NED University of Engineering & Technology

Department of Environmental Engineering

Session 2009-2010

EN-508 (09) – Environmental Impact

Assessment
Class: Saturday
Instructor: Muhammad Saleem
E-mail: i_am_saleem@yahoo.com
Catalog Data: Purpose and Aims of EIA, Basic Concepts of
Environmental Issues and Priorities, Environmental Laws and
Regulations in Pakistan, Pak-EPA Standard Guidelines for the
Preparation and Reviews of Environmental Reports, Framework for
Environmental Assessment as Recommended by International Agencies,
Public Involvement, Screening, Scoping, EIA Methods and Techniques,
Mitigation Measures, EIA Reporting, Review of EIA Quality, Decision
Making, Environmental Management Plan and Monitoring, Case
Histories and Case Studies. 1
Text Book:
”Environmental Impact Assessment” by A. K. Shrivastava, APH Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi, 2007.
Reference Books:
1. “Environmental Impact Assessment” by P. R. Trivedi, APH Publishing
Corporation, New Delhi, 2004. 2.
2. Any relevant book

Points-Distribution:
• Assignments 5
• Quizzes/test 8
• Midterm 10
• Mini Project & Presentation 7
• Final 70
Total: 100 2
EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction:
• In order to develop, grow and survive a country needs to
take various development steps. However,
• It is required to preserve the environment.
• Environment should be undisturbed.
• Environment should be free from pollution.
• Environment should not have short as well as long-
term negative effects.
We should not make development initiatives at the cost of
environmental damage.

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction:
• Caring for the natural environment is the key to any
sustainable plan to reduce poverty and develop.
• Today our development progress is hampered by;
• Deforestation
• Disappearing farmlands
• Extinction of species
• Lack of safe water (drinking, bathing etc.)
• Distributed flora-fauna
• Insanitation & health disorder
• Others?
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction:
• We must feel that without protecting our natural resources
and environment our plans will not lead us to sustainable
development.
• This is the basic objective behind assessing the impact
of development projects and any action to the environment.

Basic Objective of EIA

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
More Aims & Objectives of EIA

Aims & Objectives:

 modify and improve design
 ensure efficient resource use
 enhance social aspects
 identify key impacts and measures for mitigating them
 inform decision-making and condition-setting
 avoid serious and irreversible damage to the environment
 protect human health and safety
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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
The Purpose:
The purpose of the environmental assessment process is:
 (a) to support the goals of environmental protection and
sustainable development.
 (b) to integrate environmental protection and economic
decisions at the earliest stages of planning an activity.
 (c) to predict environmental, social, economic, and cultural
consequences of a proposed activity and to assess plans to
mitigate any adverse impacts resulting from the proposed
activity, and
 (d) to provide for the involvement of the public, department
of the Government and Government agencies in the review of
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the proposed activities.
EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
Why this Course?
Prerequisites :
• The Environmental Protection Agency of Pakistan (P-EPA)
often find it difficult to process due to the poor quality of
EIA reports prepared by the consultants and drawn attention
of the project proponent about this. Usually delays in the
approval of projects are the inadequacy of EIA reports.
• This course provide the personnel trained to carryout
quality EIA who may accommodate the new requirements
in the preparation of EIA reports.

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Prerequisites :
• This course covers the study of Environmental Charter of
the project holder or sponsoring organization, its
environmental aims and commitment or statement of the
project holder.
• This course help to guide the consultants or project
proponents while preparing the EIA or EIS for their projects
or action.
• This course will be equally helpful to those who wish to
build their career in this field.

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Prerequisites :
• EIA was developed formally in the 1970s and has been
incorporated in the procedures of governments and major
development organizations world-wide.
• As a result it is important that people who may have any
role in the design or planning of projects, or may be
associated with deciding about their suitability, should be
aware of EIA and how it operates in their local area.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
What we expect from Student After Completion of this
Course :
 Will be able to appreciate the purpose and role of EIA in
the decision-making process;
 understand the strengths of EIA in regard to environmental
management;
 understand the technical and social/political limitations of
EIA;
 know the administration and procedures that apply in the
student’s jurisdiction;
 understand the screening process;
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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

What we expect from Student After Completion of this

Course :
 understand the scoping process and how it is applied;
 know the options for estimating environmental and social
impacts;
 know the format of an EIA Report (Environmental Impact
Statement, or Environmental Statement);
 appreciate the factors that assist, and detract, from the
usefulness of the EIA Report;
 understand the purpose of developing follow-up procedures,
and the options for designing these procedures.
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Some Basic Information

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environment and Life?

Background:
• Relative to the history of all forms of life on earth, man is a
recent phenomenon.
• Perhaps 2 billion years ago, algae were already
releasing oxygen into the atmosphere through
photosynthesis.
• Man appeared somewhere around 2 million years ago.
• However, its effect on biosphere remained small until
8000 years ago.
• The influence of human activity on the biosphere
actually originated area of ‘Environmental Studies’.
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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Definition of ‘Environment’ is
1. The complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (as
climate, soil, & living things) that act upon an organism
or an ecological community and ultimately determine its
form and survival.
OR
2. The aggregate of social and cultural conditions that
influence the life of an individual or community.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Definition of ‘Environment’ is
3. The human environment shall be interpreted
comprehensively to include the natural and physical
environment and the relationship of people with that
environment.
OR
4. The circumstances or conditions that surround one
surroundings.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Definition of ‘Environmentalism’ is
– Advocacy of the preservation or improvement of the
natural environment; especially the movement to control
pollution.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Definition of ‘Environmentalist’ is
– One concerned about environmental quality especially of
the human environment with respect to the control of
pollution..

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Definition of ‘Environmental Assessment (EA)

 Process of estimating and evaluating significant short-term
and long-term effects of a program or project on the quality
of its location's environment.
 It also includes identifying ways to minimize, mitigate, or
eliminate these effects and/or compensate for their impact.
 An environmental impact assessment is prepared on the
basis of an EA. Also called environmental evaluation.

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environmental impact statement (EIS):
 Under United States environmental law, it is a document
required by the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) for federal government agency actions
"significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment."
 A tool for decision making.
 An EIS describes the positive and negative
environmental effects of proposed agency action - and
cites alternative actions.
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

 Several US state governments have also adopted "little

NEPA's," i.e., state laws imposing EIS requirements for
particular state actions, such as an Environmental Impact
Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA).

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Decision Making Process:

 Generally, a decision making process is the process by
which an agency or a decision maker will take into
consideration all of the factors whether technical,
economic & environmental, necessory to decide whether
a proposed project should proceed or not.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
• How to protect the ‘Environment’
– Should we stop the project.
– Should we provide some alternatives to mitigate the
negative environmental impacts.
– Should we modify the project/process.
• Update the equipments Will the cost
• Use better raw material remains
• Minimize the waste production same?
• Treat the waste before discharge
• Reuse or recycle the waste
• Change the location 24
 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
• Cost of protecting the ‘Environment’
– Cleanup of pollution and preservation of environmental
resources has various costs associated with them.
– Cost may be in the form of an increase in operating
expenses for businesses that must reduce pollutants they
generated.
– These costs may be passed on to the consumer by
increasing the price of goods or services.
– However, one should remember what is good for our
biosphere is at the expense of people and what is good for
our biosphere is also good for us. 25
EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

• Cost of protecting the ‘Environment’

– When considering the total picture, a healthy
environment is not only healthy for people; it also
healthy for economy. ?

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

There are several government and private

organizations who may carryout

EIA or EIS

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

For Example in

USA

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 MB&G has extensive environmental
project experience. MB&G's MB&G's Environmental Services capabilities include:
Environmental Services staff •Environmental Permitting
specializes in such technical •Endangered Species Act
disciplines as fisheries biology, water •National Environmental Policy Act (EA’s and
quality, aquatic ecology, hydrology, EIS’s)
wildlife biology, botany, and wetland •State EIS’s and EA’s
science. The firm has extensive •State Forest Practice Acts
experience assisting clients with •Clean Water Act Sections
regulatory compliance issues •Biology and Ecology
associated with the Endangered •Fisheries and Wildlife Biology
Species Act (ESA), Clean Water Act •Plant and Range Ecology
(CWA), National Environmental Policy •Forestry
Act (NEPA) and other federal, state •Aquatic Ecology
and local environmental regulations. •Wetland Science
MB&G's staff has an excellent •Watershed Analysis
understanding of environmental •Support Services
permitting procedures and maintains •Land Transaction Analysis
productive working relationships with •Expert Testimony
regulatory officials. •Geographic Information Systems
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Home Employment Contact Us Links Awards
 Forests·Fish·Wildlife·Wetlands·GIS
MB&G's Environmental Services project experience includes:
•Biological Assessment and Evaluations
•Fisheries Resources
•Water Quality
•Wildlife Management
•Wetlands
•Threatened and Endangered Species
•Due Diligence Studies
•Environmental Impact Assessment
•Watershed Management and Land Use
•Fish Passage Assessment
•Botanical Surveys
•Energy Facilities Siting

Home Employment Contact Us Links Awards

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

For Example in

Pakistan

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Hagler Bailly Pakistan (HQ in USA)

having centres in more than 15 countries
• Filteroncs Water Solution (Karachi)
Water related EIA
• Engineering Planning & Management
Consultants (Islamabad)

• Enviro-Clean (Karachi)
etc
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

The EIA Process?

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

The EIA process comprises:

 screening - to decide if and at what level EIA should be
applied
 scoping - to identify the important issues and prepare
terms of reference
 impact analysis - to predict the effects of a proposal and
valuate their significance
 mitigation - to establish measures to prevent, reduce or
compensate for impacts

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

 reporting - to prepare the information necessary for

decision-making
 review - to check the quality of the EIA report
 decision-making - to approve or reject the proposal
and set conditions
 follow up - to monitor, manage and audit impacts of
project implementation
 public involvement - to inform and consult with
stakeholders

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Various Sections/Parts of an
EIA Report

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
An EIS typically has four sections:

1. An Introduction including a statement of the

Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action.
2. A description of the Affected Environment.
3. A Range of Alternatives to the proposed
action. Alternatives are considered the "heart"
of the EIS.
4. An Analysis of the environmental impacts of
each of the possible alternatives.
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
The Contents of EIA Document:
In order to carryout a project, law required submission of a
written document to a designated agency or decision-making
body describing the environmental impacts of a proposed
project and/or alternatives and mitigating measures(and their
assessments). At a minimum, the document should contain;
i. A description of the proposed activity;
ii. A description of the potentially affected environment,
including specific information necessary for
identifying and assessing the environmental effects of
the proposed activity;
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
The Contents of EIA Document:
iii. A description of practical alternatives as appropriate;
iv. An assessment of the likely or potential environmental
impacts of the proposed activity and alternatives,
including the direct, indirect, cumulative, short-term
and long-term effects;
v. An identification and description of measures
available to mitigate adverse environmental impacts of
the proposed activity and alternatives, and an
assessment of those measures;

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
The Contents of EIA Document:
vi. An indication of gaps in knowledge and uncertainties
which may be encountered in compiling the required
information;
vii. An indication of whether the environment of any other
State or areas beyond national jurisdiction are likely to
be affected by the proposed activity, and possible
alternatives; and
viii. A brief non-technical summary of the information
provided under the above headings.

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 EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
Who required to Submit an EIA Report:
• The following list (though not exhaustive) describes
proposals that will require some level of environmental
impact assessment in USA:
 An environmentally relevant activity listed in
Schedule 1 of the EP Act.
 A mining or petroleum activity that does not comply
with the relevant codes of environmental compliance.
 Assessable development in the coastal zone (see the
EPA’s guideline “Assessable development under the
Coastal Act”).
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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

Who required to Submit an EIA Report:

 Any activity that would require authorization under
the Nature Conservation (Administration) Regulation
2006.
 Proposals that the Coordinator-General has declared to
be “significant projects” for which an EIS is required
(contact the Department of Infrastructure and Planning
for more information on this matter).

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment
Who required to Submit an EIA Report:
 Development that requires impact assessment under a
local planning scheme (contact your local authority for
information).
 Any activity that would remove, destroy or damage
marine plants (contact the Department of Primary
Industries and Fisheries for further information).
 Proposals involving the generation (even by wind),
transmission or distribution of electricity (contact the
Department of Energy for further information).

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EN-508: Environmental Impact Assessment

End of Lecture #1

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