ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)

LOY NABULIME
Learning Outcome
At the end of this lecture, you should know:
a. The definition of EIA
b. Objectives and rationale for conducting EIA
c. Scope of the EIA process
1. Evolution and Rationale
 Since 1950s, growing environment awareness has increasingly focussed attention on
the interaction between development projects and their environmental
consequences.
 Before the evolution of EIA, projects were formulated and assessed according to
technical, economic and political criteria. Potential environmental and public health
impacts of development projects were rarely considered.
 Such restricted assessments of development projects resulted in unforeseen harmful
impacts on the environment and public health.
 1. Evolution and Rationale (contd)
• Evolution of EIA was therefore to factor in environmental concerns in development projects.
• The purpose of EIA is to determine the potential environmental, social and public health
effects of a proposed development.
• EIA attempts to define and assess the physical, biological and socio-economic effects in a
form that permits a logical and rational decision to be made.
• EIA is therefore a predictive and technical exercise.
• Through application of a structured approach to the collection and analysis of data, EIA
aims to identify and assess the likely environmental consequences of pursuing a pre-
determined course or set of actions, be they individual projects, developments programmes
or policies.
• In other words, EIA provides decision makers and the public with an account of the
implications of proposed course of action before a decision is made.
• Attempts can therefore be made to reduce the potential adverse impacts through
identification of possible alternative processes.
 2. What is an EIA?
EIA can defined various ways. Four examples
are given here:
i. EIA is an activity designed to identify and
predict the impact on the bio geophysical
environment and on man’s health and well-
being of legislative proposals, policies,
programmes, projects and operational
procedures, and to interpret and communicate 3. To identify and describe the residual
information about the impacts.
ii. EIA is an assessment of all relevant
environmental and social effects which would
result from a project
iii.EIA is a systematic examination of the
environmental and public health consequences
of projects, policies, plans and programmes.
iv. EIA is a systematic examination conducted to 6. To aid in selection of ‘optimum’
determine whether or not a project will have
any adverse impact on the environment
3. What are objectives of
conducting an EIA?
1. To identify beneficial and adverse
environmental impacts
2. To suggest mitigation actions which
might reduce or prevent adverse impacts
adverse impacts which can not be
mitigated
4. To identify appropriate monitoring
strategies to ‘track’ impacts and provide
an ‘early warning’ system
5. To incorporate environmental
information into decision-making
process relating to development activities
alternatives
 4. EIA core values
There are 3 EIA core values:
1. Integrity – The EIA process will
conform to agreed standards
2. Utility - The EIA process will
provide balanced, credible
information for decision
making
3. Sustainability – the EIA process
will result in environmental
safeguards
5. EIA guiding principles
The EIA process should be:
• Purposive – meeting its aims and objectives
• Focused - concentrating on effects that matter
• Adaptive – responding to issues and realities
• Participatory – fully involving the public
• Transparent – clear and easily understood
• Rigorous – employing the “best practicable”
methodology
• Practical – establishing mitigation measures
that work
• Credible – carried out with objectivitivity and
professionalism
• Efficient – imposing least cost burden on
proponents
 6. Key operating principles
of good EIA practice
EIA should:
• Be applied to all proposals with
significant impacts
• Begin early in the project cycle
• Address relevant environmental,
social and health impacts
• Identify and take account of
public views
• Result in a statement of impacts
and mitigation measures
• Facilitate informed decision
making and condition setting
7. The EIA process
The EIA process comprises of:
1. Screening – the purpose is to determine whether or
not a proposal requires an EIA, and what level of EIA
is required.
2. Scoping – to identify the important issues and
prepare terms of reference
3. Impact analysis – to predict the effects of the
proposed activity and evaluate their significance
4. Mitigation – to establish measures to prevent, reduce
or compensate for impacts
5. Reporting – to prepare the information necessary for
decision making
6. Review – to check the quality of the EIA report
7. Decision making – to approve (or reject) the
proposal and set condition
8. Follow up – to monitor, manage and audit impacts
of project implementation
9. Public involvement – to inform and consult with
stakeholder
8. Benefits of EIA
They include:
1. Environmentally sound and
sustainable design
2. Better compliance to standards
3. Savings in capital and
operating costs
4. Reduced time and costs for
approval
5. Increased project acceptance
6. Better protection to the
environment and human health
9. Constraints in
the EIA process
Some of the constraints are:
1. EIA is commenced too late in
the project cycle
2. The ToR are poorly drafted
3. The EIA is not managed to
schedule
4. The EIA report is inadequate
and needs to be upgraded
5. There is lack of technical data
10. How do we ensure
fairness in the EIA process?
1. Register consultants’ names
and ToR
2. Name the consultants and
their expertise in the EIA
report
3. Public the ToR in the EIA
report
4. Make EIA reports available to
the public
5. Publish lists of screening and
final decisions along with
conditions for approval
11. Legal and institutional
cornerstones of an EIA system
1. Based on legislation
2. Clear statement of purpose and
requirements
3. Mandatory compliance and
enforcement
4. Application of proposals wit
potentially significant impacts
5. Prescribed process of steps and
activities
6. Provision of public consultation
7. Linkage to decision making
 12. Basic conditions
supporting an EIA system
1. Functional legal regime
2. Sound administration and
flexible policy making
common understanding of
the aims an potential benefits
of the process
3. Political commitment
4. Institutional capacity
5. Adequate technical basis,
data and information
6. Public involvement
7. Financial support
13. Requirements for
developing EIA procedures
1. Government support
2. Establishing the basic conditions
(baselines)
3. Understanding the relationship
to other decision-making
processes
4. Considerations of effectiveness
of different EIA arrangements
5. Identification of the ways in
which they can be implemented
6. Taking into account of key
trends and direction for EIA
14. Steps to develop an EIA system

1. Establish goals
2. Review other EIA systems
3. Identify obligations under Treaties
4. Learn from experience of others
5. Incorporate features to move towards sustainability
6. Identify procedures and standards
7. Develop trial guidelines
8. Produce legislations that incorporate procedures for
monitoring and review