ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
DEFINITION
• According to UK DoE (1989) the term ‘environmental assessment’
describes a technique and a process by which information about the
environmental effects of a project is collected, both by the developer
and from other sources, and considered by the planning authority in
forming their judgements on whether the development should go
ahead.
• Munn (1979) defined Environmental Impact Assessment as “to
identify and predict the impact on the environment and on man’s
health and well-being of legislative proposals, policies, programs,
projects and operational procedures, and to interpret and communicate
information about the impacts’
• The EIA definition adopted by the International Association for

Impact Assessment (IAIA 2009) is ‘the process of identifying,

predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social and other

relevant effects of proposed development proposals prior to major

decisions being taken and commitments made’.

EIA: A process

• EIA is a process, a systematic process that examines the environmental

consequences of development actions, in advance.

• The process involves several steps which are shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Showing different steps of EIA.
Steps in process of EIA
1. Project screening:

It narrows the application of EIA to those projects that may have significant environmental
impacts. Screening may be partly determined by the EIA regulations operating in a country at the
time of assessment.

2. Scoping:

Scoping seeks to identify at an early stage, from all a project’s possible impacts and from all the
alternatives that could be addressed, those that are the crucial, significant issues.

3. The consideration of alternatives:

It seeks to ensure that the proponent has considered other feasible approaches, including
alternative project locations, scales, processes, layouts, operating conditions and the ‘no action’
option.
4. The description of the project/development action:

It includes a clarification of the purpose and rationale (logic) of the project, and an
understanding of its various characteristics including stages of development, location and processes.

5. The description of the environmental baseline:

It includes the establishment of both the present and future state of the environment, in the
absence of the project, considering changes resulting from natural events and from other human
activities.

6. The identification of the main impacts:

It brings together the previous steps with the aim of ensuring that all potentially significant
environmental impacts (hostile and beneficial) are identified and considered in the process.
7. The prediction of impacts:

This step aims to identify the magnitude and other dimensions of identified change in the
environment with a project/ action, by comparison with the situation without that project/action.

8. The evaluation and assessment of significance:

This step assesses the relative significance of the predicted impacts to allow a focus on the main
adverse impacts.

9. Mitigation:

Mitigation involves the introduction of measures to avoid, reduce or compensate for any
significant adverse impacts. In addition, enhancement involves the development of beneficial
impacts where possible.
10. Public consultation and participation:

This step aim to ensure the quality, comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EIA, and that the
public’s views are adequately taken into consideration in the decision-making process.

11. The evaluation and assessment of significance:

This step assesses the relative significance of the predicted impacts to allow a focus on the main
adverse impacts.

12. EIS presentation:

It is a vital step in the process. If done badly, much good work in the EIA may be negated.

13. Review:

Review involves a systematic assessment of the quality of the EIS, as a contribution to the
decision-making process.
14. Decision-making:

Decision making on the project involves a consideration by the relevant authority of the EIS
(including consultation responses) together with other material considerations.

15. Post-decision monitoring:

This step involves the recording of outcomes associated with development impacts, after a
decision to proceed. It can contribute to effective project management.

16. Auditing:

Auditing follows from monitoring. It can involve comparing actual outcomes with predicted
outcomes and can be used to assess the quality of predictions and the effective ness of mitigation. It
provides a vital step in the EIA learning process.
Environmental Impacts of
Mining
 Environmental Impacts of Mining
• Proposed mining projects vary according to the type of metals or materials
to be extracted from the earth.
• Most proposed mining projects involve the extraction of ore deposits such
as copper, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver, lead, zinc and platinum.
• Mining can pollute air and drinking water, harm wildlife and habitat, and
permanently scar natural landscapes. Modern mines as well as abandoned
mines are responsible for significant environmental damage.
• “Water is more precious than gold” in the arid mountains. Dramatic
population growth in recent decades coupled with record-breaking droughts,
have increased demand for this naturally scarce resource.
• Pollution further compromises water supplies and increase costs to
consumers as more water treatment becomes necessary to make
contaminated water safe for human consumption and agricultural use.
 Impacts of Mining on Environment
1. Acid Mine Drainage:

Acid mine drainage is the primary source of water pollution from mining. Mining uncovers large
amounts of ore that contains precious metals, such as gold and silver, as well as iron and other sulfides.
When sulfides in the ore are exposed to water and air, sulfuric acid is created, which can seep from mines
and waste rock piles into streams, rivers, and groundwater. This seepage is called acid mine drainage. Acid
mine drainage can be 20 to 300 times more acidic than acid rain and can burn human skin and kill fish and
aquatic organisms.

2. Cyanide and Mercury:

Chemicals used to separate valuable metals and minerals from ore also may leak into streams, rivers,
and groundwater. Some of these chemicals, such as mercury, persist in the environment for decades.
Although no longer used in mining, mercury continues to contaminate waterways. Cyanide, which is
widely used in modern gold mining, is another potentially deadly chemical that can get into water supplies.
 Impacts of Mining on Environment
3. Water Quantity:

Mining can deplete surface and groundwater supplies. Groundwater withdrawals may damage
or destroy streamside habitat many miles from the actual mine site. For example, Groundwater
withdrawn from the Santa Cruz River Basin in southern Arizona for use at a nearby copper mine is
lowering the water table and drying up the river.

4. Air Quality:

Hundreds of tons of rock are unearthed, moved, and crushed in mining operations significantly
increasing the amount of dust and particulates in the air. In addition, mine tailings, which may
contain finely ground and even toxic waste, can become airborne. This air pollution can directly
affect human health.
 Impacts of Mining on Environment
5. Human Health:

Mining can cause serious human health problems. Statistical studies suggest linkage between
mining pollution and human disease and mortality. For example:

“The death rate from serious disease has been remarkably high in the Clark Fork Basin near Butte,
Montana, and areas of intensive mining and smelting for over a hundred years. (The Clark Fork
Basin contains the most extensive area of Superfund sites in the United States.)

6. Wildlife and Habitat:

Because mining is often a heavy industrial activity that involves road construction and the use of
heavy machinery, wildlife can be dislocated and habitat damaged or destroyed. Birds and other
wildlife can be poisoned after drinking contaminated water in tailings ponds. Increases in
sedimentation or acidity can kill trout, salmon, and other aquatic organisms.
 Impacts of Mining on Environment
Even at very low concentrations, exposure to heavy metals can stunt fish growth. The macro-
invertebrates that fish eat live in stream sediment and eat algae, both of which often contain higher
metal concentrations than surface waters.

7. Hazardous Waste:

Metal mining generates hundreds of millions of pounds of hazardous waste each year. The metal
mining annually produces more toxic waste by volume than any other industry in the United States.