HSE

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Certificate Program in Health, Safety and

Environment Management

Environmental Impact Assessment

Dr. Gulrez Shah Azhar

Assistant Professor
1 IIPHG
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Definition
• Systematic identification and evaluation of potential impacts
of proposed projects, plans, program or legislative action of
the physical, chemical, biological, cultural, and socio-
economic components of the total environment.

• Also called as
• Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),
• Environmental Statement (ES),
• Environmental Assessment Report (EA Report),
• Environmental Effects Statement (EES)

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8 Steps
Screening: determine whether the proposed project, requires
an EIA and if it requires EIA, then the level of assessment
required.

Scoping: identify key issues and impact that should be further

investigated. Also, define the boundary and time limit of the
study.

Impact analysis: identify and predict likely environmental and

social impact of the proposed project and evaluates the
significance.

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8 Steps
Mitigation: recommend the actions to reduce and avoid the
potential adverse environmental consequences of
development activities.

Reporting: the result of EIA in a form of a report to the

decision-making body and other interested parties.

Review of EIA: examine the adequacy and effectiveness of the

EIA report and provides information necessary for the
decision-making.

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8 Steps
Decision-making: decide whether the project is rejected,
approved or needs further change.

Post monitoring: check whether 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.

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In India
• MoEF – CPCB

• Lack of data – bottleneck

• Environmental Information Centre (EIC) – data in GIS format

• Mandatory under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for

29 categories of developmental activities involving
investments of Rs. 50 crores and above

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Relationship of HIA to EIA

• HIA is procedurally similar and complementary to the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

• Many statutes do not refer by name to "HIA" as a separate

requirement, and the current practice of health analysis in the
EIS has been limited.

• Suggestions that Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)

include consideration and analysis of health effects.

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Other Assessments
• Health Impact Assessment

• Public Health Assessment

• Health Risk Assessment

• Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Environmental Impact Assessment

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Criticism
• used as a decision aiding tool rather than decision making tool

• limiting their scope in space and time

• almost all EIAs address only direct and immediate on-site

effects while indirect and delayed effects may be greater

• For species, broadening the scope of EIA, habitat-based

approach

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Case Study
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Think: Decide the environment

Limited: Broad:
biophysical environment environment
• air quality • local communities
• water quality and (“social” impacts)
quantity • local economies
• thermal quality • health and safety
• noise levels • landscapes & aesthetics
• ecosystems and • cultural resources
ecological processes

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Activity
Task 1 Task 2
• Using the sample • Using the completed
worksheet provided, fill in
the environmental issues worksheets think of any
and concerns for your other similarities and
workplace, showing what differences, and possible
goes in (inputs), what
happens in the workplace environmental impacts.
(processes) and what
comes out (outputs)?
• You should consider
environmental issues
relating to such factors as
air, water, land etc.

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Inputs, Processes & Outputs Worksheet

• What are the main activities in your workplace that could
have an environmental impact?
Inputs: (transport/goods deliveries/packaging)

Processes: (recycling/energy efficiency/waste/chemical/noise)

Outputs: (waste/emissions/products)

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Thank you