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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

EIAs are expected to indicate what the likely impacts could be if a project is passed. The Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF) has identified a large number of projects that need clearance on
environmental grounds. The EIA must define what impact it would have on water, soil and air. It also requires
that a list of plants and animals identified in the region is known and to specify if there are any rare species
whose habitat or life could be adversely affected.

EIA Objectives
1) to identify and describe elements of community and environment likely to be affected by the proposed
developments and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the proposed project, including natural and man-made
environment;
2) to identify emission sources and determine the significance of impacts on sensitive receivers and
potential affected uses;
3) to identify any potential losses or damage to plants, animals and natural habitats;
4) to identify any negative impacts on sites of cultural heritage and to propose measures to mitigate these
impacts;
5) to identify any potential landscape and visual impacts
6) to identify the negative impacts and propose the provision of mitigation measures so as to minimize
pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance during construction and operation of the developments
arising from the Study;
7) to identify, predict and evaluate the residual (i.e. after practicable mitigation) environmental impacts and
the cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation phases of the proposed
developments in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
8) to identify, assesses and specify methods, measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design,
construction and operation of the proposed developments which are necessary to mitigate these environmental
impacts and reducing them to acceptable levels;
9) to investigate the extent of side effects of proposed mitigation measures that may lead to other forms of
impacts;
10) to identify limitations associated with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA study;

STAGES OF EIA:

Screening: First stage of EIA, which determines whether the proposed project, requires an EIA and if it does,
then the level of assessment required.

Scoping: This stage identifies the key issues and impacts that should be further investigated. This stage also
defines the boundary and time limit of the study.

Impact analysis: This stage of EIA identifies and predicts the likely environmental and social impact of the
proposed project and evaluates the significance.

Mitigation: This step in EIA recommends the actions to reduce and avoid the potential adverse environmental
consequences of development activities.

Reporting: This stage presents the result of EIA in a form of a report to the decision-making body and other
interested parties.
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Review of EIA: It examines the adequacy and effectiveness of the EIA report and provides the information
necessary for decision-making.

Decision-making: It decides whether the project is rejected, approved or needs further change.

Post monitoring: This stage comes into play once the project is commissioned. It checks to ensure that the
impacts of the project do not exceed the legal standards and implementation of the mitigation measures are in
the manner as described in the EIA report.

Environmental Awareness
Environment includes all living and non-living objects. We live in the environment and use the environmental
resources like air, land and water to meet our needs.. When the pressure exceeds the carrying capacity of the
environment to repair or replace itself, it creates a serious problem of environmental degradation. If we use any
environmental resource such as ground water beyond its limit of replacement, we may lose it forever.
Therefore, there is a need to create ‘awareness’ about Environmental protection.
Public Participation
Individuals can take one or several possible actions when they observe offenders who for their own self-interest
damage the environment. An individual has the right to bring an environmental offence or nuisance to the
attention of concerned authorities. This ranges from Government line agencies such as the Police, the Forest
Department, the Collector or Commissioner of the area. The Environment Protection Act and the Wildlife
Protection Act are the most frequently used legal instrument for these purposes. It is possible to move courts by a
Public Interest Litigation, and take this up to the higher court.

Environmental Case Studies

1. The Narmada Issue
The controversy over the plan to build several dams on the Narmada River and its tributaries symbolizes the
struggle for a just and equitable society in India. The construction of these dams displaces many poor and
underprivileged communities, destroying their relatively self-sufficient environmentally sound economy and
culture and reducing a proud people to the status of refugees or slum dwellers. The Narmada Bachao Andolan
(Save the Narmada Movement) is one of the most dynamic people’s movements fighting for the rights of these
underprivileged people who are being robbed of their homes, livelihoods and way of living in the name of
‘national interest’. One such dam, the Sardar Sarovar Dam, when completed will drown 37,000 hectares of
fertile land and displace 200,000 tribals and cause incomprehensible loss to the ecology.

2. Silent Valley
The proposed hydel project at Silent valley, a unique pocket of tropical biodiversity in South India, in the 1970s
was stopped and the area declared a National Park in 1984. This was achieved by several dedicated individuals,
groups and organizations lobbying to save the area from being submerged and protect its rich biodiversity.

3. Bhopal Gas Tragedy:

Bhopal was one of the world’s worst human-created disasters. In 1984, thousands of people died as a result of a
leak of deadly methyl-isocyanate gas at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India. Exact figures are impossible
to obtain, as the bodies of many victims were cremated, and others died later, having left the area.

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Environmental Audit
Environmental auditing is essentially an environmental management tool for measuring the effects of certain
activities on the environment against set criteria or standards. Environmental auditing is a systematic,
documented, periodic and objective process in calculating an organization’s activities and services in relation to:
 Measuring agreement with relevant legal requirements
 Facilitating management control of environmental practices
 Promoting good environmental management
 Maintaining sincerity with the public
 Exploring improvement opportunities
 Establishing the performance baseline for developing an Environment Management System.
Pre-audit:
Objectives
 To develop an audit plan for the on-site activities
 To make the necessary preparation and arrangements for the on-site audit
On-site audit:
Objectives
The on-site audit objectives should reflect those of the environmental audit, which are:
 Verification of legislative and regulatory agreement
 Assessment of internal policy
 Establishment of current practice status
 Identification of improvement opportunities
Post-audit:
Objectives
 To produce an Audit Report with audit findings and recommendations
 To contribute towards formulation of an Action Plan for constant performance improvement

Sustainable Development:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: –The concept of “needs”,
in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and – The
idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to
meet present and future needs.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines sustainable development as Development
which improves people’s quality of life, within the carrying capacity of earth’s life support systems.
For example: Sustainable agriculture consists of environment friendly methods of farming that allow the
production of crops or livestock without damage to human or natural systems. Elements of sustainable
agriculture include permaculture, agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation.