Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
HAWASSA UNIVERSITY WGCF & NRs
BY:
TESFAHUN TESEMA
NaRM 4th YEAR
2023
4/18/2024 1

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES
• Environmental Impact(EI) means any change to the
environment or to its component that may affect human
health or safety, flora, fauna, soil, air: water, climate,
natural or cultural heritage, other physical structure, or in
general, subsequently alter environmental, social,
economic or cultural conditions.
• impact is a deviation (a change) from the baseline
situation that is caused by the activity.
4/18/2024 2

Contd…,
• Environment is broadly interpreted as: physical,
biological, and social
• Environment is a whole set of natural (bio-physical) and
man-made (sociocultural) systems in which man and
other organisms live, work and interact.
• baseline situation is the existing environmental situation
or condition in the absence of the activity.
• To measure an impact, you must know what the baseline
situation is.
• The baseline situation is a key concept in EIA.
• In characterizing the baseline situation, many
environmental components MAY be of interest
4/18/2024 3

• Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA)
 A systematic process of identifying, predicting and
evaluating the likely environmental, social, economic and
health impacts of a proposed project, plan or program and
policy, and developing an appropriate management plan to
mitigate the adverse impacts (UNEP, 2002).
 a two-way process for identifying and managing:
 (1) a development’s potential impacts on the environment, and
 (2) the potential impacts of the environment on a development,
i.e. the potential impacts that may arise from env’tal hazards and
env’tal change processes, including climate change.
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• Environmental assessment (EA): a term that covers both assessment
processes, i.e. EIA and SEA.
• Environmental auditing (EA): is a tool for checking whether a firm or
an organization is doing what it should be doing. For instance a
legislative compliance audit checks that those activities of the firm
covered by environmental legislation (i.e. what it is doing) actually
comply with that legislation (i.e. what it should be doing).
• EIA report or environmental impact statement (EIS): the
document prepared by the proponent (or their consultant) as part of
the EIA process, impacts, risk assessment of key impacts, proposed
impact mitigation measures (for negative impacts) and optimization
measures (for positive impacts).
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• Strategic environmental assessment (SEA): a higher-
level assessment process that can be used in three main
ways:
 (1) to prepare a strategic dev’t or resource use plan for a
defined land and/or ocean area;
 (2) to examine the potential env’tal impacts that may arise
from, or impact upon, the implementation of gov’t
policies, plans and programmes; and
 (3) to assess different classes or types of dev’t projects, so
as to produce general env’tal management policies or
design guidelines for the development classes/types.
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What is an activity?
ACTIVITY:
market access
road
rehabilitation
ACTIONS:
Survey, grading, culvert
construction, compaction,
etc. . .
a desired
accomplishment or
output
E.g.: a road, seedling
production, or river
diversion to irrigate
land
An activity is:

Accomplishing an activity
requires a set of actions
We are discussing the impacts of activities.
What are activities?
A project or program may
consist of many activities
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1.2. Why conduct an EIA?
• Human well-being is closely connected to environmental
sustainability.
• As a result, all forms of human development such as building
infrastructure (i.e., roads and pipelines, mines, and tourism
facilities etc.) have an impact on the surrounding natural env’t
and vice versa.
• Because of the complex r/nship between the natural and human
env’ts, it is very important to try to predict the env’tal and social
impacts of programs, projects and planned dev’ts that may alter
the quality of the env’t and impact well-being.
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1.3. What is essential in an EIA?
• An EIA should allow decision makers to understand a
project’s impacts in all its phases.
• It should also allow the public and other stakeholders to
present their views and inputs on the planned
development.
• Furthermore, to be truly effective, an EIA must contribute
to and improve the project design, so that environmental
as well as socioeconomic measures are core parts of it.
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• Information used in the EIA needs to be based on good
data, use accepted methodological approaches and be
summarized in plain language that is understandable for
decision makers.
• Finally, the EIA does not end with the granting of a license
to operate.
• It is critical that the approved practices and design are
followed during the project operations and construction
and that ongoing monitoring is in place during the
lifetime of the project.
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Concepts of EIA
• EIA has developed in response to limitations in the
traditional project planning process with regard to
environmental considerations, and also in response to the
growing concern about env’tal quality issues.
• The EIA process has evolved considerably over the last 25
years, along with our knowledge and capacity to deal with
environmental issues.
• Early EIAs tended to be lengthy, descriptive, and not much
use to decision-makers.
4/18/2024 11

Cont…,
• They were often started late in the project planning
process, after irrevocable decisions had been made,
therefore had little chance to influence project design.
• With experience and study, EIAs have become more cost-
effective and timely, focusing on issues important to
stakeholders and decision-makers.
• We now know that EIAs must be initiated as soon as a
project is conceived, and fully integrated in the overall
project planning process, in order to influence project
design and implementation
4/18/2024 12

Cont…,
• Public participation has become an integral part of EIA.
• EIAs now aid in making decisions which are informed and
environmentally sound.
• In recent years, the international community has placed
the environment at the top of the development agenda.
• As a result, international lending organizations, like the
World Bank, have begun to tie the provision of
development funding to a requirement to assess the
environmental impacts of proposed projects.
4/18/2024 13

Cont…,
• Currently, over 100 countries have legislation mandating
the implementation of an EIA when a development/or
project is deemed to potentially have considerable impacts
on environmental and social contexts.
• In some countries, there is also an indirect mandate for
EIAs—e.g., if the project is supported by development
banks such as the World Bank and the Inter-American
Development Bank.
4/18/2024 14

1.2. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF EIA
• Rapid industrialization and urbanization in western
countries was causing rapid loss of natural resources
giving rise to concerns for pollution, quality of life and
environmental stress.
• In early 1960`s, investors and people realized that the
projects they were undertaking were affecting the
environment, resources, raw materials and people.
• The USA decided to respond to these issues and
established a National Environmental Policy Act in 1970 to
consider its goal in terms of environmental protection.
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• EIA was first established as a direct response to the
increasing concern regarding the env’tal effects of major
development projects.
• Traditional forms of project appraisal did not consider
env’tal factors and EIA was developed as a means to
address this imbalance.
• More recently, the emphasis on sustainable development,
this role is formally recognized in Principle 17 of the Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development:
4/18/2024 16

Cont…,
• The legal, methodological and procedural foundations of
EIA were established in 1970 by the enactment of NEPA in
the USA.
• The United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment in Stockholm in 1972 and the subsequent
conventions formalized EIA. Like:
 The UN "Conference on Env’t and Dev’t "in 1992
(UNCED)/The Rio Declaration on Env’t and Dev’t/ Rio
Declaration/ informally known as the Earth Summit
 Principle 15, 17 and Agenda 21
4/18/2024 17

PRINCIPLE 17 states that:
• Environmental impact assessment, as a national
instrument, shall be undertaken for proposed activities
that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the
environment and are subject to a decision of a competent
national authority.
The Convention on EIA in a Trans-boundary
Context (Espoo Convention) signed in Espoo, Finland,
in 1991.
• This is the first multi-lateral EIA treaty.
4/18/2024 18

• It looks at EIA in a trans-boundary context and entered into
force in 1997.
• The Espoo Convention sets out the obligations of Parties to
assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an
early stage of planning.
• It also lays down the general obligation of States to notify
and consult each other on all major projects under
consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse
env’tal impact across boundaries.
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• Then the idea of EIA widespread throughout the world,
first to developed and then to developing countries
• Following in the footsteps of the U.S. in 1973 and 1974,
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand adopted EIA as
well, and other industrialized and developing countries
followed during the 1970s.
• Developing countries came to use the environmental
impact assessment because of the requirements of the
World Bank and other development banks and donors,
as well as capacity building activities initiated in the
wake of the Rio Declaration.
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• Ethiopia enacted the Environmental Impact Assessment
Proclamation in 2002, providing for EIA and monitoring.
• Article 92 of Ethiopian Constitution mainly focuses on the
issue of EIA and monitoring under Ethiopian law.
• Part II of the Article considers the definition and nature of
EIA.
• Part III deals with the role of EIA in sustainable
development.
• Part IV describes the purpose and scope of EIA.
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1.3. THE PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES OF EIA
• The immediate (The primary objective) of EIA is to
inform the process of decision-making by ensuring that
the likely environmental, social and economic impacts of
projects, policy and programs etc. are adequately and
appropriately considered and mitigation measures for
adverse significant impacts are incorporated when
decisions are taken. Or:-
 improve the environmental design of the proposal;
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 check the environmental acceptability of the proposals /
the capacity of the site and
 ensure that resources are used appropriately and
efficiently;
 identify appropriate measures for mitigating the potential
impacts of the proposal;
 facilitate informed decision making, including setting the
environmental terms and the receiving environment and
conditions for implementing the proposal.
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• The ultimate (long term) objective of EIA is to promote
sustainable dev’t by ensuring that dev’t proposals do not
undermine critical resource and ecological functions or
the well being, lifestyle and livelihood of the communities
and peoples who depend on them. Or:-
 avoid irreversible changes and serious damage to the
environment;
 safeguard valued resources, natural areas and ecosystem
components;
 enhance the social aspects of a proposals.
 protect human health and safety;
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1.4. LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF EIA IN ETHIOPIA
• A legal framework is a set of legally-binding rules,
regulations, proclamation and procedural steps often
established through precedent in the common law, through
which judgments can be determined in a given legal case.
The FDRE Constitution
 Article 43 gives the right to people to improved living
standards and to sustainable development.
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 Article 92 of Chapter 10
• Government shall endeavor to ensure that all Ethiopians
live in a clean and healthy Environment
• The design and implementation of programmes and
projects of dev’t shall not damage or destroy the env’t.
• People have the right to full consultation and to the
expression of their views in the planning and
implementation of environmental policies and projects
that affect them directly,
• Government and citizens shall have the duty to protect
the environment.
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Proclamation on EIA (No. 299/2002)
 The provision of the proclamation include:
• Projects will be subject to EIA and execution is subject to
an environmental clearance from the EPA or Regional
Government Environmental Agency, as applies.
• EPA or the Regional Agency, depending on the magnitude
of expected impacts, may waive the requirement of an EIA.
• All other licensing agencies shall, prior to issuing of a
license, ensure that either EPA or the regional Env’tal
Agency has authorized implementation of project; and
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• A licensing agency shall either suspend or cancel a license
that has already been issued, in the case that EPA or the
Regional env’tal agency suspends or cancels the env’tal
authorization.
• Procedures that must be followed in the EIA process are
described in the proclamation:
• A Proponent shall ensure that an env’tal impact assessment
is conducted and,
• Env’tal impact study report prepared by experts that meet
the requirements specified under a directive issued by the
Authority.
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• After evaluating an environmental impact study report by
taking into account any public comment and expert
opinions, the Authority or Regional environmental
agency shall:
 Approve the project without conditions and issue
authorization if it is convinced that the project may not
cause negative impacts;
 Approve the project and issue authorization with
conditions that must be fulfilled in order to reduce
adverse impacts to insignificance;
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 or refuse implementation of the project if the negative
impact cannot be satisfactorily avoided by setting
conditionality of implementation.
• The Proclamation on Environmental Pollution Control
(No. 300/2002) or “polluter pays” Proclamation
• Read and report other specific rules and
regulations of EIA in Ethiopia
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Environmental Policy of Ethiopia (EPE )
• The Environmental Policy of Ethiopia (EPE) was approved
by the Council of Ministers in April 1997.
• The section of the EPE concerning EIA sets out a number
of policies, key elements of which may be summarized as
follows:
 Recognition of the need for EIA to address social,
economic, political and cultural impacts, in addition to
physical and biological impacts, and for public
consultation to be integrated within EIA procedures
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 Incorporation of impact containment measures within
the design process for both public and private sector
development projects, and for mitigation measures and
accident contingency plans to be incorporated within
environmental impact statements (EISs)
 Creation of a legal framework for the EIA process,
together with a suitable and coordinated institutional
framework for the execution and approval of EIAs and
environmental audits
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 Development of detailed technical sectoral guidelines for
EIA and environmental auditing
 Development of EIA and environmental auditing capacity
and capabilities within the Environmental Protection
Authority, sectoral ministries and agencies, as well as in
the regions
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Legal framework of EIA at International level
• Treaties, conventions, protocols
• The Convention on EIA in a Trans-boundary Context (Espoo
Convention) signed in Espoo, Finland, in 1991.
• The FDRE has ratified several international conventions and
protocols and these include:
• Vienna Convention on Ozone Layer Protection (1990);
• Montreal Protocol for Substances Depleting the Ozone Layer
(1990);
• Convention on Biodiversity (Rio convention) (1997);
• Framework Convention of UN on Climate Change (1997);
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• Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement
of Hazardous Substance (1987).
• African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources
• Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar)
• Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD)
• Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural
and Natural Heritage.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES).
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1.5. Institutional framework for EIA in Ethiopia
• Institutional framework refers to the arrangements of
key environmental agencies for effective EIA
implementation.
• Environmental agencies: Are key governmental bodies
that are responsible to formulate Environmental policies,
strategies, laws and standards and ensures the
effectiveness of the process of their implementation in
managing, monitoring and control of the environment.
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• Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) at Federal and
Regional Levels were established according to the
Proclamation for the Establishment of Environmental
Protection Organs, No. 295/2002.
• At federal level the Environmental Protection Authority
(EPA) was re-established in October 2002, under
Proclamation 295/2002.
• It has a broad mandate covering environmental matters at
federal level
• The Proclamation sets out the main responsibilities and
broad organizational structure of EPA.
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Some of the Responsibilities of EPA:-
 Preparation of directives and implementation of systems
necessary for the evaluation of the impact of projects on
the environment.
 Establish a system for EIA of projects, policies,
strategies, laws and programmes
 Enforce implementation of this EIA process (i.e. review
EIA reports) and the recommendations which result
from it for projects that are subject to Federal licensing,
execution or supervision etc
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 EPA has the mandate to involve itself with all
environmental issues and Projects that have a federal,
inter-regional (involving more than one Region) and
international scope
At regional level
• Regional environmental agencies and the Sectoral
Environmental Units.
At local level
• Zonal, Woreda and Community Environmental
Coordinating Committees
International level: Example UNEP
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1.6. The four core values of EIA are
• Sustainability: the EIA process should result in
sustainable development by establishing long-term
environmental safe guards
• Integrity: the EIA process will confirm to agreed and
established requirements
• Utility: the EIA process will provide balanced, credible
information for decision making
• Equity: that EIA ensures fairness in the distribution of
costs or benefits
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1.7. The Guiding Principles of EIA are
• Early application: proactive consideration and
integration of environmental concerns at the earliest
stages of the conceptualization of the projects, programs
or policies
• Participation: The process should provide appropriate
opportunities to inform and involve the interested
and affected publics and incorporate their input in
decision-making.
• Issues based: the focus of an EIA is on the resolution of
major issues of significant impacts
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• Consider alternatives: all feasible options to a project,
policies, programs or its components like site, processes,
products, raw materials etc. including the “no go” option
should be considered
• Accountability: refers to answerability of a proponent,
consultant and environmental agencies for their
respective roles and responsibilities
• Flexibility : the assessment process should be able to
adapt to deal efficiently with changing circumstances
and decision making situation.
4/18/2024 42

• Credibility: assessments and reviews are under taken with
professionalism and objectivity
• Time and cost-effectiveness: the assessment process, its
outcomes and decision making will ensure environmental
protection at the least cost and within reasonable time to
society and developer alike
• Transparency : all assessment decisions, and their basis,
should be open and accessible to the Public
4/18/2024 43

• Practicality: the information and outputs provided by
the assessment process are readily usable in the decision
making and planning
• Systematic- carried out using a planned and ordered
procedure
• Interdisciplinary - the process should ensure that the
appropriate techniques and experts in the relevant
disciplines are employed, including use of traditional
knowledge as relevant
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• Integrated - the process should address the
interrelationships of social, economic and biophysical
aspects
• Supportive: the review and decision making process
should enhance and support sustainable development and
environmentally friendly investment efforts
• Conservation based: the EIA process should strive to
promote conservation based development. Integrating
conservation elements in the development planning that
extend beyond conventional impact fixation approach can
do
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1.8. Operating principles of the EIA
• Modify and improve design
• Ensure efficient resource use
• Enhance social aspects
• Identify measures for monitoring and managing impacts
• Promote sustainable productivity within the natural and
social system capacity
• Meet environmental requirements and make continuing
improvement in environmental performance
• Provide accurate and appropriate info for sound decision
4/18/2024 46

1.9. BENEFITS OF EIA
1.9.1. The major benefits of the EIA process for project
sponsors
• Reduced cost and time of project implementation.
• Cost-saving modifications in project design.
• Increased project acceptance.
• Avoided impacts and violations of laws and regulations.
• Improved project performance.
• Avoided treatment/clean up costs.
• Etc
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1.9.2. The benefits to local communities
• A healthier local environment (forests, water sources,
agricultural potential, recreational potential, aesthetic
values, and clean living in urban areas).
• Improved human health.
• Maintenance of biodiversity.
• Decreased resource use.
• Fewer conflicts over natural resource use.
• Increased community skills, knowledge and pride.
4/18/2024 48

1.10. EIA Related Assessment Processes
1.10.1. Social Impact Assessment
• Social impacts are impacts of developmental interventions
on human life, livelihoods and human settlements.
• Such impacts not only need to be identified and measured
but also need to be managed in such a way that the
positive externalities are magnified and the negative ones
minimized.
• There is a need to properly conduct appraisal of possible
social ramifications through active stakeholder
participation and their effective mitigation.
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• Social Impact Assessment can be defined in terms of
efforts to assess or estimate, in advance, the social
consequences that are likely to follow specific policy
actions (including programs and the adoption of new
policies), and specific government actions.
• It is a process that provides a framework for prioritizing,
gathering, analyzing, and incorporating social information
and participation into the design and delivery of
developmental interventions.
4/18/2024 50

• It ensures that development interventions: (i) are informed
and take into account the key relevant social issues; and (ii)
incorporate a participation strategy for involving a wide
range of stakeholders.
• International Association for Impact Assessment defines
SIA as, ‘the process of analyzing, monitoring and managing
the social consequences of development’.
• SIA is much more than the prediction step within an
environmental assessment framework.
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• Social impacts are much broader than the limited issues
often considered in EIAs (such as demographic changes,
job issues, financial security, and impacts on family life).
• A limited view of SIA creates demarcation problems about
what are the social impacts to be identified by SIA, versus
what is considered by related fields such as health impact
assessment, cultural impact assessment, heritage impact
assessment, aesthetic impact assessment, or gender
impact assessment.
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• The SIA community of practitioners considers that all
issues that affect people, directly or indirectly, are
pertinent to social impact assessment.
• A convenient way of conceptualizing social impacts is as
changes to one or more of the following:
 Peoples’ way of Life, their culture, the community, political
systems, their environment, health & wellbeing, personal
property rights, their fears & aspirations
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1.10.2. Strategic Environmental Assessment
• Is the formalized, systematic and comprehensive process
of identifying and evaluating the env’tal consequences of
proposed policies, plans or programmes to ensure that
they are fully included and appropriately addressed at the
earliest possible stage of decision-making on a par with
economic and social considerations’ (Sadler, 1996).
• SEA might be applied to an entire sector (such as a
national policy on energy for e.g) or to a geographical area
(for e.g, in the context of a regional development scheme).
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• SEA does not replace or reduce the need for project-level
EIA (although in some cases it can), but it can help to
streamline and focus the incorporation of environmental
concerns into the decision-making process, often making
project-level EIA a more effective process.
• SEA is commonly described as being proactive and
‘sustainability driven’, whilst EIA is often described as
being largely reactive.
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Aims and objectives of SEA
• To help achieve environmental protection and sustainable
development by:
 Consideration of environmental effects of proposed strategic
actions
 Identification of the best practicable environmental option
 Early warning of cumulative effects and large-scale changes
• To strengthen and streamline project EIA by:
 Prior identification of scope of potential impacts and
information needs
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Contd,…
 Clearance of strategic issues and concerns related to justification
of proposals
 Reducing the time and effort necessary to conduct individual
reviews
• To integrate the environment into sector-specific decision-
making by:
 Promoting environmentally sound and sustainable proposals
 Changing the way decisions are made
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1.10.3. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• is a tool for identifying and assessing the various environmental
impacts associated with a particular product.
• LCA takes a “cradle to grave” approach looking at the impacts of
the product throughout its life cycle i.e. from the raw materials
acquisition (the “cradle”) through its production and use to its
final disposal (the “grave”).
• LCA allows manufacturers to find ways of cost-effectively
reducing the environmental impact of a product over its life-
cycle and to support their claims about the environmental
impact of their products.
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• Reading assignment
• Sustainable development and Environment
4/18/2024 59

CHAPTER TWO
THE EIA PROCESS
• Generalized EIA Process Flowchart
1. Screening
2. Scoping
3. Impact analysis
4. Mitigation and impact management
5. EIA Report
6. Review
7. Decision-making
8. Implementation and follow up
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The EIA process
• Scope
• Evaluate baseline situation
• Identify & choose alternatives
• Identify and characterize
potential impacts of proposed
activity and each alternative
• Develop mitigation and
monitoring
• Communicate and document
Phase I:
Initial
inquiries
Phase II:
Full EIA study
(if needed)
Our focus!
•Understand
proposed activities
•Screen
•Conduct preliminary
assessment (if
needed)
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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
Assessmen
t
A rapid,
simplified
EIA study
using simple
tools
(e.g. the
USAID IEE)
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
Why is the
activity being
proposed?
What is
being
proposed?
BEGIN
FULL
EIA
STUDY
STOP
the EIA
process
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1. Screening
• Screening is the initial step of the EIA process.
• Is done to determine whether or not a proposal should
be subject to EIA.
• In this step projects classified into different types of
impact category
• The main category According to the Ethiopian
Environmental Impact Assessment Proclamation (No.
299/2002) are:-
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• Category 1 - projects not likely to have negative impacts,
and so do not require environmental impact assessment
• Category 2 - Projects likely to have negative impacts and
thus require environmental impact assessment.
Identification of projects requiring EIA
• There are some specific methods applied to screening,
which reflect prescriptive and discretionary approaches.
• Overall, we can distinguish two different types of
screening:
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I. Prescriptive or standardized approaches in which
development proposals that either require or are
exempt from EIA are listed in legislation and
regulations, and proponents can often decide based on
these standardized approaches; this could include:
 Legal (or policy) definition of proposals to which EIA does or does
not apply.
 Inclusion list of projects (with or without thresholds) for which an
EIA is automatically required.
 Exclusion list of activities which do not require EIA because they are
insignificant or are exempt by law (e.g. national security or emergency
activities).
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II. Customized approaches in which proposals are screened on
an individual or case-by-case base, using indicative guidance with
categories.
• Different countries and international agencies combine these
types of screening procedures.
• Most often, a simple categorization (such as A – C or 1 – 3) is
used. These categories help proponents and licensing agencies
decide when a whole EIA is needed.
• The need for an EIA can be estimated based on planned projects
whose impacts extend beyond the project site, such those as
using water that cannot be produced (or producing sewage and
waste that cannot be processed) on the project site.
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Examples of Case-by-case approaches of screening:-
 Sensitivity of location (for example, proximity of a
project to a protected area, a wetland, a flood plain, or an
area rich in cultural resources);
 Sensitivity of potential impact receptors (for example,
valuable crop-producing fields, water supplies,
hospitals);
 Possible duration and reversibility of the impacts; and
 Likelihood of associated or secondary development
(such as new access roads, aggregate extraction).
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• The output of the screening process is often a document
called an Initial Environmental Examination or
Evaluation (IEE).
• The main conclusion will be a classification of the
projects according to its likely environmental impacts
4/18/2024 69

2. Scoping
• The aim of EIA is not to carry out exhaustive studies on all
environmental impacts for all projects.
• Once screening has determined that proposal is subject to
EIA or further study, the main issues and impacts to be
analyzed must be identified and agreed as early as
possible. This process, called scoping.
• The results of scoping will determine the scope, depth and
terms of reference to be addressed within the
Environmental statement.
4/18/2024 70

• It identifies the issues and impacts that matter and
eliminates those that do not, resulting in the
preparation of focused ToRs.
• Is the critical stage in the EIA procedure
• Scoping should be an ongoing exercise throughout the
course of the project.
4/18/2024 71

• Scoping is primarily focused on identifying the impacts
to be assessed and which of these are most important,
but it may also address some or all of the following
matters:
 The types of alternative which ought to be considered
 The types of mitigation to be considered
 Affected and interested stakeholders should be
identified and involved in scoping
 The methods to be used to predict the magnitude of
environmental effects
4/18/2024 72

 Any further consultations to be carried out during the
environmental studies
 The baseline studies which are required to characterize
the existing environment
 The membership and management of the EIA Team
 The work plan and resourcing for the environmental
studies.
 The structure, content and length of the EIA
 Scoping report and Terms Of Reference (TOR) for EIA
study should be established
4/18/2024 73

EIA Methodologies
• EIA Methodologies developed to identify, predict and
value changes of an action.
• The development of methodologies to assess impacts
depend on:
 The relationship between territorial elements (or
Characteristics) and the actions
 The specific measurements and the necessary
information to estimate the impacts.
 The mitigation measures, compensation and follow-up.
4/18/2024 74

Choice of EIA method depends on
• To ensure compliance with regulations.
• To provide a comprehensive coverage of a full range of
impacts, including social, economic and physical.
• To distinguish between positive and negative, large and
small, long term and short term, reversible and irreversible
impacts.
• To identify secondary, indirect and cumulative impacts as
well as direct impacts
4/18/2024 75

• To distinguish between significant and insignificant
impacts
• To allow comparison of alternative development proposal.
• To consider impacts within the constraints of an area’s
carrying capacity
• To incorporate qualitative as well as quantitative info.
• To be easy and economical to use.
• To be unbiased and to give consistent result.
• To be of use in summarizing and presenting impacts in the
EIS.
4/18/2024 76

Objectives of Methodologies
• Understand the nature and location of the project and
possible alternatives
• Identify factors of analysis and assessment objectives
• Preliminary identification of impacts and scoping
• Baseline studies and evolution in the absence of projects
• Prediction and assessment of impacts and alternatives
comparison
• Mitigation
• Monitoring and Impacts management.
4/18/2024 77

• How to identify the important issues and impacts???
=>By using scoping tools/ techniques
Scoping tools/ techniques include
 Ad hoc methods
 Checklists,
 matrices,
 Network diagrams, etc…
• Identification of the important issues and impacts at
the scoping stage usually done by using the Checklist
4/18/2024 78

Ad hoc Methods
• Basically ad hoc methods indicate broad areas of possible
impacts by listing composite environmental parameters
(for example flora and fauna) likely to be affected by any
development.
• Ad hoc methods involve assembling a team of specialists
to identify impacts in their area of expertise.
• In this method, each environmental area, such as, air, and
water, is taken separately and the nature of the impacts,
such as, short-term or long term, reversible or irreversible
are considered.
4/18/2024 79

• Ad hoc methods are for rough assessment of total impact
giving the broad areas of possible impacts and the general
nature of these possible impacts.
• For example, the impacts on animal and plant life may be
stated as significant but beneficial.
• In the ad hoc methods, the assessor relies on intuitive
approach and makes a broad-based qualitative assessment.
• This method serves as a preliminary assessment which
helps in identifying more important areas like: wildlife,
endangered species, air quality, noise, health and safety…
4/18/2024 80

Checklist
• Checklists are comprehensive lists of environmental
effects and impact indicators designed to stimulate the
analyst to think broadly about possible consequences of
contemplated actions.
• There are four types of checklist:
1. Simple
2. Descriptive
3. Questionnaire
4. Threshold concern
5. Scaling Checklist
4/18/2024 81

Simple Checklist
• A list of
environmental
parameters with no
guidelines on how
they are to be
measured and
interpreted.
4/18/2024 82

Descriptive Checklist
• Includes an identification of environmental parameters
and guidelines on how to measure data on particular
parameters.
4/18/2024 83

Questionnaire Checklist
• Are based on a set of questions to be answered.
• Some of the questions may concern indirect impacts and
possible mitigation measures.
• They may also provide a scale for classifying estimated
impacts from highly adverse to highly beneficial.
4/18/2024 84

Questionnaire Checklist
4/18/2024 85

Threshold Checklist
• Consist of a list of environmental components and , for
each component, a threshold at which those assessing a
proposal should become concerned with an impact.
• The implication of alternative proposals can be seen by
examining the number of times that an alternative exceeds
the threshold of concern.
4/18/2024 86

Scaling Checklist
• similar to a descriptive checklist, but with additional
information on subjective scaling of the parameters
4/18/2024 87

Advantages of Checklist
• There are several major reasons for using checklists:
 They are useful in summarizing information to make it
accessible to specialists from other fields, or to decision
makers who may have a limited amount of technical
knowledge;
 scaling checklists provide a preliminary level of analysis;
and
 weighting is a mechanism for incorporating information
about ecosystem functions.
4/18/2024 88

Disadvantages of Checklist
• Westman (1985) listed some of the problems with
checklists when used as an impact assessment method:
1. They are too general or incomplete;
2. They do not illustrate interactions between effects;
3. The number of categories to be reviewed can be immense,
thus distracting from the most significant impacts; and
4. The identification of effects is qualitative and subjective.
4/18/2024 89

Matrix
• Matrix are two-dimensional tables which facilitate the
identification of impacts arising from the interaction
between project activities and specific environmental
components.
• They are essentially expansions of checklists that
acknowledge the fact that different component of
development project (e.g. Construction, operation,
decommissioning, buildings, access road)
• The entries in the cell of the matrix can be either
qualitative or quantitative estimates of impact.
4/18/2024 90

Network
• Network is an alternative for illustrating the secondary
and subsequent effects of action on environmental
elements is to construct a network tracing such effects.
• The advantage of a network approach is that it permits
clear tracing of high-order effects of initial actions; indeed
mitigation and control measures can also be illustrated.
• One problem encountered in applying the network is that
many higher-order effects can be postulated that are
actually unlikely to occur.
4/18/2024 91

Overlay and GIS
• An effective visual aid
• Useful as documentation
of environmental
conditions existing before
project implementation
• May describe both
biophysical and social
aspects of area under
study.
4/18/2024 92

Overlay
• The overlay method is effective in considering:
 Sensitive lands, requiring protection human activity (e.g
Shorelines, wetlands etc)
 Hazard land, requiring protection from the environment
(e.g flood plains, unstable slopes, volcanic slopes, etc)
 Renewable resource areas, where the environment needs
to be protected from human activities (e.g aquifer recharge
zones, fish and wildlife habitat, etc)
 Cultural heritage (area of scientific/)
4/18/2024 93

• Before conducting scoping, information which are useful
for scoping should be needed
• Information for scoping include:
1. Contact Details of the Developer
2. Characteristics of the Project
3. Location of the Project
4. Characteristics of the Potential Impact
4/18/2024 95

A step-by-step approach to scoping
• Develop an outline scope/ checklist
• Compile the full range of concerns (compile a long list).
• At this stage, no attempt should be made to screen out or
pre-judge the validity of issues raised.
• Evaluate these to identify significant issues and to
eliminate concerns that do not warrant further
investigation (derive a short list).
4/18/2024 96

• Organize and prioritize the significant issues with
reference to information that is critical for decision-
making (draw up a study list)
• Develop scoping report and Terms of reference
• Monitor progress against them, revising as necessary
• Source: Adapted from Everett (1995), Ashe and Sadler
(1997).
4/18/2024 97

EIA Scoping Process
4/18/2024 98

Scoping repot and terms of reference
Scoping report should include:
• Description of the development site and the surrounding
area
• A brief description of the nature and purpose of the
proposed development
• The purpose of scoping
• Scoping methodology and process
• Baseline information and assessment methodology
• Identified main and significant effects
• Assessment methodology of the identified impacts
• The likely mitigation measures and alternatives
• Summary
4/18/2024 99

Terms of Reference (ToR)
• ToR sets out what is expected of a practitioner or a
consultant when carrying out an EIA
• What has to be achieved (i.e. vision, objectives, scope and
deliverables)
• Who will take part in it (i.e. stakeholders, roles and
responsibilities)
• How it will be achieved (i.e. resource, financial and
quality plans)
• When it will be achieved (i.e. work breakdown
structure and schedule)
• What resources are available
4/18/2024 100

Baseline survey
• The Baseline survey is a description of the current status
of the environment in and around the area in which the
Project will be located.
• Collection of background information on the biophysical,
social and economic settings of the proposed project area.
• Normally information is obtained from secondary sources,
or the acquisition of the new information through field
sampling, interviews, survey and consultations with the
public
4/18/2024 101

Baseline scenario for the EIA serves two key
purposes:
 It provides a description of the status and trends
of environmental factors against which significant
effects can be compared and evaluated.
 It forms the basis on which ex-post monitoring can
be used to measure change once the Project has
been initiated
4/18/2024 102

Guidance for carrying out scoping
• Scoping is a process not an activity or event;
• Design the scoping process for each proposal;
• Start early as soon as information permits;
• Prepare information package on what is expected;
• Specify the role of the public in decision-making;
• Approach should be systematic; implementation should
be flexible;
• Document the results to guide preparation of EIA (ToR);
• Respond to new information and issues as necessary;
Source: adapted from US Council on Environmental
Quality (1986).
4/18/2024 103

• Discuss the primary purpose of scoping???
• Provide the UNEP (2002) definition of EIA
4/18/2024 104

3. Impact analysis
3.1. Impact prediction
3.2. Evaluation of impact significance
4/18/2024 105

• Once scoping process has identified the main issues
and impacts, then the likely impacts must be predicted
(impact prediction) and also its significance must be
evaluated (Evaluation of impact significance): refer to
EIA definition
• Predicting and evaluating the likely environmental,
social, economic and health impacts of a proposed
project.
• Impact prediction and evaluation are the technical
heart of the EIA process, i.e., EIA technical work is
concentrated on prediction and evaluation of the
impacts of a project.
4/18/2024 106

3.1. Impact prediction
• Predicting the likely Environmental, Social, Economic and
Health impacts of a proposed project due to the project
activities during construction, operation and
decommissioning phase
1. Environmental impacts : Example
• Effects on Geological features (rocks, soil, earth quake etc)
• Effects on terrestrial and marine biodiversity (plants,
animals, microorganism)
• Effects on the hydrology and water quality of water
features (physical, chemical and biological properties)
4/18/2024 107

• Effects on air quality
• Effects on climate change
• Effects on heat, light or electromagnetic radiation
• Primary effects on the acoustic environment (noise or
vibration)
• Primary effects on material assets and depletion of
natural resources (e.g. fossil fuels, minerals)
• Effects on land uses, the quality of the landscape
• Effects on Property
4/18/2024 108

2. Social impacts : Example
• Demographic impacts such as changes in population
numbers, population characteristics (such as sex ratio, age
structure, in-and out-migration rates) and resultant
demand for social services (hospital beds, school places,
housing etc.);
• Cultural resource impacts including changes in
archaeological, historical and cultural artifacts and
structures and environmental features with religious or
ritual significance; and
4/18/2024 109

• Socio-cultural impacts including changes in social
structures, social organizations, social relationships and
accompanying cultural and value systems (language,
dress, religious beliefs and ritual systems).
3. Economic impacts
Example:
• Impact on Per capita income
• Impact on levels of business activity
• Impact on employment
4/18/2024 110

4. Health impacts
• A common example is an increased incidence of sexually
transmitted diseases resulting from the influx of a large
construction labour force (predominantly male), with
money to spend, into a rural area.
• Health effects caused by the release of toxic substances
to the environment
NB. the cumulative effects on the environment of the
Project, together with other existing or planned
developments in the locality.
4/18/2024 111

Considerations in impact prediction
4/18/2024 112

How to predict the impacts ???
• By using impact prediction methodologies/ impact
assessment methodologies/ impact analysis tools
• Prediction should be based on the available environmental
baseline of the project area and such predictions must be
described in quantitative or qualitative terms.
• Impact prediction is undertaken against an environmental
baseline.
• As the reference point for impact prediction and
evaluation, baseline information has a critical role in the
technical quality of EIA work.
4/18/2024 113

• This gives a forecast of each impact in terms of its main
characteristics (e.g. magnitude, extent, duration, etc.)
and provides information that is used to identify
appropriate mitigation measures
• A large kit of tools is available to carry out EIA work and
several methods will be used in a typical impact study
• Several techniques can be used in predicting the
impacts.
• However the choice of methodology depends on the
circumstances.
4/18/2024 114

Impact assessment methodologies/ impact analysis tools
• Professional judgment with adequate reasoning and
supporting data.
• Numerical calculations & mathematical models.
• Geographical information systems,
• Economic valuation of environmental impacts
• Risk assessment,
• Physical or visual analysis
• Past experience
• Checklists, matrices, networks
4/18/2024 115

Reading assignment
• How and what impacts can we predict by applying
each of the impact assessment methodologies ??
• Master at least two impact assessment methodology
4/18/2024 116

3.2. Evaluation of impact significance
• Once an impact has been predicted, its significance or its
relative importance must be evaluated using an
appropriate choice of criteria.
3.2.1. Significance criteria and scoring
• The most important forms of criterion are:
Specific legal requirements e.g. national laws,
standards, international agreements and conventions,
relevant policies etc.
Public views and complaints
4/18/2024 117

Threat to sensitive ecosystems and resources e.g. can
lead to extinction of species and depletion of
resources, which can result, into conflicts.
Geographical extent of the impact e.g. has trans-
boundary implications.
Cost of mitigation
Duration (time period over which they will occur)
Likelihood or probability of occurrence (very likely,
unlikely, etc.)
4/18/2024 118

Reversibility of impact (natural recovery or aided by
human intervention)
Number (and characteristics) of people likely to be
affected and their locations
Cumulative impacts e.g. adding more impacts to
existing ones.
Uncertainty in prediction due to lack of accurate data
or complex systems.
Direction of changes to baseline conditions
Above or close to environmental standards or
thresholds;
4/18/2024 119

 Non-compliant with environmental policies, land use
plans, sustainability strategy;
 Likely to threaten public health or safety;
 Likely to limit agriculture, wood gathering or resource
uses on which people rely for subsistence;
 Likely to deplete or damage resources that are
commercially exploited;
 Likely to affect protected or ecologically sensitive areas,
rare or endangered species or heritage resources; and
 Likely to disrupt the lifestyle of large numbers of people
or that of vulnerable minorities.
4/18/2024 120

3.2.2. Significance scoring
• 0 = non-significant impact compared with the base
situation
• 1 = lesser significant impact (marginally significant, by
itself, to the negotiation decision but, if impact is negative,
also a potential candidate for mitigation)
• 2 = greater significant impact (likely to be significant, by
itself, to the negotiation decision.
• If negative, merits serious consideration for mitigation)
4/18/2024 121

• + = positive impact
• ± = positive and negative impacts likely to be
experienced – net effect is uncertain and/or varies
according to context
• -/+ = negative over an initial (specified) period of time
but expected to become positive in the longer term. The
length of short and longer time periods should be
specified (and, where appropriate, standardized) for this
purpose.
4/18/2024 122

• Numerous methods can been used to predict and
evaluate the environmental impact of proposed actions.
• Various surveys indicate that EIA practitioners still rely
heavily on simple predictive and evaluative methods (e.g.
checklists, matrices and expert opinion). Often, these are
used in combination, with each other or more complex
methods, to cover the nature and range of impacts
addressed in typical EIA studies (Canter and Sadler,
1997).
4/18/2024 123

4. Analysis of Alternatives and
Mitigation Measures
4.1. Analysis of Alternatives
• As soon as significant adverse impacts are identified, the
emphasis should be on reviewing the alternatives to
eliminate or reduce the significant adverse impacts and to
develop mitigation measures.
• Analysis of alternatives mainly includes the identification
and comparison of alternatives
4/18/2024 124

• Demand alternatives:
Different approaches to
meeting demand
• Locations alternatives
• Processes alternatives
• Technology alternative
• Working methods or activity
alternatives
• Site plans and layouts
alternatives
• Alternative to the design of
the project
• Alternatives on types and
sources of materials
• Product alternatives
• Supply or input alternatives
• Scheduling alternatives:
Timetable for construction,
operation and
decommissioning including
any phasing of the project,
Start and finish dates etc
• Size of the site or facility
alternatives
• Level of production
alternatives
• “No project” alternative or
Do Minimum alternative
Consideration of alternatives:
4/18/2024 125

• The main environmental, social, economic and
health impacts of the alternatives should be
compared to those of the proposed Project
4/18/2024 126

4.2. Mitigation Measures
• Mitigation is the practical phase of the EIA process.
• Mitigation is done to avoid, minimize, or offset
predicted adverse impacts and to optimize the
environmental and social benefits of a proposal.
• The objective of mitigation therefore is to:
 Preventing or minimizing impacts before they occur
by limiting the extent or timing of an action and its
implementation;
Eliminating or reducing an actual impact over time by
maintenance or contingency planning operations
during the life of the project;
4/18/2024 127

 Rectifying an impact by repairing,
rehabilitating or restoring the affected
environment;
 Compensating for an impact by in-kind,
comparable or equivalent replacement of the
resource or environmental loss; and
 Ensure that residual adverse impacts are kept
within acceptable levels
 Optimizing beneficial effects through specific
additional actions.
•Rectifying : Rehabilitation, restore, repair, replace
4/18/2024 128

• These should be organized into a hierarchy of
actions, with the highest priority given to
preventing or avoiding adverse impacts, then
minimizing or reducing remaining impacts to
“as low as practicable” levels and finally
offsetting residual impacts through
rehabilitation and compensation.
4/18/2024 130

• Mitigation first deal with significant adverse impacts
and realize opportunities for environmental gains and
benefits.
• Once these have been addressed, attention can be
turned to impacts that are adverse but not considered
to be significant.
• Some of these may be mitigated easily; others may
not.
• Mitigation measure should cover all the phases of the
project (construction, operational and
decommissioning phase)
• Certain impacts can be mitigated only by actions
taken during the construction and operation of a
project.
4/18/2024 131

• Good practice in mitigation requires a relevant
technical understanding of the impacts and the
measures that work in local circumstances.
• These aspects will be project-specific and must
take account of various issues and
considerations, such as practicality, cost-
effectiveness, views of stakeholders, and policy
and regulatory guidance.
4/18/2024 132

Environment Management Plan (EMP)
• The mitigation measures identified should be
described in an Environment Management Plan
(EMP), with details of how they will be implemented
for each impact “targeted”.
• EMP is a detailed plan and schedule of measures
necessary to mitigate the identified adverse impacts.
4/18/2024 133

EMP should consists the following information
• Technical description of the mitigation measures
including reasons for choosing the proposed
mitigation measures and their negative effects should
be described.
• Time/place for implementation;
• Expected results
• Estimate of the costs of measures and activities
recommended
4/18/2024 134

• Specific description of institutional arrangement i.e.
who is responsible for carrying out the mitigation
and monitoring measures (for operation,
supervision, enforcement, monitoring of
implementation, remedial action, financing,
reporting and staff training)
• Monitoring strategy needed to check on
implementation and level of performance success;
and reporting procedures within operator’s
organization
4/18/2024 135

5. The EIA report
Different name of EIA reports:
• Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA
Report)
• Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
• Environmental Statement (ES)
• Environmental Assessment Report (EA Report)
• Environmental Effects Statement (EES)
4/18/2024 136

• The EIA report is a critical document, which
assembles the information to be submitted to the
decision-making body responsible for project
approval.
• The aim of the EIA report is to provide the
decision-making body or competent authority with
sufficient information on which to approve or
refuse a proposal on environmental grounds, and
what conditions must be attached to an
authorization, permit or license.
• The EIA report should contain the information
specified in the ToR or described in legislation or
regulation.
4/18/2024 137

• An EIA report should be well organized and
clearly written.
• It should both communicate effectively with
non-experts and meet appropriate technical
standards.
• This means the report should be reasonably
concise, with an Executive Summary and the
full report limited to a maximum of 200 pages
and with more detailed information relegated to
technical appendices
4/18/2024 138

• It should be objective, factual and internally
consistent.
• Other key qualities include use of plain
language, minimizing technical terminology,
avoiding jargon and summarizing data in good
quality maps, charts, diagrams and other visual
aids.
4/18/2024 139

EIS should have the following:
 Executive Summary
 Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework
 Description of the environment
 Description of the Proposed Project in detail
 Significant Environmental Impacts
 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
 Appendices including
o Reference documents, photographs, unpublished data
o Terms of Reference
o Consulting team composition
o Notes of Public Consultation sessions
4/18/2024 140

5.1. Contents of the Report
5.1.1. Non-technical summary/Executive summary
• Should be written in nontechnical language:
avoiding technical terms, detailed data, and
scientific discussion
• It should provide concise but comprehensive
description of the project, its environment, the
effects of the project on the environment, the
proposed mitigation measures, and proposed
monitoring arrangements
• It should also provide an overview of the
approach to the assessment
4/18/2024 141

• No attempt should be made to summarize all the
contents of the EIA report – instead the summary
must contain only key information pertinent to the
decision.
• Except for very large and complex proposals, the
non-technical summary should be no more than 7
pages and preferably less.
• Often, the non-technical summary is the only part of
the report that decision makers and most people will
read.
• The non-technical summary can also be distributed
separately as an information brochure for the public
at large
4/18/2024 142

5.1.2. Introduction
 identifies the project and the proponent, describes the
project and its importance, and gives any other
relevant background information.
5.1.3. Legal and Institutional Frameworks
 describes the relevant law(s) requiring EIA and the
responsible authority.
5.1.4. Description of the Project
 should include the type of project, need for the
project, its location, and a concise description of
those aspects of the project likely to cause
environmental effects.
4/18/2024 143

5.1.5. Description of the Environment
 provides baseline data on the existing environment in
which the project is intended to be implemented.
5.1.6. Environmental Impacts and Mitigating
Measures
 explains the potential impacts of the project and
appropriate remedies or measures for reducing or
mitigating these impacts.
5.1.7. Environmental Monitoring Program
 Spells out the budgets, procurement schedules, and
administrative manpower needed to undertake
environmental monitoring.
4/18/2024 144

5.1.8. Public Consultations
 the results of stakeholder consultations carried out during
the study, detailing the issues raised and proposals made
5.1.9. Decommissioning
 describes the post-consultation decommissioning of
various construction facilities that are not required during
operation, like workers’ camps, workshops, lay-down
areas, and access roads.
5.1.10. Summary and Conclusion
 includes “a) the overall net gains which justify
implementation of the project; b) explanation of how
adverse effects have been mitigated; c) explanation of use
or destruction of irreplaceable components; and d)
provisions for follow-up surveillance and monitoring.
4/18/2024 145

5.1.11. Annexes
“may include terms of reference for the EIA;
abstracts or summaries of relevant background
documents; tabular and graphical summaries
of data; a list of contacts and meetings; and a
list of data sources
4/18/2024 146

6. Review of EIA Report
• The review is the final check on the quality of the
EIA report submitted to obtain a project license.
• Often this process leads to a requirement for
additional information on potential impacts,
mitigation measures or other aspects.
• The aim is to assure the completeness of the
information gathered in an EIA and its adequacy for
the purpose of decision-making, and to identify any
deficiencies to be corrected.
4/18/2024 147

The key objectives of EIA review are to:
 Assess the adequacy and quality of an EIA report.
 Take into account public comments.
 Determine if the information is sufficient for a final
decision to be made.
 Identify, as necessary, the deficiencies that must be
addressed before the report can be submitted.
• If the report is accepted, a license is issued to permit the
developers to begin project implementation.
4/18/2024 148

• Once the EIA report is submitted, designated authorities
will usually go through it thoroughly, weighing the
methods used, data, mitigation measures and conclusions
to assess the impacts of the planned development.
• Their review will determine whether or not the project
adequately addresses major environmental and social
impacts and other risks, and whether or not to grant a
licence to the project proponents (or perhaps to request
changes).
4/18/2024 149

WHO PERFORM THE REVIEW
In many EIA systems, review is a formal procedure, which may
be undertaken by the responsible authority, an environmental
agency, inter-governmental committee, an independent body or
by the public.
• Specific procedures for EIA review are in place in different
countries. In general, these can be divided into two main
types:
• Internal review – undertaken by the responsible authority
or other government agency, with or without formal
guidelines and procedures; this is a relatively low cost
option however it lacks transparency.
• External review – undertaken by an independent body,
separate from and/or outside government agencies, with an
open and transparent procedure for public comment; helps
in ensuring high-quality outcomes.
4/18/2024 150

Process and steps in reviewing EIA reports
• The review may be carried out in accordance with
the procedure and criteria established by a
country or international agency.
• The evaluation of the overall report is determined
by the reviewer, based on the ratings of the review
categories, again weighted according to their
relative importance.
• Using input from public comment
• Identifying the review criteria
• Determining the remedial options
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• Added to this evaluation should be:
 A brief summary of the strengths and weaknesses
of the report;
 Any needs for further study;
 Any impact monitoring and management required
to be undertaken by the proponent or the
government; and
 Any terms and conditions that govern the manner
in which the activity proceeds if approval of the
proposal is granted
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How to conduct a review?
• The review can be carried out in three steps:
 Step 1: Identify the deficiencies in the EIA report, using the
Terms of Reference, relevant guidelines, criteria and
information on standards by national agencies and comparable
EIA reports.
 Step 2: Focus on any shortcomings in the EIA report and
identify gaps and areas that require further information and
improvements in the methods based on suggested protocols;
look at key gaps in areas that prevent qualified decision making.
If no serious omissions are found, this should be stated clearly.
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 Step 3: Recommend how and when any serious
shortcomings are to be remedied, in to facilitate informed
decision making and appropriate measures for project
implementation.
• The elements of EIA review and the aspects considered
may differ from the arrangements that are in place in a
particular country.
• A comprehensive review of the adequacy and quality of an
EIA report would address many or all of the following
issues:
 Does the report address the terms of reference?
 Is the necessary information provided for each major component
of the EIA report?
 Is the information correct and technically sound?
 Have the views and concerns of affected and interested parties
been taken into account?
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7. Decision making
• Based on the outcome of the review, the designated authority
or lending institution will accept, reject or make further
modifications to avoid future confrontation.
• If the EIS is accepted, an EIA license is issued and if
otherwise, additional studies or recommendations are made
before issuance of a license.
• The decision making process should be autonomous so that the
outcome of the review is seen as fair enough.
• The duration of this process is usually set in the EIA legal
framework
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8. Implementation and
follow-up
8.1. Implementation
8.2. Follow-up
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8.1. Implementation
• Implementing mitigation measures in accordance
with the schedule of actions contained in the EMP.
i.e. implement mitigation measures at the correct time
in the correct way and at the correct place.
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8.2. Follow-up
8.2.1. Monitoring
8.2.2. Evaluation
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8.2.1. Monitoring
• Env’tal monitoring during project implementation will
provide information on the env’tal and social impacts of the
project.
• The data collected during monitoring is critical in ensuring
that the mitigation measures, priorities listed in the EMP,
and contingency plans are implemented as approved and
that they are effective in addressing the impacts.
• Monitoring provides information that is critical to make
necessary adjustments to impact management, and to
respond to unforeseen impacts or other changes as well as
to making improvements to EIA practice.
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• There are three main types of monitoring which can be
undertaken for a project.
 Impact monitoring (scale and extent of impacts caused
by the project): Monitor the impacts that are predicted
to be potentially significant or particularly uncertain.
 Mitigation monitoring (whether mitigation actions have
been implemented in accordance with an agreed
schedule and are working as expected).
 Compliance monitoring (amount/content of waste or
effluent streams).
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Important issues to be considered to conduct monitoring
include:
• Identification of impacts to be monitored in priority order
• Design of an appropriate monitoring programme for each
identified impact (this may need additional expert advice,
for example from a bio-statistician in relation to
ecological or health impacts);
• likely duration of the individual monitoring programmes;
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• The institutional system by which monitoring data will
be collected, collated, analyzed, interpreted and action
taken, if necessary, to prevent or reduce unwanted
impacts
• An action response programme should check monitoring
results exceed prescribed levels; and
• Cost of implementing a recommended monitoring
programme
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8.2.2. Evaluation
• Evaluation occur later when there is sufficient information to
permit an evaluation of performance results.
• This can be undertaken with reference to the effectiveness and
performance of a specific EIA process or of an EIA system
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigation measures, paying
particular attention to untried actions or new technology(e.g.
on success of mitigation measures or new procedures).
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Summary
• EIA follow-up studies provide information and
feedback necessary to improve future applications of
EIA practice, procedure and methods.
• Monitoring and evaluation tools are used to “close the
loop” on building continuity into the EIA process.
• Reading assignment : Evaluation
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PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND
CONSULTATION
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• Public involvement is a fundamental principle of EIA.
• The inclusion of the views of the affected and interested public
helps to ensure the decision making process is equitable and
fair and leads to more informed choice and better
environmental outcomes
• Consultation with the public and statutory consultees in the
EIA process can help to ensure the quality, comprehensiveness
and effectiveness of the EIA, as well as to ensure that the
various groups’ views are adequately taken into consideration
in the decision-making process
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Consultation and participation can be useful at most
stages of the EIA process:
 in determining the scope of an EIA;
 in providing specialist knowledge about the site;
 in evaluating the relative significance of the likely
impacts;
 in proposing mitigation measures;
 in ensuring that the EIS is objective, truthful and
complete;
 in monitoring any conditions of the development
agreement.
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Levels and forms of public involvement
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Advantages and disadvantages of public participation
 Developers do not usually favour public participation. It may
upset a good relationship with the local planning authority.
 It carries the risk of giving a project a high profile, with
attendant costs in time and money.
 It may not lead to a conclusive decision on a project, as diverse
interest groups have different concerns and priorities;
 the decision may also represent the views of the most vocal
interest groups rather than of the general public.
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 Most developers’ contact with the public comes only at the
stage of planning appeals and inquiries; by this time,
participation has often evolved into a systematic attempt to
stop their projects.
 Thus, many developers never see the positive side of public
participation, because they do not give it a chance.
 public participation can be used positively to convey
information about a development, clear up misunderstandings,
allow a better understanding of relevant issues and how they
will be dealt with, and identify and deal with areas of
controversy while a project is still in its early planning phases.
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The process of considering and responding to the unique
contributions of local people or special interest groups
may suggest measures the developer could take to avoid
local opposition and env’tal problems.
Historically, public participation has also had
connotations of extremism, confrontation, delays and
blocked development.
In the USA, NEPA-related lawsuits have stopped major
development projects, including oil and gas developments
in Wyoming, a ski resort in California, and clear-cut
logging project in Alaska (Turner 1988).
In Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, riots (so
violent that six people died) delayed the construction of
the Narita Airport near Tokyo by five years.
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Requirements for effective participation
The UNEP lists five interrelated components of effective public
participation:
 identification of the groups/individuals interested in or affected
by the proposed development;
 provision of accurate, understandable, pertinent and timely
information;
 dialogue between those responsible for the decisions and those
affected by them;
 assimilation of what the public say in the decision; and
 feedback about actions taken and how the public influenced
the decision (Clark 1994).
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TABLE: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN PROJECT CYCLES
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Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
Social impacts can be defined “as the
consequences to people of any proposed action
that changes the way they live, work, relate to
one another, organize themselves and function
as individuals and members of society”.
This definition includes socio-psychological
changes, for example peoples’ values, attitudes
and perceptions of themselves and their
community and environment.
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• Indeed, some SIA practitioners consider social
impacts to be only „as experienced‟ (e.g. stress,
disruption, hunger) and differentiate these from
the causal processes (e.g. over-crowding,
infrastructure pressure, poverty).
• Social Impact Assessment can be defined as the
process of estimating and studying in-advance the
potential socio-economic effects of the proposed
policies, programmes or development activities on
individual, social groups and the community at
large (Brudge, Rabel J. (1994)
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Objectives of SIA are:
• To analyze how proposals may affect people
• To undertake detailed investigations on issues,
concerns, alternatives and mitigations.
• To enhance socio-economic benefits
• To help manage social change
• To create awareness on the proposed project to
the public
• To promote self-initiatives spirits &
sustainability aspects
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Main causes (variables) of social impacts
• The key characteristics and variables that are often correlated
with adverse social impacts of development proposals
include:
i. Demographic change, e.g. size and composition of
resident population, influx of temporary work force or
new recreational users (disrupts the cohesion of a small,
stable community);
ii. Economic change, e.g. new patterns of
employment/income, real estate speculation
(marginalizes long term, older residents);
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iii. Environmental change, e.g. alterations to land use, natural
habitat and hydrological regime (loss of subsistence or livelihood
in resource-dependent community); and
iv. Institutional change, e.g. in the structure of local government
or traditional leadership, zoning by-laws or land tenure (reduce
access or loss of control leads to disempowerment or
impoverishment of the established population).
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• Social impacts are recognized as significant aspects of
many types of projects, not only proposals for large scale
development, such as a dam or highway, but also in the
closing down of existing facilities, such as a military base
or hydropower.
• Like environmental impacts, the reference of project-
induced social change includes severity, duration,
probability, importance etc.
• They also vary with the setting and the characteristics of
the community affected.
• For example, mining or energy developments adjacent to
a small, remote community or in an area occupied or used
by indigenous people are almost always associated with
major social impacts.
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Techniques commonly used for predicting social
impacts
• Trend extrapolations - projecting current trends, such as
population change or employment, into the future (with or
without modifying the rate of change)
• Population multipliers - extrapolated increases in population
size are coefficients for the change in other variables, such as
employment and demand for housing, infrastructure or
services
• Consulting experts - use of expert knowledge such as
researchers, professional consultants, local authorities, or
knowledgeable citizens.
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• Scenarios-exercises - to develop the likely, alternative or
preferred future of a community or society. Scenarios can be
used to compare different outcomes (best versus worst case)
• Comparative studies - examining how an affected community
has responded to change in the past, or the impact on other
communities that have undergone a similar action
4/18/2024 191

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