Disease vectors, pathogens
interest are those that
are likely to be affected
Flora Composition and density of
by your activity—or natural vegetation,
upon which your productivity, key species
activity depends for its
success Special Key species
ecosystems

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The baseline situation

The baseline situation is

Water table
not simply a “snapshot.”
Describing the baseline
situation requires describing
both the normal variability in
environmental components &
current trends in these time
components. This chart of
groundwater levels
shows both variability
and a trend over time.

Both are part of the

groundwater baseline
situation.

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Types of impacts & their attributes
Direct & indirect
The EIA process is impacts
concerned with
Short-term & long-
all types of impacts and term impacts
may describe them in a
Adverse & beneficial
number of ways
impacts
Cumulative impacts
 Intensity
 Direction
 Spatial extent
 Duration
But all impacts are
 Frequency
 Reversibility NOT treated
 Probability equally.

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 Specifically,
! It is ESSENTIAL in EIA
to focus on the most
significant impacts.

Don’t waste effort & time

analyzing and discussing
impacts that are less
important.

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What is an activity?
We are discussing the impacts of activities.
What are activities?

 a desired
An activity is:

accomplishment or
output Accomplishing an activity
E.g.: a road, seedling requires a set of actions
production, or river
ACTIVITY: ACTIONS:
diversion to irrigate market access Survey, grading, culvert
land road construction, compaction,
rehabilitation etc. . .

A project or program may

consist of many activities
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Goals or Objectives of EIA

EIA means an examination, analysis and

assessment of planned activities with a view to
ensuring environmentally sound and sustainable
development.

The EIA goals set out below are necessarily

general in nature and may be further refined
when fulfilling EIA tasks at the national, regional
and international levels.

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Goals or Objectives of EIA

1. To establish that before decisions are taken by the competent

authority or authorities to undertake or to authorize activities
that are likely to significantly affect the environment.
2. To promote the implementation of appropriate procedures in all
countries consistent with national laws and decision-making
processes.
3. To encourage the development of reciprocal (mutual)
procedures for information exchange, notification and
consultation between States when proposed activities are likely
to have significant trans-boundary effects on the environment of
those States.

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The EIA process

Phase II:
Phase I:
Full EIA study
Initial inquiries
(if needed)

•Understand • Scope
proposed activities • Evaluate baseline situation
• Identify & choose alternatives
•Screen • Identify and characterize potential
•Conduct preliminary impacts of proposed activity and
assessment (if each alternative
needed) • Develop mitigation and monitoring
• Communicate and document
Our focus!
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Phase 1 of the EIA Process
Understand Screen the Conduct a
Phase I Phase II
proposed activity Preliminary
activity Assessment
Based on the ACTIVITY IS SIGNIFICANT BEGIN
Why is the nature of the OF MODERATE A rapid, ADVERSE FULL
activity being activity what OR UNKNOWN simplified EIA IMPACTS EIA
proposed? level of RISK study using POSSIBLE STUDY
environmental simple tools SIGNIFICANT
What is being review is (e.g. the ADVERSE
proposed? indicated? USAID IEE) IMPACTS
VERY UNLIKELY

ACTIVITY IS LOW
RISK (Of its nature, STOP
very unlikely to have the EIA
significant adverse process
impacts)

ACTIVITY IS
HIGH RISK (Of its
nature, likely to have
significant adverse
impacts)

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Understand the proposed activity
Understand ALL EIA processes begin with
the proposed
activities understanding WHAT is being proposed,
Why is the and WHY.
activity being The question
proposed? “WHY IS THE ACTIVITY BEING PROPOSED?
What is being Is answered with the development objective (D.O.).


proposed?


“building a road” Not a D.O.!
“increasing access
Is a D.O.
to markets”
“If we don’t
understand
We must understand the
it, we can’t Development Objective to identify
assess it!” environmentally sound alternatives

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Understand the proposed activity
Understand Once we understand the development
the proposed
activities
objective, we must fully understand
WHAT is being proposed.
Why is the
activity being This includes associated actions!
proposed? PRIMARY ACTIVITY:
What is being construction of diversion dam &
proposed? irrigation canal
ASSOCIATED ACTIONS:
• Survey
“Oops. I
• negotiate land tenure
forgot • construct borrow pit
about the • establish construction camp
borrow pit.” • construct temporary
diversion structure
• dispose of soil, debris

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the activity
Screen each
activity
SCREENING is the process of asking
Based on the
nature of the
a very basic set of questions about
activity, what the nature of activity.
level of These questions:
environmental • do NOT require analysis.
analysis is
• do NOT require detailed knowledge
indicated?
about the proposed sites, techniques or
methods
Example screening questions:
Does the activity involve:
• Penetration road building?
• Large-scale irrigation?
• Introduction of non-native
crop or agroforestry species?

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the activity
Screen each
activity
screening classifies the activity into
Based on the
nature of the
a RISK CATEGORY:
activity, what VERY LOW RISK EIA process ends
level of
environmental VERY HIGH RISK Do full EIA study
analysis is
indicated? MODERATE OR Do preliminary
UNKNOWN RISK assessment

The outcome of the

screening process
determines the next step
in the EIA process

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
Screen the activity

! Each donor agency

and national EIA law
has its own set of
screening questions.

 Screening is the topic

of an upcoming
module

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
The Preliminary Assessment
Conduct a
Preliminary
Assessment The purpose of a preliminary
A rapid, assessment is to provide
simplified EIA documentation and analysis that:
study using
• Allows the preparer to
simple tools
(e.g. the determine whether or not
USAID IEE) significant adverse impacts are
likely
• Allows the reviewer to agree or

!
disagree with the preparer’s
Screening determinations
determines whether • Sets out mitigation and
the preliminary monitoring for adverse impacts
assessment is
necessary
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:
The Preliminary Assessment
Typical Preliminary
Assessment outline

1. Background (Development For each activity it covers, a

objective, list of activities) preliminary assessment has 3
possible findings:
2. Description of the baseline • The project is very unlikely
situation to have significant adverse
impacts. (EIA process ends)
3. Evaluation of potential
environmental impacts • With specified mitigation
and monitoring, the project
4. Mitigation & monitoring is unlikely to have
significant adverse impacts
5. Recommended Findings • The project is likely to have
significant adverse impacts
(full EIA study is required)
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What is mitigation?

Mitigation is. . .
 The implementation of
measures designed to
reduce the undesirable
effects of a proposed
action on the
environment

Mitigation is the topic of

an upcoming module!

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To arrive at findings:
Identify, Predict and Judge
Arriving at the FINDINGS in a preliminary
assessment requires 3 steps:
1
Identify potential Many resources describe the potential
impacts impacts of typical small-scale activities.

2 Determine which potential impacts are likely

Predict potential
to become actual, and quantify these
impacts
impacts to the extent possible.

3 Judge the Determine whether the predicted impacts are

significance of indeed significant!
potential impacts THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW
EFFECTIVE THE PROPOSED MITIGATION
MEASURES ARE!
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 Subsequent modules. . .
 Present tools to assist
in identifying &
predicting impacts
Discuss the factors
involved in judging
significance

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! We only proceed to
Phase II of the EIA process
if
Phase I indicates that
a FULL EIA STUDY
is required

Most small-scale activities do

not require a full EIA study!

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA study
A formal scoping process

The full EIA study has ! precedes the study to ID

issues to be addressed
very similar objectives Analysis of environmental
and structure to a
preliminary
! impacts is much more
detailed

assessment. Alternatives* must be

However, the full EIA

! formally defined. The
impacts of each
study differs in alternative must be
identified & evaluated,
important ways:
and the results compared.
Public participation is
*includes the project as
proposed, the no-action alternative
at least one other real alternative
! usually required.
A professional EIA team
is usually required.
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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA study
With a few additions, the Basic steps of the full
EIA study
basic outline of the
Scope

Communicate & Document throughout

preliminary assessment is
the template for the steps Evaluate baseline
involved in a full EIA study: situation
Identify & choose
1. Background (Development alternatives
objective, list of activities)
Identify and characterize
2. Description of the baseline
potential impacts of
situation
proposed activity and
3. Evaluation of potential each alternative
environmental impacts
Compare alternatives
4. Mitigation & monitoring
Develop mitigation and
5. Recommended Findings monitoring

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:
The Full EIA study

 In summary,
The full EIA study is a far
more significant effort than
the preliminary assessment.

It is reserved for activities for

which screening or the
preliminary assessment
shows that significant
impacts are likely.
The purpose of a Full EIA study is not to find that impacts will not be significant.
Its purpose is to allow an informed decision to be made about which significant
environmental impacts may be acceptable to obtain a particular development
objective.
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Who is involved in EIA?

Public consultation is usually

Sponsor of the activity only REQUIRED for full EIA
(usually commissions/conducts the
EIA)
studies.

Regulatory agencies/ However, it is good practice

Review authorities for preliminary assessments
because:
Broad-based public
Communities (men & women) • Predicting impacts is
Civil society FACILITATED by broad-
Private Sector based public consultation;
Judging significance is very
difficult without it.
• Transparency and
accessibility require
disclosure to stakeholders
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Making EIA effective
To be an effective tool
for EDP, EIA must be: EIA is undertaken early enough
 a integral part of the to affect project design
project development Mitigation and monitoring
developed in the EIA process is
cycle.
implemented.

The full EIA study must

 Honest consider real alternatives
Impacts must be assessed
honestly.

 Transparent & The EIA products must be clear

accessible and accessible to key actors.

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Thanks

ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Basic Concepts for EIA. Visit

www.encapafrica.org 37