4th sem SE CO6

SEMESTER:4TH

SUBJECT:SANITARY ENGINEERING

UNIT/CO-6

TITLE OF THE UNIT: AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION

TOPIC:EIA

What is EIA?

•Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a procedure to examine the environmental consequences or impacts, both beneficial and adverse, of a proposed development project and to ensure that these effects are taken into account in project design

•Note: Here development project means construction of dams, bridges, railways, water ways etc.,
 
                           Objectives of EIA

•To analyze all the evil effects on the total environment, due to all project activities

•To suggest suitable remedial waste management programmes, or modifications in the project activities to minimize pollution levels at source 

•To obtain necessary clearance and approval for the project proposal from the environmental department

•To select a suitable site for the project taking into consideration, environmental impact and cost/benefit analysis

EIA is a decision making tool indicating:

•Alternate routes of development

•Alternate project sites

•Alternate process technologies

•Carrying capacity of the specific ecosystem

•Quality of the environment before, during and after the proposed developmental activity/project

Goals of EIA

•Resource conservation

•Waste minimization

•Recovery of by-product

             Who prepares EIA?

    Depending upon the EIA system, responsibility for producing an EIA will be assigned to one of the two parties.

§The government agency or ministry

                                     Or

§The project proponent(proposing party)

Advantages of EIA

•Screens out environmentally unsound projects

•Proposes modified designs to reduce environmental impacts

•Identifies feasible alternatives

•Creates a positive contribution towards achieving sustainability
Stages of EIA process

   
                    Stages of EIA process

1) Identifying or defining the project or activity

  The goal of this step is to accurately determine 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 or not a proposal should be subjected to EIA and if so, at what level of detail. Legislation often specifies the criteria for screening. 

3) Scoping

    Scoping is a stage usually involving the public and other interested parties that identify the environmental issues that should be addressed in an EIA 

4) Preparing terms of reference

The terms of reference serve as a road map for EIA preparation which include the following

a)A description of the project

b)A list of agencies or ministers responsible for overseeing the EIA process and making decisions

c)The geographic area to be studied(impact zone)

d)Impacts and issues to be studied

e)Timeframe for completing the EIA process

f)Budget for the EIA
 
5) Preparing Draft EIA

    A draft EIA is prepared in accordance with the terms of reference or the range of issues identified during the scoping process.

6) Public participation

   Best EIA practice involves and engages the public at numerous points throughout the process with a two-way exchange of information and views. Public participation my consist of informational meetings, public hearings and opportunities to provide written comments about a proposed project

7)Preparing final EIA

    This step produces a final impact assessment report that addresses the view points and comments of the parties that reviewed the draft EIA. These comments may prompt revisions or additions to the text of the draft EIA.

8) Decision

    A decision to approve or reject a proposed project is based on the final EIA. The decision may be accompanied by certain conditions that must be fulfilled

9)Administrative or judicial review

    Depending upon the jurisdiction, there may be opportunities for a party to seek administrative and/or judicial review of the final decision and the EIA process.

10) Project implementation

    Provided all regulatory requirements are met and permits are obtained, development will proceed following the project decision and once opportunities for administrative and/or judicial review is exhausted

11) Monitoring

Monitoring serves three purposes

i)Ensuring that required mitigation measures are being implemented

ii)Evaluating whether mitigation measures are working effectively

iii)Validating the accuracy of models or projections that were used during the impact assessment process

Environmental Impact System (EIS)

The final EIA report is referred to as Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The content of an EIS should have the following:

•Executive summary

•Policy, legal and administrative framework

•Description of the environment

•Significant environmental impact

•Socio-economic analysis of project impacts

•Identification and analysis of alternatives

•Mitigation action/mitigation management plan

•Environmental management plan

•Monitoring program

•Knowledge gaps

•Public involvement

•List of references