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Environmental impact report
Development projects in the past were carried out without any consideration for the environmental impact. As a result, the entire environment became polluted and degraded.
In view of the colossal damage to the environment, governments and the public are now concerned about the environmental impacts of development activities. Therefore, the mechanism of environmental impact assessment, also known as EIA, was introduced to assess the environmental impacts.
EIA is a tool to anticipate the likely environmental impacts that may result from the proposed development activities and to propose measures and strategies to reduce them.
EIA was introduced in India in 1978 with respect to river valley projects. Later, the EIA legislation was expanded to include other development departments since 1941.
EIA is covered by the Notification on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Development Projects 1994 under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
In addition to EIA, the Government of India has issued a number of other notifications under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986 related to environmental impact assessment.
EIA is now mandatory for 30 categories of projects, and these projects only receive an Environmental Clearance (EC) after the EIA requirements have been met.
Environmental clearance or the 'go ahead' signal is granted by the Impact Assessment Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
Projects requiring central government approval can be broadly classified into the following sectors
• Industries
• Mining
• Thermal power plants
• River Valley Projects
• Infrastructure
• Coastal regulation zone and
• Nuclear energy projects
The important aspects of EIA are risk assessment, environmental management and post-product monitoring.
The functions of EIA are
1. Act as a primary environmental instrument with clear provisions.
2. Apply consistently to all proposals with potential environmental impacts.
3. Use scientific practice and propose mitigation strategies.
4. Address all possible factors, such as short-term, long-term, small-scale and large-scale effects.
5. Take into account sustainable aspects such as the capacity for assimilation, carrying capacity, protection of biodiversity, etc.
6. Provide a flexible approach to public engagement
7. Have a built-in mechanism for follow-up and feedback.
8. Include mechanisms for monitoring, auditing and evaluation.
The following are essential for carrying out an environmental impact assessment:
1. Assessment of the existing environmental status.
2. Assessment of different ecosystem factors (air, water, land, biological).
3. Analysis of the negative environmental impacts of the proposed project to be initiated.
4. Impact on people in the neighborhood.
Benefits of EIA
• EIA provides a cost-effective method to eliminate or minimize the negative impact of development projects.
• EIA enables the decision makers to analyze the impact of development activities on the environment well before the development project is implemented.
• EIA encourages the adjustment of mitigation strategies in the development plan.
• EIA ensures that the development plan is ecologically sound and within the limits of the ecosystem's capacity for assimilation and regeneration.
• EIA links environment to development. The aim is to ensure environmentally safe and sustainable development.
Environmental components of EIA: The EIA process looks at the following components of the environment:
• Air environment
• Sound component:
• Water environment
• Biological environment
• Land environment
EIA process and procedures
Steps in preparing the EIA report
• Collection of basic data from primary and secondary sources;
• Prediction of the impact based on past experience and mathematical models;
• Evolution of the impact versus evaluation of the net cost-benefit analysis;
• Drawing up environmental management plans to minimize impacts;
• Quantitative estimate of the financial costs of the monitoring plan and mitigation measures.
Environmental management plan
• Delineation of mitigation measures, including prevention and control for each environmental component, rehabilitation and resettlement plan.
EIA process:
The EIA process is cyclical and involves interaction between the different steps.
1. Screening
2. Scoring
3. Collection of basic data
4. Impact prediction
5. Mitigation measures and EIA report
6. Public hearing
7. Decision making
8. Assessment of alternatives, delineation of mitigation measures and environmental impact assessment
9. Risk assessment

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