ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT

ELECTIVE III
BE CIVIL
Generalized EIA process
EIA PROCESS AND PROJECT CYCLE
PROJECTS

 Project is a collaborative enterprise, involving

research or design, that is carefully planned to
achieve a particular aim.
 Temporary endeavor undertaken to create a
unique product, service or result.
TYPES OF PROJECT

 Point Project: Station, Bridge, manufacture,

factory, etc
 Band project: Road, electricity transmission
line, etc
IMPACTS AND THEIR TYPES

 Impact of an activity is a deviation from the baseline situation that is

caused by the activity.
 Every economic development projects have some environmental
implications which may be beneficial or adverse.
 Impact is an outcome of two preceding event, change and effect
TYPES OF IMPACTS

 Biological and physio-chemical Impacts

• Effects on biological resources such as vegetation
 Social Impacts
• A study of socio-economic impacts would examine project action
that alters the existing social and economical condition.
 Cultural Impacts
• Project impacts on cultural heritage include historic sites,
religious
 Health Impacts
 Economic Impacts
CONSIDERATION OF IMPACT
 Magnitude of Impact: Defined by the severity of each
potential impact and indicates whether the impact is
irreversible and estimated potential rate of recovery.
 Extent of Impact: The spatial extent or the zone of
influence of the impact should always be determined. It may
be:
 Site specific or limited to the project area (SP)
 Locally occuring within the watershed of the project (L)
 A regional impact the may extend beyond the watershed (R)
 National impact affecting resources on a national scale (N)
CONSIDERATION OF IMPACT… CONT

 Duration of impact:
 Short term (ST): An impact generally lasts for
only 3-9 years after project completion.
 Medium term (MT): 10-20 years
 Long term(LT): Impact that last beyond 20 years.
 IMPACTS IDENTIFICATION OF LANGTANG KHOLA HYDROPOWER
PROJECT
Impacts on physical Impacts on Biological Socio-ecomonic and Indirect impacts
environment Environment cultural environment
 Micro-climate and air  Loss of forest cover at  Impacts on land  Increase in local trade
quality access road and intake acquisition  Improvement in road
 Topography, land use portion  Impacts on women and condition
and stability  Loss of forest biomass child labour  Rural electrification
 Disturbance on fragile  Loss of grazing land  Impacts on culture and  Industrialization
slopes  Loss of cultivated religions  Promotion in eco-tourism
 Surface erosion species  Public health  Decrease in dependence
 Disposal of excavated  Invasion by weedy  Lifestyle of people in fuel wood
materials species  Project related
 Hydrology and  Disturbance to wildlife employment
sedimentation population  Water use
 Water quality  Habitat encroachment
 Noise and vibrations  Impact on rare,
endangered and
threatened species.
SCREENING AND INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL
EXAMINATION(IEE)

 Screening determines whether the project needs and EIA or not.

 EIA needs only to be applied for those actions which may
significantly affect the environment.
 Environmental screening can be defined as “The process of
addressing the issue of whether or not an environmental impact
study would be required for the potential projects and activities.”
OBJECTIVES OF SCREENING
 Saves money
 Saves time
 Avoid unnecessary delays
 Immediately identifies the major environmental impacts that are
likely
 Establishes need for different level of EIA study to be conducted.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE PROJECTS IN VIEW OF THE
EIA REQUIREMENTS

 Category A or White list projects : EA(EIA or IEE) not required.

 Category B or Green list projects: IEE required, usually small-scale
projects with low-level impact.
 Category C or Black list projects: EIA clearly required, have
significant environmental impact.
 Category D or Grey list projects: IEE required but not clear whether
EIA is required or not, because the magnitude, extent of the
duration of the impact is not obvious.
 SCREENING CRITERIA FOR PROJECTS REQUIRING EIA
Threshold criteria Impact criteria

• Size • Significant but easily identifiable

• Location impacts.
• Output • Significant impacts
• Cost/finance • Sensitive area
• Environmental effects
EIA PROCEDURE IN NEPAL

 According to amendment 2007 of EPR 1997,

 IEE is reqired:
 For proposals listed in Schedule 1 of EPR 1997
 for proposals not mentioned in Schedule 1 of EPR 1997 but any
plan, project, program or physical activity that costs NPRs.5
crore-25 crore ie.50-250 million(Used to b 10-100 million in the
past)
Project listed in schedule 1 is those which are likely to have a
limited number of significant impacts which can be easily predicted
and evaluated and for which mitigation measures may be
prescribed easily.
EIA PROCEDURE IN NEPAL

 EIA is required:
 For the proposals listed in Schedule 2 of EPR 1997
 For the proposals not mentioned in Schedule 2 of EPR 1997 but
any project, program or physical activity that costs more than 250
million ie. 25 crore(Used to be Rs. 100 million in the past)
THE WORLD BANK REQUIRES EIA FOR PROJECTS OF
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES
 Hydropower and thermal power(Development and expansion)
 Dams, reservoirs and industrial plants (Large scale)
 Forestry production projects
 Irrigation, drainage and flood control
 Aquaculture and river-basin development
 Land clearance, levelling, resettlement
 Minerals, oils and gas development
 Manufacture, use and transport of pesticides, toxic or hazardous
substances
 Construction or upgrading of roads and highways