Chapter 1 Introduction

Environmental Impact Assessment
by
M. Rupas Kumar
Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering
IIIT, RK Valley
RGUKT, Andhra Pradesh
Introduction
• EIA is an activity designed to identify and predict the
impact of a project on biogeophysicochemical
environment and on human health
• It is done to recommend appropriate legislative
measures, programs, and operational procedures to
minimize the impacts.
• EIA is an exercise to be carried out before any project
or major activity is undertaken to ensure that it will
not in any away harm the environment on a long-term
basis.
Contd.
• Aim: To assess the over all impact of development

project on the environment.
• An impact can be defined as any change in the
physical, chemical, biological, cultural or socio-
economic environmental system as a result of
activities relating to a project.
• EIA is not negatively oriented towards development
of a project. It is tool for ensuring “sustainable
development”.
What is the outcome of an EIA?
• The final product of an EIA is an Environmental

Statement or Report.
• The EIA report provides information to decision
makers prior to issuing an operating license so they
can properly assess the project’s impacts on both the
environment and people.
• The ultimate audience of the EIA report is the
decision makers: it aims to help them decide whether
to accept the project as it is, ask for revisions in the
project or reject it.
Essential information included in EIA
• Clear identification of all the potential impacts to human
health and the environment, both positive and negative.
• Potential alternatives developed along with a mitigation plan
to decrease the severity of the impacts.
• Improvements to the environmental design and social
considerations relevant to a proposal.
• Clear information for decision makers to include terms and
conditions for environmental sustainability of the project.
• Explanation how irreversible changes or damage to the
environment will be avoided.
• Clear indication of protection of important resources,
ecosystems, cultural heritage sites and areas of providing
environmental services.
History of EIA
• US was the first country to develop a system of environmental
impact assessment (EIA).
• The National Environmental Policy Act (1969) of the United
States of America (NEPA) was constituted and for the first
time, EIA requiring environmental consideration in large-scale
projects was enforced as legislation. The United Nations
Conference on the Environment in Stockholm in 1972 and
subsequent conventions formalized EIA.
• Following the US initiative, several countries began to provide
EIA systems; for example Canada (1973), Australia (1974),
Germany & Thailand (1975), France (1976), Brazil (1977),
Philippines (1978), Israel (1981), Pakistan (1983), Italy
(1986), Netherlands (1987) and Japan (1997).
EIA in India
• The environmental impact assessment in India was
started in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission
asked the then Department of Science and
Technology to examine the river-valley projects from
environmental angle. But the administrative decisions
of the projects lacked the legislative support.
• The Government of India enacted the Environment
(Protection) Act on 23rd May 1986 which made
“Environmental Impact Assessment” statutory.
Projects requiring Environmental Clearance
from the Central Govt. in India
1. Nuclear Power and related projects such as

Heavy Water Plants, nuclear fuel complex,
Rare Earths.
2. River Valley projects including hydel power,
major Irrigation and their combination
including flood control.
3. Major Ports & Harbors, Airports.
4. Petroleum Refineries
5. Chemical Fertilizers
Contd.
6. Pesticides
7. Petrochemical complexes (Both Olefinic and
Aromatic) and Petro-chemical intermediates
such as DMT, Caprolactam, LAB etc. and
production of basic plastics such as LLDPE,
HDPE, PP, PVC.
8. Bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals.
9. Oil and gas Industry
10. Synthetic Rubber
11. Asbestos and Asbestos products
Contd.
12. Hydrocyanic acid and its derivatives
13. (a) Primary metallurgical industries, (b) Electric arc
furnaces (Mini Steel Plants).
14. Chlor alkali industry.
15. Integrated paint Industry
16. Viscose Staple fiber and filament yarn
17. Storage batteries
18. All tourism projects between 200 meters of High
Water Line and at locations with an elevation of
more than 1000 meters with investment of more
than Rs.5 crores.
19. Thermal Power Plants.
Contd.
20. Mining projects with leases more than 5 hectares.
21. Highway Projects
22. Tarred Roads in the Himalayas and or Forest areas.
23. Distilleries
24. Raw Skins and Hides
25. Pulp, paper and newsprint.
26. Dyes.
27. Cement.
28. Foundries (individual)
29. Electroplating
30. Meta amino phenol
List of Environmentally Sensitive Places
• Religious and historic places, Archaeological
monuments/sites, Scenic areas, Hill
resorts/mountains/ hills, Beach resorts, Health resorts.
• Coastal areas rich in corals, mangroves, breeding

grounds of specific species, Estuaries rich in
mangroves, breeding ground of specific species, Gulf
areas, Biosphere reserves, National park and wildlife
sanctuaries.
List of Environmentally Sensitive Places
• Natural lakes, swamps Seismic zones tribal
Settlements, Areas of scientific and geological
interests, Defense installations, specially those
of security importance and sensitive to
pollution
• Border areas (international), Airport , Tiger
reserves/elephant reserve/turtle nestling
grounds, Habitat for migratory birds, Lakes,
reservoirs, dams
• Streams/rivers/estuary/seas, Railway lines,
Highways , and Urban agglomeration
EIA Procedure
The entire EIA procedure can be divided into two

complementary tasks or sub-reports,
(i) The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
(ii) Full-Scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Initial Environmental Examination (lEE)
• IEE is a means of reviewing the environmental
integrity of projects to help determine whether or not
EIA level studies can be undertaken.
• IEE involves assessing the potential environmental
effects of a proposed project that can be carried out
within a very limited budget and will be based on the
available recorded information or on the professional
judgment of an expert.
• If the IEE results indicate that a full-scale EIA is not
required, then, environmental protection measures or
a monitoring programme(s) can be adapted to
complete the EIA for such a project.
Full Scale EIA Process
• Screening
• Scoping and consideration of alternatives
• Baseline data collection��
• Impact prediction
• Assessment of alternatives, delineation of mitigation
measures and environmental impact statement
• Public hearing
• Environment Management Plan
• Decision making
• Monitoring the clearance conditions
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Chapter 1 Introduction

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Environmental Impact Assessment

• Aim: To assess the over all impact of development

• The final product of an EIA is an Environmental

1. Nuclear Power and related projects such as

• Coastal areas rich in corals, mangroves, breeding

The entire EIA procedure can be divided into two

(i) The Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)

(ii) Full-Scale Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

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