EIA FRAMEWORK

IMPACT ANALYSIS

• Impact analysis is the technical heart of the EIA process. The three phases
of impact analysis are as follows:

– Identification: identifying more specifically the impacts to be

investigated in detail. i.e. to specify the impacts associated with each
phase of the project and the activities undertaken.

– Prediction: predicting the characteristics of the main impacts. i.e. to

forecast the nature, magnitude, extent and duration of the main impacts.

– Evaluation: evaluating the significance of the residual impacts that

cannot be mitigated. i.e. to determine the significance of residual
impacts after taking into account how mitigation will reduce a predicted
impact.
IMPACT
The impact of an activity is a deviation (a change) from the baseline
situation that is caused by the activity

An impact or effect can be

IMPACT CHARACTERISTIC described as the change in an
environmental parameters, which
results from a particular activity
or interaction.

The change is the difference

Environmental impact
between the environmental
parameter with the project
compared to that without the
project. It is predicted or
measured over a specified period
and within a defined area.
Dimensions of Prediction
 What to Predict?
The object of prediction is to identify the magnitude and other dimensions of
identified change in the environment with a project or action, in comparison with
the situation without that project or action.
Identify the potential change in indicators of such environment receptors.

1
Identify potential Many resources describe the potential
Steps involved

impacts impacts of typical small-scale activities.

2 Determine which potential impacts are

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

3 Judge the
significance of
potential impacts
Determine whether the predicted
impacts are indeed significant!
5
Types of impacts and their attributes
The EIA process is Physical and socio-economic
concerned with Direct and indirect
all types of impacts and may Short-run and long-run
Local and strategic
describe them in a number Adverse and beneficial
of ways Reversible and irreversible
Quantitative and qualitative
Cumulative impacts
 Magnitude Distribution by group/ area
 Significance Actual and perceived
Relative to other developments

 Intensity
 Direction But all impacts
 Spatial extent
 Duration are NOT treated
 Frequency equally.
 Reversibility
 Probability 6
Expression of Significance

Medium High
Magnitude

Significance Significance

Low Medium
Significance Significance

Importance/Sensitivity

Significance expressed as a function of impact magnitude

and the importance/sensitivity of the resources or receptors
Predictive techniques for different effects

The objectives were to Atmospheric Effects

identify predictive
techniques used in the Aquatic Effects
practice of EIAs, prepare
descriptions of the
Subsurface Effects
techniques, and classify
the techniques in terms
of the effect predicted Acoustic Effects
and the method used.
Atmospheric effects

 Emission factor techniques

Sources:

Empirical techniques

Effects on air quality Higher-order effects

•Experimental methods •Simple dilution models for soils and water
•Wind tunnels •Pathway models for human exposure
•Water channels •Empirical models dose effect
•Mathematical models •Survey techniques-inventory technique
•Roll-back models
•Dispersion models
•Simple box
•Gaussian plume
•K-theory
•Long-range transport
•Long-term prediction
•Empirical models
Aquatic effects
 Simple steady-state run-off models
Sources:
Complex dynamic run-off models
Accidental spills
Effects on water quality
• Experimental methods- hydraulic
models-in situ tracer
experiments
• Mathematical models for Rivers,
estuaries
• coastal waters, lakes, river-
reservoir systems
• Simple mixing models
• Dissolved oxygen models
• Steady-state estuary models
• Complex coastal waters
• Dispersion models
Hydraulic effects
Experimental models
- hydraulic models
Mathematical models
-dynamic models
Higher-order effects
• Experimental models- bioassay
• Mathematical models- population,
productivity, and nutrient cycling
models
• Partition models
• Empirical models
• Survey techniques- inventory
techniques
Subsurface effects
 Simple leachate flow models
Sources:
Simple leachate quality models
Effects on ground water quality
• Experimental methods in situ
tracer experiments
• Mathematical models- steady-
state dispersion, complex
models
• Evaluation techniques
Effects on soils
• Mathematical models- mixing
models, simple steady-state
models, complex models,
empirical models
Hydraulic effects
Experimental models
- field tests
Mathematical models
-steady state dispersion
models, complex models
Effects on Plants and Animals
• Mathematical models- population,
productivity, and
• nutrient cycling models
• Survey techniques- evaluation and
inventory techniques
Effects on Landscape
• Experimental methods- still and moving
2-D models, 3-D models
• Mathematical models- empirical models
• Survey techniques- evaluation methods,
visibility and inventory techniques
Acoustics effects
Activity
 Emission models
Sources:
Mobile sources
- roads, railways
Airports
Stationary sources

Acoustic effects Higher-order effects

• Experimental methods- • Mathematical models- empirical
physical models annoyance models
• Mathematical models- • Survey techniques- inventory
steady-state ambient techniques
sound and noise models
Accidental effects
• Hazard and operability
studies
• Event and fault tree
analysis
• Consequence modelling
Systematic grouping of prediction techniques
1 Physical models
-illustrative models
Experimental -working models.
Methods Field experiments.
Laboratory experiments.

2 Empirical models
-Site-specific empirical models
-Generalized empirical models
Mathematical Internally descriptive models
-Emission factor models
Models -Roll-back models
-Simple mixing models
-Steady-state dispersion models
-Complex mathematical models

3
Inventory techniques
Survey Evaluation techniques
Techniques Visibility techniques
PREDICTION AND ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ON THE
AIR ENVIRONMENT
COMPOSITIONS OF DRY ATMOSPHERIC AIR
Chemical compound Concentration Concentration
(ppm)a (µg/m3)b

Nitrogen (N2) 780,000 8.95 x 108

Oxygen (O2) 209,400 2.74 x 108

Argon (Ar) 9,300 1.52 x107

Carbon dioxide (CO2) 315 5.67 x105

Neon (Ne) 18 1.49 x104

Helium (He) 5.2 8.50 x102

Methane (CH4) 1.2 7.87 x102

Krypton (Kr) 1.0 3.43 x103

Hydrogen (H2) 0.5 4.13 x101

Xenon (Xe) 0.08 4.29 x102

Nitrous oxide (N2O) 0.5 9.00 x102

Ozone (O3) 0.01-0.04 1.96 x101 –7.84 x101

a parts per million; b micrograms per cubic meter

SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION DUE TO TERRORISM
 SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION
Natural :
 Volcanic eruptions
 Dust storms
 Forest fires

Anthropogenic/ Man made

 Stationary sources
- Point sources (Industries,
power plants fuels
combustion)
- Area sources (Residential
heating coal gas oil, on site
incineration, open burning
etc.)
 Mobile sources
- Line sources (Highway
vehicles, railroad
locomotives, channel vessels
etc.)
 TYPES OF AIR POLLUTANTS

• Primary air pollutants - Materials that when released pose

health risks in their unmodified forms or those emitted directly from
identifiable sources.

• Secondary air pollutants - Primary pollutants interact with one

another, sunlight, or natural gases to produce new, harmful
compounds
 General classification of Gaseous Air pollutants

Class Primary pollutants Secondary pollutants

Sulfur containing compounds SO2, H2S SO3, H2SO4
Organic compounds H-C Compounds Ketones, aldehydes,O3,
acids, organic aerosols
Nitrogen containing NO, NH3 NO2, O3
compounds
Oxides of carbon CO, CO2 ---
Halogen compounds HCL, HF ---
Photochemical oxidants -- O3, NO2, H2O2,
peroxyacetyl nitrate
TYPES OF AIR POLLUTION

• Personal air exposure

– It refers to exposure to dust, fumes and gases to which an individual
exposes himself when he indulge himself in smoking.

• Occupational air exposure

– It represents the type of exposure of individuals to potentially harmful
concentration of aerosols, vapors, and gases in their working
environment.

• Community air exposure

– This is most serious, complex, consists of varieties of assortment of
pollution sources, meteorological factors, and wide variety of adverse
social, economical, and health effects.
CONCEPTUAL APPROACH FOR ADDRESSING AIR
ENVIRONMENT IMPACTS.
There are six sequential steps for air quality impact studies:

Step 1: Identification of air quality impacts of proposed projects.

Step 2: Description of existing air environment conditions.

Step 3: Procurement of relevant Air Quality Standards and/or guidelines.

Step 4: Impact prediction.

Step 5: Assessment of Impact Significance.

Step 6: Identification and incorporation of mitigation measures.

CONCEPT OF MATHEMATICAL
MODELLING APPLIED TO AIR POLLUTION

Mathematical
Modelling

Source Transport Receptor

Source: Point, Line, Area.

Receptors: Humans.
Transport :Decides fate of air pollution
Re-entertainment: Re suspension of air pollutants.