environment presentation

1. Environmental Impact Assessment
:Definition, Background , History , purpose
and Objectives of EIA
Presented by: Jamal Faisal
Submitted to : Prof. Geeta Singh

2. • Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA)- Definition
• Historical background of EIA
• Purpose and Objectives of EIA
• Conclusions
Contents:

3. The definition of EIA
there are a number of definitions of environmental impact assessment EIA. Just a sample is
given here.
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to the evaluation
of the environmental impacts likely to raise from a major project
significantly affecting the environment.
 Environment Impact Assessment or EIA can be defined as the
study to predict the effect of a proposed activity/project on the
environment.
 A decision making tool, EIA compares various alternatives for a
project and seeks to identify the one which represents the best
combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits.

4. Cont…
 It is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a
proposed project or development, by considering inter-related
socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts, both
beneficial and adverse.
 EIA is a tool used to assess the positive and negative
environmental, economic, and social impacts of a project.
 This is used to predict the environmental impacts of a project in
the pre-planning stage itself so that decisions can be taken to
reduce the adverse impacts.

5. EIA benefits
environmental assessment has many benefits, such as :
 protection of environment,
 optimum utilization of resources and saving of time and cost of
the project.
 Properly conducted EIA also lessens conflicts by promoting
community participation,
 informing decision makers, and helping lay the base for
environmentally sound projects.
Benefits of integrating EIA have been observed in all stages of a
project, from exploration and planning, through construction,
operations, decommissioning, and beyond site closure.

6. Key Environmental Impact Assessment Concepts
• Defining “impact”
• Defining
“activity”
• Characterizing
the baseline
situation
Time
Water
table
Image credit: Drip irrigation of new strawberry plants in Egypt. — usaid.gov
https://www.usaid.gov/where-we-work/middle-east/merc-water-success-stories

7. Cont...
WHAT ARE IMPACTS?
The impact of an activity is the change from the baseline situation caused by the activity.
The baseline situation is the existing environmental
situation or condition in the absence of the activity.
The baseline situation is a key concept in
environmental impact assessment.
! To measure an
impact, you must
know what the
baseline situation is.

8. Types of Impacts
Ecological Impact-
• Fisheries, forests, plantation, eutrophication
Physico-chemical Impact
• Erosion and Siltation, drainage congestion /water logging,
regional hydrology/flooding, obstruction to waste water
flow, dust /noise pollution
Impact on Human Interest
• Loss of agricultural lands, generation of employment
opportunities, navigation and boat communication,
commercial and service facilities, industrial activities,
irrigation facilities

9. BASELINE SITUATION
 Describing the baseline situation requires describing both the normal variability in environmental
components and current trends in these components.
 The baseline situation is not just a
snapshot in time.
 This chart of groundwater levels
shows both variability and a trend
over time.
 BOTH are part of the
groundwater baseline situation.
Time
Water
table

10. Historical
Background
of
EIA
EIA was first developed in
the US as a result of the
National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969(NEPA),
for considering possible
impacts prior to a decision
being taken on whether or
not a proposal should be
given approval to proceed.

11. Historical Background of EIA
The beginnings of Environmental Impact Assessment are rooted in the
environmental crisis that affected all industrialized economies in the
1950s/60s/70s. For example:
 1952 Great smog of London “Killer fog” kills 4,000 in London for 5 days
 Rachel Carson, 1963 Silent Spring documents the effects of DDT
 1966 Cuyahoga River burns for the 3rd time in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

12. Cont…
Looking back from today, the causes were obvious:
 Population Growth
 Natural Resource Pressures
 Urbanization
 Industrialization
All of these factors combined to create unprecedented environmental damage
with consequent effects on human health and welfare.
Environmental Impact Assessment was one response.
The first national Environmental Impact Assessment requirements were outlined
in the 1970 US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), requiring Environmental
Impact Assessment for USG projects. Other responses included regulation of
industry and environmental treaties.
In India, EIA was started in 1976-77 to examine the river valley projects from
environmental angle.

13. Cont…
 The birth of EIA is dated back to the 1970s. In 1969, The USA had brought its
first National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) 1969.
 The EIA was initially practiced by developed nations but slowly it was also
introduced in developing nations including India.
 Columbia and the Philippines are the earliest examples of developing nations
who introduced EIA in their policies. Columbia brought it in 1974 while the
Philippines in 1978.
 Worldwide, EIA is now practiced in more than 100 countries. By the mid-1990s,
some 110 countries applied EIA as a major environmental policy.

14. Objectives of EIA
to identify, predict and evaluate the
economic, environmental and social impact
of development activities
to provide information on the
environmental consequences for decision
making
to promote environmentally sound and
sustainable development through the
identification of appropriate alternatives
and mitigation measures.

15. Purpose of EIA
Identification,
estimation and
assessment of
main effects that
the planned
project may have
on the
environment.
The report's
presentation of
impact data is
intended for
both the public
and the
authorities who
will be approving
the project's
implementation.
Encouragement
of authorities
responsible for
approving the
planned projects
to include
ecological
elements in their
decision-making
process.

16. Conclusion
EIA is an important tool in assuring that projects and plans will not
give an adverse impact on the environment.
It improves the environmental design of the proposal.
Ensure that resources are used appropriately and efficiently.
Identifies appropriate measures for mitigating the potential impacts
of the proposal.
Facilitate informed decision making, including setting the
environmental terms and conditions for implementing the proposal.

17. REFERENCES
 Dutta B. K., Bandyopadhyay S. (2010), “Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact
Assessment - Decision Making Tools for Project Appraisal in India”, International Journal of
Human and Social Sciences 5:6.
 Friends of earth, (Oct 2005) “EIA: A campaigner’s guide”
 https://www.biologydiscussion.com/environment/environmental-impact-assessment-eia-
definition-process-and-importance/16777 , 24/08/2022
 http://www.cseindia.org/subsection/reports/20083, 24/08/2022
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_assessment, 24/08/2022