ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

1. INTRODUCTION
Environmental engineering has been defined as the Branch of engineering, that
is concerned with protecting the environment from the potentially deleterious effects
of human activity protecting human populations from the effects of adverse
environmental factors and thus improving environmental quality for human health and
well beings.
As the above definition implies humans interact with their environment
sometimes adversely impacting the environment and sometimes being adversely
impacted by pollutants in the environment. An understanding of the nature of the
environment and of human interaction with it is necessary.
During nineteen sixties, it was realized that the rapid increase in
industrialization, urbanization and resource exploitation can cause serious adverse
impacts on environment and this was the cause to introduce the concept of
“ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT”. The objective of this concept was
to achieve a balance between environmental protection and developmental activities.
E.I.A. is a mean of integrating the environmental dimensions within the
requirements of social and economic growth, so as to achieve sustainable
development.
Today the major problem in front of us is the pollution caused by various
industries such as chemical industries, sugar factories, thermal power plants, and
cement industries, etc. Their “ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT” can do
economic evaluation of the health damages.
An E.I.A. has to address the following questions:
 What are the environmental issues of the project and the project site?
(Identification)
 What will be the extent of the changes? (Prediction)
 Are the changes significant? (Evaluation)
 What can be done about the adverse impacts? (Mitigation)
 How can the decision makers be informed? (Communication)

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2. National Environmental Policy Act (N.E.P.A.)

This act was the first signed in the 1970s, thus signaling the importance of the
environment in the decade of 1970 in United States. The thrust of this act, as well as
subsequent executive orders, Council on Environmental Quality (C.E.Q.) guidelines
and regulations, and numerous federal agency procedures and regulations, is to ensure
that balanced decision making regarding the environment occurs in the total public
interest. Project planning and decision-making should include the integrated
consideration of technical, economic, environmental, social, and other factors. The
most important of these considerations can be referred as the three “Es” (Engineering,
Economics and Environment) in planning and decision-making.
Salient features of E.I.A.:
It is valuable, interdisciplinary and objective decision-making management
technique.
 It can help in critically examining various alternatives of sites, technologies, and
developmental routes.
 It is an anticipatory tool.
 It is a mean of integrating environmental protection cost into project cost.
 It is a participatory tool.

3. E.I.A. Process
E.I.A. is a sequential process with the following significant components.
I. Screening
II. Scoping
III. Rapid and Comprehensive E.I.A.
IV. Mitigation
V. Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.)
VI. Communication
VII. Post-project Monitoring (P.P.M.)
VIII. Environmental Management Plan (E.M.P.)
IX. Disaster Management Plan (D.M.P.)

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I. Screening
Screening is used to differentiate those projects, which may have significant
impacts. This process decides that the project should be subjected to E.I.A. or not.

Screening methods can be based on the following criteria.

 Project thresholds:
These may be developed on the basis of size, cost or pollution levels.
For example, a policy may be formulated that all projects with capital investment of
over 1crore need E.I.A. the main drawback of this criteria is that impacts in sensitive
areas or cumulative effects of small projects may be ignored.
 Locational criteria:
These involve designation of protected areas like agricultural land, natural
preserves, forests etc.
 Positive and Negative Lists:
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has given a
positive list of projects always needing E.I.A.

 Initial Environmental Examination (I.E.E.)

This involves field reconnaissance of the site and consultation with affected
communities, experts, political leaders etc. The I.E.E. helps the proponent to focus on
significant issues, costs, and time frame etc. of the project, and this can save resources
needed in the future.

In India, the following two criteria are generally used for Screening.
 Project related: these are based on threshold values of cost, size, etc.
 Site related: This is concerned with the state government and central
government.

 The guidelines are as follows.

 Project cannot be located in prescribed environmentally sensitive areas.

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 Site cannot be in conflict with existing policies, plans and legislations.

 Site should not conflict with potentially desirable land use e.g. prime
agricultural land.
 Site should be compatible with supportive capacity comprising of energy
consumption, water supply, drainage facilities, etc.
II. Scoping
This procedure is used to determine the depth of analysis. Too narrow scope
may likely leave out an important factor, but too broad scope may make the analysis
unwieldy and costly.

 Specific objectives of scoping:

 To identify
 Major/Minor environmental issues
 Range of alternatives
 Geographical boundaries of the study
 Format of E.I.S.
 Advantages of scoping:
 It creates public confidence in E.I.A.
 It involves contact with public and interested parties.
 It aims to assist in the resolution of difficulties before dispute develops.
 It reduces resources of time and data needed at later stages.

There are two approaches for scoping.

 Ecological scoping:
This involves the study of impacts on physical, chemical, and biological
environment through following criteria.
 Magnitude (severity)
 Prevalence (extent and frequency)
 Duration (short or long term)
 Risks (probability of serious impacts)

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 Importance (value)
 Mitigations (resolvable or not)

 Social scoping:
 Human health and safety
 Aesthetic importance
 Protected monuments
 Rare and endangered species

III. Rapid and comprehensive E.I.A.

Rapid E.I.A. shows the initial indication of impacts. Rapid E.I.A. makes use of
readily available information about the impacts in the defined study area.
Comprehensive E.I.A. evaluates all the impacts of impending changes in a more
detailed manner. Thus Rapid E.I.A. is a major input to Comprehensive E.I.A.

The basic steps in comprehensive E.I.A. are as follows.

Identification
 Description of the existing environmental setting
 Determination of project components
 Compilation of a data based on major environmental parameters
Prediction
 Forecasting the magnitude and/or spatial dimension of identified change in
environment
 Estimation of the probability that the impact will occur
Evaluation
 Determination of the significance of environmental changes
 Estimation of costs and benefits to user groups and population affected by the
project
 Specification and comparison of the trade off, between various alternatives

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IV. Mitigation
This includes measures to prevent, reduce, remedy or compensate for adverse
impacts of the project. Abatement strategies depend on technological, political,
economic and social factors and those include the following
 Introducing technical instruments for pollution control, and methods for waste
treatment, waste recovery, reuse and recycling
 Changing project sites, processes, raw materials, timing, etc.
 Conducting, monitoring, restoration, training and education
 Using economic instruments like effluent charges, subsides, tax credits,
liabilities, compensation, penalties, etc.

Cost of mitigation must be quantified. The various alternative measures have

to be compared and trade-offs are weighted for selection of optimal solution.

V. Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.)

An E.I.S. is a detailed written statement, which serves as an action-forcing
device to ensure that the policies and goals defined in N.E.P.A. (National
Environmental Policy Act) are infused into the ongoing programs. It must provide full
and fair discussion of significant environmental impacts and must inform decision
makers and the public of the reasonable alternatives, which would avoid or minimize
adverse impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment. An E.I.S. is more
than a disclosure document; the relevant officials in conjunction with other relevant
material to plan actions and to take decisions must use it.
In short, the E.I.S. represents a summary of environmental inventory and the
findings of environmental assessments and emphasizes sources of data and
information, gaps and uncertainties in information, and a non-technical summary for
general public.

VI. Communication
E.I.A. can achieve its purpose only if its findings are well communicated.
However, this is an onerous task in E.I.A. since communication has to be established

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with a wide range of professionals and the documentation must match the target
audience. E.I.A.s have to be aimed at decision makers and general public, who may
not be technically trained and may require only a summary of the implications.
Scientists however may require more detailed and technical information, the task is to
communicate in a clear and concise form, and match the reader’s constraints and
timetables. Another problem in communication is the gap between the expectations of
decision makers for certainty and the probabilistic realities of science.

VII. Post Project Monitoring (P.P.M.)

Post Project Monitoring is done to ensure that the recommendations proposed
in E.I.S. are implemented effectively and also to allow corrective measures in case of
non-compliance with stipulated standards. P.P.M. involves measurement of industrial
effluents/emissions as well as monitoring of environmental quality of air, water, soil,
and noise. The responsibility lies with the state pollution control board authorities.

VIII. Environmental Management Plan (E.M.P.)

Environmental Management Plan is to ensure that resources are used with
maximum efficiency, waste generation is minimized, residuals are treated adequately
and products are recovered and recycled to the maximum extent possible. Stress
should be given to low waste or cleaner technologies. These strategies will not only
cut down pollution control costs but also result in savings in the costs of production.

E.M.P. should generally include the following aspects.

 Information on the generation and treatment of the solid, liquid, and gaseous
effluents
 Details of safety measures in and around the project
 Details of the safety organization including key personnel

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IX. Disaster Management Plan (D.M.P.)

Disaster Management Plan is made to handle the disastrous situations. D.M.P.
should consist of the following aspects.
 Specification of equipment, total plan, hazardous areas classifications
 Risk assessment procedure
 On-site and Off-site emergency plan
 Fire extinguishers and foams

An effective method of attenuation of waste residuals subsequent to pollution

control measures is development of green belt around industry. Green belts absorb air
and water pollutants, arrest noise pollution and avoid soil erosion as well as create
favorable climatic and aesthetic conditions.
After the project is completed, a post audit can be conducted to determine the
deviations between E.I.A. predictions and the actual impacts of the project and will be
a valuable data- base for future projects.

4. Resources Needed for E.I.A.

In order to perform E.I.A. successfully, certain minimum resources are needed as
follows.
 Qualified inter-disciplinary team
 Information and data about the environment
 Analytical capabilities
 Institutional arrangements

Often it is expressed that E.I.A. need expensive resources of money and time.
But, generally E.I.A. requires 3 months to 1 year and the cost is about 1% to 2% of the
total project cost. This is relatively a small price to pay to prevent costly
environmental problems in the future and to promote development that can be
sustained. Thus E.I.A. are good investments for developers, and economical as a
whole.

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FORMAT SUGGESTED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

1. Summary
2. Need for the Proposed Facility
3. The site surroundings
3.1 Locations and Layout
3.2 Land use Patterns
3.3 Water Use
3.4 Demographic Profile
3.5 Soils Profile
3.6 Hydrology and Water Quality
3.7 Meteorology and Air Quality
3.8 Ecology
3.9 Noise Level
4. Environmental Impacts of the Proposed action
4.1 Physical Resources
4.2 Ecological Resources
4.3 Quality of Life Values
4.4 Human Use Values
5. Evaluation and Analysis of Impacts
6. Unavoidable Probable Adverse Impacts
7. Mitigation Measures
8. Alternatives
9. Monitoring Plan and E.M.P.
10. Conclusions and Recommendations
11. Appendix

5. E.I.A. METHODOLOGIES

 Ad hoc method
 Checklist method
 Matrix method

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 Network method
 Overlays method
 Geographical Information System (G.I.S.)
 Rapid Assessment
 Simulation Models
 Environmental Evaluation System (E.E.S.)

Evaluation Criteria for E.I.A. Methodologies

Any E.I.A. Methodology has to compile relevant raw data with the following
characteristics
 Scientific approach
 Accurate quantification of impacts
 Consolidate the data into sets with least loss of information
 Good predictive capability
 Display the raw data and the derived information in a meaningful fashion

I. AD HOC METHOD
It is unlikely that an all-purpose methodology will be developed, given the lack
of technical information and the need for exercising subjective judgment about
predicted impacts in the environmental setting wherein the project may occur.
Accordingly an appropriate perspective is to consider methodologies, which can be
used to aid the E.I.A. process. In that sense, every utilized methodology should be
project-specific and location-specific, with the basic concepts derivable from existing
methodologies.
Ad hoc technique provides minimal guidance for E.I.A. and impacts are
defined qualitatively based on subjective assessments as illustrated below.
Table:1 Ad hoc Technique
Environmental Area A B C D E F G H I J
Wildlife X X X
Natural Vegetation X X X

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Groundwater X
Surface Water X X X
Air Quality X X X X
Noise X X X
Economic Values X X X
Health and Safety X
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J – Environmental Impacts
A- No effect
B- Positive effect
C- Negative effect
D- Beneficial
E- Adverse
F- Problematic
G- Short-term
H- Long-term
I- Reversible
J- Irreversible
II. CHECKLISTS
In this method, each impact area is associated with a comprehensive list of
environmental parameters. Several classes of checklist methods have been identified
related to the level of impact evaluation.
 Simple and descriptive checklists
It differs from ad hoc method only in that defined areas of possible impacts are
listed, but no attempts are made to evaluate impacts qualitatively or quantitatively.
 Scaling checklists
It allows the listed impacts to be ranked in order of magnitude and severity.
 Weight scaling checklists
Different weightings are given to the parameters on the basis of their
significance.

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III.NETWORKS
It was developed to consider the secondary, tertiary and higher order impacts
that can arise from initial impact.
For e.g. in network methodology case, vegetation clearance can have an initial or
primary impact on both soils and animal and bird life. However the impact on soils
can result in erosion and this can increase the sediment load in rivers. The sediment
load can affect the various forms of aquatic life. If the river supports a commercial or
recreational fishery, then any changes in aquatic community structure might have
economic repercussions.
Networks can explicitly bring out linkages between the impacts.

IV. OVERLAYS
This approach involves the use of series of maps and transparencies of the
project area for different environmental characteristics. The maps are overlaid for
composite characteristics. This technique gives good visual display of impacted area
and its relative geographical location and is easily adaptable for use with a computer.
The computer method is more flexible, and has an advantage that the system of
weights can be changed. The method is especially useful in planning, routing
highways, pipelines, etc.

V. GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)

GIS is a computer-based technique incorporating the collection, storage,
retrieval, transformation, manipulation, and display of spatial data. It can be used as an
effective EIA tool for the identification and evaluation of impacts.

 Advantages:
 Potential for storing and assessing very large data set from various sources

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 Effectively perform multiple map overlays incorporating logical and

mathematical manipulations
 Generate descriptive statistics regarding the distribution of spatial phenomena
 Allow a number of different scenarios to be investigated effectively

 Limitations:
 Expensive and require highly trained personnel
 Not specifically structured for EIA
 Digital data is costly and difficult to acquire

Table: 2 Types Of Methodologies Used In Various Steps In E.I.A.

Sr. No. Methodology Identification Prediction Evaluation

1. Ad hoc X - -
2. Checklists X - -
3. Matrix X - -
4. Network X - -
5. Overlays X - -
6. GIS X - X
7. Rapid Assessment X - -
8. Simulation Models - X -
9. EES X X X
10. Cost Benefit Analysis - - X

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CASE STUDY

Environmental Impact Assessment of Cement Industry ACC

Kymore

Introduction
The present trend in cement industry is to setup more and more dry process
plants. Conversion from wet to dry process has also become a national necessity on
account of several energy related factors. The per capita consumption of cement in
India is increased from 5 kg in1947 to 62 kg in 1992.
Rotary kiln technology is used for cement manufacturing, in four basic stages:
 Quarrying of raw materials
 Crushing of raw materials
 Grinding of raw materials
 Blending of raw materials
In this process, it is clear that the sources of air pollution are:
 Quarry operation
 Crusher
 Raw grinding

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 Kiln exhaust
 Coal mill
 Clinker cooler
 Cement grinding
 Packing plant
 Material transfer point

 Methodology
The EIA studies for the project site are divided in to three phases:
 The first phase is identification of significant environmental parameters and
assessing the existing status within the impact zone with respect to air, noise,
water, land and socio-economic environment.
 The second phase is prediction of impacts from proposed project an identified
environmental parameter using various mathematical models.
 The third phase includes the evaluation of total impacts after superimposing
the predicted impacts over baseline data and preparation of Environmental
Management Plan (EMP), which helps in incorporating proper mitigation
measures wherever necessary for preventing deterioration of environmental
quality.

 Baseline Environmental Status

The Baseline data has been measured in the month of April-May 1996.

 Ambient Air Quality Survey

The prevailing ambient air quality status of the study region was assessed
through a network of four ambient air-monitoring stations during summer season. The
ambient air quality monitoring was carried continuously for a period of three days at

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each station to assess the existing air quality status in summer season surrounding the
cement plant. The values are presented in Table: 1.

Table: 1 A. For SPM (ug/cum.)

SR. NO. A.Q.M. STATION MIN. MAX. AVE.

1. ACC Colony 278.34 448.27 368.54
2. Amraiya Village 127.40 360.03 229.29
3. Deori Majhganwa 80.56 440.41 181.85
4. MPEB Sub Station 106.80 746.87 229.48

1 B. For SO2 (ug/cum.)

SR. NO. A.Q.M. STATION MIN. MAX. AVE.

1. ACC Colony 8.85 43.07 13.78
2. Amraiya Village 1.29 8.52 5.48
3. Deori Majhganwa 8.18 21.36 14.56
4. MPEB Sub Station 4.95 25.67 12.60

1 C. For NOx (ug/cum.)

SR. NO. A.Q.M. STATION MIN. MAX. AVE.

1. ACC Colony 21.90 44.73 34.60
2. Amraiya Village 2.84 35.78 15.36
3. Deori Majhganwa 29.07 66.20 41.47
4. MPEB Sub Station 34.98 65.94 51.80

 Noise Environment
The background noise level in the villages surrounding the industry ranged
between 40 to 67 dBA and in commercial places it ranged between 51 to 80 dBA.

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The noise levels in existing plants due to kiln, coal mill, raw mill, powerhouse
and packinghouse vary from 64 to 92 dBA and are presented in Table: 2 and Table: 3.
TABLE: 2 AMBIENT NOISE LEVEL IN DBA
SR. NO. PLACE DIRECTION DISTANCE FROM NOISE LEVEL
THE PLANT IN DBA
1. Khailwara SSW 1.75 km 56
2. Amraiya E 2.4 km 44
3. Vijayraghawgarh SSW 6.5 km 79
4. Hospital NW 0.6 km 42
5. Deori Majhganwa SW 3.75 km 64
6. ACC Colony NE 2.1 km 44

Table: 3 Noise Level Inside Existing Plant

SR. NO. PLACE NOISE LEVEL IN DBA
1. Kiln Control Room 65
2. Kiln Burner Platform 83
3. Coal mill 88
4. Raw mill 92
5. Power House 80
6. Boiler House 78
7. Crusher without loading 88
8. Crusher with loading 90
9. Packing House 72
10. Main Gate 48

Table:4 Stack Details For The Proposed Unit

Sr. Stack Name Stack Stack Stack Stack SPM SO2 NOx
No. Height top gas gas Emission Emission Emission

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(m) inside exit exit (g/s) (g/s) (g/s)

dia. velo. temp.
(m) (m/s) ( ºC)
1. Raw mill & rotary 120 4.0 15.0 120 23.6 Nil Nil
kiln
2. Coal mill 30 1.5 12.0 100 2.76 Nil Nil
3. Raw blending silo 75 0.8 10.0 90 1.2 Nil Nil
4. Lime stone crusher 30 1.0 12.0 70 2.34 Nil Nil
5. Clinker cooler 60 3.5 12.0 280 17.8 Nil Nil
6. Power plant 90 2.0 15.0 140 3.34 62.5 27.8

 Water Environment
Ground water is the principal source of water for domestic, industrial and
irrigation uses in the industry.
Seven sampling stations for surface water and ground water have been selected
for the analysis of water in and around the industry. Sampling stations are selected on
the basis of drinking water source for the residential area and the villages nearby the
plant. Results obtained for various parameters are presented in Table: 4. There will be
no wastewater generation from the plant. Only the domestic wastewater is generated
from the ACC Colony, and to treat the wastewater two oxidation plants are in
operation.

Table: 5 Water Analysis Report (Drinking water) May-1996

Sr. Parameters Dead Khailwara Saliya Kymore Bara Bara Mahanandi

No. mine Hand Well Hand Bar Bar River
drinking Pump Water Pump Well Hand
water Pump Pump
1. Temperature 28 28.5 30 28.5 29 28.5 30.5
2. Color Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear Clear
3. Turbidity 1 4 3 4 2 1 18
(NTU)
4. Suspended 4 18 4 3 12 16 6

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solids
5. T.D.S. 154 520 356 244 605 924 444
6. V.S.S. 18 112 70 45 124 154 134
7. pH 7.2 7.4 7.6 7.8 7.4 8.0 7.4
8. Total 248 284 518 436 288 326 190
Alkalinity
9. Total 206 248 242 206 186 240 194
hardness as
CaCO3
10. Chlorides as 32 237 45 25 47 98 15
Cl
11. Sulphates as 37.5 47.5 25 32.5 47 48 7.2
SO4
12. Fluorides as F 0.65 0.80 0.17 0.60 0.97 0.87 0.75

 Land Environment
The soil texture is predominantly clay and is milky white to yellowish white in
color.
The area under forest cover is very less in the 10 km radius of the proposed
site. Surma Reserve Forest, which is at a distance of about 5 km from the site, has no
deciduous trees.

 Existing Green Belt

In surrounding to the Bamangawa mines, Mehgaon mines, and dumper road
and around the existing plant, in all about 135 hectors area has been planted with
different species of trees. Total 229490 seedlings have been planted and the survival is
96.40%.

 Socio Economic Environment

Area of the land proposed to be acquired is near about 25 hectors. The average
rainfall is around 1250 mm per year and temperature in the study area varies with a
minimum of 6 ºC in winter to 44 ºC in summer. Mainly the workers from the village
are engaged in cultivation and agriculture, some workers are engaged in mining and
quarrying operation and maximum people are literate.

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 Results of Discussion

 Air environment
Stack emissions are the major source of air pollution. In the industry it is
proposed to install 22 MW captive power plant for which coal will be used as fuel. For
prediction of SPM, NOx, SO2, Gaussion plume dispersion model has been used.
Meteorological data and windrose diagram have been used for the month of April-
May and computerized results were obtained. Predicted GLCs of SPM, SO 2, and NOx
are calculated at the receptor end.
The values are within limits, as prescribed by the Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) for the industrial area.
SPM = 500 ug/cum.
SO2 = 120 ug/cum.
NOx = 120 ug/cum.

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Table:1 Meteorological Data Of Summer Season

Hour Direction Wind speed Mixing Temperature Stability
(m/s) Height (m) (Deg. K) category
1. ESE 1 - 302 6
2. NE 1 - 302 6
3. NE 1 - 302 6
4. NE 1 - 300 6
5. NE 1 - 300 5
6. E 1 - 302 5
7. NNE 1 400 303 3
8. NE 1.08 600 304 2
9. NNE 1.44 800 306 2
10. N 1.42 1000 308 1
11. E 1.92 1100 309 1
12. E 2.31 1200 311 1
13. SE 1 1200 312 2
14. S 4.22 1200 312 2
15. SE 1.33 1200 311 3

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16. SE 2.64 1000 310 3

17. E 2.31 1000 308 4
18. SE 1 - 308 5
19. SE 1 - 306 5
20. SSE 1 - 305 6
21. E 1 - 304 6
22. NE 1 - 303 6
23. N 1 - 302 6
24. S 1 - 302 6

Table: 2 Predicted GLCs Of SPM, SO2, and NOx (g/cum.) At Receptor Using
Meteorological Data Of Study Period
Sr. Place Direction Distance SPM SO2 NOx
No. (km)
1. ACC Colony NE 2.1 5.04E-06 4.34E-07 2.05E-07
2. Amriya E 2.4 3.87E-06 2.16E-06 1.02E-06
3. Deori Majhganwa SSW 3.75 3.74E-06 1.95E-07 9.24E-08
4. MPEB Substation WSW 1.25 4.08E-06 3.43E-07 1.62E-07

 Noise environment
In prediction of noise level, wave divergence model have been used. The noise
level inside the plant is measured at a distance of 2m from the source and then the
noise level due to the existing plant and proposed plant have been calculated at a
distance of 500m to 5000m and the noise levels due to all the expected sources are
found within the prescribed limit of the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board). But

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inside the existing plant it is 92 dBA and crosses the CPCB limit of 8 hours exposure
i.e. 90 dBA.

Table:3 Predicted Noise Levels for Proposed Plant

Sr. No. Source Noise Level (dBA)
1. Kiln Control Room 62
2. Kiln Burner Platform 78
3. Coal Mill 86
4. Raw Mill 90
5. Power House 78
6. Boiler House 78

Table:4 Cumulative Noise Levels Due To All Expected Sources

Dist. from the 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000
plant (mtr)
Noise Levels 55.56 49.57 46.04 43.78 41.89 40.03 38.93 37.52 31.17 30.25
(dBA)

 Water environment
The water analysis shows that the dissolved solids crosses the limits at Barapar
hand pump, Barapar well water, and Khailwara hand pump. Chloride, Sulphate,
Fluoride, total hardness and turbidity are within the limit.
There is no wastewater generated from the plant. It is only the domestic
wastewater, which is treated in the oxidation pond, and is utilized for the irrigation
purpose. The treated waste, effluent BOD is 100 mg/lit, which meets the CPCB
standards for irrigation water.

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 Land environment
Land environment will be affected due to the proposed project. There is
scarcity of water and it mainly depends on monsoon period. Water, which is
discharged from oxidation ponds and mines, will be utilized by the farmers and for
green belt development.

 Socio Economic environment

Due to the proposed project there will be both beneficial and adverse effect on
the surroundings. The impact identified as beneficial are upliftment of economic
condition of villagers living around the project area by construction activities and
giving direct or indirect employment to 50 to 100 persons. And the adverse effects
which are identified, as traffic congestions and labor would be unemployed after
construction is over.

 Environmental Management Plan (EMP)

 Road within the plant should be properly maintained and water spraying should
be done regularly.
 Storage and material handling should be properly enclosed.
 All leakage points should be plugged thoroughly plugged.
 Noise attenuating devices like earplugs and earmuffs should be provided to
workers exposed to high noise levels.
 Machinery and equipments should be checked and maintained properly to reduce
the noise generation.
 Trees growing up to 10m or more in height should be planted around the
installation and should also be planted along roadsides to arrest auto exhaust and
noise pollution.
 The open area between the process installations should be covered with lawn
grass for effective trapping and absorption of air pollutants.
 Coal mill should usually be run only when needed.

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 During grinding, care should be taken to prevent the use of exposed light and
motor spark to avoid the coal catching fire and explosion.
 When coal is stirred under the shelter, perfect ventilation should be done to
facilitate the escape of gas by circulation to the atmosphere.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

By- Larry Canter

 IDBI Staff Development Programs (1997)

CESE-IIT-Powai

 Indian Journal of Environmental Health

Vol.40, No.2, 132-141 (1998)

 Environmental Engineering (Vol.2)

By- S. K. Garg

 Environmental Engineering
By- Pevy and Rowe

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