Environmental

Baseline Studies
Dr. K. Pavan Kumar
Associate Professor
SCE, VIT Vellore
Definition for Baseline Studies
The definition of baseline studies entered the environmental literature at the same
time as the concept of EIA

In general it is taken to refer to a description of some aspects of the physical,

biological and social environments which could be affected by the development
project under consideration

A more operative definition was given by Hirsch (1980) who defines a baseline
study as a description of conditions existing at a point in time against which
subsequent changes can be detected through monitoring

Anon (1975) suggested that baseline studies should be designed to provide insight
into the normal variability of phenomena such that appropriate monitoring
programs can be designed
The Role of Baseline Studies in EIA
Baseline Studies and Project Planning
o The project decision network
Establishing Environmental Baseline
Environmental baseline includes both the present and likely future state of the
environment assuming that a proposed project is not undertaken, taking into
account changes resulting from natural events and from other human activities

The period for the prediction of the future state of the environment should be
comparable with the life of the proposed development

Components include both the biophysical and socioeconomic environment

Spatial coverage may focus on the local, but refer to the wider region and beyond
for some environmental elements
Environment: Components, scale and time dimensions
Information describing the site and its environment
Framework for analysing baseline sub element
Framework for analysing baseline sub element
 Data Sources and Issues in Baseline Studies
Statutory development plans (example: local plans, structure plans) – provide data on
physical, social and economic environment.

Environmental audit studies – focus is on physical environment

Local history, conservation, and naturalist societies may have information on local flora,
fauna, rights of way and archaeological sites

The quality and reliability of data can be classified as:

- “Hard” data from reliable sources which can be verified and which are not subject to short-term change, such
as geological records and physical surveys of topography and infrastructure
- “Intermediate” data which are reliable but not capable of absolute proof, such as water quality, land values,
vegetation condition, and traffic counts, which have variable values
- “Soft” data which are a matter of opinion or social values, such as opinion surveys, visual enjoyment of
landscape, and numbers of people using amenities, where the responses depend on human attitudes and the
climate of public feeling
Baseline studies are often undertaken without clearly defined objectives

Seldom is there an understanding of why data are being collected or to what

problem they will be applied

In order to cover all potential requirements an effort is made to gather some
information on all aspects of the environment which inevitably leads to
superficial surveys which provide only reconnaissance-level information

Much of investment in time and resources is wasted

Many baseline studies do not reflect the ultimate needs of the decision
maker involved in project planning
Impact Identification – Aims and Methods
• to ensure compliance with regulations;
• to provide a comprehensive coverage of a full range of impacts, including social, economic
and physical;
• to distinguish between positive and negative, large and small, long-term and short-
• term, reversible and irreversible impacts;
• to identify secondary, indirect and cumulative impacts as well as direct impacts;
• to distinguish between significant and insignificant impacts;
• to allow a comparison of alternative development proposals;
• to consider impacts within the constraints of an area’s carrying capacity;
• to incorporate qualitative as well as quantitative information;
• to be easy and economical to use;
• to be unbiased and to give consistent results;
• to be of use in summarizing and presenting impacts in the EIS.
Example: Baseline data collection for dam construction project
Present Environmental and Ecological Status of the Project Area
No major industries or thermal power house is located in the project area
The area likely to be inundated by the Polavaram project includes outcrops of Barakar rocks at Vinjaram and
north of Tummalakunta. but their resource potential of workable coal will be estimated at DPR stage. The
only other mineral occurrences known in the inundated areas are of graphite at Kavilkunta and Bollapalle
At present the ground water is being use for agriculture purposes. The ground water quality in the command
area is generally within the permissible limits for irrigation. The depth of water table varies from near surface
to 25 m below ground level
There is no record offish sanctuary in and around Polavaram reservoir area
The downstream area of the project has a long history of floods. To protect the area from floods, flood banks
have been formed considering the maximum flood level of year 1986
The forest area coming under submergence are generally dense with jungles, open scrubs of thorny bushes
and other trees: The important timber species are teak, eppa, and bijasal or yegi. Common fuel species are
tella tumma. maredu, udaga and Korier. Commercially important species found in the forest are teak, neem,
kalan, sandalwood. sailaichar. cattle grass, gum etc. There is also good bamboo growth, which are being
exploited by paper mills
Reservoir site
Surface water regime
Impact on groundwater
Natural resources
Public health aspects
Aquatic weeds
Impact on seismicity
Sedimentation
Frequency of cyclones
Archaeological centres
Population density
Housing and land requirement
Baseline Studies For a Hydroelectric Development (Peter Wathern, 1988)
Q1. Should the project be approved in principle?
Environmental baseline studies at this stage should be directed towards
determining whether it is possible to proceed with the project and meet the
requirements of the Fisheries Act

Q2. Where should the project be built?

At this stage more detailed and focussed baseline studies would have to be
conducted with the objective of assessing:
- The percentage of the total Eagle River salmon population which would be
prevented from reaching their spawning habitat under the proposed dam
regime
- The distribution of currently available salmon habitat of various classes within
the entire Eagle River system
- The extent of habitat of various classes throughout the drainage area currently
unavailable to salmon and the nature of the blockage
- And the losses of habitat of various classes and how much could be made
accessible above each of the preferred dam sites
The results of the baseline studies undertaken at this site-selection stage would
influence the benefit : cost ratio of the project and further define the best
strategy to pursue with respect to the construction of a fish hatchery and
development of new spawning habitat

Q3. How should the project be designed?

- Information would be required on the maximum and minimum downstream
water flows necessary to protect migrating adult fish as well as the viability of
juvenile stages
- The dam design would have to take into account the water flows required at
various times throughout the year
- Another important consideration would be whether a fish ladder should be
incorporated into the design of the dam

Q4. How should the project be operated?

- Determining the long-term survival of salmon moving past the dams
- Establishing the survival rates above the dams compared with that in
unaffected parts of the river
- Assessing whether newly developed habitat is being used to the extent
predicted
- The relationship between salmon production in the river and commercial
salmon catches