Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Zimbabwe

 Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA] is a planning tool used to identify, predict, and
assess potential impacts (either negative or positive) that may arise from planned projects,
and come up with ways with which to minimise negative impacts and enhance positive
ones (Chronicle 2012).
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely
environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into
account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both
beneficial and adverse. (Convention on Biological Diversity n.d.)
 EIA aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and
design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local
environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.
 UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a tool used to
identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project prior to
decision-making.
 By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved,
such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoided
treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.
 An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process which identifies the
environmental impacts of a development project and clearly outlines measures
to mitigate the negative impacts caused during project construction,
implementation and decommissioning. (Environmental Management
Agency 2018).
 The Environmental Management Act defines an Environmental Impact
assessment as ‘an evaluation of a project to determine its impact on the
environment and human health and to set out the required environmental
monitoring and management procedures and plans’.
 The EIA is thus a tool that enhances sustainable development where
environmental, economic and social pillars are mainstreamed in the project in
a balanced manner. To determine the potential and known effects of proposed
projects on the cultural, social, economic and ecological health of an area
affected and put in place measures to avoid negative impacts while enhancing
the positive ones.

Purpose

 To ensure that adequate environmental information is available to decision

makers,

 Identification of cultural, social, economic and ecological monitoring and

management requirements during construction , operation &
decommissioning,

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  To improve public participation in government decisions by involving the
public at all stages of the EIA.

Importance
 To inform the process of decision-making by identifying the potentially significant
environmental effects and risks of development proposals and projects.
 To promote sustainable development by ensuring that development proposals do not
undermine critical resource and ecological functions or the well-being, lifestyle and
livelihood of the communities and peoples who depend on them.
 It enables monitoring and evaluation of developmental projects by regulatory authorities.
 The process gives communities an opportunity to contribute and influence the
development process in a way favourable to them. Increased accountability and
transparency during the development process.

 Reduced environmental damage as measures are already put in place before a

project starts.

 Increased project acceptance by the public- communities as they are involved

in the process

 Better environmental planning and design of a proposal. Carrying out an EIA

entails an analysis of alternatives in the design and location of projects.

 A well-designed project can minimize risks and impacts on the environment

and people, and thereby avoid associated costs of remedial treatment or
compensation for damage.

 It fosters mutual understanding between organizations, proponents and the

people affected by the development. It provides the proponent with more
realistic and objective information about the constraints placed on it by
authorities.

 Savings in capital and operating costs. EIA can avoid the undue costs of
unanticipated impacts. These can escalate if environmental problems have not
been considered from the start of proposal design and require rectification
later

Steps In The EIA Process

Screening
 The first step in the EIA process is the screening of projects. This is an evaluation of
proposals to find out which ones should be subjected to EIA and which ones should not.
 A prospectus is a short report that informs EMA that a prescribed activity is being
considered to be undertaken. Basically, the prospectus requires project proponents to
describe a proposed project in terms of location, size, area sensitivity, and project

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 implementation strategy, among others issues.
 In Zimbabwe, all projects listed in the First schedule of the Environmental Management
Act (CAP 20:27) are called prescribed activities and should undergo the EIA process
before implementation.
Scoping And Terms of Reference
 A Scoping process identifies issues that are likely to be important during the detailed
EIA phase and eliminates those that are not.
 It involves the interaction between the interested and affected parties, government
departments and proponent(s) for identifying issues with respect to a proposed
development.
 Terms of Reference (TORs) refer to a document which details the main environmental
issues which must be addressed in an EIA study.
Impact Identification and Analysis
 Impact identification involves taking account of all the important environmental impacts,
making sure that both negative and positive impacts are critically assessed. While analysis
is a technical exercise which uses physical, biological, socio-economic and cultural data
to estimate the likely characteristics and parameters of impacts.
 Tools that can be used include checklists, matrices, networks, overlays and GIS systems.
 Participatory tools should be employed to enable communities to outline impacts from
proposed development projects as they perceive them.
Environmental Management Plan (EMP) or Impact Management Plan
 This is developed and presented as part of the EIA report. An EMP translates
recommended mitigation and monitoring measures into specific actions that will be
carried out by the proponent concurrently as project implementation progresses.
 It contains summary of the potential impacts, their recommended mitigation measures,
statement of their compliance with relevant standards, allocation of resources and
responsibilities for plan implementation, schedule of the actions to be taken, programme
for monitoring and auditing; as well as the contingency plan when impacts are greater
than anticipated.
 EMP should be comprehensive and exhaustive as possible, as it acts as a guide in the
implementation of the project.
EIA Review Process
 The EIA Review Team drawn from EMA assesses the adequacy and quality of an EIA
report, taking into account project impacts and mitigation measures as well as public
comments.
 EIA review process also establishes if adequate and comprehensive information has been
provided by the proponent.
 Review also checks whether all relevant and sufficient stakeholders have been consulted
during the compilation of the report.
 The response for an EIA review is 60 days and for the prospectus is 20 days and usually
our competent staff gives response well before the review set times prescribed by the law.
 These EIAs are done by consultants registered with EMA.
Approval of the EIA Report
 Follows when all aspects prescribed by the law have been fulfilled to the satisfaction level

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 of the regulatory authority.
 On approval, an EIA certificate is issued by the Environmental Management Agency.
 Project developers are expected to adhere to the contents of the EIA report as far as
possible during project implementation
Monitoring and Auditing
 These are the final stages which are as equally important as others. Monitoring is carried
out to provide information that will aid impact management, thus help the developer
achieve a better understanding of cause-effect relationships and to improve EIA
prediction and mitigation methods.
 EIA audits are used to identify the impacts of project implementation; test accuracy of
impact predictions and effectiveness of mitigation measures and to improve compliance
and performance of EIA practice.
EIA and Project Cycle
 The project cycle refers to the logical stages which all projects should be subjected to
during the EIA process to ensure successful project implementation.
 PROJECT CYCLE
 Projects proponents should ensure that all their activities are done within the confines of
the law.
Summary of the stages
1. Screening to determine which projects or developments require a full or partial
impact assessment study

2. Scoping to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on

legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and
public involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or
compensate adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not
proceeding with the development, finding alternative designs or sites which
avoid the impacts, incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or
providing compensation for adverse impacts), and finally to derive terms of
reference for the impact assessment.

3. Assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, to

predict and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or
development, including the detailed elaboration of alternatives.

4. Reporting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or EIA report, including

an environmental management plan (EMP), and a non-technical summary for
the general audience.

5. Review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), based on the terms of

reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.

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 6. Decision-making on whether to approve the project or not, and under what
conditions.

7. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing. Monitor

whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as
defined in the EMP. Verify the compliance of proponent with the EMP, to
ensure that unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified
and addressed in a timely fashion.

 In Zimbabwe, the projects that need Environmental Impact Assessments are listed in the
first Schedule of the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20:27) and they include
mining, quarrying, housing developments and ore processing, among others.
 The EIA is based on the “precautionary principle” a process which directs project studies
and addresses environmental impacts before they occur.
 EIA is a tool to achieve the desired balance between development and environmental
protection.
Strategic Environmental Assessment

 Sadler and Verheem (1996) define Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as the
formalized, systematic and comprehensive process of identifying and evaluating the
environmental consequences of proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure that
they are fully included and appropriately addressed at the earliest possible stage of
decision-making on a par with economic and social considerations.
 Since this early definition the field of SEA has rapidly developed and expanded, and the
number of definitions of SEA has multiplied accordingly. SEA, by its nature, covers a
wider range of activities or a wider area and often over a longer time span than the
environmental impact assessment of projects.
 SEA might be applied to an entire sector (such as a national policy on energy for example)
or to a geographical area (for example, in the context of a regional development scheme).
SEA does not replace or reduce the need for project-level EIA (although in some cases it
can), but it can help to streamline and focus the incorporation of environmental concerns
(including biodiversity) into the decision-making process, often making project-level EIA
a more effective process.
 SEA is commonly described as being proactive and ‘sustainability driven’, whilst EIA is
often described as being largely reactive.

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