Submitted by:DEEPIKA VERMA (15001506003)HIMANSHI BAGGA (15001506004)SHIVANI GOEL (15001506013)

M. Arch. (2015-17), 2nd Sem, Department of Architechture, Deenbandhu ChhotuRam University of Science & Technology, Murthal

• Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA)- INTRODUCTION

• Impacts :

• Evolution of EIA

• Benefits of EIA

• The process of EIA

• Contents of EIA Report• List of projects

requiring EIA• EXTERNALITIES OF EIA

• Conclusions

Contents:

INTRODUCTION

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to the evaluation of the environmental impacts likely to raise from a major project significantly affecting the environment.Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process which ensures that all environmental matters are taken into account quite early in the project at planning process itself. It takes into consideration not only technical and economic considerations but also, traditional aspects like impact on local people, biodiversity etc.• A tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a

project prior to decision-making. • It aims to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project

planning and design, find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment and present the predictions and options to decision-makers.

• By using EIA both environmental and economic benefits can be achieved, such as reduced cost and time of project implementation and design, avoided treatment/clean-up costs and impacts of laws and regulations.

TYPES OF IMPACTS

IMPACTS• The impact of an activity is a deviation (a

change) from the baseline situation that is caused by the activity.

• The baseline situation is the existing environmental situation or condition in the absence of the activity.

Ecological ImpactFisheries, forests, plantation, eutrophicationPhysico-chemical ImpactErosion and Siltation, drainage congestion /water logging, regional hydrology/flooding, obstruction to waste water flow, dust /noise pollutionImpact on Human InterestLoss of agricultural lands, generation of employment opportunities, navigation and boat communication, commercial and service facilities, industrial activities, irrigation facilities

Environmental impacts:1. Depletion of natural

resources.2. Destruction of habitats.3. Change in ph, oxygen

level, toxicity of water.4. Increase in toxicity of

air.5. Global warming.6. Ozone depletion.

EIA is one of the successful policy innovations of the 20th Century for environmental conservation. Thirty-seven years ago, there was no EIA but today, it is a formal process in many countries and is currently practiced in more than 100 countries. EIA as a mandatory regulatory procedure originated in the early 1970s, with the implementation of the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) 1969 in the US. A large part of the initial development took place in a few high-income countries, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (1973-74). However, there were some developing countries as well, which introduced EIA relatively early - Columbia (1974), Philippines (1978).

The EIA process really took off after the mid-1980s. In 1989, the World Bank adopted EIA for major development projects, in which a borrower country had to undertake an EIA under the Bank's supervision

EVOLUTION OF EIA

BENEFITS OF EIA

Lower project costs in the long-term Increased project acceptance Improved project design Informed decision makingEnvironmentally sensitive decisions Increased accountability and transparencyReduced environmental damage Improved integration of projects into their

environmental and social settings

BENEFITS OF EIA

PROCESS OF EIA

EIA process includes following steps:

†Screening†Scoping†Impact analysis†Impact mitigation†Reporting†Review†Decision making†Monitoring

PROCESS OF EIA†Screening: to determine which

projects or developments require a full or partial impact assessment study;

†Scoping: to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or compensate adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not proceeding with the development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts, incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or providing compensation for adverse impacts), and finally to derive terms of reference for the impact assessment;

†Assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, to predict and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, including the detailed elaboration of alternatives;

†Reporting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or EIA report, including an environmental management plan (EMP), and a non-technical summary for the general audience.

†Review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), based on the terms of reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.

†Decision-making on whether to approve the project or not, and under what conditions; and

†Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing. Monitor whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as defined in the EMP. Verify the compliance of proponent with the EMP, to ensure that unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified and addressed in a timely fashion.

CONTENT OF EIA REPORTA description of the

projectAn outline of the main alternatives studied

by the developer, and an indication of the

main reasons for this choice

A description of the aspects of the

environment likely to be significantly affected by the

proposed projectA description of the

likely significant environmental effects

of the proposed project

Measures to prevent, reduce and possibly

offset adverse environmental effects

A non-technical summary

An indication of any difficulties (technical

deficiencies or lack of know-how) encountered while

compiling the required information

MOST DEFINITIONS RECOGNIZE THE FOLLOWING FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES

I. Procedural principle; EIA establishes a systematic method for incorporating environmental considerations into decision-making;

II. Informational principle; EIA provides the necessary elements to make an informed decision;

III. Preventive principle; EIA should be applied at the earliest opportunity within the decision-making process to allow the anticipation and avoidance of environmental impacts wherever possible; and

IV. Iterative principle; the information generated by EIA is made available to interested parties to elicit a response which in turn should be fed back into EIA process.

DATA REQUIREMENTS

• PROJECT• Type• Size• Location

• AREA OF POTENTIAL IMPACT» Physical resources» Biological resources» Economic development resources»Quality of life»Other existing and planned projects

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be prepared on the basis of the existing background pollution levels vis-a-vis contributions of pollutants from the proposed plant. The EIA should address some of the basic factors listed below:• Meteorology and air quality

Ambient levels of pollutants such as Sulphur Dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, suspended particulate matters, should be determined at the center and at 3 other locations on a radius of 10 km with 120 degrees angle between stations. Additional contribution of pollutants at the locations are required to be predicted after taking into account the emission rates of the pollutants from the stacks of the proposed plant, under different meteorological conditions prevailing in the area.

• Hydrology and water quality• Site and its surroundings• Occupational safety and health• Details of the treatment and disposal of effluentS(liquid,air and solid)

and the methods of alternative uses• Transportation of raw material and details of material handling• Control equipment and measures proposed to be adopted

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (SIA) • Social Impact Assessment (SIA) includes the processes of analysing, monitoring and

managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions and any social change processes invoked by those interventions (Vanclay, 1999).

• The analysis should include the use of land, culture, the main economic activities e.g. tourism, agriculture, employment levels and impact on service provision e.g. education, water use, traffic, energy use etc.

• Its primary purpose is to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment.

• Social Impact Assessment assumes that social, economic and biophysical impacts are interconnected.

• Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is therefore done to ensure that there is no mismatch between the development and socio-cultural and economic of the project area.

EIA RELATED STUDIES

HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT (HIA) • Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not

merely absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1946). • In most EIAs, HIA is usually included under SIA. HIA is now emerging as a key

component of EIA because health is determined by a multiplicity of factors including socio-economic and environmental factors.

• There is no clear definition about where health concerns end and where environmental or social concerns begin.

• HIA is a broad concept that may be interpreted in different ways by a range of different users but all imply an interest in the safeguarding and enhancement of human health and a concern that human activities and decisions, in the form of development projects, plans, programs and policies can affect human health in both positive and negative ways.

STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA) SEA is undertaken much earlier in the decision-making process than EIA - it is therefore seen as a key tool for sustainable development. „Strategic Environmental Assessment aims to incorporate environmental and sustainability considerations into strategic decision making processes, such as the formulation of policies, plans and programs.‟

EIA RELATED STUDIES

LIST OF PROJECTS REQUIRING AN EIA

(A) Energy 1. Hydroelectric power generation over 50 MW. 2. Thermal power generation over 200 MW. 3. Transmission lines (11 KV and above) and grid stations. 4. Nuclear Power plants. 5. Petroleum refineries.(B) Manufacturing and Processing6. Cement Plants. 7. Chemicals projects. 8. Fertilizers plants. 9. Food processing industries including sugar mills, beverages, milk and

dairy products with total cost of Rs. 100 Million and above. 10. Industrial Estates (including export processing zones)

6. Man-made fibers and resin projects with total cost of Rs. 100 Million and above.

7. Pesticides (manufacture or formulation). 8. Petrochemicals complex. 9. Synthetic resins, plastic and man-made fibers, paper and paperboard,

paper pulping, plastic products, textile (except apparel), printing and publishing, paints and dyes, oils and fats and vegetable ghee projects with a total cost more than Rs. 10 Million.

10.Tanning and lather finishing projects.

(C) Mining and Mineral Processing. 11.Mining and processing of coal, gold, copper, sulphur and precious

stones.2. Mining and processing of major non-ferrous metals, iron and steel rolling. 3. Smelting plants with total cost of Rs. 50 Million and above.

(D)Transport1. Airports. 2. Federal or provincial highways (except maintenance, rebuilding or

reconstruction of existing roads) with total cost of Rs.50 million and above. 3. Ports and harbors development for ships 500 gross tons and above. 4. Railway works.

(E)Water Management, Dams, Irrigation and Flood Protection..5. Dams and reservoirs with storage volume 50 million cubic meters and

above or surface area of 08 square kilometers and above. 6. Irrigation and drainage projects serving 15,000 hectares and above.

(F)Water supply schemes and treatment. Water supply schemes and treatment plants with total cost of Rs. 25 million and above

(G) Waste Disposal

1. Waste disposal and / or storage of hazardous or toxic wastes (including land fill sites incineration of hospital toxic waste).2. Waste disposal facility for domestic or industrial waste with annual capacity more than 10,000 cubic meters.

(H)Urban development and tourism. 1. Land use studies and urban plans (large cities).2. Large scale tourism development projects with total cost more than

Rs. 50 million.

(I)Environmentally Sensitive Areas. 1. All projects situated in environmentally sensitive areas.

EXTERNALITIES OF EIA

POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES: 1. New jobs generated, economic growth stimulated. 2. Growth of local business enterprises supported. 3. Development of supporting and complementary industries. 4. Influx of capital and disposable income.

NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES:• Social impacts: 1. Impacts on health of local population. 2. Increase in crime and deviant behavior. 3. Additional pressure on the existing physical infrastructure (sewage, water supply ) 4. Decline in community cohesion. 5. Changed cultural values

BENEFITS OF THE EIA PROCESS

†Potentially screens out environmentally-unsound projects†Proposes modified designs to reduce environmental

impacts†Identifies feasible alternatives†Predicts significant adverse impacts†Identifies mitigation measures to reduce, offset, or

eliminate major impacts†Engages and informs potentially affected communities and

individuals†Influences decision-making and the development of terms

and conditions

BENEFITS OF CONDUCTING EIA†Facilitates informed decision making by providing clear, well structured

dispassionate analysis of the effect and consequences of proposed projects.

†Pre-emption or early withdrawal of unsound proposals.†Assists in the selection of alternatives, including the selection of the best

practicable and most environmentally friendly option.†Results in best practice prediction and mitigation of adverse effects of

projects.†Influences both project selection and design by screening out

environmentally unsound projects, as well as modifying feasible projects - Mitigation of negative environmental and social impacts.

†Guides formal approval, including the establishment of terms and conditions of project implementation and follow-up.

†Mitigation of negative environmental and social impacts.†Serves as an adaptive, organizational learning process, in which the

lessons of experience are feedback into policy, institutional and project design - Enhancement of positive aspects.

CONCLUSION

†Environment Impact Assessment is a very beneficial step to check, whether the project is environment friendly or not.

†Since economic development is result of interaction between natural resources and technology supported by designed for people, so all human activity should be economic, social and environment friendly.

†EIA certainly has a crucial role to play in addressing environmental issues surrounding project development and especially power projects.

†The integration of environment into development planning is the most important tool in achieving sustainable development.

†Environmental protection and economic development must thus be dealt with in an integrated manner.

†EIA process is necessary in providing an anticipatory and preventive mechanism for environmental management and protection in any development.

†Several developing countries are still at the infancy stage of operationalization of their EIA processes.

†The need for capacity building for quality EIA is also eminent in these countries.†Despite these small setbacks, environmental impact assessment has become an

integral part of project planning one, which is continually being improved for posterity.