Environmental

Impact Assessment
Prof. Sandeep Hegde

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environment Impact Assessment or EIA
can be defined as the study to predict the
effect of a proposed activity/project on
the environment.
A decision making tool, EIA compares
various alternatives for a project and
seeks to identify the one which
represents the best combination of
economic and environmental costs and
benefits.

Environmental Impact Assessment

is intended as an instrument of
preventive environmental
management. It provides a
framework and an information
basis for decision making on
activities affecting the
environment.

EIA Three core values

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

To say that infrastructure development has impact is to

state the obvious. No industrial country has advanced to
such status without developing solid infrastructure
facilities. And no low-income country has managed to
escape poverty in the absence of infrastructure.
In addition to economic growth, infrastructure
development has a very tangible impact on people's
daily lives, and especially on the lives of poor people
- Liqun Jin
Vice President, ADB

EIA
applies to the assessment of the
environmental effects of those public
and private projects which are likely to
have significant effects on the
environment.

EIA
Project means:
the execution of construction works or
of other installations or schemes
other interventions in the natural
surroundings and landscape including
those involving the extraction of
minerals.

EIA
Development consent means:
the decision of the competent
authorities which entitles the developer
to proceed with the project.

EIA
.. have significant effects on the
environment by virtue inter alia,
of their:

nature, size, location.

EIA
direct and indirect effects of a project
on the following factors:

human beings, fauna and flora

soil, water, air, climate and the landscape
the inter-action between the factors
mentioned in the first and second indents

material assets and the cultural heritage.

Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)

There are two types of EIA models- the statutory

model which makes the assessment of impact
compulsory under an enacted law, or a delegated
legislation, and the administrative model under
which an administration exercises its discretion to
find out whether an impact study is necessary. Till
1992, India was following the administrative model
of EIA.

EIA Statutory Model

On 27th January, 1994 a notification was issued
dealing

with

mandatory

EIA.

The

notification

requires project proponent to submit an EIA

report, and environment management plan, details
of the public hearing and a project report to the
impact assessment agency for clearance, further
review by a committee of experts in certain cases.
By the amendment in the year 1997, public hearing
was made compulsory before impact assessment
was finalized.

Environmental
Clearance
Process

Information requirements
Description of the project:
physical characteristics, land-use
requirements during construction and
operation
production processes, materials used
estimate of expected residues and
emissions (water, air, soil pollution, noise,
vibrations, light, heat, radiation, etc.)

Information requirements
Alternatives:
outline of the main alternatives
main reasons for choice, including
environmental effects

Information requirements
Impacts on:
population, fauna, flora, soils, water, air,
climatic factors, material assets incl.
architectural and archeological heritage,
landscape
interrelationship between these factors

Information requirements
Likely significant effects from:
existence of the project
use of natural resources
emission of pollutants, creation of
nuisances, elimination of waste
and the description of the methods
used to assess the effects.

Information requirements
Description of measures:
to prevent, reduce, and where
possible to offset any significant
adverse effects on the
environment.

Environmental Impact Assessment

procedural steps:

description of the project

description of the environment
identification of environmental impacts
evaluation of environmental impacts
management and control of impacts
presentation of the study
public participation
judgment by authorities

EIA Process

Environmental Impact Assessment

procedure:

deciding whether an EIA is required (Screening)

determining the scope of EIA (Scoping)
preparing of the impact statement (EIS)
consultations, public participation
evaluating EIA results and consultations
reaching a decision
monitoring impacts after project implementation

Phase B
Phase A

Project
Life
Cycle

Phase C

Phase E
Phase D

A. Project
Concept/Identification
Initial stage of the project planning
Basic nature of the project is known
including the site(s) where the project is
being proposed to be implemented
Screen project to determine if project
requires a full EIA

Screening
Screening
Identify environmental issues of concern
Determine whether EIA is needed
Establish need for project

Environmental
impact

Project

Economic
impact
Social
impact

Not require
EIA

Require
EIA

Threshold criteria

Size
Location
Output
Cost/Finances
Environmental
effects
etc.

Impacts
unclear

Impact criteria

Significant but
easily identifiable
impacts
Significant impacts
Sensitive area

B. Pre-feasibility Stage
Scope the project to identify issues/impacts for investigation

Methods for Scoping

Making a plan for
public involvement

Evaluating the
significance of issues

Identifying major issues

of public concern

Distribution of information
to interested parties

Establishing priorities for

environmental assessment

Developing a strategy for

addressing priorities

Initial Assessment of
Impacts
Existing or baseline data:
provide a description of the status and trends of
environmental factors (e.g., air pollutant
concentrations) against which predicted
changes can be compared and evaluated in
terms of importance

provide a means of detecting actual change by

monitoring once a project has been initiated

C. Feasibility Stage
Conduct the EIA and determine if the project is
viable
Magnitude of impact - indicate whether the impact is
irreversible or, reversible and estimated potential rate of
recovery
Extent of impact - spatial extent of impacts should be
determined
Duration of Impact - arising at different phases of the
project cycle and the length of the impact [e.g. short term
(during construction-9 yrs), medium term (10-20 yrs), long
term (20+ yrs)]

D. Implement & Audit the

Project

The EIA is a "reference" guide during

implementation
Outlines mitigation strategies and monitoring
schemes
Preventative measures - reduce potential adverse impacts before
occurrence
Compensatory measures - compensate for unavoidable adverse impacts
Corrective measures - reduces the adverse impact to an acceptable level

Audit project after completion to identify lessons

learned

E. Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring provides feedback
about the actual environmental impacts of a
project
Helps judge the success of mitigation
measures in protecting the environment
Ensure compliance with environmental
standards
Facilitate any needed project design or
operational changes

Strategic environment assessment

Strategic environment assessment (SEA) refers to
systematic analysis of the environmental effects of
development policies, plans, programmes and other
proposed strategic actions. This process extends the
aims and principles of EIA upstream in the decisionmaking process, beyond the project level and when
major alternatives are still open. SEA represents a
proactive approach to integrating environmental
considerations into the higher levels of decisionmaking.
Despite its wide use and acceptance, EIA has certain
shortcomings as a tool for minimizing environmental
effects of development proposals. It takes place
relatively late at the downstream end of the decision
making process, after major alternatives and directions
have been chosen

Activists are calling the project illegal. The land of adivasis

here is ceiling land. During the land reforms movement,
excess land that was acquired by the government was
given to adivasis for tilling in 1972. Land deed, locally called
7/12, was also issued in their names. Such ceiling land can
neither be transferred nor sold. But the Maharashtra
government has issued special resolutions to ensure that
the ceiling land can be acquired for developing Lavasa,
says Rifat Mumtaz of Pune-based ngo National Centre for
Advocacy Studies (ncas). Mumtaz adds that Lavasa has
flouted rules because the project has not taken any
environmental impact assessment (eia) clearance from the
Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The corporation has already constructed one private dam and there is
no water downstream of this dam. Farmers have neither drinking water
nor water for irrigation. The farmers downsteam recently attacked
mkvdc and it was forced to release water. Imagine what will happen
after all the four dams are constructed, says Shedge of Mugaon
village. A petition in the Bombay High Court challenged allocation of
mkvdcs land in 2006. The petition also said that mkvdc was not meant
for commercial use and Lavasa was a purely commercial venture. The
case is pending.
The company says it is building 12 mini dams in the area that will add
to the current capacity of the Warasgaon lake. These dams will be
built at higher levels increasing the existing catchment capacity. We will
create an additional water catchment of 0.9 thousand million cubic
metres (tmc) of which 0.4 tmc will be used by Lavasa and 0.5 tmc will
be released into the lake, the spokesperson said.

But experts warn that water scarcity will not remain

limited to downstream villages; it will also hit Pune city,
as its water supply goes from this valley, called the
Mose valley. On the one hand, the government is
destroying the present water source for Pune and on
the other, it is seeking funds from the Centre for
additional water supply, says Pune corporator
Bhapkar. Meanwhile, protests against the project have
gathered steam. Villagers are demanding a Central
Bureau of Investigation enquiry.

EIAs therefore cannot.

Decide which alternative to chose
Prevent environmental impacts from happening
Guarantee decisions you like
Prohibit any actions
Cumulative effects of multiple projects