ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
Irfan-ul-Haq
Imran-ul-Haq
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)
Module-1
Introduction
Short Course Outline
Brief about EIA
Origin and History
Benefits of EIA
Stages in EIA
Irfan-ul-Haq
Imran-ul-Haq
LETS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER!!
Full name
Academic background
Position and role in the organization (if working)
Career background
Experience related to EIA (if any)
SESSION NORMS
House information
Timings
Silence
Courtesy-Mobile phone off
Introduction
Objectives & Overview
OBJECTIVES
Review EIA process and application oriented introduction of
advanced methods in EIA
Study inter-relationships of project cycle and EIA
Explain application and compliance with National and International
Legislation during EIA process.
Elaborate delineation of Area of Influence (AOI) using examples
from Case Studies
Establishing the baseline environmental conditions
Understanding qualitative and quantitative analysis of alternatives
Elaborate application
Assessment
Review preparation of project specific EMP
Explain reporting and documentation for EIA report
of
advanced
Approached
in
Impact
ENVIRONMENT
In Simplest Words, Environment is Everything that Surrounds us
The sum of all external conditions affecting the life,
development, and survival of an organism.
The World Bank
DOMAINS OF ENVIRONMENT
Physical
Air
Water
Land
Ecological
Flora
Fauna
Socio-economic
Social
Economic
Cultural
PAFL Study Area (Physical, Ecological and Socioeconomic Domains)
POLLUTION
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an
environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or
discomfort to the system.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.
Brundtland Commission
WHAT IS EIA?
An important procedure for ensuring that the likely effects of new
development on the environment are fully understood and taken into
account before the development is allowed to go ahead
(DETR and National Assembly for Wales, 1999)
ANOTHER DEFINITION OF EIA
A systematic identification and evaluation of potential impacts
(effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs, or legislative actions related
to physical-chemical, biological, cultural and socio-economic components of
the Environment
(Canter, L.W.)
EIA is a framework of sustainable development.
WHAT IS IT REALLY?
Environmental Impact Assessment is a process, set down as a
repeatable series of steps to be taken, to allow the
environmental consequences of a proposed development to be
assessed.
WHAT EIA CAN DO:
Modify and improve design
Ensure efficient resource use
Enhance social aspects
Identify measures for monitoring and managing impacts
Inform decision-making
Provide justification for a proposal
BENEFITS OF EIA:
More environmentally sustainable design
Better compliance with standards
Saving in capital and operating costs
Reduced time and costs for approvals
Avoids later plant adaptations
Reduced health costs
Increased project acceptance
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS VARY IN:
Type and nature
Magnitude
Extent
Timing
Duration
Uncertainty
Reversibility
Significance
THREE CORE VAULES OF EIA
Sustainability - the EIA process will result in environmental
safeguards
Integrity - the EIA process will conform to agreed standards
Utility - the EIA process will provide balanced, credible information
for decision-making
ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF EIA
1960s
witnessed
the
emergence
of
environmentalism
(e.g.
publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962)
First formal system of EIA established in the US following the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969
ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF EIA
NEPA sought to ensure that environmental concerns were
considered in the decision-making of Federal Government agencies.
Section 102(2)(c) required agencies to prepare a detailed statement on
the environmental impact of proposals for legislation and other major
Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment
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ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF EIA
The statement referred to as an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) - should include details on
any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should
the proposal be implemented
alternatives to the proposed action
ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF EIA
Since 1969 a host of other countries have adopted EIA legislation
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
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EIA EMERGENCE (SUMMARY)
Pre-1970
Initial Development
1970
Origin of EIA
1970-1980
Trend to Integration
Mid to late 1980s
Process Redirection
From mid 1990s
Towards Sustainability
How does EIA actually
contribute to Sustainable
Development?
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