ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT

ELECTIVE III
BE CIVIL
MARK DISTRIBUTION
Final Exam:80 Practical Marks: 25
Internal marks:20
Total: 100
INTERNAL MARKS
Class Performance:2
Attendance: 4
Presentation: 4
Assessment: 10
COURSE

1. Introduction to Environment Impact Assessment(EIA)

2. Screening and Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
3. Scoping and Preparation of Terms of Reference(TOR)
4. Establishing the Environmental Baseline
5. Impact identification, prediction and evaluation techniques
6. Environmental Protection Measures (EPMs)
7. Management of EIA process
 1. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT (EIA)

 Emergence of EIA
 History of EIA in Nepal
 Definition and types of EIA
 Project types, impacts and their types
 The EIA process and project cycle
EIA

 Environmental Impact Assessment is defined as “The systematic

process of identifying future consequences of a current or
proposed action.”
ENVIRONMENT

 The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living

things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof.
 It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living
species.
 Climate, weather, and natural resources that affect human survival
and economic activity.
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
 EFFECTS IMPACTS
Effects are direct Impacts are indirect

They are more obvious due They are less obvious i.e.
to the project they may occur or may not
due to the project
Small scale Large scale

E.g: Cutting down trees due Eg: Loss of faunal diversity,

to a development activities aesthetic quality,
(Road, canal construction) microclimate imbalance etc
due to cutting of trees for the
developmental activities.
CONSERVATION OF ENVIRONMENT
HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Why introduced?
Unregulated human activities- wide spread
pollution
Overuse of physical and biological resources
Environmental disturbance
Loss of plants and animals
Discomfort to human beings
EMERGENCE OF EIA
After the second world war Europe and America went for the industrial
revolution.
They established the large and huge industries at the bank of the river,
sea, ocean and the forest areas after massive deforestation for
transportation, waste disposal and resources respectively.
The concept of EIA started in 1969 from USA.
In 1960s the projects in USA created some major environmental problems
which force them to make National Environment Policy Act(NEPA) 1969.
In 1970s only physiochemical and biological impacts were considered.
Later, the cultural and socio economic impacts were also considered.
Then after in 1973 Canada, in 1974 Australia and in 1984 Japan
introduced EIA in the national system
 HISTORY OF EIA IN NEPAL
In Nepal since 1980s, several acts provided a foundation for addressing environment related
issues.
The integration of EIA in development projects was largely donor driven and confined to larger
projects only without any formal and uniform structure of EIA reports and not possessing any
legal mandate.
In 1982, Nepal established the Environment Impact study Project (EISP) under the
ministry of forests and soil conservation to initiate activities for the formulation of necessary
policies and laws and create public awareness in the environmental matters.
The constitution of Nepal 1990, Water Resource ACT1992, Electricity Act 1992, Electricity
Regulation 1993 and Hydropower Development Policy 1992 emphasised on the protection
of the existing environment and stated that no significant adverse environmental impacts in
terms of physical, biological, social, economic and cultural aspects should occur due to any
development project.
Progresses were made in the Environmental protection issue during the 8 th five year plan
(1992-1997).
HISTORY OF EIA IN NEPAL
 The following development in Environmental Protection were
achieved during 8th five year plan.
 Formulation of Environmental Protection Act 1997
 Establishment of Ministry of Population and Environment
 Development of National Environmental Policies and Action plan,
EIA guidelines developed.
 Consideration of environmental concerns in hydropower projects
 Development of industrial, irrigational and agricultural policies that
undertook environmental concerns.
HISTORY OF EIA IN NEPAL
 The government of Nepal introduced the National Environmental
Impact Assessment Guidelines (NEIAG) in 1993.
 This guideline provided a general methodology for conducting an
EIA study but there was no approval process and legal
requirements of an EIA study.
 Only after enactment of the Environment Protection Act, 1997
(EPA 1997) and the Environment Protection Regulation 1997 (EPR
1997) the EIA study became legally binding and it is made
mandatory for the projects to get approval from the Ministry of
Environment Science and Technology(MoEST) for EIA and line
ministries in case of Initial Environment Examination (IEE) study.
APPROVED EIA REPORTS (SECTOR WISE)
APPROVED EIA REPORTS (YEAR WISE)
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA)
 Environmental Assessment (EA) can be defined as “The systematic
identification and evaluation of the potential impacts of proposed
projects, plans, programs, or legislative actions relative to the
physical- chemical, biological, cultural and socioeconomic
components of the total environment.”
 Primary purpose of the EA process is to encourage the
consideration of the environment in planning and decision making
and to ultimately arrive at actions which are more environmentally
compatible.
THE EA SYSTEM SHOULD:
 Apply to all projects that are expected to have a significant
environmental impact and address all impacts that are expected to
be significant.
 Compare alternatives to a proposed project, management
techniques and mitigation measures.
 Include broad public participation and stringent administrative review
procedures.
 Be timed so as to provide information for decision making.
 Be enforceable
 Include monitoring and feedback procedures.
 TYPES OF EA
 Two types of EA are used at the project level
1. Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
2. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
EIA DEFINITION

Environmental impact assessment is the formal process used to

predict the environmental consequences (positive or negative) of a plan,
policy, program, or project prior to the decision to move forward with the
proposed action.
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an analytical process that
systematically examines the possible environmental consequences of the
implementation of projects, programmes and policies.
International Association for Impact Assessment defines EIA as: “The
process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the
biophysical, social and other relevant effects of development proposals
prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made.”
IN SHORT

EIA is a preventive tool.

It gathers environmental information.
It predicts and describing the environmental effects of the
development.
It defines ways of avoiding, reducing or compensating for
the effects.
It consult the general public and specific bodies.
It takes all of this information into account.
 OBJECTIVES OF EIA
To identify, describe and assess potential environmental, social and health impacts
of a proposed development project on environment and formulate mitigation
strategies to minimize the adverse impacts.
To assist planning procedures and improve decision making processes and
ultimately arrive at actions that are more environmentally compatible.
To develop a project that is environmentally sound, technically suitable, locally
acceptable and economically feasible (not always) which is known as sustainable
development?
To identify the mechanisms for enhancing beneficial impacts.
To facilitate an early agreement on continuous issues.
To consider effects on biophysical resources, social and cultural aspects, health and
safety, indigenous peoples’ rights and traditions while undertaking developmental
activity.
 BENEFITS OF EIA
Provide analysis of total environment to decision makers, so that decisions can be made
based on nearly complete information and advice whether development should go ahead.
Assess and present tangible, unquantifiable effects that are not adequately addressed by
cost benefit analysis and other technical reports.
Provide source of information on proposal to the public.
Consideration of alternatives of proposals
Improve design of new development.
Identify potential environment impacts
Examine the significance of environmental implications
Assess whether impacts can be mitigated
Recommend Preventive and corrective mitigation measures.
Inform decision makers and concerned parties on environmental implication.
3 CORE VALUES OF EIA

EIA is based on the following values.

1. Sustainability: EIA process should result in environmental
safeguards.
2. Integrity: EIA process should be fair, objective, unbiased and
balanced.
3. Utility: EIA process should provide balanced, credible
information for decision making.
PRINCIPLES OF EIA
 PRINCIPLES OF EIA

PARTICIPATIVE – The process should provide appropriate

opportunities to inform and involve all interested parties and
stakeholders to incorporate their input in decision-making.
TRANSPARENCY – Assessment process, outcomes and decisions
should be open and accessible to any interest individuals or groups.
CERTAINTY – The process and timing of the assessment should be
agreed upon in advance and should be followed by all participants.
ACCOUNTABILITY – The decision-makers, project proponents and
stakeholders are responsible to all parties for their action and
decisions under the assessment process.
 PRINCIPLES OF EIA (CONT…)
 CREDIBILITY – Assessment is undertaken with professionalism and
objectivity.
 COST-EFFECTIVENESS – The assessment process and its
outcomes will ensure environmental protection at the least cost to
the society and communities in the project area.
 FLEXIBILITY – The assessment process should be able to adapt to
deal efficiently with any proposal and decision making situation.
 PRACTICAL – The assessment process should result to practical
outputs which can be implemented by the proponents and
stakeholders.
STRENGTH OF EIA

 Increases environmental awareness.

 Improved public participation and co-operation
 Tool for sustainability.
 Takes into account trans boundary impacts.
 Decision making becomes more transparent.
 LIMITATIONS OF EIA
Inadequate understanding of the behavior of the environment.
Susceptible to bias and personal interests (Developers as well as pressure group.
Quality of data(No updates or the level of detail may be insufficient)
 EIA should be undertaken at the policy and planning level rather than at the
project level.
Range of Possible alternatives in the project EIA is often small.
Unnecessary expenses and delay in project clearance for those projects that do
not require an in depth EIA (There is no criteria to decide what type of project are
to undergo EIA)
Lack of comprehensive environment information base, limitation of time,
manpower and financial resources make EIA very complicated and time
consuming.
 PROS & CONS OF EIA
PROS CONS
Provides systematic methods of impact assessment Time consuming

Estimates the cost/benefits trade-off of alternative Costly

actions
Facilitates the public participation Little public participation in actual implementation

Provides an effective mechanism for Unavailability of reliable data (Mostly in developing

• Coordination countries)
• Environmental Integration
• Negotiations
• Feed backs
Top level decision making Too focused on scientific analysis

Triggers an institutional building Poor presentation of EIA report(bulky volumes,

scientific explanation, difficult to understand)
Achieve a balance between the impact of Compliance monitoring after EIA is seldom carried out.
development and environmental concern.
 STEPS IN EIA
The various steps involved in EIA are:
Screening of projects
Scoping
ToR preparation
EIA report preparation
Description of environmental baseline
Alternative analysis
Identification, prediction and evaluation of impacts
Selection of environmental management plans, monitoring, auditing report
Public participation and consultation
Report review and decision-making
Incorporation of EA recommendations
Implementation of EMP including protection measures and monitoring
Environmental auditing
Present IEE and EIA report
approval process in Nepal
case. Source: MoEST
(2006).
Generalized EIA process
EIA PROCESS AND PROJECT CYCLE
IMPACTS AND THEIR TYPES

 Impact of an activity is a deviation from the baseline situation that is

caused by the activity.
 Every economic development projects have some environmental
implications which may be beneficial or adverse.
TYPES OF IMPACTS
Biological and physio-chemical Impacts
• Effects on biological resources such as vegetation
Social Impacts
• A study of socio-economic impacts would examine project action
that alters the existing social and economical condition.
Cultural Impacts
• Project impacts on cultural heritage include historic sites, religious
Health Impacts
Economic Impacts
Direct impact, Indirect Impact
Accidental Impact
Short term, Long term
Ancillary Impacts
 IMPACTS IDENTIFICATION OF LANGTANG KHOLA HYDROPOWER
PROJECT
Impacts on physical Impacts on Biological Socio-ecomonic and Indirect impacts
environment Environment cultural environment

 Micro-climate and air  Loss of forest cover at  Impacts on land  Increase in local trade
quality access road and intake acquisition  Improvement in road
 Topography, land use portion  Impacts on women and condition
and stability  Loss of forest biomass child labour  Rural electrification
 Disturbance on fragile  Loss of grazing land  Impacts on culture and  Industrialization
slopes  Loss of cultivated religions  Promotion in eco-tourism
 Surface erosion species  Public health  Decrease in dependence
 Disposal of excavated  Invasion by weedy  Lifestyle of people in fuel wood
materials species  Project related
 Hydrology and  Disturbance to wildlife employment
sedimentation population  Water use
 Water quality  Habitat encroachment
 Noise and vibrations  Impact on rare,
endangered and
threatened species.
SCREENING AND INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL
EXAMINATION(IEE)

 Screening determines whether the project needs and EIA or not.

 EIA needs only to be applied for those actions which may
significantly affect the environment.
 Environmental screening can be defined as “The process of
addressing the issue of whether or not an environmental impact
study would be required for the potential projects and activities.”
OBJECTIVES OF SCREENING
 Saves money
 Saves time
 Avoid unnecessary delays
 Immediately identifies the major environmental impacts that are
likely
 Establishes need for different level of EIA study to be conducted.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE PROJECTS IN VIEW OF THE EIA
REQUIREMENTS

 Category A or White list projects : EA(EIA or IEE) not required.

 Category B or Green list projects: IEE required, usually small-scale
projects with low-level impact.
 Category C or Black list projects: EIA clearly required, have
significant environmental impact.
 Category D or Grey list projects: IEE required but not clear whether
EIA is required or not, because the magnitude, extent of the
duration of the impact is not obvious.
 SCREENING CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS REQUIRING EIA
Threshold criteria Impact criteria

• Size • Significant but easily identifiable

• Location impacts.
• Output • Significant impacts
• Cost/finance • Sensitive area
• Environmental effects
EIA PROCEDURE IN NEPAL

According to amendment 2007 of EPR 1997,

 IEE is reqired:
For proposals listed in Schedule 1 of EPR 1997
for proposals not mentioned in Schedule 1 of EPR 1997 but any
plan, project, program or physical activity that costs NPRs.5 crore-
25 crore ie.50-250 million(Used to be 10-100 million in the past)
Project listed in schedule 1 is those which are likely to have a limited
number of significant impacts which can be easily predicted and
evaluated and for which mitigation measures may be prescribed
easily.
EIA PROCEDURE IN NEPAL

 EIA is required:
 For the proposals listed in Schedule 2 of EPR 1997
 For the proposals not mentioned in Schedule 2 of EPR 1997 but
any project, program or physical activity that costs more than 250
million ie. 25 crore(Used to be Rs. 100 million in the past)
THE WORLD BANK REQUIRES EIA FOR PROJECTS OF
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES
 Hydropower and thermal power(Development and expansion)
 Dams, reservoirs and industrial plants (Large scale)
 Forestry production projects
 Irrigation, drainage and flood control
 Aquaculture and river-basin development
 Land clearance, levelling, resettlement
 Minerals, oils and gas development
 Manufacture, use and transport of pesticides, toxic or hazardous
substances
 Construction or upgrading of roads and highways
 INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION(IEE)

 Project for which requirement of an EIA could not be easily ascertained is

subjected to an IEE.
 Project listed in schedule 1 of EPR 1997 are ascertained for IEE.
 It involves identifying, describing and evaluating potential environmental
impacts of the projects.
 It requires more in depth analysis than applied in the screening procedures.
 IEE usually performed using rapid and often qualitative techniques such
that potential impacts can be identified without a large input of resources.
 If IEE provides solution for the potential environmental problem then there
is no need for conducting a full scale EIA.
OBJECTIVES OF IEE
 Identify potential threat to the environment in the prefeasibility stage
of project cycle.
 Help avoid costs and delays in project implementation due to
unanticipated environmental problems.
 Allow project proponents, designers, implementing agencies and
funding agencies to address environmental issues in a timely and
cost effective fashion.
 Provide an opportunity for public involvement in determining the
factors to be assessed.
 Establish TOR for EIA.
IEE REQUIRES
 Adequate in-depth analysis than screening.
 Adequate technical input and advice from environmental
specialists and experts
 Adequate amount of more resources and time
 METHODS OF IEE
Proposal requiring IEE (Schedule 1 of EPR 1997)

1 Preparation and submission of TOR in the format of schedule 3 of EPR 1997 (Rule 5.1)

2 Approval of TOR by concerned body (Rule 5.3)

3 Preparation of IEE report (Rule 7.1)

4 Issuance of Public Notice and affixing notice in concerned organizations (Rule 7.2)

5 Finalization and submission of 15 copies IEE Report (With proofs as per Rules 7.2 and 10)

6 Approval of IEE Reort by Concerned Body ( Within 21 days upon its receipt)(Rule 11.1)

7 Implementation of the Proposal

8 Monitoring and Evaluation by Concerned Body (Rule 13)

9 Environmental Auditing after 2 years after the commencement of the services of the proposal (Rule 14)

10 Environmental monitoring and inform MoEST on directives issued to Proponent (Rule 13)
SCOPING
 Next step after screening
 Considered as heart of EIA
 To determine coverage or scope of EIA of proposal
 Scoping is compulsory in Nepal
 As per Rule 4 of EPR 97
 Undertaken by project proponent
 Identifies issues to be addressed in EIA
 Procedure to establish the ToR for EIA study
DEFINITION

Scoping is defined as a procedure for

determining the extent of and the approach to
an EIA.
OBJECTIVES
Identify concerns and issues for consideration in EIA.
Explore options for alternatives sites, technology, process etc.
Determine the assessment methods.
Provide stakeholders an opportunity to raise their concerns.
Identify stakeholders and explore public participation procedures
for future study.
Facilitate an early agreement on continuous issues
Save time and money.
Identifies issues for TOR
PARTICIPANTS OF SCOPING
 Proponents
 Representatives of local community
 Representatives of concerned ministries, department and other
agencies
 Representatives of funding agencies
 Representatives of local and national NGOs
 Public and political parties
 SCOPING PROCEDURE
Background Materials on proposal
• Background information on the nature of the proposal is required to be disseminated in
order to assist interested parties and affected groups to provide comments and concerns.
• Clear and concise
• Avoid unnecessary technical and scientific terms
Involvement: Identification and notification
• A list of authorities, interested parties and affected groups or communities those are likely
to be involved in the scoping process
• Method of notifying them
• Methods to inform them about the proposal and collect their comments and concerns
• A determination of the stages where their inputs are required.
 SCOPING PROCEDURE
Identification and notification of interested and affected communities
 Establishment of lists
 Networking
 Announcement in the media/public places
• Print media
• Electronic media
• Pamphlets and informative brochures
• Exhibitions and project information center displays
• Newsletters
• Radio and television announcements
• Electronic mail/websites
• Public notices
SCOPING PROCEDURE
Public participation in scoping
 Public notices
• Mandatory in Nepal as per EPR97
 Public meetings
 Telephone “Hot lines”
 Project Information Center (PIC)
 Surveys
 Workshops
METHODS OF SCOPING
 Literature review
 Map interpretation
 Public notice
 Field study
 Data processing
 Issue prioritization
SCOPING REQUIREMENT OF NEPAL
 The proponent publishes a notice in any national daily to ask the
stakeholders for suggestions in writing within 15 days of first
publication of the notice
 The suggestions are sent to the proponent within the 15 days of first
publication of the notice.
 The proponent along with the received concern suggestions sends an
application to the concerned authority for scope determination.
 The concerned authority carries out the investigation and sends to
MoEST
 MoEST carries out the investigation on the documents and
determines the scope as proposed or suggested.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF SCOPING
 The identification and selection of alternatives
• Design alternatives
• Activity alternatives
• Location alternatives
• Process alternatives
• Construction alternatives
• Time alternatives
• Cost alternatives
 The identification of significant issues to be addressed
 The identification of appropriate mitigation measures
TERM OF REFERENCE (TOR)
Scoping stage yields sufficient details to prepare
TOR
The Scoping exercise is the basis for
developing TOR, and issues identified in
Scoping are included in it.
The TOR provides a written framework for
action and allows the EIA work to proceed in a
systematic manner.
TOR

The TOR shall be prepared by the proponent

in the format as mentioned in Schedules 3 and
4 of EPR, 1997 for IEE and EIA study
respectively
TOR helps in the following activities:

 Including the issues to be addressed

 Listing activities to be performed
 Systematizing the working procedure
 Mark out specific activities
 Giving emphasis to the most important elements for study
 Fitting the study within the policy and legal context
 Accomplishing the work within the time frame
 Providing technical guidance in delineating the specific environmental aspects for study
 Estimating the budget and human resources needed
The proponent should always bear in mind that the purpose of
the TOR is to answer the following questions:
What will be done?
Why will it be done?
How will it be done?
 When will it be done?
Who will do it?
How much will it cost?
 FRAMEWORK OF TOR FOR EIA
Introduction: Purpose and background of the proposal, responsible party for preparing EIA
report including policy and legal requirements and EIA guidelines.
Specific EIA guidance
Alternatives: alternatives to the project and with in the project
Institutional and public involvement: How agencies and stakeholders are to be involved.
Required Information: Work tasks, study schedule, review session, study boundary, study
team, information quality
Analysis of impacts: Positive and negative impacts identifies, predicts and evaluate
environmental impacts
Impact Mitigation and monitoring: Environmental management plan, environmental
monitoring plan
Conclusion and Recommendations: Project decision, technical matters, non technical
summary
References and Annexes: Organization (assessment team) and report format.
FORMAT OF TOR

The formats of TOR for IEE and EIA as

mentioned in Schedules 3 and 4 of EPR, 1997
respectively.
 WORK-SCHEDULE (TERMS OF REFERENCE) OF INITIAL
ENVIRONMENTAL EXAMINATION
1. Name and address of the individual or institution preparing the report:
2. Proposal’s: a) General introduction b) Relevancy of the proposal
3. Procedure to be adopted while preparing the report:
4. Policies, laws, and manuals to be taken into account while preparing the report :
5. Preparation of the report: a) Time b) Estimated budget
6. Specific impact of the implementation of the proposal on the environment: a) Physical and
chemical b) Biological c) Social and economic d) Cultural
7. Alternatives for the implementation of the proposal: a) Design b) Project site c) Technology,
procedure of operation, time schedule, raw materials to be used d) Other matters
8. Matters concerning the prevention of the impact of the implementation of the proposal on the
environment
9. Matters to be monitored while implementing the proposal.
10. Other necessary matters.
 WORK-SCHEDULE (TERMS OF REFERENCE) OF
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
1. Name and address of the individual or institution preparing the report:
2. General introduction of the proposal:
3. Data needed for the preparation of the report, and procedure of collecting
them
4. Policies, laws, rules and manuals to be taken into account while preparing
the report
5. Preparation of the report:
a. Time
b. Estimated budget
c. Necessary Experts

6. Scope determined for the preparation of the report

 WORK-SCHEDULE (TERMS OF REFERENCE) OF
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
7. Impact on the environment of the implementation of the report:
a. Physical and chemical
b. Biological
c. Social and economic
d. Cultural
8. Other alternatives for the implementation of the proposal:
a. Design
b. Project site
c. Technology, procedure of operation, time-schedule and raw materials to be used
d. Environment management system
e. Whether or not the risks resulting from the implementation of the proposal can be accepted,
f. Other matters
9. Measures to remove any negative impact that may be noticed while implementing the proposal.
10. Particulars of the cost and returns of the proposal.
11. Matters to be monitored while implementing the proposal.
12. Relevant information, reference lists, annexes, maps, photographs, tables and charts, graphs and
questionnaires to be mentioned at the time of preparing the report.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IEE AND EIA
S IEE EIA
N
1 Generally, for small scale project For Large scale project

2 Works on known impacts Also looks into unknown impacts

3 Conducted in short time with some budget and manpower Required subject specialist and more budget (but no scientific research)

4 May recommend further assessment Does not recommend additional study

5 Scoping document not required Scoping document to be prepared and approved by Ministry before TOR
approval

6 IEE to be approved by the concerned authorities within 21 days To be reviewed by concerned agencies and to be approved by ministry
(MOEST)within 90 days( basically it is 60) and 30 days to keep the report in
public domain

7 Environment management plan not required EMP is an integral part of EIA

8 Deed of public enquiry and 15 days public notice for comments Public hearing must be conducting at project
and suggestions on the draft report
MEH