Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental

impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-
economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
UNEP defines Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as 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.
Although legislation and practice vary around the world, the fundamental components of an
EIA would necessarily involve the following stages:

Stages in Environmental Impact Assessment Process

 Project Identification and Definition

 Screening
 Scoping
 Baseline Study
 Impact analysis
 Impact Mitigation
 EIA Report
 Review of Draft EIA Report
 Decision-making

The stages in an Environmental Impact Assessment process differ from one country to the
other. However, the basic stages must be applied as a standard of good practice. These stages
common in all EIA structures are screening, scoping, impact analysis, mitigation measures,
reporting, review, decision making, and auditing. The stages involved in an Environmental
Impact Assessment process is determined by the requirements of the country or donor.

1. Project Identification and Definition

This stage seems insignificant but can become complex especially for large and multiple
projects. The proposed project is stated and specifically defined to determine with accuracy,
the zone of possible impacts and to include activities that are closely connected with the
proposal so that the entire scope of environmental impacts is evaluated.

2. Screening

Screening is done to determine whether a project requires an EIA or not and the level of
assessment to be carried out. The threshold requirement for an EIA may depend on the
monetary value of a project, the impact the project will have or the type of project, it is. In
some places, there is a list of projects that require EIA.

When a project proposal has been submitted to the agency in charge of EIA in a particular
area, the agency sends a representative to the project promoter. They discuss topics such as
the reason of the project, the size, cost, main stakeholders, opposition, and whether some
parts of the project are negotiable or not. The EIA agent also considers and interrogates all
the people that are in charge of the different categories of the project to assess exactly what
all the impacts of the project will be.

A trip to the site is very necessary during screening. Details such as the exact coordinates of
the site are taken. In situ tests are also carried out, pictures of the site and surrounding
environment are taken. These will make the project more realistic and easy to assess while
away from the site.

Regulations applicable to the project are also studied at this stage of the Environmental
Impact Assessment process. This is important because these regulations could also determine
whether a basic or full-scale environmental impact assessment is required.

Screening facilitates informed decision-making. It provides a clear, well-structured, factual

analysis of the effects and consequences of proposed actions. During this process,
environmentally, socially,, and economically unsound projects are screened out

The environmental impact of a project can change over time. Therefore, during the screening
step as well as the whole EIA process, impacts are considered over the lifetime of the project,
from the construction phase through to operations and after closing.
3. Scoping

Scoping is the stage in the Environmental Impact Assessment process that makes the general
public and NGOs aware of a proposed project and allows them to air their opinions about the
project. During scoping, the key issues and impacts that should be further investigated are
identified. This identification is based on legislative requirements, international conventions,
expert knowledge, and public involvement. The boundary and time limit of the study is also
set.

Scoping activities also include Identifying the key stakeholders and introducing them to the
project and the stakeholders’ list, highlighting the most significant issues, values, and
concerns that need attention during an EIA, the decision on whether to proceed with a project
or not, finding alternative designs or sites for a project, incorporating safeguards in the design
of the project, or providing compensation for adverse impacts, identifying all the policies,
regulations and detailed aspects of the assessment and finally to derive Terms Of Reference
(TOR) for the impact assessment.

The TOR serves as a guide for EIA preparation. An ideal TOR covers all the issues and
impacts that have been identified during the scoping process.

TOR contains the following information:

 Project description
 List of the agencies or ministries responsible for overseeing the EIA process and
making decisions
 Project site (also called the ‘impact zone’)
 EIA requirements in applicable laws or regulations
 Impacts and issues to be studied
 Mitigation and/or monitoring systems to be designed
 Provisions for public involvement
 Key stakeholders
 Timeframe for completing the EIA process
 Expected work product and deliverables.
 EIA budget
A draft TOR can be made available for the public to review and make their comments.

4. Baseline Study

In this stage, comprehensive study of the project site and its environment is carried out.
Components studied include the physio-chemical environment (climate, meteorology,
geology, soil type and distribution, groundwater characteristics, air quality, and noise levels);
biological environment (location and distribution of flora and fauna wildlife characteristics);
socio-economic and health conditions describing the demography, culture, heritage sites,
social and health status of the people and their environment.

Baseline data can be obtained from literature, field surveys, measurements, and the collection
of representative samples, etc.

5. Impact Analysis

Here, all significant environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed project are
identified and predicted including the detailed elaboration of alternatives to the project
design.

6. Impact Mitigation

After all, impacts have been predicted and identified, actions to reduce the level of
environmental damage and to avoid the potential adverse consequences of the proposed
project are recommended.

7. EIA Report

After these stages discussed above, a report known as the Draft EIA report is produced. It is
called a draft because it has not been approved. The report serves as a decision-making tool
to the public and as a guide for the proponent when executing the project. For these reasons,
the report must be written to the understanding of everyone, in adherence to the TOR and
International Best Practices.

The report gives a summary of the Environmental Impact Assessment process. It starts with
an executive summary of the project and ends with details of the Environmental Management
Plan (EMP) that will guide the execution of the project.
8. Review of Draft EIA Report

This review examines the adequacy and effectiveness of the draft EIA report and provides the
information necessary for decision-making.

EIA report review undergoes internal review, external review, and formal public hearing. An
internal review is carried out by selected experts in the regulatory agency. External review is
carried out by professionals outside the regulatory agency. Copies of the draft EIA are sent
across to these experts (especially those in academia) for review and feedback.

A public hearing is carried out by the stakeholders- those that will be affected by the project
in one way or the other. This includes members of the community where the project is to be
sited, NGOs, Local government, etc.

Stakeholder’s involvement comes with a lot of benefits. It helps to connect traditional

knowledge of the environment to the project. This adds more details to the EIA report. It also
makes known the community’s views about the project and prevents chaos associated with
development projects.

9. Decision-making

At this stage, a project can be approved, rejected, or subjected to further change. A project is
approved if all concerns raised during the review were addressed by the EIA team or if all
significant adverse effects have been properly mitigated. When these factors are not in place,
the project will not be approved.

Once a project has been approved, the regulatory body issues the proponent an
Environmental Impact Statement. This certificate is a go-ahead order for the proponent to
commence his project.

Post monitoring or audit comes into play once the project has been commissioned. Projects
are monitored to ensure that their impacts do not exceed the legal standards. It is done to
ensure that the implementation of the mitigation measures is in the manner described in the
EIA report.
Need for Environmental Impact Assessment

 The Environmental Impact Assessment process is carried out at the inception of the
project cycle thus, potential problems are detected on time.
 The Environmental Impact Assessment process ensures that there is a link between
economic development and environmental sustainability. It also enables us in carrying
out an environmental cost-benefit analysis of projects at an initial stage.
 It helps the planning and management to take long-term measures for effective
management as well as environment conservation
 EIA is potentially a useful component of good environmental management.
 EIA process enables project managers to know which project needs full screening to
prevent any damage to the environment.
 Helps to assess potential impacts relevant to the environmental legislation based on
the legislative requirements.
 EIA not only identifies problems but also provides mitigation measures in advance to
anticipate disasters likely to happen.
 Through Environmental Impact Assessment process, biodiversity and habitats are
protected and conserved. This is achieved because of harmful project designs and
methods, alternatives are provided.
 EIA predicts the negative or positive impact of a proposed project. This encourages
the implementation of projects that impact the environment positively and discourages
the implementation of destructive projects.
 EIA suggests possible, safer, or less damaging alternatives as a replacement to more
damaging project designs and methods.
 EIA produces an environmental management plan and summary for the non-tech
general public.
 The engagement of communities and other stakeholders in decision-making during
EIA helps reduce conflicts associated with development projects.
 EIA promotes optimum utilization of resources and saving of time and cost of the
project
 It promotes the implementation of environmentally sound projects
Strategic Environmental Assessment

Sadler and Verheem (1996) define Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as the
formalized, systematic and comprehensive process of identifying and evaluating the
environmental consequences of proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure that they
are fully included and appropriately addressed at the earliest possible stage of decision-
making on a par with economic and social considerations.
Since this early definition the field of SEA has rapidly developed and expanded, and the
number of definitions of SEA has multiplied accordingly. SEA, by its nature, covers a wider
range of activities or a wider area and often over a longer time span than the environmental
impact assessment of projects.
SEA might be applied to an entire sector (such as a national policy on energy for example) or
to a geographical area (for example, in the context of a regional development scheme). SEA
does not replace or reduce the need for project-level EIA (although in some cases it can), but
it can help to streamline and focus the incorporation of environmental concerns (including
biodiversity) into the decision-making process, often making project-level EIA a more
effective process.
SEA is commonly described as being proactive and ‘sustainability driven’, whilst EIA is
often described as being largely reactive.