Environmental Impacts Assessment process

1. Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
Abdiwali Abdullahi
BSc in Public Health,
MSc in Public Health(HM)
13 March, 2021

2. Environmental Impacts
Assessment process

3. 3
is to inform decision-makers
and the public of the
environmental consequences of
implementing a proposed
project
WHAT IS THE EIA PROCESS AND ITS PURPOSE?
EIA process is
is an interdisciplinary and multistep procedure
to ensure that environmental considerations
are included in decisions regarding projects
that may impact the environment.

The purpose of the EIA process:

4. 4
Continuo….
If the EIA process
is successful,
it identifies alternatives and
mitigation measures to reduce
the environmental impact of a
proposed project

5. 5
BENEFITS OF THE EIA PROCESS
Well adopted EIA
process will result:
Potentially screens out environmentally-unsound projects
Proposes modified designs to reduce environmental impacts
Identifies mitigation measures to reduce, offset, or eliminate major impacts
Identifies feasible alternatives
Engages and informs potentially affected communities and individuals
Predicts significant adverse impacts
Influences decision-making and the development of terms and conditions

6. 6
STAGES OF THE EIA PROCES
• The particular components, stages and activities
of an EIA process will depend upon the
requirements of the country or donor. However,
most EIA processes have a common structure
and the application of the main stages is a basic
standard of good practice.

7. • Typically, the EIA process begins with
screening to ensure time and resources are
directed at the proposals that matter
environmentally and ends with some form
of follow up on the implementation of the
decisions and actions taken as a result of an
EIA report.

8. 8

9. Proposal Identification
Screening
EIA
Required
Initial Environmental
Examination
No EIA
Required
Scoping
Impact analysis
Mitigation & impact
management
EIA Report
Review
Decision-making
Approved
Not
Approved
Redesign
Resubmit
Implementation &
Follow-up
Information from this
process contributes to
effective future EIA
Public Involvement
Public Involvement

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The phases of EIA process
• Scoping
• Public involvement
• Impact analysis
• mitigation & impacts management
• EIA report
• Decision making
• Implementation and follow up
Phase I:
Initial inquiries
Phase II:
Full EIA study (if needed)
•Understand proposed activities
•Screening
•Conduct preliminary
assessment (IEE)

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Phase 1 of the EIA Process
Screen the
activity
Based on the
nature of the
activity what
level of
environmental
review is
indicated?
Conduct a
Preliminary
Assessment
A rapid,
simplified EIA
study using
simple tools
ACTIVITY IS
OF MODERATE
OR UNKNOWN
RISK
SIGNIFICANT
ADVERSE
IMPACTS
POSSIBLE
SIGNIFICANT
ADVERSE
IMPACTS
VERY UNLIKELY
ACTIVITY IS LOW
RISK (Of its nature,
very unlikely to have
significant adverse
impacts)
ACTIVITY IS
HIGH RISK (Of its
nature, likely to have
significant adverse
impacts)
Phase II
Phase I
Understand
proposed
activity
What is being
proposed?
Why is the
activity being
proposed?
BEGIN
FULL
EIA
STUDY
STOP
the EIA
process

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Phase 1 of the EIA process: Understand the proposed activity
Understand the proposed
activities
What is being proposed?
Why is the activity 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 don’t
understand
it, we can’t
assess it!”
“increasing access
to markets”
We must understand the
Development Objective to identify
environmentally sound alternatives
 Is a D.O.

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Phase 1 of the EIA process: Understand the proposed activity
Understand the proposed
activities
What is being proposed?
Why is the activity being proposed?
Once we understand the development
objective, we must fully understand
WHAT is being proposed.
This includes associated actions!
PRIMARYACTIVITY:
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?
EIA process kicks off with project screening.
screening is the process of deciding which proposals
should be the subject of EIA and which one not.
In EIA there are two broad types of issues that are important
in determining significance: those associated with the
location of the project and those associated with the design
and management of the proposal.

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Phase 1 of the EIA process: Screen the activity
Screening has two objectives:
1. Clear identification of projects requiring EIA.
2. Quick and easy operation in order to avoid
unnecessary delay in the process.
screening classifies the activity into a
RISK CATEGORY:
VERY LOW RISK
VERY HIGH RISK
MODERATE OR
UNKNOWN RISK
EIA process ends
Do full EIA study
Do preliminary
assessment
The outcome of the screening process
determines the next step in the EIA process

16. 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:
Screening
determines whether
the preliminary
assessment is
necessary
!
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• Allows the preparer to
determine whether or not
significant adverse impacts are
likely
• Allows the reviewer to agree or
disagree with the preparer’s
determinations
• Sets out mitigation and
monitoring for adverse impacts

17. Phase 1 of the EIA process: The Preliminary Assessment
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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)

18. 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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Mitigation is the topic of
an upcoming module!

19. To arrive at findings: Identify, Predict and Judge
Identify potential
impacts
Judge the
significance of
potential impacts
Predict 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.
Arriving at the FINDINGS in a preliminary
assessment requires 3 steps:
1
2
3 Determine whether the predicted impacts are
indeed significant!
THIS WILL OFTEN DEPEND ON HOW
EFFECTIVE THE PROPOSED MITIGATION
MEASURES ARE!
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20. We only proceed to Phase II of the EIA process
If
Phase I indicates that a FULL EIA STUDY is required
!
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Most small-scale activities do not require a full EIA study!

21. Main EIA screening approaches
• Prescriptive or standardized approach in which
development proposals that either require or are
exempt from EIA are listed in legislation and
regulations;
• Discretionary or customized approach in which
proposals are screened on an individual or case-by-
case base, using indicative guidance.
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Phase 1 of the EIA process: The Initial Environmental Examination
IEE is carried out to
determine whether potentially adverse environmental
effects are significant or whether mitigation
measures can be adopted to reduce or eliminate
these adverse effects.