Environmental Impact of the construction industry: -

On local or global scale, the construction projects have a significant impact on the environment. It was
researched and agreed upon that every stage in the construction process have a measurable environmental
impact. For instance, the mining processes used to source for materials, the transportation of these
materials also causes environmental impact, and the construction of the building or structures itself in
additional to the waste removal also causes environmental impact. With the development of the
construction industry in the last 10 years it is crucial to understand how the construction process causes
the environmental to deteriorate and how to reduce this impact in the future.
Scientist believes that because of the increase of carbon dioxide emission, the earth is becoming more
warmer and the human activities are the main reason for the accelerating factor of this global issue. The
contribution of the construction industry is by the carbon dioxide emission.
Carbon dioxide is a gaseous product of burning fossil fuels and the gas that emitted from the burning
process is trapped in the atmosphere and causes the green housing effect which cause the earth to become
warmer.
The construction industry involves in the deterioration of the environmental due to the carbon dioxide
emission, methane and the waste in the construction projects. Although these factors contribute to the
global warming and the increase of the earth temperature, the most harmful construction process in the
construction industry is the heavy machinery used for mining project which dig deep into the earth
surface and extract material from the earth. This mining has huge environmental impact on the Earth.
Additionally, the global cement industry contributes to approximately 5% of the global carbon dioxide
emission, the burning of the fossil fuel used for electricity and transportation of materials have a major
contribution.
Aside from its contribution to the climate change, the construction industry individual and small projects
also have environmental impact on the local nature of the area. These sources of pollution which cause
the water sources to be polluted are paints, solvents, toxic chemicals and fossil fuel. Although these
sources of pollution are regulated by the government due to its dangerous effect on the environmental, it
is impossible to implement them completely due to the contractors and stakeholders aim which is profit.
Additionally, the building that being currently being constructed have a greater environmental impact
than the other factors due to the high consumption of energy of 40% of the daily global energy of the
world.

Reducing the Environmental Impact in the construction site: -

In order to reduce the environmental effects caused by the construction industry collaborative effort from
many different stakeholders is required. Creating and implementing new regulation in order to manage
the waste cause the construction process and creating green building is crucial in order to reduce the
environmental impact in the construction industry. Many of the global construction firms are taking the
initiative by studying and enforcing the process and implementations for limiting the environmental
impacts of the construction projects.
One of the most recent breakthroughs is the use of green building materials in the new projects. These
green materials can be produced, reducing or eliminating the need to engage in destructive and costly
mining practices which consume a lot of fossil fuels. The reason for using these green materials are due to
its recycling properties and re-use properties which contribute to lowering the cost of materials in the
construction industry which lower the environmental impact and lower the cost of the construction of the
structures.

Environmental Impact caused by the construction of the General Storage Reservoir: -

Environmental Impacts Priority

Natural Transportation Resources Priority 01
Resources Energy Consumption on Site Priority 04
Impact Raw Material Consumption Priority 07
Resources Deterioration Priority 16
Electricity Consumption Priority 19

Environmental Impacts Priority

Ecosystem Noise Pollution Priority 02
Impact Dust Generation with Construction Priority 03
Machinery
Land Pollution Priority 06
Waterborne Suspended Substance Priority 08
 Air Pollution Priority 09
Operations with Vegetation Removal Priority 10
Emission of Volatile Organic Priority 11
Compounds and CFC
Generation of Inert Waste Priority 13
Operation with High Potential Soil Priority 14
Erosion
Water Pollution Priority 15
Waste generation Priority 17
Dust Generation Priority 18
Insert Water Priority 20
Chemical Pollution Priority 21
Landscape Alteration Priority 23
Toxic generation Priority 24
Waterborne Toxicities Priority 25
Green House Gas Emission Priority 26

Environmental Impacts Priority

Public Site Hygiene Condition Priority 05
Impact Public Health Effects Priority 12
Social Disruption Priority 22