ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important management tool for ensuring optimal
use of natural resources for sustainable development. A beginning in this
direction was made in our country with the impact assessment of river valley
projects in 1978-79 and the scope has subsequently been enhanced to cover other
developmental sectors such as industries, thermal power projects, mining
schemes etc. To facilitate collection of environmental data and preparation of
management plans, guidelines have been evolved and circulated to the concerned
Central and State Government Departments. EIA has now been made mandatory under
the Environmental (Protection Act, 1986 for 29 categories of developmental
activities involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and above.
Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) is a relatively new planning and decision making tool
first enshrined in the United States in the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969. It is a formal study process used to predict the environmental
consequences of any development project. EIA thus ensures that the potential
problems are foreseen and addressed at an early stage in project planning and
design.
Environmental
Assessment is taken up in this exercise as a rapid assessment technique for
determining the current status of the environment and identifying impact of
critical activities on environmental parameters. Based on this analysis we can
draw up an Environmental Management Plan that would ensure impact monitoring
and mitigation planning.
Environmental
Assessment enables us in carrying out Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis of
projects at an initial stage. It is thus a pre-cursor to detailed analysis of
environmental impacts, which are taken up only if a need for the same is
established. It gives a view of the actors involved in the
`development-environment linkages. This is required in view of the fact that
the community at large is always at a loss in terms of deterioration of living
environment that accompanies industrial development. Based on Environmental
Assessment, the regulatory measures can be identified and the roles of concerned
agencies defined for achieving more efficient environmental management.
In
view of the fact that development is an ever growing process, its impact on the
environment is also ever increasing, leading to rapid deterioration in
environmental conditions. As such Environmental Assessment provides a rational
approach to sustainable development.
Extensively
developed rapid assessment techniques often avoid carrying out of detailed
studies which need more resources in terms of time and money. This exercise is
an attempt in developing an approach to Environmental Assessment technique,
primarily for industrial townships.
ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENT IN INDIA - BACKGROUND
Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) may be defined as a formal process used to predict the
environmental consequences of any development project. EIA thus ensures that
the potential problems are foreseen and addressed at an early stage in the
projects planning and design.
The
phrase `Environmental Impact Assessment comes from Sec. 102 (2) of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 1969, USA
In
India , the environmental
action formally started with the participation of late Smt. Indira Gandhi in
the UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm
EIA,
in brief, extrapolates from scientific knowledge to assess the problem
consequences of some human interventions on nature. Although EIA uses the
techniques of science, it differs from ordinary scientific inquiry, because it
is dealing with events which have not yet occurred, may not occur, and whose
chances of occurrence may be changed by the very statement that they may occur.
Some
measures are required to be taken in the future to reduce the anticipated
environmental degradation. Before starting a major project, it is essential to
assess the present environment without the project, and the likely impact of
the project on the environment, when it is completed. Therefore, an Environment
Impact Assessment has to be made before starting a project. For analysis of
environmental impacts, many professions and disciplines have to be involved.
Like economic and engineering feasibility studies, Environmental Impact
Assessment is a management tool for officials and managers who make important
decisions about major development projects. The Environmental Impact Assessment
should have the following objectives:
i.
Predict environmental impact of
projects
ii.
Find ways and means to reduce adverse
impacts
iii.
Shape project to suit local environment
iv.
Present the predictions and options to
the decision-makers
The
EIA statement should cover brief description of project, brief description of
existing environment, likely impact of project, the mitigation and protection
measures, consideration of alternatives, and summary with conclusions.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT : A PROCESS
In
essence, EIA is a process, a systematic process that examines the environmental
consequences – positive or negative – of development actions in advance. Unlike
other mechanisms for environmental protection; here, in EIA, the emphasis is on
prevention. After an EIA analysis, the precautionary and polluter pays
principles is to be applied to prevent, limit or require strict liability or
insurance coverage to a project, based on its likely harms. No doubt planners
have traditionally assessed the impacts of developments on the environment, but
invariably not in the systematic, holistic and multidisciplinary way as
required by EIA. The EIA process (or methodology) involves a number of steps
which are briefly described as under :
Project
screening : It narrows the application of EIA to those projects that
may have significant environmental impacts. It is the stage when planners
through a preliminary study decide whether to conduct a comprehensive
environmental impact assessment study or not. As an aid, the World Bank has
placed all the projects in four different categories on the basis of the
potential environmental impacts. Large water resources developmental projects,
highway projects, thermal power projects, petrochemical and fertilizer
projects, mining projects and residential construction projects are some of the
examples for which comprehensive EIA studies have to be conducted for
identifying the significant environmental impacts, particularly the negative
ones. Such projects are screened off right in the beginning of EIA studies.
Scoping
: It is focused primarily on determining/ identifying, at an
early stage, a project’s specific, significant issues and impacts which are to
be addressed/ assessed.
Consideration
of Alternatives : This stage seeks to ensure that the
proponent (or promoter) has also considered other feasible approaches,
including alternative projects locations, scales, processes, layouts, operating
conditions, and the “no action” option.
Description
of the Projects/ Development Action : it seeks a clarification of the
purpose and rationale of the projects, and an understanding of its various
characteristics, such as stages of development, location and processes.
Description
of the Environmental Baseline : it includes the establishment of both
the present and future state of the environment, in the absence of the
projects, taking into account the changes resulting from natural events and
from other human activities.
Identification
of key Impacts : This step bring together the previous
steps with the aims of ensuring that all the potentially significant
environmental impacts (positive and negative) are identified and taken into
account in the process.
The
prediction of Impacts : this step aims to identify the
magnitude and other dimensions of identified change in the environment with a
projects/ activity, by comparison with the situation without that project/
activity.
Evaluation
and Assessment of Significance : this seeks to assess the relative
significance of the predicted impacts to allow a focus on key adverse impacts.
Mitigation
: it involves the introduction of measures to avoid, reduce,
remedy or compensate for any significant adverse impacts.
Public
Consultation and Participation : it aims to assure the quality,
comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EIA, as well as to ensure that the
public’s views are adequately taken into consideration in the decision-making
process.
EIS
Presentation : the environmental impact statement
(EIS) presentation is a vital step in the process. If done badly, much good
work in the EIA may be negated.
Review
: it involves a systematic appraisal of the quality of the
EIS, as a contribution to the decision-making process.
Decision-Making
: decision-making on the projects involves a consideration by
the relevant authority of the EIS (including consultation response) together
with other material considerations.
Post-decision
Monitoring : it involves the recording of outcomes associated with
development impacts, after a decision to proceed. It can contribute to
effective projects management.
Auditing
: it follows from monitoring. It can involve comparing actual
outcomes and the effectiveness of mitigation. It provides a vital step in the
EIA learning process.
It
is important to note here that, although the steps are outlined in linear
fashion but EIA should be cyclic activity, with feedback and interaction
between various steps/ stages. Further, the steps can and does vary considerably
from country to country depending on the EIA legislation in a country.
Therefore, the order of steps in the EIA process may also vary.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT : THE DOCUMENTATION
The
environmental impact statement (EIS) is the documentation of the information
and estimates of impacts derived from the various steps/ stages in the EIA
process. An example of the content of an EIS for a project are provided in
Table 5.1 and are discussed as under :
Non-technical
Summary : It is an important element in the documentation. Since EIA
can be complex, therefore the non-technical summary can help in communication
with the various parties involved in the process.
Methods
Statement : Reflecting the potential complexity of the process, a
methods statement, at the beginning, is provided in the first part of EIS. It
provides an opportunity to clarify some basic information. It may include
information, such as who is the project developer, who has produced the EIS,
who has been consulted and how, what methods have been used, what difficulties
have been encountered and what are the limitations of the EIA?
Summery
Statement of Key Issues : It is provided up-front so as to help
in improving communication as well.
Monitoring
Programme : The details of monitoring programme is either included
along with summery statement of key issues in Part 1 : Methods and key issues
or at the end of the document.
Background
to the Proposed Development : It forms the second part of the EIS.
It covers the early steps/ stages of EIA process, including clear descriptions
of the projects and baseline conditions including the relevant planning
policies and plans.
Topic
Areas of EIA : The Part 3 comprises of the EIS on
various topic areas. Within each of the topic areas of the EIS, there would
normally be discussion of existing conditions, predicted impacts, scope for
migration and residual impacts.
EIA
and EIS practice vary from study to study, from country to country, and best
practices are constantly evolving. Currently, several countries are in the
favour of greater emphasis to the socio-economic dimension, public
participation and after-the-decision activity (like monitoring).
Table 5.1 : Example of contents of an
EIS for a project.
|
Content
|
Page No.
|
|
|
Non
Technical Summery
|
||
|
Part
I.
|
Methods
and issues
|
|
|
1.
Methods statement
2.
Summary of key issues
3.
Monitoring programme statement
|
||
|
Part
II.
|
Background
to the proposed development
|
|
|
4.
Preliminary studies : need, planning,
alternatives, site selection.
5.
Site description/ baseline conditions
6.
Description of proposed development
7.
Construction activities and programme
|
||
|
Part
III.
|
Environmental
impact assessment – topic area
|
|
|
8.
Land use, landscapes and visual
quality
9.
Geology, topography and soils
10. Hydrology
and water quality
11. Air
quality and climate
12. Ecology
: terrestrial and aquatic
13. Noise
14. Transportation
15. Socio-economic
16. Inter-relationship
between effects
|
||
PURPOSE OF EIA
EIA
is an intrinsic link between economic growth and environment. If a detailed EIA
precedes all developmental activities/ projects, then it will greatly help in
averting subsequent adverse impacts on environment. EIA is a process with
several important purposes, such as – an aid to decision-making, an aid to the
formulation of development actions, an instrument for sustainable development
and many more. These purposes of EIA are briefly elaborated as under.
An Aid to Decision-Making :
for the decision-maker (e.g. local, state or national authority), EIA provides
a systematic examination of the environmental implications of a proposed activity
(policy, plan, program, or project) and sometimes alternatives, before than
other techniques, like cost-benefit analysis. It is not a substitute associated
with a proposed development action, which should lead to more rational and
structured decision-making. Above all, the most important aspect of EIA process
is that it has the potential to be a basis for negotiation between the project
developer, public interest groups and the planning regulator. This, if taken
up, can lead to an outcome that balances the interests of the development
action and the environment, which is the spirit of EIA.
An Aid to the Formulation of
Development Actions : No doubt, many developers see EIA as a
costly and time-consuming hurdle in their activities. But it is not so, EIA can
be of great benefit to them because it can provide them a framework for
considering location and design issues and environmental issues in parallel. It
can be an aid to the formulation of development actions, indicating the areas
where the project can be modified to minimize or eliminate altogether the
adverse impacts on the environment. The consideration of the environmental
impacts early in the planning phase of development is beneficial on many
counts. It can lead :
·
To environmentally sensitive
development;
·
To harmonious relations between the
developer, the planning authority and the local community;
·
To a smoother planning permission
process; and
·
Sometimes, as argued by the developers,
to a worthwhile financial return on the extra expenditure incurred.
O’Riordan
(1990) links such concepts of negotiation and redesign to the current dominant
environmental themes of “Green Consumerism” and “Green Capitalism”. The
emergence of a growing demand by consumers for “Green Goods” that do no harm to
environment, plus a growing market of “Green technologies”, is generating a
developer response. In such a scenario, EIA can be the early indicator to the
developer of potential conflicts. Taking a leaf out of it, the wise developers
may use the EIA process to negotiate “Green Gains” solutions that may eliminate
or offset adverse environmental impacts, reduce local community’s opposition
and avoid costly public inquiries.
An Instrument for Sustainable
Development : The central role of EIA is that of a
key instrument that can be used to achieve the goal of sustainable development
: “development that ensures that the use of resources and the environment today
does not restrict their use by future generations”. It refers to economic
development that meets the needs of all without leaving future generations with
fewer natural resources than those we enjoy today. The essence of this form of
development is a stable relationship between human activities and the natural
world, which does not diminish the prospects for future generations to enjoy a
quality of life at least as good as our own.
It
is widely accepted that achieving sustainable development requires balance
between the economic development, social development and environmental
protection. Therefore, the existing environmentally harmful developments have
to be managed as best as they can be. In extreme cases, they may be closed
down, but they can still leave behind residual environmental problems for
decades to come. Is it not better to mitigate the harmful effects in advance,
at the planning stage, or in some cases to avoid the particular development
altogether? There is an old and trusted saying – Prevention is better than
cure. This is what EIA aims at. Therefore, EIA could form a major instrument to
achieve sustainable development, provided the conceptual framework is extended
to the cumulative assessment of developmental policies, plans and projects on a
regional basis.
Changing perspective on EIA roles : Environmental
impact analysis is sometimes seems to be controversial. The arguments for EIA
vary in time, space and according to the perspective of those involved. From a
minimalist defensive perspective,
developers (and possibly some government officials) might see EIA as obligatory
evil, an administrative futile exercise, sometimes to be gone through that
might result in some minor, often cosmetic, alterations to a development that
would probably have happened anyway. Even for the “Deep Ecologists” or “Deep
Greens”, EIA cannot provide the 100 % certainty about the environmental
consequences of development proposals; but they feel that any projects carried
out under uncertainty or risky-circumstances should be abandoned. EIA and its
method must straddle such perspectives.
Today,
EIA is often seen as a positive process that seeks a harmonious relationship
between development and the environment. But that was not the case a few
decades back. Earlier, in 1970s, EIA was seen as a defensive tool; however, in
1990s it evolved as a potentially exciting environmental and social betterment
technique. Now, if one sees EIA not so much as a technique, rather as a process
that is constantly changing in the face of changing environmental politics and
managerial capabilities, one can visualize EIA as a sensitive barometer of
environmental values in a complex environmental society. The nature and use of
EIA is bound for further change as the relative values and perspectives also
change.
Comments
Post a Comment