Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a study conducted to figure out the impact of a proposed project on the environment. EIA is serving as a decision-making tool that compares different alternatives to identify the best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits.

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Table of Content

• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Evolution of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Environmental Components of EIA
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process
• Difference between EIA and SEA
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in India
• Conclusion
• FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions)

What is Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

• Definition: EIA refers to the study conducted to predict the impact of a proposed activity or project on the environment.
• It serves as a decision-making tool that compares different alternatives for a project, aiming to identify the option that offers the best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits.

Key Players of EIA:

• Project Proponents
• Environmental Consultants
• Pollution Control Board
• Public has the right to express their opinions during the EIA process
• Impact Assessment Agency
• Regional Center of the Ministry of Environment and Forest

Evolution of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has emerged as a highly effective policy innovation in the 20th Century, playing a crucial role in environmental conservation efforts.
• Over the past three decades, EIA has evolved from its non-existent state to becoming a formal and widely practiced procedure in numerous countries across the globe.

Origins and Early Adoption:

• EIA stands as an integral part of environmental decision-making processes in more than 100 countries.
• The inception of EIA as a mandatory regulatory procedure can be traced back to the early 1970s, marked by the implementation of the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) in the United States in 1969.
• Initially, the development of EIA predominantly occurred in high-income countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand during the years 1973-1974.
  • Nonetheless, certain developing nations like Columbia (1974) and the Philippines (1978) also embraced EIA relatively early on, recognizing its potential benefits.
• After the mid-1980s, the EIA process experienced a substantial surge in its popularity and utilization.
• Notably, in 1989, the World Bank incorporated EIA as a requirement for major development projects, stipulating that borrower countries must undertake EIA measures under the Bank’s supervision.

Environmental Components of EIA

Air Environment:

• Quality of ambient air
• Factors like wind speed, direction, humidity
• Emission quantity and its impact on the area
• Compliance with pollution control and air quality standards

Noise:

• Existing and predicted noise levels
• Strategies for reducing noise pollution
• Water Environment:
• Assessment of ground and surface water resources
• Impact of the proposed project on water resources

Biological Environment:

• Evaluation of flora and fauna in the impact zone
• Potential damage caused by project activities, including effluents and emissions
• Prediction of biological stress

Land Environment:

• Study of soil characteristics, land use, and drainage pattern
• Assessment of adverse impacts on the land due to the project
• Consideration of historical monuments and heritage sites

Objectives of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• Provide decision-makers with relevant information regarding the potential consequences of new projects, programs, plans, or policies.
• Ensure decision-making is based on comprehensive input, considering crucial factors, and benefiting both the project proponent and the public.
• Systematically assess the environmental impacts that a project may cause, highlighting their significance and suggesting opportunities for modification or mitigation.
• Facilitate assessment by relevant ministries/agencies to evaluate project outcomes before making a final decision.
• Enable project developers and administrative agencies responsible for environmental considerations to enhance the project plan’s quality and decision-making process through early identification of possible effects.

Types of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

There are 5 types of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

State of the Environment (SOE) Reporting:

• It focuses on providing information on the environment and trends in key variables.
• It is primarily concerned with the biophysical environment.
• It offers valuable insights into analyzing environmental trends.

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting (IEA):

• It integrates social, economic, and environmental issues in the analyses.
• It highlights cause-effect linkages between human and natural actions, environmental change, and human development.
• It aims to guide policymakers and stakeholders in better environmental management.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

• It commonly used and recognized process in environmental assessments.
• It determines the social, economic, and environmental impacts of major developments.
• It facilitates the identification of necessary mitigation measures.

Corporate Environmental Assessment and Reporting:

• It is the private sector’s initiative to produce annual environmental reports.
• It assesses environmental performance in production and operations.
• It is driven by factors like trust erosion, globalization, corporate governance, and competitive pressures.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA):

• It contributes to decisions on environmental protection and sustainable development.
• It provides a broader environmental vision for proposed strategic actions, policies, programs, and plans.
• It helps identify the most feasible environmental option and assess cumulative effects.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process

The eight distinct steps (stages) of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

• Screening:Determining the Need for Assessment.
  • The initial stage of EIA, screening, serves to ascertain whether a proposed project necessitates an EIA.
  • If it does, this stage also determines the level of assessment required.
• Scoping:Identifying Key Issues and Boundaries
  • During the scoping stage, the key issues and potential impacts that warrant further investigation are identified.
  • Additionally, this stage helps establish the boundaries and timeframe of the study.
• Impact Analysis:Predicting and Evaluating Environmental Consequences
  • In the impact analysis stage, the likely environmental and social impacts of the proposed project are identified and predicted.
  • Furthermore, an evaluation of their significance is conducted.
• Mitigation:Addressing Adverse Environmental Consequences
  • The mitigation step in EIA involves recommending measures to mitigate and minimize potential adverse environmental consequences resulting from the project’s development activities.
• Reporting:Communicating EIA Findings
  • During the reporting stage, the results of the EIA are presented in the form of a comprehensive report.
  • This report is submitted to the decision-making body and other stakeholders involved.
• Review of EIA: Assessing Adequacy and Effectiveness
  • The review of the EIA focuses on assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the EIA report.
  • It provides essential information necessary for decision-making regarding the project.
• Decision-making:Approving or Modifying the Project
  • At the decision-making stage, the project undergoes assessment to determine whether it should be rejected, approved, or requires further modifications.
• Post Monitoring:Ensuring Compliance and Impact Control
  • Once the project is commissioned, the post-monitoring stage ensures that the project’s impacts adhere to legal standards.
  • It also verifies the implementation of mitigation measures as outlined in the EIA report.

Importance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

• EIA establishes a connection between the environment and development, aiming for environmentally safe and sustainable development.
• It offers a cost-effective approach to minimize or eliminate the negative consequences of development projects.
• EIA enables decision-makers to assess the environmental impact of developmental activities before project implementation.
• It promotes the adoption of mitigation strategies within the developmental plan.
• EIA ensures that the developmental plan aligns with environmental considerations and respects the ecosystem’s capacity for assimilation and regeneration.

Difference between Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

Evolution of Environmental Impact Assessment in India

• Planning Commission’s directive in 1976-77 for environmental assessment of river valley projects.
  • Later expanded to projects requiring Public Investment Board approval.
• Environment (Protection) Act of 1986 made EIA a legal requirement.
• Complemented by other important laws: Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972), Water Act (1974), Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act (1981), and Biological Diversity Act (2002)

Environmental Information System (ENVIS):

• Established by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1982.
• Web-based network for collecting, storing, and disseminating environmental information.
• Aim: to integrate nationwide efforts for effective management of environmental assessment activities

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006

Objectives:

• Promote transparent, decentralized, and efficient regulatory mechanisms for sustainable development.
• Incorporate environmental safeguards in project planning to minimize impact.
• Ensure stakeholder involvement through public consultation and public hearings.

Salient Features:

• Categorization of projects into Category ‘A’ and Category ‘B’ based on impact potential.
  • Category A projects require a mandatory environmental clearance, exempt from screening process.
  • Category B projects undergo screening process, divided into B1 (mandatory EIA) and B2 (no EIA required).
• Scoping stage incorporated to define terms of reference for EIA studies.
• Enhanced structure of public consultation with comments and site-based public hearings.
• Provision for video graphing public hearings.
• No requirement for NOCs from other regulatory agencies for environmental clearance consideration

Conclusion

The evolution of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been significant, with it becoming a formal procedure practiced in numerous countries. It originated in high-income countries but gained popularity globally after the World Bank made it a requirement for major development projects. EIA plays an important role in environmental conservation efforts, providing decision-makers with relevant information, assessing environmental impacts, and suggesting modifications or mitigation measures. Its importance lies in promoting environmentally safe and sustainable development while minimizing negative consequences.

Ref: Source-1

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)