WMES 6103: Environmental Impact

Assessment (EIA)

Dr. Mohammad Amir Hossain Bhuiyan

Professor
Department of Environmental Sciences
Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342
Email: [email protected]

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 Examination & marks distribution
Examination Types Marks
distribution
Mid-Exam 20%

Class Test 2 (written/ oral/presentation/ 20%

Assignment)
Class attendance 10%

Final Exam 50%

Total Marks 100

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 Objectives of the course
The purpose of EIA are:
 to ensure that decision makers consider the environmental
impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project.
 To ensure the IAIA targets. The International Association for
Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines EIA as "the process of
identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the
biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development
proposals prior to major decisions being taken and
commitments made”.
 EIAs are unique in that they do not require devotion to a
predetermined environmental outcome, but rather they require
decision makers to account for environmental values in their
decisions and to justify those decisions in light of detailed
environmental studies and public comments on the potential
environmental impacts. 3
 Learning Outcomes
The outcomes of EIA are:
(a) to protect the components of the environment that are within
the legislative authority of Parliament from significant adverse
environmental effects caused by a designated project;
(b) to ensure that designated projects that require the exercise of
a power or performance of a duty or function by a designated
authority under any Act of Parliament other than this Act to be
carried out, are considered in a careful and precautionary
manner to avoid significant adverse environmental effects;
(c) to promote cooperation and coordinated action between state
and divisional authority with respect to environmental
assessments;
(d) to promote communication and cooperation with
aboriginal/indigenous peoples with respect to environmental
assessments;
(e) to ensure that opportunities are provided for meaningful
public participation during an environmental assessment
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 Learning Outcomes
(f) to ensure that an environmental assessment is
completed in a timely manner;
(g) to ensure the project valuation in a careful and
precautionary manner to avoid significant adverse
environmental effects;
(h) to encourage central authorities to take actions that
promote sustainable development in order to achieve or
maintain a healthy environment and a healthy economy;
and
(i) to encourage the study of the cumulative effects of
physical activities in a region and the consideration of
those study results in environmental assessments

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 Recommended References
• P.Watheru, 1992, Environmental Impact
Assessment – Theory and Practice, Chapman
and Hall Ltd, New York.
• L.Q. Center, 1996, Environmental Impact
Assessment, McGraw-Hill, Inc, New York.
N.Harley and C.L.Spash, 1998.
• C.J.Barrow, 1997, Environmental and Social
Impact Assessment, John Wilely& Sons, New
York

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 Terms & terminologies
 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
 Environmental Assessment (EA) US National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969 (Sadler, 1996)
 The EA process had two major purposes:
(i) ensuring that decision makers are making informed
choices regarding impacts on the environment and
(ii) opening the process to citizen involvement
(World Bank, 2011)
 Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
 Social Impact Assessment (SIA)

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 What is EIA ?
The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines
an environmental impact assessment as "the process of
identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical,
social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior
to major decisions being taken and commitments made
Environmental impact assessment means an environmental
management plan based on scientific, objective and
comprehensive surveys, forecasting, analyses and evaluations
conducted prior to project implementation in order to determine
the degree and scope of the potential impact of development
activity or government policy on the environment, economy,
culture and ecology, and the public explanation and review of
such a plan.

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 EIA
• As the prediction of the potential impacts is
mainly based on the interpretation of the
available information, therefore, EIA most of the
times depends upon individual values and
professional judgements (Noble, 2011).
• Environmental assessments may be governed by
rules of administrative procedures regarding
public participation and documentation of
decision making, and may be subject to judicial
review

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 What is the purpose of EIA
The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision
makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding
whether or not to proceed with a project.
Environmental Impact Assessments commenced in the 1960s, as
part of increasing environmental awareness
“To implement a strategy of sustainable development, prevent
adverse impact on the environment after the
implementation of plans and construction projects, and
promote coordinated development of the economy, society,
and environment.”

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 Limitation/Criticism of EIA
 According to Jay et al., EIA is used as a decision-aiding tool
rather than decision-making tool.
 There is growing dissent about them as their influence on
decisions is limited.
 Improved training for practitioners, guidance on best practice
and continuing research have all been proposed
 EIAs have been criticized for excessively limiting their scope in
space and time.
 No accepted procedure exists for determining such boundaries.
 The boundary refers to ‘the spatial and temporal boundary of
the proposal’s effects’.
 This boundary is determined by the applicant and the lead
assessor

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Team composition for EIA
 What is the concept of EIA?

What is “LOOK before you LEAP!” in EIA?

 EIA has always been considered as an aid to decision making through
which the potential environmental consequences of planned
developmental actions are assessed in advance, well before those
actions become a reality.
 If you implement your action before taking proper safety/risk
reducing measurement, you can not do it after certain loss on
environment.
 Thus, the basic concept behind EIA is very much similar to the ‘look
before you leap’ approach

 Having significant scientific component, EIA serves as an organised

means of gathering information and processing that information to
predict the likely impacts of proposed actions on the biophysical
environment as well as on the human social environment.
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 Major steps in EIA
The steps followed by UNEP (2006) are:
i. Screening;
ii. Scoping;
iii. Impact and risk analysis;
iv. Mitigation and impact management;
v. Reporting to catalogue and track the results
of EIA;
vi. Review of EIA report and decision making;
vii. Implementation and follow-up.

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Project life-cycle and EIA

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SEA & EIA

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 Screening
Screening: is the preliminary appraisal done to determine whether
or not an EIA is required for a particular project (KfW, 2014; UNEP,
2008; Republic of Kenya, 2002).

 The decision is based on a set of developed guidelines or criteria

(McCalla, 1994).
 Screening tools include positive lists that identify activities that
require EIA; negative lists that identify activities that are excluded
from EIA; expert judgments; or a combination of lists and expert
judgments.
 The screening classified into two approaches:
(a) a standardized approach, in which projects are subject to
or exempt from EIA defined by legislation and regulations; and
(b) a customized approach, in which projects are screened on a
case by case base, using indicative guidance (UNEP, 2008).

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 Outcomes of screening

Screening is carried out by the Competent

Authority.
The outcomes are threefold:
• Requirement for full EIA study;
• Requirement for preliminary assessment; and
• No EIA requirement.

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 Scoping
• Scoping is the process of defining the scope of the
assessment, where the project has been found to be
environmentally and/or socially relevant, in order to
identify and assess the project's environmental and social
consequences and risks more accurately (KfW, 2014).
• Scoping procedures may vary considerably in different
states:
(a) scoping may either be carried out to fulfil a legal
requirement or as good practice in EIA, or
(b) it may either be undertaken by the competent authority
or by the project proponent (UNEP, 2008)

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 The purpose of scoping (Sadler, 1996)
i. Information necessary for decision making;
ii. Important issues and concerns (interests);
iii. Significant effects, factors and alternatives to
be considered;
iv. Conditions and the expected output of an EIA
study i.e. Formulate a detailed terms of
reference (tor) for carrying out EIA study; and
v. Appropriate boundaries of an EIA study.
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 Impact identification and analysis
The EIA shall identify, describe and assess, in each
individual case, the potential direct or indirect
impact of an intended project on the following
(Government of the Republic of Montenegro,
2005):
i. Human life and health;
ii. Flora and fauna;
iii. Land, water, air, climate and landscape;
iv. Material assets and cultural heritage; and
v. Mutual relations of elements listed above

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Criteria examining potentially significant
adverse effects
The following general criteria should be taken into
account when examining potentially significant adverse
effects (UNEP, 2008):
i. Nature of impacts (direct/indirect, positive/negative,
cumulative, transboundary);
ii. Time span (short/medium/long term,
permanent/temporary, frequent/seldom);
iii. Extent (geographical area, size of affected
population/habitat/species);
iv. Magnitude (severe, reversible/ irreversible);
v. Probability (high/medium/low probability); and
vi. Possibility to mitigate, avoid or offset significant
adverse impacts.
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 Mitigation and impact management plan
• This phase entails developing measures to avoid, reduce or
compensate for negative environmental effects
• The management actions arising from EIAs are usually defined and
translated into an Environmental and Social Management Plan
(ESMP) for the design, construction, operation and/or
decommissioning phases of a project

• ESMP is expected to:

i. Prevent the negative impacts that could be avoided;
ii. Mitigate the negative impacts that could not be avoided
but could be reduced;
iii. Compensate/remedy the negative impacts that could neither
be avoided nor reduced; and
iv. Enhance positive impacts.

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 Characteristic of EIA report
The EIA report should therefore provide an adequate,
accurate, and objective evaluation and presentation
of the risks and impacts, prepared by qualified and
experienced persons.
The EIA report must not be of:
(i) scientific character and
(ii) it should be understandable by people who are
not particularly familiar with specific technical issues
or who are involved in environmental protection
matters.
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 Content of EIA report
The EIA report should provide, at a minimum, the following
information (EIB, 2013):
i. The project description: including the physical characteristics
of the whole project and, where relevant, its area of
influence, during the construction and operational phases;
ii. ii. A description of the location of the project, with particular
regard to the environmental sensitivity of the geographical
area likely to be affected and social aspects;
iii. iii. A description of the environmental and social aspects,
including impacts on human rights, likely to be significantly
affected by the proposed project;
iv. iv. An analysis of the communities likely to be impacted by the
project, and of other relevant stakeholders of the project; 27
 Content of EIA
v. An assessment of the likely significant effects of the proposed
project on the environment, population and human health resulting
from:
(a) the expected residues, emissions and the production of waste,
(b) (b) the use of natural resources, in particular soil, land, water,
and biodiversity, including any hydromorphological changes,
(c) (c) any expropriation, land acquisition and easements and/or
involuntary resettlement of people and likely restrictions on
access to land, shelter and/or livelihood and subsistence
strategies; and
vi. A description and justification of the measures foreseen to avoid,
prevent or reduce any significant adverse effects on the
environment, human health and well-being. 28
 Review of EIA report and decision making
 The review of the EIA report is usually carried out
by one or a combination of the following:
 the technical staff of the EIA administrative
institution;
 an intergovernmental committee;
 a multi-stakeholder committee; and/or
 external reviewers depending on the complexity
of the study and
 expertise available (Economic Commission for
Africa, 2005).
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 Review of EIA report and decision making

• Review Committee may recommend that

(McCalla, 1994):
i. The EIA is inadequate and requires further
investigation, in which case it will refer the EIA
back to the developer for further investigation
within a specified period;
ii. Further public consultation is necessary;
iii. The development should not proceed for
specified reasons; and
iv. The development proceeds subject to certain
conditions.
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 Implementation and follow-up

Follow-up involves the following (Sadler, 1996):

i. Monitoring to check actions are in compliance
with terms and conditions, and impacts are
within the ranges predicted;
ii. Management to address unforeseen events or
unanticipated impacts; and
iii. Audit/evaluation to document results, learn
from experience, and improve EIA and project
planning

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 IEE
• The IEE report comprises baseline data on the existing condition of the
physical and biological environment, the anticipated environmental
impacts, and proposed mitigation measures.
• The purpose of conducting an IEE is to provide information about the
general environmental setting of the project area, identify impact of
the project activities (physical infrastructure development of the
schools) on the bio-physical, socio-economic, and cultural
environment of the project, recommend site specific environmental
mitigation measures, and prepare an environmental management plan
for the project area to ensure that the IEE addresses the requirements
of the following:
i. ii. 4. ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement, July 2009 Relevant host
country laws, regulations, applicable treaties and agreements

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Steps in IEE

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Conceptual Framework of EIA

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Conceptual model of EIA

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