Collage of Agriculture & Environmental Science

Department of Natural Resource Management

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Abay Gelanew (Ass. Professor)

Development v Environment
 Introduction
 It is necessary to understand the link b/n environment and
development in order to make development choices that will be
 economically efficient,
 socially equitable and responsible, and
 ecologically sound

 The concept of EIA is evolved as result of the fundamental

change of the way of thinking environment and development
 Attempts were made to replace economic growth by sustainable
development (Brundtland report, 1987)
 One of the basic premises for sustainable
development is
 the recognition of environment and development are
not mutually exclusive but complementary and
interdependent and actually, in the long run, mutually
reinforcing
 1.1 WHAT IS EIA?
 EIA is a process or an instrument used to forecast and consider
both positive and negative environmental and social consequences
of a proposed development project.
 EIA is an important management tool for improving the long term
viability of projects.
 EIA is consists of a set of procedures that ensure environmentally
sound and SD options, recognizing any environmental
consequences EARLY at the design phase
 EIA is now increasingly being seen and used with the wider
context of serving ‘sustainable development’ objectives.
CONT…
 “EIA, as national instrument, shall be under taken for
proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse
impact on the env’t and are subjects to a decision of a
component national authority”.

 Its use can help to avoid mistakes that can be expensive and
damaging in environmental, social and economic terms.
 1.1.1 Key Features of EIA

 EIA is a continuous and integral component of planning ,

 EIA facilitates dialogue, prediction and response,
 EIA helps to enhance social and economic opportunities,
 EIA provides a framework for stakeholder participation in
decision –making,
 EIA is a tool to improve decision-making,
CONT…
 EIA helps to avoid in advert problems and their associated costs
during project design.
 More broadly, EIA is used for early warning planning of wide
range of resource use, development, and conservation initiatives
 We live in a greenhouse world of ozone holes and vanishing
species.
 Thus, the use of EIA to choose the best project or options can help in
the achievement of sustainable development.
 1.1.2 Why EIA is Important

Today’s environment:
 The environment matter more than ever before.
 Human activities are altering natural cycles and systems on an
unprecedented scale

 Risks and impacts are more significant than ever before.

 We live in a greenhouse world of ozone holes and vanishing species.

 EIA is more important than ever before.

1.2 EIA AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1.2.1 Global Environmental Challenges

 Changes have occurred at unprecedented speed causing major:-

• Political, Cultural, Scientific, Technological, Economic,

Social, and Environmental transformations.

 In short, we human beings have become increasingly adept at
modifying nature, so much so that we now threaten our
environment and, thus, our very survival.
 CONT…

 Changes in the economic and cultural life of today’ s world

 most significant change
 contributes to serious environmental problems worldwide such as:-

 global warming and climate change,

 depletion of the ozone layer,
 loss of biodiversity,
 reduction of plant mass, and
 increasing desertification are evidence of such deterioration.
 1.2.2 Sustainable Development

 SD is development that meets the needs of the present generation

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. (WCED, 1987)
 A more recent definition involves a process of more
sustainable and equitable improvement of people’s quality of life,
based on appropriate environmental conservation and protection
measures to avoid exceeding the environment’s recovery and
waste-absorption capacity.
 Sustainable development (cont…)
 Maintaining and improving per capita well-being.
 Principles of intra- and inter-generational equity.
 Need to strike a balance between environmental, economic and
social (ESE) issues.
 [

 Aims to reduce poverty, protect the environment and stimulate

economic growth - through trade.
 [

 Is a continuous process of change based on principles of good

governance.
1.2.3 EIA as a planning tool

 First and for most EIA should be seen as a planning tool and
an integral part of the project cycle, providing information to a
decision- makers in a clear and systematic way.
 EIA should result in a better understanding of the linkages
between ecological, social, economic, and political systems.
 To achieve effectively, EIA needs to:
 Ensure public and stakeholder involvement;

 Ensure multi-disciplinary; and

 Focus on the process, not just the production of an

environmental impact statement(EIS)

The project cycle
PLANNING AN EFFECTIVE EIA STUDY

 The key elements for an effective EIA study are:

 Initiating the EIA process;
 Expertise required for an EIA;
 Interdisciplinary nature of EIA teams;
 Scheduling of the EIA study;
 Financial resources
Initiating the EIA Process

 EIA studies should start as early in the project cycle as

possible, preferable at the identification and concept stage.

 The EIA study should take anything from 2 months to a year

or more to undertake, depending on the scale and complexity
of the project, and the availability of the baseline data.
Expertise for an EIA

 Organizing EIAs for small project may be simple and may

only involve a small team of three to four people over a few
weeks.
 Organizing larger multi-disciplinary studies can be more
complex.
 Particular care needs to be taken to ensure that the EIA team
has appropriate expertise for the EIA study
 Interdisciplinary teams

The reason that we need interdisciplinary teams in the EIA study

are:-
 Ideas for potential opportunities and constraints are generated

better by experts from more than one sector;

 The correct mix of technical experts, planners and stakeholders

is usually required to undertake EIA;

 A timely exchange of information between resource experts

with sectors must occur for an integrated environmental
analysis
 Scheduling and timing

 Operational plan and/ or schedules of activities and

responsibilities can assist the implementation of interdisciplinary
approaches.

 They are also important to ensure that different activities under

the EIA study take place at the appropriate times.
Financial resources

 The financial cost of undertaking EIA is usually less a usually

a small proportion of the total developments costs-usually less
than 0.1% of project costs.

 Conversely, EIA often identifies unforeseen environmental

impacts which might require expensive remedial action, and
which may undermine a project
Factors affecting EIA costs

 Size of the project

 Availability of the baseline information
 Availability of expertise to carry out the EIA
 Location of the project
 Economic, cultural, social & ecological condition
Who pays the EIA costs

 Proponent EIA costs (part of project development)

 Government cost of administrating the EIA process

 Public stakeholders fund their participation

( government or proponent may support them)
 CHAPTER 2
PRELIMINARY ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT
2.1 REGISTRATION

 Registration is simply the formal or official notification of a

project proponent or developer’s intention to develop and
implement a project.
 It is the first stage in any project planning process which is
regulated by a planning authority or government agency.
 This may be central planning authority, which is then
responsible for ensuring all relevant regulatory agencies-
including that for environmental assessment-are informed.
 Alternative the project proponent may be required to
register the project with several planning agencies
including that for environmental assessment.
2.2 SCREENING

 Definition : Process of determining whether or not a

proposal requires a full-scale EIA and the level at
which this assessment should occur
 Requirements for screening are normally addressed in
EIA legislation and/or official guide lines, and are
usually done by an EIA authority.
2.2.2 Approaches to screening

 Checklists are list of project types that must be subjected to

different level of environmental assessment.
 Sensitive area criteria focus on areas that are environmentally
sensitive e.g. wetlands, protected areas, game parks, or areas of
particular cultural sensitivities.
 Preliminary assessment are under taken when more
information is required to determine a screening decision (NB
this is usually undertaken the scoping stage).
 Exclusion lists according to these all proposals are subject to
EIA unless it can be shown that they should not be.
2.2.4 Screening categories
 After the screening of the project the decision will fall
into one of the following four categories:
1. Full EIA required.

2. Preliminary assessment required.

3. EIA not required.

4. Project proposal rejected.

 2.2.5 Information for screening

 Description of the type of project, its objectives and expected

activities and out puts;
 The location and extent of the project- spatial and temporal;
 A description of the project’s social and biophysical
environment; and
 An outline of the development of the project of including its
different phases (construction, operation and decommissioning)
 2.3 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES
2.3.1 Project planning and alternatives
 Demand alternatives (e.g. using energy more efficiently rather
than building more generating capacity);

 Activity alternatives ( e.g. providing public transport rather

than increasing road capacity);

 Location alternatives, either for the entire proposal or for

components ( e.g. the location of a processing plant for a mine,
or a location of tourist lodges with in different zones of a
national park);
Cont…
 Process alternatives ( e.g. the re-use of process water in an
industrial plant, waste minimizing and energy efficient
technology, different mining methods);

 Scheduling alternatives (where a number of measures might

play apart in an overall program, but the order they are
scheduled will contribute to the effective of the end result); and

 Input alternatives (e.g. raw materials, energy sources-such as

replacing diesel oil with low sculpture fuel oil).
2.3.2 Assessment of alternatives
 Assessment of alternatives should take place as early as
possible.

 Ideally, different alternatives should be assessed as part of

initial scoping exercise.

 This should identify which alternatives require further

assessment as part of main impact assessment study.
[

 The “without project” situation (or no build) alternative

should be used as a baseline case against which to measure
Cont…

 If, overall, all the alternatives were judged to have

unacceptable performance, the decision might be to adopt
none of them, and stay with the status quo i.e. no project.

 Not all alternatives will be investigated in the same level of

detail.

 It is common to undertake a preliminary analysis to decide

which ones should be taken forward for further consideration,
and which ones should be discarded.
2.4 SCOPING
2.4.1 Objectives of scoping

 Scoping is an early and open process that ensures relevant and

focused EIAs by defining:

 the main problems and issues surrounding the project;

 the likely positive and negative impacts of the project;

 the spatial, temporal and institutional boundaries of the

project and its impacts, and;

 the likely data requirements for undertaking a full EIA.

Cont…

 Scoping also provides a number of other important benefits:

 it provides an opportunity to ensure that the EIA study
explores reasonable alternatives such as different project
locations, designs or routing, including the option of doing
nothing- the without project situation.

 it also provides a key opportunity to identify and involve all

stakeholder groups affected by the project
Cont…

In the absence of appropriate scoping, the following

problems occur:
 EIA reports and impacts statements become voluminous,

detailed, and exhaustive documents with unnecessarily

comprehensive data;
 Significant or important issues are not identified late in the
review process, resulting in the need for costly revisions;
 Time and money is wasted in assessing irrelevant and/or
insignificant issues; and
 [

 Content and presentation of reports may follow a sectoral or

professional bias reflected the background of those
undertaking the EIA study.
 2.4.2 Responsibilities for scoping

 Responsibility for scoping lies with proponent, the EIA authority

or with the practitioners.

 In most cases the onus is placed on the project proponent and

developer, rather than on the EIA authority which is often
responsible for regulating or checking the process.

 Proponents will normally only undertake scoping themselves if

they have a high level of environmental expertise-otherwise they
will commission a consultant to do this as part of the EIA study.
2.4.3 Timing of scoping
 Scoping is usually under taken towards the beginning of the
EIA process and is used to define the terms of reference for
the “full” EIA process in case of government projects.
 Ideally, however, scoping should be an ongoing process which
should be flexible enough to continue to address new
alternatives and issues throughout the EIA process.
 For large projects, initial scoping will coincide with outline
planning or pre- feasibility studies.
 For small projects, scoping takes place as part of the
registration and initial screening exercises.
 2.4.4 Scoping steps

Basic steps followed in scoping

1. Develop a communication plan (decide who talk to and when).

2. Assemble information that will be the starting point of

discussion.

3. Make the information available to those whose views are to be

obtained.
1. [

4. Find out what issues people are concerned about (make a long
list).
Cont…

5. Look at issues from a technical/ scientific perspective in

preparation for further study.

6. Organize information according to issues, including grouping,

combining and setting priorities (make the longer list in to a
shorter list).

7. Develop a strategy for addressing and resolving each issue,

including information requirements and terms of reference
for further studies
 2.4.5 Boundaries for the EIA study
 Spatial boundaries
 These can often be difficult to pinpoint with any precision but,
nonetheless, it is important to determine whether impacts are
likely to occur at a local, regional, national or international
level.

 Temporal boundaries
 Temporal boundaries refer to the project lifespan and
reversibility of impacts
Cont…
 Institutional boundaries
 Institutional boundaries refer to those administrative and
sectoral boundaries in which the projects lie or interact.
 These can be determined from political boundaries, acts and
regulation, and ministerial/ departmental mandates
 2.4.6 Results of scoping
 Reports
 The report should contain sections on the following:
 How scoping was undertaken;

 Identification of key issues and problems;

 Synthesis of scoping exercises- details on potential negative and

positive impacts of project;
 Identification of all stakeholder groups with an interest in the
project, and how these groups were involved in scoping stages;
 Details on the spatial and temporal boundaries of the project;

 Identification of project alternatives; and

 Terms of reference for undertaking the main (full) EIA study.

Cont…
 Presentation
 The result of scoping must be presented in a clear and logical
way so that the significance of potential impacts can be
understood clearly.
 The means of presentation should also provide opportunities
for feedback and dialog.
 It is also important that alternative or supplementary techniques
to ‘written’ communication are considered.
Cont…
 Content of terms of reference
 It is important that the terms of reference (ToR) prepared
from scoping exercise are systematic, clear and tailored to the
specific context of each project.
 There is no single, standard format for ToR.
 Importantly, ToR for an EIA study must be finalized before a
proponent solicits proposals to carry out the work.
 Once the ToR have been prepared, the need to submitted to
the relevant environmental authority for approval.
 This is usually undertaken by the proponent in collaboration
with the team responsible for the initial scoping.
 CHAPTER- 3
PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT IN
EIA
 3.1 STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
3.1.1 Definition
 Howlett and Nagu (1997) have defined stakeholders as:

‘..all those people and institutions who have interest in the successful
design implementation and sustainability of the project.
 This includes those positively and negatively affected by the
project.
 Stakeholder participation involves processes whereby all those
with a stake in the outcome of a project actively participate in
decisions on planning and management.
 They share information and knowledge, and may contribute to the
project, so as to enhance the success of the project and hence
ultimately their own interests.’
 3.1.2 Examples of EIA Stakeholder Groups
1. Formal institutions:
 Co-ordination: Planning commissions and departments:

government authorities at national, regional, district and village

level.
 Advisory: Research institutes, universities, colleges

 Regulatory: Government authorities at national, regional,

district and village level.

 Implementation: Relevant ministries/departments, training

organizations, private companies.

 Funding: Development assistance agencies, banks, and

entrepreneurs.
 Conservation: Environment departments, museums, zoos,

botanical gardens.
 Cont…

2 Public and Community Stakeholder Groups:

 Political: Members of parliament (MPs), local councilors, party

functionaries.
 Cultural: Community and religious leaders, community service
groups, community organizations /NGOs, and traditional groups.
 Business: Business leaders, Chambers of commerce, trade
unions, resource owners and those with tenure rights, common
property resource users.
 Environment: Community interest groups / clubs, international
and local environmental NGOs, local experts.
Cont…
 Public involvement, or public participation, has a related but
different meaning.
 This refers to the involvement of “public” stakeholders in a
project / activity, and to their active participation in its
preparation and implementation.
 These groups would include NGOs, community organizations,
women’s groups, and traditional village institutions.
 Different types and degrees of public participation and now
recognized, a commonly used typology of participation is
given below.
Typology characteristics of each type
 Passive participation: people participate by being told what is
going to happen or has already happened, often based on
unilateral announcements
 Participation in information giving: people participate by
answering questions posed by extractive researchers using
questionnaire surveys or similar approaches
 Participation by consultation: people participate by being
consulted, and external people listen to views
 Participation for material incentives: people participate by
providing resources, for example labor, in return for food,
cash or other material incentives, whilst this is commonly
referred to as participation, people have no stake in
prolonging activities when the incentives end
Cont…
 Functional participation: people participate by forming groups
to meet predetermined objectives related to the project, which
can involve the development or promotion of help the EIA
address relevant issues, including those perceived as being
important by local communities and affected groups;
 Interactive participation: people participate in joint analysis,
which leads to action plans and the formation of new local
institutions or the strengthening of existing ones
 Self-Mobilization: people participate by taking initiatives
independent of external institutions to change systems.
 3.1.3 Importance of stakeholder involvement
Benefits of stakeholder involvement in EIA
 Potential benefits from increased stakeholder involvement include:

 Help to harness traditional knowledge which conventional

approaches may overlook;

 Help improve information flows between proponents and

stakeholder groups,

 Improving the understanding and ‘ownership’ of a project;

 Enable local communities to influence project design, so that it

responds to their needs;
Cont…

 Help identify important environmental characteristics or

mitigation opportunities that might be overlooked;
 Help ensure that the magnitude and significance of impacts
has been properly assessed;

 Improve the acceptability and quality of mitigation and

monitoring processes.
 Cont…
 Potential costs of insufficient or lack of public involvement:
 Emergence of conflicts between different levels of government, or
between different governmental agencies and failure to gather local
support for project;

 Risk of marginalizing potentially valuable contributors to the

decision-making process;



Failure to tailor projects to local needs and priorities;
[

 Lack of accountability can lead to ineffective or inefficient working


practices and corruption;
[

 Failing to draw on local expertise and energy represents a potential

Cont…
 Communication problems can create divisions within local
communities, and breed resentment between local
communities and project proponents;

 May lead to important, and often locally-specific, social,

environmental and health impacts being overlooked or ignored
in project design

 Reliance on interventions by outside experts, limiting the

learning of new possibilities by local stakeholders; and,

 Inability to prevent the concentration of project benefits

3.2 STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT IN THE EIA
PROCESS
 Determining ‘who participates’ in EIA requires careful analysis
because potential stakeholders will often represent different
social groupings, religious affiliations, genders and
constituencies.

 Each can contribute in different ways, and may advocate

different priorities based on individual needs, motivations and
interests.

 Powerful, influential and wealthy groups tend to have better

access to decision-making processes, and thus care is required to
ensure their views do not prevail to the detriment of the views
 3.2.1 Stakeholder Analysis

 Stakeholder analysis is a process that allows planners to widen

the involvement of people and institutions in project planning.
 It is an important means of identifying which stakeholders
should be included within the EIA process, and determining
how the project might impact upon the interest (or ‘stakes’) of
different stakeholder groups.
 To be effective, stakeholder analysis should be undertaken
during the scoping stage of EIA.
Cont…

There are five main stages in stakeholder analysis:

1. Identifying and listing all potential stakeholders
2. Identifying their interests in relation to project objectives
and activities
3. Assessing the likely impact of the project on each of these
interests
4. Assessing the relative importance of each stakeholder to the
success of the project
5. Drawing-up a participation matrix.
Cont…

 In EIA the involvement of public stakeholder groups can

occur at various stages of the process.
 In particular it can occur:
 Screening stage: before a decision is made on level of
assessment.
 Scoping stage: during identification of issues and
alternatives to be considered.
 Cont…

 Impact identification and evaluation: during identification of

impacts, determination of impact magnitude and significance
and development of mitigation options/measures
 Review stage: commenting on the draft EIS and taking part in
public hearings or village meetings.

 During impact mitigation, monitoring and auditing: through

joint implementation and responsibility sharing, possibly
through participatory monitoring and evaluation.
3.3 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
APPROACHES
 Public notices, hearings and meetings
 Newspapers and newsletters
 Video
 NGOs and community based organizations
 Village and community meetings
 Networks
3.4 PARTICIPATORY METHODS

 Until the 1970s, most common social science research techniques

were dominated by “extractive” questionnaires.

 These covered large numbers of people, and statistical techniques

could then be applied in the analysis.

 However, these techniques cannot address local complexities, and

the researchers tend to be far removed from the researched, these
failures led to the exploration of alternative methods for
investigating issues that have direct bearing to the needs of the
people.
Cont..

 Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) first emerged in the late 1970s as

an approach to inquiring about rural life and issues of poverty
while trying to avoid the use of questionnaires in obtaining
information.

 RRA was also found to be extractive, with outsiders controlling,

analyzing and acting on information.

 PRA is based on interactive learning, shared knowledge, and

flexible and structured analysis.
 CHAPTER 4
IMPACT IDENTIFICATION,
PREDICTION AND EVALUATION
4.1 IMPACT IDENTIFICATION
 Impact identification is a process designed to ensure that all
potentially significant impacts are identified and taken into
account in the EIA process.
 A number of ‘tools’ are available to assist in impact
identification
 The simplest, and most frequently used, are checklist of
impacts, although matrices, network diagrams and map
overlays are also commonly used.
 [[

 More complex tools, such as mathematical modeling and the

use of GIS systems, may also be used in certain
circumstances.
4.1.1 Checklists

1. Simple checklists- the simplest types of checklists provide

lists of potential impacts.
 Part of a simple checklist

 Effects on human beings, buildings and man-made features

 Population changes arising from the development, and

consequential environment effects;
 Visual effects of the development on the surrounding area and
landscape;
 Levels and effects of emissions from the development during
normal operations;
 Cont…
 Levels and effects of noise from the development;
 Effects on the development on local roads and transport;
 Effects of the development on architectural and historic heritage and
archaeological features.
 Effects on flora, fauna and geology
 Loss of, and damage to, habitat and plant and animal species
 Loss of, and damage to geological, paleontological and physiographic
features
 Other ecological consequences
 Effects on land
 Physical effect of the development
 Effect of chemical emissions and deposits on soil of site and surrounding
land
 Cont…

2. Descriptive checklist- these provide guidance on how to assess

impacts.
 They can include information on predictive techniques, data

collection, and locating information sources

 Part of a Descriptive checklist

 Nuisance

 Change in occurrence of odour, smoke, haze, etc., and number of people

affected.
 Water quality
 For each body of water, changes in water use, and number of people
affected
 Current water quality, current and expected effluent.
Cont…
 Noise
 Change in noise levels, frequency of occurrence, and number of
people bothered
 Expected industrial process and traffic volumes, citizen surveys.
 Current noise levels, change in traffic or other noise sources,
changes in noise mitigation measures, noise propagation model,
citizen surveys.
 Cont…
3.Questionnaire checklists- these are based on a set of questions,
some of which might explore indirect impacts and possible
mitigation measures
 Example of a Questionnaire checklist

 Disease vectors

 Are there known disease problems in the project area transmitted

through vector species such as mosquitoes, flies, snails, etc.? (yes, no,
not known)
 Are these vector species associated with:
 Aquatic habitat? (yes, no, not known)
 Forest habitat? (yes, no, not known)
 Agricultural habitat? (yes, no, not known)
 Will the project provide opportunities for vector control through
improved standards of living? (yes, no, not known)
4.1.2 Matrices

 Matrices are another commonly used tool for impact

identification.
 They show -
 environmental components (e.g. species diversity, water quality) on
one axis and
 development actions ( e.g. clearing land, construction, and
operation) on the other
 Cont
Matrices are useful for the following reasons:
 They visually describe the relationship between two sets of factors;
 They can be expanded or contracted to meet the needs of the
proposal being assessed;
 They can help to identify the impacts of different phases of a
project, such as during construction, operation and after
abandonment; and
 They can help separate site-specific impacts from impacts affecting
the region as a whole; however, it is generally advisable to describe
different aspects of a proposal using separate matrices.
4.1.3 Network Diagrams

 A network diagram visually describes the linkages between

pairs of environmental factors, providing some indication of
how an ecosystem functions

 Networks are useful for showing primary, secondary, and

tertiary impact-relationships resulting from particular actions
Cont…

Networks have limitations:

 They may be an oversimplification of reality unless

relationships among individual ecosystem components are

adequately understood;
 Individual ecosystem or social elements may not be easily

recognized or found in the diagram, especially as level of

detail increases;
 Like checklist and matrices, networks cannot describe

temporal aspects of ecosystem dynamics;

 They are very time consuming and difficult to construct,

although once in place they form a fundamental reference

guide for future project planning.
4.1.4 Map Overlays
 Map overlays provide an effective visual aid, and
 are useful for describing existing physical, social, and economic
conditions and
 displaying the potential changes resulting from a proposed
development.
 They are also very easy to use and understand.
 Overlays are particularly useful when addressing questions of
site and route selection
 Cont…

Some constraints of map overlays

 Maps tend to over- simplify;
 Maps of large scale may be needed to capture some relationship;
 Such detailed maps may not be available ;
 Specific interrelationships between environmental factors are not
readily obtainable using traditional map overlays;
 Although portrayal of “before” and ‘after” conditions is possible,
map overlays cannot effectively describe ecosystem dynamics
through time.
 4.1.5 Geographical Information Systems
(GIS)
 GIS is generally used to refer to a computer-based system incorporating the
collection, storage, retrieval, transformation and display of spatial data.

 GIS applications can bring the following benefits to impact assessment

practice:
 They offer the potential for storing and accessing large data sets;

 They can consolidate data from many different sources for use in geographic
analysis;

 GIS is efficient at performing multiple map overlays;

 GIS can be used to generate maps for output to hard copy as well as display map
information on screen.
Cont…

 Limitations of GIS in EIA:

 Most GIS are expensive and require highly trained personnel for
efficient operation of the system;

 GIS are not specially structured for EIA;

 Digital data is costly and often difficult to acquire.

4.2 IMPACT PREDICTION

 Impact prediction is a process designed to identify the

magnitude of potential impacts, and provides the basis for the
assessment of significance.

 The objective of prediction is to estimate the magnitude,

extent and duration of the impact in comparison with the
situation without the project/action
Cont…

 An environmental impact prediction should, at minimum,

perform the following:
 Determine the initial reference or baseline state (i.e.
conditions/levels prior to project);

 Forecast the future state/conditions with and without the project;

and,

 Compare with environmental standards and guidelines where

appropriate.
4.2.1 Impact Magnitude

 Impact magnitude relates to the severity of the impact, whether the impact
is irreversible or reversible, and the potential rate of recovery from the
impact
 The magnitude of the impact can be rate
 High
 Moderate
 Low
 None
 Not known
4.2.2 Extent of Impact
 The spatial extent or the zone of influence of the impact should
always be determined.
 An impact can be
 site-specific or limited to the project area;

 a locally occurring impact with the watershed of the proposed

project;
 a regional impact that may extend beyond the watershed;

 and national, affecting resources on a national scale

 4.2.3 Impact Duration

 Environmental impacts have a temporal dimension that needs to be considered in

an EIA.
 Impacts occur at different phases of the project cycle may need to be
considered.
 An impact that generally lasts for only 3 years after project cycle may be classified
short-term.
 An impact which continues for 10 years or more but less than 20 years may be defined
as medium-term;
 And impacts that beyond 20 years are considered long-term.

 The types of impacts produced during the construction phase of a project are
generally short-term.
 4.3 IMPACT EVALUATION
`
 Impact evaluation is a process that helps assess the relative
significance of impacts
 Having predicted the impacts there is need assess their relative
significance.
 Criteria for significance include:
 The magnitude and likelihood of the impact and its spatial and temporal
extent;
 The likely degree of recovery of the affected environment;
 The value of the affected environment
 The level of public concern; and
 Political repercussions.
4.3.1 Important of impact significance
 Evaluating the significance of environmental impacts is one of
the most critical components of impact assessment.
 The interpretation of significance bears directly on project
approvals and condition setting.
 At an early stage, it also enters into screening and scoping
decisions on what level of assessment is required and which
impact and issues will be addressed.
 Subsequently, impact significance provides the key to
selecting alternatives.
Using Environmental Standards
 One way of evaluating significance is to compare expected
impact levels with existing standards.
 Environmental standards provide guidance to decision-makers
and practitioners on the minimum acceptable levels to which a
proposed project should adhere.
 They also provide a quantifiable measure for use in the review
process.
 Many countries do not have their own standards, and compiling
them can be a time consuming and extremely costly process.
 In the meantime, internationally agreed standards such as the
world Health Organization standards are used.
Matrices
 One common approach is to give ratings for each potential
impact and to produce a matrix that compares a range of
project options.
 These ratings are somewhat arbitrary but often a -5 to +5 or -3
to =3 systems are used .
 Ratings for each option can then be added to give a simple
overall rating for each option.
 However, this does not allow for a comparison of the
importance of different impacts.
 Some impacts have a far greater importance or effect than
others.
 CHAPTER 5
IMPACT MITIGATION
AND MONITORING
 5.1 MITIGATION
 Mitigation can be defined as “measures envisaged in order to
avoiding, reducing, and, if possible remedying significant adverse
effects of development activities”.
 Mitigation seeks to
 Find better ways of doing things;
 To maximize project benefits by eliminating or minimizing significant
negative impacts identified in the earlier stages of the EIA process;
 To make sure that the public or individuals do not bear costs which are
greater than the benefits which accrue to them; and
 To enhance the benefits of a proposed development by integrating
mitigation measures into the overall project design, and internalizing the
mitigation costs in the overall project costs.
Enhancement
 It is essential to remember that not all environmental impacts
of a project are negative.
 This is particularly so with projects in the renewable natural
resources sector.
 For instance, a soil conservation project should be expected
to have significant positive environmental impacts.
 Similarly the development of a reforestation and plantation
project could be expected to have positive impacts on the
environment.
 Where positive impacts occur whether they are of a social,
economic or environmental nature it is important to see how
these can be maximized by changes to the project design
and/or the adoption of enhancement measures.
Types of mitigation measures
 Mitigation measures can be classified into four basic
categories or types:
 Avoiding the impacts altogether by not taking an action or
part of an action.
 This may include abandoning the project, changing project site,
route, processes, raw materials, operating methods, disposal
routes or locations, timing, or engineering designs.
 Reducing or minimizing the degree or magnitude of the
action and its implementation,
 e.g. introducing pollution controls, waste treatment, monitoring,
phased implementation,
Cont…

 Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or

restoring the affected environment after the impact has

occurred.
[

 Compensation for damaged resources, money to affected

persons, concessions on other issues, or off-site programs to
enhance some other aspect of the environment or quality of
life for the community.
 Compensation, on the other hand, is concerned with residual impacts – that is
impacts which remain after mitigative options have been exhausted.
 Obviously the best type of mitigation measure is one that
completely avoids or stops the impact.
 Compensatory measures are usually used as a last resort.
Identification of mitigation measures
 Guidance on mitigation measures is often provided in national
or sectoral guidelines.

 Selection of mitigation measures will depend upon

 [

 a number of factors including the significance of the impact,

 availability of technical or other mitigation measures,

 the costs of the measure, and

 [[

 the social acceptability of measures.

 5.1.1 IMPACT MITIGATION PLANNING
Role of an impact mitigation plan
 Mitigation planning is a process.
 It involves undertaking activities during the design, implementation,
and operation phases of a project.
 Each activity should be designed to eliminate, offset, or reduce
adverse environmental impacts to acceptable levels.
 An impact mitigation plan describes the mitigation, monitoring and
auditing management required to ensure proper implementation of
agreed mitigation measures and verification of predicted
 Who prepared the mitigation plan?

 How the plan is submitted ?

 What is the role of the plan ?

 to strengthen the cost effective implementation of the
EIA process
5.1.2 Implementation of impact mitigation plans

 In order for the mitigation plan to be effective it should address the

following key issues in its description and implementation:

 Summary of the identified significant adverse environmental impacts that

are expected
 [

 Description and technical details for each mitigation measure

 [

 Mitigation must have public involvement from the earliest stages

 [[[

 Institutional arrangements
Cont…

 Many mitigation/compensation options may require several levels of

government to cost-share and/or co-ordinate programs.

 Schedule for measures that must be carried out as part of the project

 Monitoring and reporting procedures are essential to

 ensure early detection of conditions,

 provide information on the progress and results of mitigation

 ensure effective public involvement;
5.1.3 Institutional involvement
 Effective mitigation of potential impacts may depend on the
institutions and administrative management systems that are
put in place’
 The impact mitigation plan should provide a framework for
managing or mitigation environmental impacts for the life of
the project.
 Defining institutional roles implies apportioning legal
responsibility for each institution.
 Although national institutions are usually formed by act of
parliament, their legal mandate must be well specified in the
mitigation plan.
 This enhances their powers to manage environmental matters.
5.1.4 Scheduling of mitigation activities
 A schedule of the identified tasks should be drawn up, a time
frame set for each activity, and responsibility for achievement
of each task allocated.
 Contingency plans should be made for corrective action in the
event of unacceptable adverse impacts.
 [[

 A management system for monitoring, reporting and

responding to complaints and enquires from outside parties
should be established, with appropriate data storage, retrieval
and access and reporting intervals
 5.1.5 Public Involvement
 In many cases, planning for public involvement in the
mitigation plan will be a vital ingredient for success.
 Not only does this imply that the public needs to be involved in
contributing to the formulation of the plan, but also, the plan
needs to be accessible to the public.
 Methods of communication between the institutions and the
public must be clearly defined so that people can give their
views as the project is implemented.
 This is likely to enhance environmental management because,
ultimately, it is the people who will suffer or benefit.
 For public involvement to be effective, the methods need to be
found to ensure that the public is aware of the issues at stake.
5.1.6 Integration of mitigation into the
project planning process
 Implementation of mitigation measures requires funding
which should be estimated and included in the EIA report.
 [

 All proposed mitigation measures should be integrated in the

project design so that these measures may automatically form
part of the construction and operational phases of the project.
 5.2 MONITORING
5.2.1 Purpose
 Mitigation measures are of little or no value unless they are
implemented.
 Hence there is a clear link between mitigation and monitoring of
outcomes, if and when a project is approved and moves to the
construction and operation stage.
 Monitoring must include the effectiveness or otherwise of
mitigation measures.
 Therefore, mitigation measures must be devised with monitoring in
mind; they must be clear enough to allow checking of effectiveness.
5.2.2 The role of monitoring in EIA process

 Monitoring is a general term referring to the systematic

collection of data through a series of repetitive measurements
over a long period to provide information on characteristics
and functioning of environmental and social variables in space
and time.
 It is among the best means of converting EIA from a static to
an interactive process, characterized by feedback and
adjustments.
Common Types of Monitoring

 Base-line monitoring: the measurement of environmental

parameters during a representative pre-project period

 Impact/effect monitoring : involves the measurement of

parameters (performance indicators) during project
construction and implementation
Cont…

 Compliance monitoring: not directed at environmental

parameters, but takes the form of periodic sampling and /of
continuous measurements of levels of waste discharge, noise
or similar emission
 Mitigation monitoring: aims to determine the suitability and
effectiveness of mitigation programs, designed to diminish or
compensate for adverse effects of projects.
 CHAPTER 6
EIA REPORTS
6.1 PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENTS

6.1.1 Aims and objectives

 As a tool for decision-making, the findings of the EIA process
need to be communicated in a way that is accessible to a wide
range of stakeholders-from ‘lay people” to decision-makers.
 In most cases, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is used
to achieve this, although in many cases, alternative or,
complementary means of communication should also be used.
 Cont…

The EIS, and any alternative means of communication, should:

 Identify, predict and interpret the likely impacts of the options in
the proposed development project, including the no project
option;

 Provide information that can be used to improve decision-

making;

 Include a plan for impact mitigation and management; and,

 Include a plan for environmental monitoring and auditing

 Cont…

 There are essentially three target, or users, groups for an EIS:

 The project proponent or developer;

 Government agencies with an interest, or regularly role, in the

project; and,

 The general public.

6.1.2 Decision Making
 At the end of the day the primary purpose of an EIA is to
achieve better decisions on whether a particular project, or
project design, should go ahead.
 In order to be effective for decision-making purposes, EIA
reports need to:
 Be proactive documents aimed at assisting the proponent achieve
good environmental designs;
 Have information arranged so that it is readily accessible and
comprehensible to all parties; and
 Clearly state the issue in a non-technical way.
Cont…
 To achieve the above the following considerations are
essential for EIA reporting:
 Focus on the issue most relevant to decision-making;
 Minimize the use of technical jargon;
 Use tabular presentation or figures for presentations as opposed to
long narrative sections;
 Include clear maps and photographs;
[[[

 Include a non-technical summery of the EIS;

Cont…

 Ensure the statement is clearly structured, well-written and clearly

presented;
 Ensure the statement is balanced, honest and unbiased;
 Clearly state assumptions made;
 Be specific and quantify impacts where possible;
 Explain why some impacts are not addressed ( this can be included in an
appendix);
 List the names of the developer, relevant consultants, relevant local
planning authorities and those consulted.
6.1.3 Responsibilities

 When this is the case there are generally two options to the
preparation of the EIS:
 Each team member writes sections which are relevant to their
area of expertise, and the team leader compiles these together
with an executive summary into one report which is then
circulated for comment to all team members before release; or,
 Each team member prepares a section which the team leader
then uses to write the EIS, this may or may not include all the
recommendations from individual team members.
 6.2 CONTENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT STATEMENT

1. Executive Summary
a) Date
b) Title, description, and location of proposed activity
c) Name of promoter
d) Name of organization that prepared the EIA report
e) Significant impacts
f) Recommendations for mitigation/compensation
g) Proposed follow-up
Cont…

2. Detailed project description, with emphasis on

characteristics or activities that imply risks or cause
impacts
a) Situation
b) Planning, design, and implementation strategies
c) Inputs (water, energy, and equipment)
d) Planning processes and products
e) Visual aids (maps, photos, drawings, and others)
f) Technical, economic, and environmental features
g) Alternatives
Cont…

3. Determination of environmental impacts

a) Description of impacts (negative/positive,
reversible/irreversible, short-term/long-term, etc.)
b) Identification of measures to reduce or eliminate impacts
c) Quantification and allocation of resources or economic
appraisal of mitigation measures and environmental impacts
d) Identification of studies to fill information gaps
e) Impact identification, analysis, and ranking
f) Uncertainty and knowledge gaps
g) Conformity with standards and regulations
h) Criteria used to evaluate significance
Cont…

4. Environmental description in the area studied

a) Characteristics of baseline and other data used, including
reliability or deficiency observations
b) Physical environment
c) Biological environment
d) Social and cultural characteristics
e) Others (specify any sampling, map, or special resource
required)
Cont…
5. Description of legal and regulatory considerations
6. Description and analysis of alternatives
a) Description of alternative studies
b) Environmental comparison of alternatives
7. Development of environmental management plan
a) Objectives
b) Implementation requirements
c) Tasks and schedule
d) Budget
e) Responsible entities
Cont…

f) Impact management
g) Responsible entities for execution of measures
h) Proposed mitigation/compensation measures
i) Risk prevention and contingency responses
j) Details of monitoring program
k) Reports, audits, and post-project adjustments
l) Community participation
m) Proposed training
 Cont…
8. Identification of institutional requirements related to
implementation of mitigation and follow-up measures
9. Appendices materials
a) Terms of reference
b) Technical information
c) Glossary
d) Acronyms and abbreviations
e) Baseline results and statistics
f) Summary of community-participation program
g) Information sources and bibliography
h) Working methods
i) Details of study group
6.3 EIS PRESENTATION
6.3.1 Submission

 When the EIS is submitted for review it should be

 accompanied by a statement by the proponent on the extent of his
or her agreement with the conclusion of the report,
 and of his or her commitment to implementing the identified impact
management measures.

 This is important in order to ensure that the proponent does

not avoid complying with the recommendations for
environmental management.
6.3.2 Media of presentation

 Conventionally, the media of present is in a written report.

 However, it is often appropriate to supplement the EIS with

alternative information tools, such as local language video,
local radio programmmes, meetings and workshops.
 CHAPTER 7
EIA REVIEW, DECISION-MAKING
AND AUDITING
7.1 EIA REVIEW

7.1.1 Objective of EIA Reviewing

[

 The review of EIA is an essential “quality control”

mechanism in the EIA process.
 It ensures that the information made available to decision-
makers is complete, balanced and appropriate to the needs of
decision-making.
The main objectives of EIA review are threefold:

 Quality of the EIA report

 To determine whether the EIA report provides an adequate
assessment of the potential environmental and social implications
of a proposed project;
 To ensure EIS addresses all key issues, including the
consideration of alternative projects and deigns; and
 To ensure that the EIS complies with the Terms of reference
(ToR)
 Cont…

 Adequacy of the report for decision-making

 To ensure that the EIS presents key findings clearly, logically and
explicitly; and
 To identify gaps and further information needs required for decision-
making
 Opportunity for stakeholder and public involvement
 To ensure the stakeholders have not only been consulted, but also
participated in the EIA process; and,
 To allow stakeholders and public to comment and voice opinions on EIS
 7.1.2 Types of Review

 Review in the EIA process can be divided in to three “types”.

 Formal Review: the review may be undertaken by government,
independent authorities, independent accredited experts, review panels
or a combination of the above mentioned groups.
 Stakeholder Review: stakeholder groups include: central/local
government authorities, local people, NGOs/CBOs and interested
parties
 Proponent Review: review can be undertaken by proponent during the
preparation of the EIA report as part of a quality assurance process
 Managing the EIA review process
 In most countries, a particular lead agency is responsible for ensuring that the
EIA process meets agreed standards.
 In some cases, this is responsibility of a government department, whilst in others,
like the Netherlands, and proponent review.
 In many countries however, review agencies establish special review panels or
inquiry bodies drawing expertise from different organizations and agencies, such
as
 university department,
 research institutes,
 NGOs,
 consultancy organization, and

Timing of EIA review and quality control in EIA
process

 During the screening stage

 to decide on the level of environmental assessment necessary or
appropriate for a specific project or proposal.

 During scoping
 to define the mean problems, likely impacts, data requirement;
 to provide an opportunity to identify and involves stakeholders;
 to insure that alternatives are explored; and
 to define the terms of reference for the “full” EIA process.
Cont…

 During undertaking the EIA study

 to insure that appropriate methods and techniques are used;
 all the relevant stakeholder groups are involved; and
 interaction takes place between the EIA team and the project
designers.

 During monitoring
 to assess compliance with the project design and implementation as
they reflect the inputs of environment impact assessment, and
 check on the adherence to environmental standards.
Steps and tools of EIA review

 Set the boundaries/depth of the review

 Select reviewer(s)
 Use input from public stake holders
 Identify review criteria
 Carrey out the review
 Determine the required remedial measures
 Publish the review report
7.2 DECISION- MAKING
 Decision making takes place throughout the EIA process.
 Many decisions are made by proponent “e.g. choice between
various alternatives and project designs”.
 Other decisions maybe made jointly by the proponent and the
decision-making environmental authorities (e.g. screening and
scoping decisions).
 [

 However, the main decision in the EIA process, whether or

not allow the proposal to proposed lies with a government
agency, following consultation and public participation
Cont…
 The typical decision taken at this stage in the EIA process is
not usually a choice between alternatives, but seemingly
simpler choice between:
(a) authorization;
(b) authorization with conditions; or,
(c) refusal
 7.3 ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING

 Auditing is defined as the instrument that enables assessing the

effectiveness of proposed measures, the environmental behavior of a
project, and actions needed to adjust to environmental requirements.

 In the EIA process, audits imply a comparison between potential

impacts and actual ones that occur during project construction,
operation, and exit.

 It is a tool that supports follow-up since it makes it possible to

understand whether the identification and prediction of impact
behaviors were appropriate.
Cont…
 In addition, audits verify the effectiveness of mitigation
measures, detect informational deficiencies and flaws in the
follow-up program, and suggest measures to address negative
environmental impacts.
 Results of the audits are disseminated to improve impact
predictions and preparation of future EIAs for similar
projects.
 This enables using cumulative experience to improve
decision-making.
 The environmental audit is a practical tool for preparing the
environmental situation diagnosis to discern the situation of
existing liabilities.
Cont…
 It makes it possible to evaluate positive and negative aspects,
according to current regulations and available technology.
 The environmental audit is often used by industries as a tool
to meet the requirements of environmental regulations, to
prevent violation of such regulations, and to eliminate the risk
of sanction by authorities.
 It is also used to determine capital expenditure and optimize
the company’s budget management.
7.3.1 The rationale for audit

 In the absence of follow-up, EIA is a linear process without

scope for incorporating experience generated by one project
into the assessment and management of another.
 Auditing helps to avoid duplication of research and generation
of unnecessary information for each new project.
 Monitoring, auditing, and subsequent feedback, therefore,
builds continuity into the process, between the pre- and post-
decision of the project cycle.
 7.3.2 Types of audit

Basically, there are three types of audit

 Implantation/enforcement audit: this is undertaken by a

regulatory agency to verify that mitigation measures and levels of

emissions are within limits.
 This can be done by analyzing their design.
 Such audits include: activity audits, corporate audits and associate
audits.
 Performance/regulatory audit: this is a means of identifying
compliance status of facilities and is a tool employed by corporate
or management agencies,
 i.e. checking whether a particular operation, process, site, company or
project comply with relevant legislation (e.g. health safety).
Cont…

 Impact prediction audits: these have the primary purpose of

examining the accuracy and efficacy of impact predictions in
the EIS,
 i.e. testing how accurate the predicting in environmental impact
statements are by comparing them with actual monitored impacts
once the project is underway.
7.3.3 Audit procedure

 In conducting an environmental audit the following questions

have to be considered:
 What environmental impacts were predicted for the project
concerned?
 When and where were the predictions stated?
 What actual impacts have been monitored?
 Where are the results recorded?
 How do actual impacts compare with predicted impacts?
 CHAPTER 8
THE EIA SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA
8.1. POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR EIA
 Until 1997, Ethiopia did not have a comprehensive
environment policy as such.
 The Environmental Policy of Ethiopia was issued in 1997 to
provide overall guidance in the conservation and sustainable
utilization of the country’s environmental resources in
general.
 [[

 The overall objective of the environmental policy is

 to promote the sustainable social and economic development of the
country through, inter alia, sustainable management and utilization
of the natural resources of the country
8.2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR EIA
8.2.1. The FDRE Constitution
 Being a supreme law of a land, a constitution provides the basic
framework on which detailed laws shall be developed for various
sectors.
 The 1995 Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia contains provisions that support the enactment of EIA
legislation.
 In this regard:
 it stipulates that the design and implementation of development programs
and projects in the country should not damage or destroy the environment;
 and recognizes the right of the people to be consulted and express their
views on the planning and implementation of environmental policies and
projects that affect them (Art. 92).
Cont..
 In addition
 the constitution recognizes the right of citizens to live in a clean
environment,
 and, where they are displaced or their livelihood has been
adversely affected by the development projects undertaken by
the government,
 the rights to get commensurate monetary or alternative
compensation, including relocation with adequate state assistance
(Art. 44).
 These provisions provide a perfect constitutional basis for the
development and implementation of an effective EIA process.
Article 43
The Right to Development
 1. The peoples of Ethiopia as a whole, and each Nation,
Nationality and People in Ethiopia in particular have the right
to improved living standards and to sustainable development.
 2. Nationals have the right to participate in national
development and, in particular, to be consulted with respect to
policies and projects affecting their community.
 3. All international agreements and relations concluded,
established or conducted by the State shall protect and ensure
Ethiopia’s right to sustainable development.
 4. The basic aim of development activities shall be to enhance
the capacity of citizens for development and to meet their
basic needs.
Article 44
Environmental Rights
 1. All Persons have the right to a clean and healthy
environment.
 2. All persons who have been displaced or whose
livelihoods have been adversely affected as a result of State
programmes have the right to commensurate monetary or
alternative means of compensation, including relocation with
adequate State assistance.
Article 92
Environmental Objectives

 1. Government shall endeavor to ensure that all Ethiopians

live in a clean and healthy environment.
 2. The design and implementation of programmes and projects
of development shall not damage or destroy the environment.
 3. People have the right to full consultation and to the
expression of views in the planning and implementations of
environmental policies and projects that affect them directly.
 4. Government and citizens shall have the duty to protect the
environment.
8.2.2. Environmental impact assessment law

 Following the provisions of the environment policy, the

Ethiopian government introduced the Environmental Impact
Assessment Proclamation (Proclamation № 299 of 2002).
 The proclamation requires an EIA process for any planned
development project or public policy which is likely to have a
negative impact on the environment.
Cont…
 With regard to development projects, the proclamation
stipulates that no person shall commence implementation of a
proposed project identified by directive as requiring EIA
without first passing through environmental impact
assessment process and obtaining authorization from the
competent environmental agency (Art. 3(1)).
 In line with this,
 project proponents must undertake EIA and submit the report to the
concerned environmental body, and,
 when implementing the project, fulfill the terms and conditions of
the EIA authorization given to them (Art. 7).
Cont…
 Moreover, the proclamation allows for the imposition of a fine
between fifty-thousand and one hundred thousand birr on any
project owner who commences implementation of a project
without obtaining authorization from environmental agencies
or who makes false presentation in the environmental impact
assessment study report (Art. 18).
 Furthermore, the proclamation obliges licensing institutions,
prior to issuing investment permits or operation license to
projects, to ensure that the relevant environmental bodies have
authorized the implementation of the projects (Art. 3).
Cont…
 In addition, it requires such licensing institutions to suspend
or cancel the permit or license they have issued for projects
where the concerned environmental body suspends or cancels
the authorization given for implementation of the project (Art.
12).
 These provisions are important to ensure that project owners
comply with the EIA requirement.