Environment Impact Assessment

Basic Concepts for Assessing Environmental Impacts

Suhail Jeelani, Research Scholar VCRC
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Definition
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting on the environmental, social and economic aspects The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the ensuing environmental impacts when deciding whether to proceed with a project.

Review: Definition of EIA

Environmental Impact Assessment is

A formal process for identifying:
likely effects of activities or projects on the ENVIRONMENT, and on human health and welfare. means and measures to mitigate & monitor these impacts
Environment is broadly interpreted: physical, biological, and social. In EIA, the term impacts is used instead of effects of activities.

What is an impact?
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What is an impact?
The impact of an activity is a deviation (a change) from the baseline situation that is caused by the activity.

! To measure an impact, you

must know what the baseline situation is.

The baseline situation is the existing environmental situation or condition in the absence of the activity. The baseline situation is a key concept in EIA.

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The baseline situation

In characterizing the baseline situation, many environmental components MAY be of interest
The components of interest are those that are likely to be affected by your activityor upon which your activity depends for its success
Water Quantity, quality, reliability, accessibility Erosion, crop productivity, fallow periods, salinity, nutrient concentrations Populations, habitat

Soils

Fauna

Env Health Disease vectors, pathogens Flora Composition and density of natural vegetation, productivity, key species

Special Key species ecosystems

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The baseline situation

Water table

The baseline situation is not simply a snapshot.

Describing the baseline situation requires describing both the normal variability in environmental components & current trends in these components.

time This chart of groundwater levels shows both variability and a trend over time. Both are part of the groundwater baseline situation.
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Types of impacts & their attributes

The EIA process is concerned with all types of impacts and may describe them in a number of ways
Intensity Direction Spatial extent Duration Frequency Reversibility Probability Direct & indirect impacts

Short-term & longterm impacts

Adverse & beneficial impacts

Cumulative impacts

But all impacts are NOT treated equally.

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! It is essential in EIA to
focus on the most significant impacts. Dont waste effort & time analyzing and discussing impacts that are less important.
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Specifically,

What is an activity?
We are discussing the impacts of activities. What are activities?

a desired

An activity is:
accomplishment or output E.g.: a road, seedling production, or river diversion to irrigate land

Accomplishing an activity requires a set of actions

ACTIVITY: ACTIONS:
market access Survey, grading, culvert road construction, compaction, rehabilitation etc. . .

A project or program may consist of many activities

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The EIA process

Phase I: Initial inquiries

Understand proposed activities Screen Conduct preliminary assessment (if needed)

Phase II: Full EIA study (if needed)

Scope Evaluate baseline situation Identify & choose alternatives Identify and characterize potential impacts of proposed activity and each alternative Develop mitigation and monitoring Communicate and document

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Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Scoping/ Terms of Reference

IEE Review

EIA Required

You are here

Full-Scale EIA Decision Making

EIA Not Required

EIA Approved
Monitoring EIA Audit and Evaluation

EIA Review

EIA Not Approved

Evaluate Options
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Phase 1 of the EIA Process

Understand proposed activity Why is the activity being proposed? What is being proposed? Screen the activity Based on the nature of the activity what level of environmental review is indicated?
ACTIVITY IS OF MODERATE OR UNKNOWN RISK

Conduct a Preliminary Assessment

Phase I
SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS VERY UNLIKELY

Phase II
BEGIN FULL EIA STUDY

A rapid, simplified EIA study using simple tools (e.g. the USAID IEE)

ACTIVITY IS LOW RISK (Of its nature,

very unlikely to have significant adverse impacts)

STOP the EIA process

ACTIVITY IS HIGH RISK (Of its

nature, likely to have significant adverse impacts)

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

Understand the proposed activity

Understand the proposed activities Why is the activity being proposed? What is being proposed?

ALL EIA processes begin with understanding WHAT is being proposed, and WHY.
The question WHY IS THE ACTIVITY BEING PROPOSED? Is answered with the development objective (D.O.).

If we dont understand it, we cant assess it!

building a road Not a D.O.!

increasing access Is a D.O. to markets

We must understand the Development Objective to identify environmentally sound alternatives

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

Understand the proposed activity

Understand the proposed activities Why is the activity being proposed? What is being proposed?

Once we understand the development objective, we must fully understand WHAT is being proposed.
This includes associated actions!
PRIMARY ACTIVITY: construction of diversion dam & irrigation canal ASSOCIATED ACTIONS: Survey negotiate land tenure construct borrow pit establish construction camp construct temporary diversion structure dispose of soil, debris
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

Screen the activity

Screen each activity Based on the nature of the activity, what level of environmental analysis is indicated?

SCREENING is the process of asking a very basic set of questions about the nature of activity.
These questions: do NOT require analysis. do NOT require detailed knowledge about the proposed sites, techniques or methods
Example screening questions: Does the activity involve: Penetration road building? Large-scale irrigation? Introduction of non-native crop or agroforestry species?
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

Screen the activity

Screen each activity Based on the nature of the activity, what level of environmental analysis is indicated?

screening classifies the activity into a RISK CATEGORY:

VERY LOW RISK

EIA process ends Do full EIA study Do preliminary assessment

VERY HIGH RISK

MODERATE OR UNKNOWN RISK

The outcome of the screening process determines the next step in the EIA process
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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

Screen the activity

! Each donor agency

and national EIA law has its own set of screening questions.

Screening determines whether the preliminary assessment is necessary

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

The Preliminary Assessment

Conduct a Preliminary Assessment A rapid, simplified EIA study using simple tools (e.g. the USAID IEE)

The purpose of a preliminary assessment is to provide documentation and analysis that:

Allows the preparer to determine whether or not significant adverse impacts are likely Allows the reviewer to agree or disagree with the preparers determinations Sets out mitigation and monitoring for adverse impacts

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Phase 1 of the EIA process:

The Preliminary Assessment

Typical Preliminary Assessment outline
1. Background (Development objective, list of activities) 2. Description of the baseline situation 3. Evaluation of potential environmental impacts 4. Mitigation & monitoring 5. Recommended Findings

For each activity it covers, a preliminary assessment has 3 possible findings: The project is very unlikely to have significant adverse impacts. (EIA process ends) With specified mitigation and monitoring, the project is unlikely to have significant adverse impacts The project is likely to have significant adverse impacts (full EIA study is required)
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 Checklists Matrices

Networks Overlays/GIS

EIA Impact Identification Methods

Expert Systems

Risk Assessment

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What is mitigation?
Mitigation is. . .
The implementation of measures designed to reduce the undesirable effects of a proposed action on the environment

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To arrive at findings: Identify, Predict and Judge

Arriving at the FINDINGS in a preliminary assessment requires 3 steps: 1
Identify potential impacts
Many resources describe the potential impacts of typical small-scale activities. Determine which potential impacts are likely to become actual, and quantify these impacts to the extent possible.

Predict potential impacts Judge the significance of potential impacts

Determine whether the predicted impacts are indeed significant! THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW EFFECTIVE THE PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES ARE!
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We only proceed to Phase II of the EIA process

if
Phase I indicates that a FULL EIA STUDY is required

Most small-scale activities do not require a full EIA study!

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:

The Full EIA study

The full EIA study has very similar objectives and structure to a preliminary assessment.

! !

A formal scoping process precedes the study to ID issues to be addressed Analysis of environmental impacts is much more detailed Alternatives* must be formally defined. The impacts of each alternative must be identified & evaluated, and the results compared.

However, the full EIA study differs in important ways:

*includes the project as proposed, the no-action alternative at least one other real alternative

!
!

Public participation is usually required.

A professional EIA team is usually required.
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Phase 2 of the EIA process:

The Full EIA study

With a few additions, the basic outline of the preliminary assessment is the template for the steps involved in a full EIA study:
1. Background (Development objective, list of activities) 2. Description of the baseline situation 3. Evaluation of potential environmental impacts 4. Mitigation & monitoring 5. Recommended Findings

Basic steps of the full EIA study

Scope
Evaluate baseline situation Identify & choose alternatives Identify and characterize potential impacts of proposed activity and each alternative Communicate & Document throughout

Compare alternatives
Develop mitigation and monitoring

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Phase 2 of the EIA process:

The Full EIA study

In summary,
The full EIA study is a far more significant effort than the preliminary assessment. It is reserved for activities for which screening or the preliminary assessment shows that significant impacts are likely.

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Who is involved in EIA?

Sponsor of the activity
(usually commissions/conducts the EIA)

Public consultation is usually only REQUIRED for full EIA studies. However, it is good practice for preliminary assessments because: Predicting impacts is FACILITATED by broadbased public consultation; Judging significance is very difficult without it. Transparency and accessibility require disclosure to stakeholders
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Regulatory agencies/ Review authorities Broad-based public

Communities (men & women) Civil society Private Sector

Making EIA effective

To be an effective tool, EIA must be: integral part of the project development cycle. Honest

EIA is undertaken early enough to affect project design Mitigation and monitoring developed in the EIA process is implemented. The full EIA study must consider real alternatives Impacts must be assessed honestly.

Transparent & accessible

The EIA products must be clear and accessible to key actors.

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References
ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Basic Concepts for EIA. Visit [Link] EPA Information [Link] NEPAs Forty Most Asked Questions [Link] Regulations for Implementing NEPA [Link] EPA Laws, Regulations and Guidance [Link] Policy and Procedures for the Review of Federal Actions Impacting the Environment [Link] Cross-Cutting Environmental Laws: A Guide for Federal/State Project Officers, January, 1991 [Link]

ENCAP EA-ESD Course: Basic Concepts for EIA. Visit [Link]

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