Q-3: Define EIA.

Elaborately discuss various steps of

EIA for the successful implementation of a
development project.

Answer:

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the

process by which the anticipated effects on the
environment of a proposed development or project
are measured. If the likely effects are unacceptable,
design measures or other relevant mitigation
measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those
effects.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the
process of assessing the likely environmental impacts
of a proposal and identifying options to minimise
environmental damage. The main purpose of EIA is
to inform decision makers of the likely impacts of a
proposal before a decision is made. EIA provides an
opportunity to identify key issues and stakeholders
early in the life of a proposal so that potentially
adverse impacts can be addressed before final
approval decisions are made."
Box 9.2

The figure below illustrates the typical step-wise EIA

process
Screening (phase 0) is concerned with deciding which developments require an EIA. This
should prevent unnecessary assessment, yet ensure that there is no escape when assess-
ment is needed (in practice that is difficult). Screening may not be mandatory in some
countries. Note that the term ‘environmental assessment’ is used for screening in the USA,
but in the UK has been applied to EIA. In the USA if environmental assessment/screening
(also called initial environmental evaluation) indicates no need to proceed to a full EIA, a
statement of Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is issued publicly, allowing time for
objection/appeal before a final decision is arrived at.

Scoping (phase 1) overlaps phase 0 and should help determine the terms of
reference for an EIA, the approach, timetable, limits of study, tactics, staffing and so
on. By this stage the EIA should consider alternative developments. In practice, a
decision as to how to proceed may already have been made by a developer.

Identification, measurement and evaluation of impacts (phase 2) may proceed with or

without public review(s). A variety of techniques may be used to determine possible
impacts: as human judgement is involved, this is an art rather than a wholly objective
scientific process, regardless of the statistics used. The difficulty of identifying indirect and
cumulative impacts makes this a tricky and often only partially satisfactory process. This
phase is much assisted if an adequate set of baseline data is available – often it is not, and
extensive desk and field research is needed.

Checking findings (phase 3) may follow a public review and/or may involve an inde-
pendent third party to ensure objectivity. A statement, report, chart or presentation is
usually released – effectively the product of an EIA; this is termed the Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) and is what the decision makers, environmental managers
(and perhaps the public) have to interpret.

Decision on proposal (phase 4): in practice, where a development has already been
decided on or is even under way, corrective measures can be perfected. It is a way of
passing on hindsight knowledge to planners in the future. The EIS may not be clear or easy
to use: some countries require irreversible, dangerous and costly impacts to be clearly
shown. It also useful if alternatives and potential benefits are indicated. The environ-mental
manager must be able to read the EIS and identify gaps, weaknesses, limitations. An EIA
must not be allowed to give a false sense of security.

Implementation (phase 5): this is where an environmental manager is especially

active. Unexpected problems may arise.

Monitoring and audit (phase 6): in practice this is often omitted or is poorly done. If
planning and management are to improve, efforts should be made to assess whether the
EIA worked well. It is also important to continue monitoring to catch unexpected devel-
opments. Efforts to assess EIA are generally termed Post-EIA audits. An EIA can easily be
a snapshot view, and ongoing monitoring or repeat EIA can help counter that.