EIA Tutorial 2

Q1. Environmental impact assessment studies are increasingly undertaken

before the project is cleared by the government. Discuss the environmental
impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at Pitheads?

Coal-fired plants located at ‘pitheads’ means plants located at coal source. Coal-based
power plants significantly impact the local environment. Direct impacts resulting from
construction and ongoing operations include
(i) flue gas emissions—particulates, sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrous oxides (NOx), and other
hazardous chemicals;
(ii) pollution of local streams, rivers and groundwater from effluent discharges and
percolation of hazardous materials from the stored flyash;
(iii) degradation of land used for storing flyash;
(iv) noise pollution during operation.
Indirect impacts of these plants result mainly from coal mining and include: degradation and
destruction of land, water, forests and habitats; and displacement, resettlement and
rehabilitation of people affected by mining operations.
The emission of particulates from power plants is of serious concern in India because of the
high ash content of Indian coals. Most of the particulate emissions come from flue gas,
although fugitive dust from coal-handling plants and dried-up ash ponds also are significant
sources of particulate pollution. The high ash content also leads to problems in ash
disposal, as power plants require large tracts of land for storing and land-filling ash.
Currently, MoEF is actively pursuing a 100% utilization of power plant ash in industrial and
agricultural processes. Coal based thermal power plants are also one of the largest source
of CO2 emissions.

Q2. What are the key objectives of EIA in India?

The objective of environmental impact assessment is to offer information to decision makers

concerning matters that may be brought about as a result of decisions relating to a new
project, program, plan or policy. Environmental impact assessment must realize decision-
making based on the inputted information including potentially important factors and it must
be beneficial for both the proponent and the citizens. Furthermore, environmental impact
assessment is a technique that presents in a systematic manner a technical assessment of
impacts on the environment that the project is likely to cause and explains the significance of
predicted impacts and as a result, it indicates the scope for modification or mitigation. Finally
it makes the concerned ministries/agencies assess the potential results of the project before
a decision is given. Project developers and administrative agencies who have a
responsibility for environmental consideration can use environmental impact assessment
technique to improve the quality of both the project plan and decision-making by identifying
possible effects in the early stages. The specific objections of the environmental impact
assessment system are as follows:
i) To disclose significant environmental effects of proposed projects to decision-
makers and the public.
ii) To identify ways to avoid or reduce environmental damage.
iii) To prevent adverse environmental impacts by requiring implementation of feasible
alternatives or mitigation measures.
iv) To disclose reason of approvals for the projects with significant environmental
impacts to the public.
v) To foster interagency co-ordination.
vi) To enhance public participation.

Q3. Describes in detail the cycles of Environmental Impact Assessment.

Cycles of Environmental Impact Assessment Screening

The EIA process begins from the very start of a project. Once a developer has identified a
need and assessed all the possible alternatives of project design and sites to select
a preferred alternative, two important questions must be asked: 'What will be the effects of
this development on the environment? Are those effects significant?' If the answer to the
second question is 'yes', an EIA may be required. Answering this question is a process
known as screening and can be an essential first step into a formal EIA.
The EIA process is, it must be stressed, iterative. This is demonstrated at this early stage of
screening where the requirement for a formal EIA and its associated cost implications can
lead the developer to reassess the project design with a view to reducing the significant
impacts to a level where an EIA is not legally required .
1. Scoping
Where it is decided that a formal EIA is required, the next stage is to define the issues that
need to be addressed, that is, those impacts that have a significant effect on the
environment. This is known as scoping and is essential for focusing the available resources
on the relevant issues.
2. Baseline study
Following on from scoping, it is essential to collect all relevant information on the current
status of the environment. This study is referred to as a baseline study as it provides a
baseline against which change due to a development can be measured.
3. Impact prediction
Once the baseline study information is available, the important task of impact
prediction can begin. Impact prediction involves forecasting the likely changes in the
environment that will occur as a result of the development.
4. Impact assessment
The next phase involves the assessment of the identified impacts - impact assessment.
This requires interpretation of the importance or significance of the impacts to provide a
conclusion, which can ultimately be used by decision-makers in determining the fate of the
project application.
5. Mitigation
Frequently, the assessment of impacts will reveal damaging effects upon the environment.
These may be alleviated by mitigation measures. Mitigation involves taking measures to
reduce or remove environmental impacts and it can be seen that the iterative nature of the
EIA process is well demonstrated here. For example, successful design of mitigation
measures could possibly result in the removal of all significant impacts; hence a new
screening exercise would reveal that there might have been no need to carry out a formal
EIA had the mitigation measures been included from the start.
6. Producing the environmental impact statement
The outcome of an EIA is usually a formal document, known as an environmental impact
statement (EIS), which sets out factual information relating to the development, and all the
information gathered relating to screening, scoping, baseline study, impact prediction and
assessment, mitigation, and monitoring measures. It is quite common that a requirement of
an EIS is that it also produces a non-technical summary. This is a summary of the
information contained within the EIS, presented in a concise non-technical format, for those
who do not wish to read the detailed documents. This is very important, as EISs are public
documents intended to inform the public of the nature and likely consequences of a
development in time to comment and/or participate in the final project design.
7. EIS review
Once the EIA is complete, the EIS is submitted to the competent authority. This is the body
with the authority to permit or refuse development applications. The competent authorities
are often in a position of having very little time to make a decision and have a detailed and
lengthy EIS to read through which may contain errors, omissions, and developer bias. It is
essential, therefore, that they review the document. Review can take a number of forms: it
may be purely an ad hoc process whereby the document is read and commented on by
decision-makers; it can be more formalised and expert opinion is sought; or it can be through
the use of formal review methods designed specifically for the purpose. Basically, the review
process should enable the decision-maker to decide whether the EIS is adequate (eg
whether it is legally compliant), whether the information is correct, and whether it is
unbiased. If it is, they are then in a position to use the EIS as information to be considered in
determining whether the project should receive consent. This issue of review is discussed in
more detail elsewhere in this module.
The competent authority is now in possession of the information they require about the
possible effects of the development on the environment. They will use this information, in
combination with all of the other details and representations they have received, to help
them come to a decision.
8. Follow up
Follow up relates to the post-approval phase of EIA and encompasses monitoring of
impacts, the continued environmental management of a project, and impact auditing.
Without any form of follow up EIA would operate as a linear rather than an iterative process,
and an important step towards achieving environmental protection will also have been
omitted.
Follow up presents an opportunity both to control environmental effects and to learn from the
process and cause-effect relationships. Ideally, data generated by monitoring and other
aspects of follow up should be compared with the original predictions and mitigation
measures in the EIS to determine
1. the accuracy of the original predictions
2. the degree of the deviation from the predictions
3. the possible reasons for any deviation
4. whether mitigation measures have achieved their objective of reducing or eliminating
impacts
Information generated by this process can contribute to the improvement of future EIA
practice, for example, by enabling more accurate predictions to be made.

Q4. Differentiate between Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and

Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA).

Environment impact assessment Strategic environment assessment

1. Takes place at end of decision-
making cycle
2. Reactive approach to development
proposal
3. Identifies specific impacts on the
environment
4. Considers limited number of feasible
alternatives
5. Limited review of cumulative effects
1. Takes place at earlier stages of
decision making cycle
2. Pro-active approach to development
proposals
3. Also identifies environmental
implications, issues of sustainable
development
4. Considers broad range of potential
alternatives
5. Early warning of cumulative effects
6. Emphasis on mitigating and
minimizing impacts
7. Narrow perspective, high level of
detail
8. Well-defined process, clear
beginning and end
9. Focuses on standard agenda, treats
symptoms of environmental
deterioration
6. Emphasis on meeting
environmental objectives, maintaining
natural systems
7. Broad perspective, lower level of
detail to provide a vision and overall
framework
8. Multi-stage process, overlapping
components, policy level is continuing,
iterative
9. Focuses on sustainability agenda,
gets at sources of environmental
deterioration

SEA had limited development and implementation till 1990. However, after 1990, a
number of countries in developed economies adopted SEA. Some countries such as
Canada and Denmark have made provision for SEA of policy, plans and
programmes separately from EIA legislation and procedure. Other countries such as
Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc have introduced SEA requirements through reforms in
EIA legislation and in case of United Kingdom through environmental appraisal.
While in New Zealand and Australia, it is a part of resource management or
biodiversity conservation regimes. The adoption of SEA is likely to grow significantly
in the coming years especially with directives by European Union and Protocol to the
UNECE Convention on Transboundary EIA by signatory countries (with a provisional
date of May 2003 for completion).

Q5. What are the comparative review of EIA procedures and practices of
EIA in developed countries, EIA in developing countries and EIA in
India?

Developed EIA in EIA in India

countries developing
countries
Well-framed EIA Lack of formal Formal
legislation in EIA legislation in legislation for
place. For many developing EIA. It has been
instance, in countries. For enacted by
Canada, Canadian instance, EIA is making an
Environmental not mandatory in amendment in
Assessment Act many African the Environment
regulates EIA countries Protection Act
while EU countries 1986.
are guided by
Directive on EIA
(1985).
In developed Limited Limited
countries, active involvement of involvement of
involvement of all public and public and
participants government government
including agencies in the agencies in the
competent initial phases. initial phases.
authority, This often results
government in poor
agencies and representation of
affected people at the issues and
early stages of the impacts in the
EIA. This makes report, adversely
the process more affecting the
robust and gives a quality of the
fair idea of issues, report.
which need to be
addressed in the
initial phase of
EIA.
Integrated Mainly No provision in
approach to EIA environmental place to cover
followed. All aspects landscape and
aspects including considered. Poor visual impacts in
social and health on social or the Indian EIA
taken into health aspects. regulations
account.
Proper The consideration Same as
consideration of of alternatives in developing
alternatives in EIA developing countries
countries is more
or less absent.
The process of In developing Screening done
screening is well countries, on the basis of a
defined. For screening defined list.
instance, in EU practice in EIA is Threshold
countries weak. In most values on the
competent cases, there is a size of the
authorities decide list of activities project has been
whether EIA is that require EIA used to decide
required after but without any whether the
seeking advice threshold values. project will be
from developer, cleared by the
NGO and statutory state
consultees. In government or
Japan, screening the central
decision is made government.
by the authorizing
agency with
respect to certain
criteria. In
Canada, federal
authority
determines
whether an
environmental
assessment is
required or not.
Scoping process Scoping process Earlier scoping
is comprehensive in most was done by
and involves developing consultant or
consultation with countries is very proponent with
all the poorly defined. In an inclination
stakeholders. In many countries towards meeting
many countries including China, pollution control
like US, Pakistan, etc. requirements,
Netherlands, there is no rather than
Canada and provision for addressing the
Europe, the scoping. In some full range of
involvement of the countries like in potential
public and their Nigeria and environmental
concern are Indonesia, a term impacts from a
addressed in the of reference is proposed
scoping exercise. followed for development.
Besides this, scoping while in However, the
funding some countries new notification
organisations such like Ghana, has put the onus
as World Bank, Taiwan and of scoping on
ADB and ERDB Chile, a general the expert
have provision for checklist is committee
consultation with followed. In based on the
the affected countries where it information
people and NGOs is undertaken, provided by the
during there is no public proponent.
identification of consultation Consultation
issues in scoping during scoping. with public is
exercise. Moreover, in most optional and
developing depends on the
countries, discretion of the
scoping is often expert
directed towards committee.
meeting pollution
control
requirements,
rather than
addressing the
full range of
potential
environmental
impacts from a
proposed
development.
Most reports in Most reports in Most reports in
local language English and not in English and not
the local in the local
 language. language. In
some case,
executive
summary is
translated into
local language.
A multi-disciplinary Lack of trained Same in India.
approach. EIA professionals Preparation of
Involvement of often leads to the EIA is done by
expert with preparation of consultants.
expertise in inadequate and Therefore, the
different areas. irrelevant EIA selection
reports in criterion for the
developing organisation is
countries fees/cost rather
than the
expertise of EIA
team.
Two tier of EIA Poor review or In India too, EIA
review, One monitoring. review is not
conducted after upto the marks.
the completion of The review
EIA to check the agency called
adequacy and Impact
effectiveness of Assessment
EIA and the Agency (IAA)
second done lacks inter-
before decision- disciplinary
making. capacity. No
representation of
NGO in IAA,
which is a
violation of the
EIA notification.
Expertise in The expertise in Expertise in this
EIA: The EIA is slowly area is
International developing. In developing.
Association for most cases,
Impact students from the
Assessment (AIA) developing
and other countries go to
organisations the developed
demonstrate that countries to gain
there are a large knowledge of the
number of subject.
individuals with
the capability to
design, conduct,
review and
evaluate EIAs
from countries of
the North. The
major portion of
teaching about
environmental
assessment also
takes place in
industrial
countries.

Q6. What are the Salient features of 2006, 2012 and 2014 Amendment of
EIA?

The salient features of EIA Notification, 2006

1. The EIA Notification, 2006 has categorized the projects into two categories
namely Category ‘A’ and Category ‘B’ based on their impact potential.
2. Category ‘A’ projects will be appraised at the Central level while Category
‘B’ projects at the State level.
3. State level Environment Impact Assessment Authorities and Committees
(SEIAAs and SEACs) have been constituted for the purpose of appraisal of
Category ‘B’ projects
4. The stage of scoping for prescribing terms of reference by the Regulatory
Agency for the EIA studies has been incorporated in accordance with the
International practice. It is expected to improve the quality of EIA thereby
improving the quality of decision making and minimizing the delays.
5. The public consultation process has been made more structured. It has
two components i.e. comments through correspondence and by public
hearing at site. Provision to videograph the proceedings of the public
hearing has been made.
6. NOCs from other regulatory agencies such as SPCB etc. are not a
prerequisite for considering application for environmental clearance.