Environmental

Impact Assessment
Prof. Sandeep Hegde
Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environment Impact Assessment or EIA

can be defined as the study to predict
the effect of a proposed activity/project
on the environment.
• A decision making tool, EIA compares
various alternatives for a project and
seeks to identify the one which
represents the best combination of
economic and environmental costs and
benefits.
Environmental Impact Assessment

is intended as an instrument of
preventive environmental
management. It provides a
framework and an information
basis for decision making on
activities affecting the
environment.
EIA – Three core values
1. Integrity: The EIA process should be
fair, objective, unbiased and balanced

2. Utility: The EIA process should

provide balanced, credible information
for decision making

3. Sustainability: The EIA process

should result in environmental
safeguards
“To say that infrastructure development has
impact is to state the obvious. No industrial
country has advanced to such status without
developing solid infrastructure facilities. And
no low-income country has managed to
escape poverty in the absence of
infrastructure.

In addition to economic growth,

infrastructure development has a very
tangible impact on people's daily lives, and
especially on the lives of poor people ”
- Liqun Jin
Vice President, ADB
EIA
applies to the assessment of the
environmental effects of those public
and private projects which are likely to
have significant effects on the
environment.
EIA
Project means:
• 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
minerals.
EIA
Development consent means:
• the decision of the competent
authorities which entitles the developer
to proceed with the project.
EIA
….. have significant effects on the
environment by virtue inter alia,
of their:
nature, size, location.
 EIA
… direct and indirect effects of a project
on the following factors:
• human beings, fauna and flora
• soil, water, air, climate and the landscape
• the inter-action between the factors
mentioned in the first and second indents
• material assets and the cultural heritage.
 Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
There are two types of EIA models- the statutory
model which makes the assessment of impact
compulsory under an enacted law, or a delegated
legislation, and the administrative model under
which an administration exercises its discretion to
find out whether an impact study is necessary. Till
1992, India was following the administrative model
of EIA.
 EIA – Statutory Model
• On 27th January, 1994 a notification was issued
dealing with mandatory EIA. The notification
requires project proponent to submit an EIA
report, and environment management plan, details
of the public hearing and a project report to the
impact assessment agency for clearance, further
review by a committee of experts in certain cases.
• By the amendment in the year 1997, public hearing
was made compulsory before impact assessment
was finalized.
Environmental
Clearance
Process
Information requirements

Description of the project:

• physical characteristics, land-use
requirements during construction and
operation
• production processes, materials used
• estimate of expected residues and
emissions (water, air, soil pollution, noise,
vibrations, light, heat, radiation, etc.)
Information requirements

Alternatives:
• outline of the main alternatives
• main reasons for choice, including
environmental effects
Information requirements

Impacts on:
• population, fauna, flora, soils, water, air,
climatic factors, material assets incl.
architectural and archeological heritage,
landscape
• interrelationship between these factors
Information requirements

Likely significant effects from:

• existence of the project
• use of natural resources
• emission of pollutants, creation of
nuisances, elimination of waste
and the description of the methods
used to assess the effects.
Information requirements

Description of measures:
• to prevent, reduce, and where
possible to offset any significant
adverse effects on the
environment.
Environmental Impact Assessment
procedural steps:
• description of the project
• description of the environment
• identification of environmental impacts
• evaluation of environmental impacts
• management and control of impacts
• presentation of the study
• public participation
• judgment by authorities
EIA Process
Environmental Impact Assessment

procedure:
• deciding whether an EIA is required (Screening)
• determining the scope of EIA (Scoping)
• preparing of the impact statement (EIS)
• consultations, public participation
• evaluating EIA results and consultations
• reaching a decision
• monitoring impacts after project implementation
 Phase B

Phase A
Phase C
Project
Life
Cycle
Phase E
Phase D
A. Project
Concept/Identification
• Initial stage of the project planning

– Basic nature of the project is known

including the site(s) where the project
is being proposed to be implemented

– “Screen” project to determine if

project requires a full EIA
 Screening
Screening
• Identify environmental issues of concern
Environmental • Determine whether EIA is needed
impact • Establish need for project

Economic
Project
impact
Not require Require Impacts
EIA EIA unclear
Social
impact
Threshold criteria Impact criteria
• Size • Significant but
• Location easily identifiable
• Output impacts
• Cost/Finances • Significant impacts
• Environmental • Sensitive area
effects
• etc.
B. Pre-feasibility Stage
“Scope” the project to identify issues/impacts for investigation

Methods for Scoping

Making a plan for Evaluating the

public involvement significance of issues

Identifying major issues Distribution of information

of public concern to interested parties

Establishing priorities for Developing a strategy for

environmental assessment addressing priorities
Initial Assessment of
Impacts
Existing or baseline data:
• provide a description of the status and
trends of environmental factors (e.g., air
pollutant concentrations) against which
predicted changes can be compared and
evaluated in terms of importance

• provide a means of detecting actual change

by monitoring once a project has been
initiated
C. Feasibility Stage
Conduct the EIA and determine if the
project is viable
• Magnitude of impact - indicate whether the impact
is irreversible or, reversible and estimated potential
rate of recovery
• Extent of impact - spatial extent of impacts should
be determined
• Duration of Impact - arising at different phases of
the project cycle and the length of the impact [e.g.
short term (during construction-9 yrs), medium term
(10-20 yrs), long term (20+ yrs)]
D. Implement & Audit the
Project
The EIA is a "reference" guide during
implementation
• Outlines mitigation strategies and monitoring
schemes
Preventative measures - reduce potential adverse impacts before
occurrence
Compensatory measures - compensate for unavoidable adverse
impacts
Corrective measures - reduces the adverse impact to an acceptable
level

• Audit project after completion to identify

lessons learned
E. Environmental Monitoring
• Environmental monitoring provides feedback
about the actual environmental impacts of a
project
• Helps judge the success of mitigation
measures in protecting the environment
• Ensure compliance with environmental
standards
• Facilitate any needed project design or
operational changes
Strategic environment assessment
• Strategic environment assessment (SEA) refers to
systematic analysis of the environmental effects of
development policies, plans, programmes and other
proposed strategic actions. This process extends the
aims and principles of EIA upstream in the decision-
making process, beyond the project level and when
major alternatives are still open. SEA represents a
proactive approach to integrating environmental
considerations into the higher levels of decision-
making.

• Despite its wide use and acceptance, EIA has certain

shortcomings as a tool for minimizing environmental
effects of development proposals. It takes place
relatively late at the downstream end of the decision
making process, after major alternatives and
directions have been chosen
Activists are calling the project illegal. “The land of adivasis
here is ceiling land. During the land reforms movement,
excess land that was acquired by the government was
given to adivasis for tilling in 1972. Land deed, locally called
7/12, was also issued in their names. Such ceiling land can
neither be transferred nor sold. But the Maharashtra
government has issued special resolutions to ensure that
the ceiling land can be acquired for developing Lavasa,”
says Rifat Mumtaz of Pune-based ngo National Centre for
Advocacy Studies (ncas). Mumtaz adds that Lavasa has
flouted rules because the project has not taken any
environmental impact assessment (eia) clearance from the
Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
“The corporation has already constructed one private dam and there is
no water downstream of this dam. Farmers have neither drinking water
nor water for irrigation. The farmers downsteam recently attacked
mkvdc and it was forced to release water. Imagine what will happen
after all the four dams are constructed,” says Shedge of Mugaon
village. A petition in the Bombay High Court challenged allocation of
mkvdc’s land in 2006. The petition also said that mkvdc was not meant
for commercial use and Lavasa was a purely commercial venture. The
case is pending.

The company says it is building 12 mini dams in the area that will “add
to the current capacity of the Warasgaon lake”. “These dams will be
built at higher levels increasing the existing catchment capacity. We will
create an additional water catchment of 0.9 thousand million cubic
metres (tmc) of which 0.4 tmc will be used by Lavasa and 0.5 tmc will
be released into the lake,” the spokesperson said.
But experts warn that water scarcity will not remain
limited to downstream villages; it will also hit Pune
city, as its water supply goes from this valley, called
the Mose valley. “On the one hand, the government is
destroying the present water source for Pune and on
the other, it is seeking funds from the Centre for
additional water supply,” says Pune corporator
Bhapkar. Meanwhile, protests against the project have
gathered steam. Villagers are demanding a Central
Bureau of Investigation enquiry.
EIA’s therefore cannot….
• Decide which alternative to chose

• Prevent environmental impacts from

happening

• Guarantee decisions you like

• Prohibit any actions

• Cumulative effects of multiple projects