ADAMA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY

School of Civil Engineering and Architecture

Department of Water Resources Engineering

Course Name: Environmental Impact Assessment WRE5201

Prepared by Beka B. (MSc)

November 2022
1
 Objectives of the Course

 At the end of the course students will bale to:

• Define what an environmental impact assessment is?

• Describe the need and concept of environmental impact assessments

• Know basic steps followed in EIA

2
 Course Content
1. General Introduction
1.1. Definition of EIA
1.2. Importance of EIA
1.3. Objectives of EIA
2. EIA processes
2.1. Screening
2.2. Scoping
2.3. Alternatives in EIA
2.4. Impact Prediction
2.5. Impact Mitigation
2.6. EIA Reporting
2.7. EIA Reviewing 3
 Course Content

2.8. Consultation & Public Participation

2.9. Decision-making

2.10. Monitoring and auditing

3. Impact Prediction Methodologies and Mitigation Measures

3.1 Air
3.2 Surface and ground water
3.3 Biological
3.4 Noise

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5
 Definition
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): can be defined as the
systematic identification and evaluation of the potential impacts
(effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs or legislative action
relative to the:

• physico-chemical,

• biological

• cultural and

• socio-economic components of a total environment.

 It is the documentation of an environmental analysis, which includes,

identification, interpretation, prediction and mitigation of
‘foreseeable impacts’ caused by a proposed action or project”
6
 Definition Cont…
 According to Munn, 1979 definition

 EIA is a process used to :

– identify and predict the impact on the environment and on man's

health

– well being of legislative proposals, policies, programs, projects and

operational procedures to interpret and communicate information
about the impacts.

 The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines as

follows:-

 The process of:

– Identifying, predicting, evaluating and

– Mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development

proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. 7
 Definition Cont…
 Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a process which can be
used to improve decision-making and ensure that development
options under consideration are environmentally, socially and
economically sound and sustainable

 It is concerned with identifying, predicting and evaluating the

foreseeable impacts, both beneficial and adverse, of proposed
development projects and alternatives

 It aims to eliminate or minimize negative impacts and optimize

positive impacts through mitigation and enhancement measures

 EIA relates to a process rather than a particular activity, the

environmental impact study itself being only one component of
the process. 8
 Definition Cont…
 According to UK DOE,1989 definition, EIA is a technique and
a process to:

– Collect information about the environmental effects of a

project

– Make decision by the authority weather the dev‟t should go

ahead.

 Generally, based on the above definitions, EIA has the f/f basic
functions:

– To predict problems,

– To find ways to avoid them, and

– To enhance positive effects. 9

 Definition Cont…
 The terms 'impact assessment' and 'environmental impact
assessment' are umbrella terms frequently used to cover a broad
range of techniques, e.g.
– social impact assessment (SIA),

– risk assessment (RA),

– environmental impact assessment (EIA) and

– health impact assessment (HIA)

 To date, EIA it self has been applied generally at the project

level, but increasing attention is now being given to impact
assessment at the level of policies, plans and programmes (this
is known as strategic environmental assessment - SEA). 10
 Definition Cont…
 In an updated view, EIA is understood as an integrated part of
the planning process devoted to the:

– Identification

– Quantification and

– Qualification of environmental impacts due to the

development of a plan or a project.
To what extent is power of an EIA recommendation?

– Redesigning some project components

– Suggest change affecting project viability/practicability

– Causing delay in project implementation

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 Importance of EIA
 Human activities are altering natural cycles and systems on an
unprecedented scale, and the cumulative effects of these activities
are an ever increasing agent of ecological change.

 Usually, the cost of undertaking an EIA accounts for only a small

proportion of total project costs (usually less than 1% of overall
project costs), but savings to the project from EIA can often
considerably more.

 Environmental impact assessment is an important management

tool for improving the long-term viability of projects.

 To promote environmentally sound and sustainable development

through the identification of appropriate enhancement and
mitigation measures. 12
 Importance of EIA Cont…
 Its use can help to avoid mistakes that can be expensive and
damaging in environmental, social and economic terms.

What is sustainable development?

 It is a development that meets the needs of today’s generation

without compromising those of future generations to meet
their own needs acting on it.

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 Why EIA is Important?

 The following are some of the benefits of EIA:

• Promoting environmentally sound and sustainable development

• Better environmental planning and design of a proposal

• Ensuring compliance with environmental standards to reduces

damage to the environment.

• Savings in capital and operating costs

• Reduced time and costs of approvals of development applications

• Reduce health cost

• Increase project acceptance

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 Purpose and objectives of EIA
 From World Bank Guidelines the main purposes of EIA are as
follows:
– Identify and forecast the possible positive and negative
impacts of projects to the environment.
– To provide plan, which up on implementation will reduce
the negative impacts of the project.
– Assure the level of plan implementation and the degree of
effectiveness of the environmental protection provisions.
– It provides a systematic examination of the environmental
implications of a proposed action, and sometimes
alternatives, before a decision is taken.
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 Objectives of EIA

 It has two objectives:-

1. Immediate (Short term) objective

• To inform the process of decision making by identifying the

significant environmental effects and risks of dev’t proposal.

2. Ultimate (Long term) objective

• To promote sustainable development

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 Cont…
 EIA needs to:

 ensure public and stakeholder involvement;

 ensure multi-disciplinarity; and,

 focus on the process, not just the production of an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

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 Miss Concepts about EIA

 EIA is anti development:- rarely, EIA leads to the cancelation

of a project if it is unsound to the env‟t.

 EIA is too expensive:- the median estimate of EIA cost is 0.5 to

1% of the project construction cost.

 But, if no EIA, the long term cost will be more expensive.

 EIA is ineffective:- if the EIA process is too late & after

decision making. But if well timed it is effective.

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 Impact Cont…

• EIA causes excessive delays in projects if:

– The EIA is commenced too late in the project cycle;

– The terms of reference (ToR) are poorly drafted;

– The EIA is not managed to a schedule;

– The technical and consultative components of EIA are

inadequate; and

– The EIA report is incomplete or deficient as a basis for

decision making.

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 Duration of EIA
 There are certain factors which determine duration of an EIA.
This include:
 The size and complexity of the proposed project.
 The extent of co-operation received from the project sponsor
and third parties such as local government.
 The level of interest and support demonstrated by the
community.
 The ability of the project team to sustain interest in the EA
 The skills of the EA team.
 The EA techniques employed.

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 Cont…
 In principle, environmental assessment can be undertaken for
individual projects such as a dam, motorway, airport or factory
and call it as 'Environmental Impact Assessment' (EIA).

 Plans, programs and policies and call it as 'Strategic

Environmental Assessment'(SEA).

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22
23
 2. EIA Process
 EIA process involves a number of steps

 These steps are in linear fashion but also possess cyclical

activity with feedback & interaction between the various steps

 To summarize, the process of EIA has the following main

steps
 Screening

 Scoping

 Impact identification, prediction and evaluation

 Environmental Management /mitigation measure/ and

Monitoring plan Preparation

 EIA Monitoring and Environmental Auditing 24

 EIA Process Summary
Screening (does the project Impact assessment
require EIA?) (interpreting the impacts)

Scoping (what issues and Mitigation (what can be done to

impacts should the EIA address?) alleviate negative impacts?)

Baseline studies (establish EIS preparation/review

the environmental baseline) (document the EIA findings)

Alternatives (consider the Public consultation

different approaches) (consult general public and NGOs)

Impact prediction (forecast Monitoring (monitor impacts

the environmental impacts) of project) 25
 2.1. Screening
 Screening is the process of
deciding on whether an EIA is
Is an EIA needed?
required/or not.

 Screening involves making a

preliminary determination of the
expected impact of a proposal on
the environment, society and of
its relative significance

 The time taken to complete the

screening process will extend
from an hour to weeks. 26
 Screening Cont…

 The screening process determines:

– Whether or not EIA is required for a particular project, or

– An administrative decision is sufficient

– What level of EIA is required (full/partial?)

 It helps to save unnecessary wasting of both time & efforts,

incase projects do not require EIA.

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 The out comes of EIA
 The screening process can have one of the following outcomes:

1. No further level of EIA is required;

2. A full and comprehensive EIA is required;

3. A more limited/partial EIA is required (often called

preliminary or initial assessment); or

4. Further study is necessary to determine the level of EIA

required (often called an initial environmental evaluation

or examination [IEE)
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 Screening approaches
A. Checklists

B. Sensitive area criteria

C. Preliminary assessment

D. Exclusion lists

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1. Checklists
 Are lists of project types that must be subjected to different
levels of environmental assessment

 Check lists tend to be the most widely used and effective

screening method

 Countries and organizations that use such checklist type

approaches include:
– The World Bank,

– The European Union,

– The European Development Bank and

– The African Development Bank, and so on.

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 2. Sensitive area criteria
 Focuses on areas that are environmentally sensitive

 Projects that require an EIA are those located in

environmentally critical areas, regardless of type

 Environmentally Critical Areas /ECA/ are:

– National parks, protected areas, watershed reserves, wildlife
reserves;

– Potential tourist spots;

– Habitat for any endangered or threatened species of indigenous

wildlife (flora and fauna);

– Areas of unique historical, archaeological, or scientific interest; or

– Areas traditionally occupied by cultural communities or tribes; 31

 Checklist Cont…

– areas frequently visited and/or hard-hit by natural calamities

(sudden damage);

– areas with critical slopes;

– wetlands,

– prime agricultural lands;

– recharge areas of aquifers;

– water bodies and etc

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3.Preliminary assessments
 Undertaken when more information is required to determine a
screening decision
 Preliminary assessments are low-cost environmental evaluations
which make use of information that is already available.

4. Exclusion lists
 According to these all proposals are subject to EIA unless it can be
shown that they should not be
 Usually, a number of small insignificant projects are given exemption
from EIA based on project type or size
 This approach is used by the United States of America and else
where.
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 2.2. Scoping
 Scoping is the second type of EIA process which is a critical,
early step in the preparation of an EIA
 The scoping process identifies the issues that are likely to be of
most importance during the EIA and eliminates those that are of
little concern
 Scoping refers to the:
• early,

• open &
• interactive process of determining the major issues and
impacts that will be important in decision-making
 Typically, this process concludes with the establishment of
Terms of Reference (ToR) for the preparation of an EIA.
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Scoping Cont…

35
Scoping Cont…

36
 Boundaries to be defined
 There are three types of boundaries to be considered in an EIA study:

1. Spatial boundaries: These indicate whether impacts are likely to

occur at a local, regional, national or international level
2. Temporal boundaries: These refer to project lifespan and the
reversibility of impacts. For example, impacts may be short-lived or
long-term (at commissioning, production decommissioning, etc)
3. Institutional boundaries: These may be determined from
political boundaries, acts and regulations, and ministerial or
departmental mandates.

37
 Key objectives of scoping
 The Key objectives of scoping are to:
– inform the public about the proposal;

– identify the main stakeholders & their concerns and values;

– define the reasonable and practical alternatives to the

proposal;

– focus the important issues and significant impacts to be

addressed by an EIA;

– define the boundaries for an EIA in time, space and subject

matter;

– set requirements for the collection of baseline and other

information; and 38
 Basic steps in Scoping
 Develop a communication plan (decide who to talk to and when),

 Assemble information that will be the starting point of discussion,

 Make the information available to stakeholders and seek their views,

 Identify issues people are concerned about,

 Undertake a technical review of the issues, potential impacts, and

concerns,

 Consider project alternatives (including no project option),

 Synthesis and group issues and alternatives,

 Develop a strategy for addressing issues and involving stakeholders,

 Prepare terms of reference for further EIA studies.

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 Who should be involved in scoping?
 Proponent,

 EIA consultant,

 Supervisory authority for EIA,

 Other responsible agencies,

 Affected public,

 Interested public.

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 Types of scoping
 Closed scoping:- wherein the content and scope of an EIA report
is pre-determined by law and modified through closed
consultations between a developer and the competent authority

 Open or Public scoping:- a transparent process based on public

consultations.

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 ToR (Terms of Reference) in EIA
 is a document produced by the authority conducting the EIA study.

 It is formed during Scoping-the second stage in the EIA process.

 All the stakeholders are invited to submit their concerns regarding the
project during a public hearing organized by the EIA committee,
which is followed by discussions and deliberations.

 The finalized list of this stage of EIA is submitted to the Ministry in

the form of ToR.

 A ToR is drawn up with the following questions in mind.

 The purpose of the study/project.

 The extent of the study.

 The stakeholders’ requirements; each stakeholder looks at different aspects of

the project differently. Complex information needs to be explained
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appropriately.
 Content of ToR
 A description of the project, it’s purposes and extent.

 All the agencies responsible in the developmental project and the EIA
study.

 A description of the existing environmental conditions in the project site

and surrounding areas.

 The stakeholders that will be benefited and harmed by the fulfillment of the
project.

 The environmental aspects the project is likely to affect.

 The impacts, both positive and negative, the project will have on the area
and the locals.

 The impact the environment could have on the project.

 A list/description of the species endemic to the area, which are likely to be

effected. 43
 Content of ToR Cont…
 Possible alternatives for the project in terms of design, site,
technology, implementation, etc.

 The legal requirements of the project and future legislation that

need to be drafted.

 If the project site comes under special categories, and the legislation
regarding the same.

 Recommended mitigation strategies.

 The expertise required for the EIA study.

 The expected time limit for the entire EIA study.

 Natural Resource Valuation (NRV), if possible.

 The budget of the study, also called cost-benefit analysis. 44

 2.3. Baseline studies
 Baseline studies using available data and local knowledge will be
required for scoping

 A full year of baseline data is desirable to capture seasonal effects of

many environmental phenomena

 However, to avoid delay in decision making, short-term data

monitoring should be undertaken in parallel with long-term
collection to provide conservative estimates of environmental
impacts.

 Assemble relevant information on the current status of the

environment

 Should anticipate the future state of the environment assuming the

45
project is not undertaken - the ‘no action alternative’
 2.4. Alternatives in EIA
 EIA is ideally undertaken for a project and its alternatives (e.g.
different locations, scales, designs)

 Alternatives are the ‘raw material’ of EIA

 The discussion of alternatives as the ‘heart’ of the EIS

 Many EISs fail to consider alternatives.

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 2.5. Impact Analysis
What is impact (effect)

 It is the change in the environmental

parameter over a specified period and

within a defined area.

 It may be:
1. Direct (Primary) impact

2. Indirect (Secondary) impact

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 Impact cont…
It is a change in system exerts certain influence on many different
environmental parameters resulting a net positive or negative impact
on the environment.
The impact of an activity is a The baseline situation
is the existing
deviation (a change) from the
environmental
baseline situation that is caused by
situation or condition
the activity.
in the absence of the

! To measure an impact, you activity.

must know what the baseline

situation is. The baseline situation More…
is a key concept in
EIA.
48
 What is assessment?
 Assessment is an important tools that can help to determine
the effectiveness of any activity to enhance positive impacts
and to mitigate negative impacts.

What is mitigation?
 Mitigation can be defined as “measures envisaged in order to
avoid, reduce, and, if possible remedy significant adverse effects
of development activities”.

– Minimizing adverse effects (impacts)

– Repairing or rehabilitating the parts of env‟t affected by

projects.
49
 Mitigation
Cont…
 Mitigation seeks to:
• find better ways of doing things;

• to maximize project benefits by eliminating or minimizing

significant negative impacts identified in the earlier stages of
the EIA process;

• to make sure that the public or individuals do not bear costs

which are greater than the benefits which accrue to them; and

• to enhance the benefits of a proposed development by

integrating mitigation measures into the overall project design,
and internalizing the mitigation costs in the overall project
costs. 50
 Types of mitigation measures
 When significant impacts are identified during the construction,

operation and decommissioning phases of the project,

collaboration is required between the project designers, the EIA

team and other project stakeholders, to agree on mitigation

measures

 Depending on the nature of the impacts and the timing in the

design cycle, a wide range of measures and options are possible

in handling each of the adverse impacts "evaluated" as

significant. 51
Mitigation measures can be classified into four basic categories
1. Avoiding:- the impacts altogether by not taking an action or part of
an action.
 This may include abandoning the project, changing project site,
route, processes, raw materials, operating methods, disposal routes or
locations, timing, or engineering designs.
 For example, the Stiegler’s Gorge Hydropower Project (Tanzania)
was abandoned largely due to the severity of the potential
downstream environmental and socio-economic impacts of the dam.
2. Reducing:- or minimizing the degree or magnitude of the action and
its implementation,
e.g. introducing pollution controls, waste treatment, monitoring, phased
implementation, landscaping, training, special social services or public
52
education.
 Mitigation Cont…
3. Rectifying:- the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the
affected environment after the impact has occurred.

4. Compensation:- for damaged resources, money to affected persons,

concessions on other issues, or off-site programs to enhance some
other aspect of the environment or quality of life for the community.

 Compensation, on the other hand, is concerned with residual impacts

- that is impacts which remain after mitigative options have been
exhausted

 For example, people were compensated with cash for the land they
lost to the Songo Songo Gas Development Project (Tanzania)

 Obviously the best type of mitigation measure is one that completely

avoids or stops the impact.
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 Compensatory measures are usually used as a last resort.
 Common formal methods of impact identification
 The most common formal methods used for impact
identification are:
– Ad-hoc approach

– Delphi approach

– Checklists

– Matrices

– Networks or impact trees

– Overlays and GIS

54
 1. Ad-hoc method
 Is a simple approach to identify the total impacts of a project and
would consider each environmental area.

 The ad-hoc method involves assembling a team of specialist to identify

impacts in their area expertise i.e. expert opinion.

 Expert opinion on the impact of any activity can be sought by:

– meeting with (panel discussion);

– writing to the experts and asking their answers to specific questions;

– compiling,

– analyzing and

– reporting the already published or otherwise known opinion of

experts.
55
 Ad-hoc Method Cont…
 The advantage of expert opinion data gathering techniques is
its speed and inexpensiveness.

 For these reasons expert opinion has been, and continues to

be, very extensively used in EIA.

 The limitation is that it is inherent subjectivity and these

limitations may not come only in the form of the opinion of
the expert but also in the choice of expert by the convener (of
a meeting) or the compiler (of published opinion).

 A convener of an expert meeting may pick and choose experts

known to be leaning towards view point desired by the
convener. 56
 Ad-hoc Method Cont…
 A compiler can similarly pick and choose opinions that
confirm to his/her own bias

 When the expert opinion is wanted (sought) to be taken by

calling a meeting /panel discussions of the experts there can be
the following additional pitfalls.
– Halo effect

– Decibel effect

– Vanity effect

57
 Ad-hoc Method Cont…
 Halo effects:-those experts who are relatively more senior or
eminent may cast a ‘ halo effect’ on their junior or less eminent
counter parts causing the later to adopt the views of the former as
‘consensus’ even if, otherwise, there would have been dissent.

 Decibel effect: - among a set of experts there are always some who
exceptionally vociferous and assertive as also some who are
exceptionally soft-spoken and quite.

 In a meeting, the clamorous one tend to air their views forcefully

and repeatedly, getting them adopted as ‘consensus’ even if the
views of the milder members may be different or more valuable.

58
 Vanity effects: -often experts tend to cling to the views they
might have expressed before, or at the start, of the meeting
even after realizing their flaws

 They are either too vain to admit that they were wrong or fear
a loss of face

2. Delphi method
 Delphi:- is a method of collecting opinions, from different
expertise by building different methods to minimize the
various negative attribute of other opinion gathering methods
(mentioned earlier)
 This method can avoid halo, decibel and vanity effects and
handle large number of opinion givers than panels or
brainstorming session can. 59
 Delphi Method Cont…

Procedure Followed
 A structured, formal and detailed questionnaire is given to the
participants by mail or in person

 The organizer of the Delphi then collects, analyses, combines

and averages the responses and represents them medians

 The averaged response of 1st questionnaire is provided to the

participants (where the participants may be asked to respond
to scaled objective item.)

 After scrutinizing 2nd round, respondents may be asked to

justify the response
60
 Delphi Method Cont…
Limitations
 There is pressure towards convergence and this may suppress
other valid perspectives.

 The role of the Delphi coordinator is crucial and subjective

biases may be introduced through this route.

 Lack of item clarity or the common interpretation of scales

and feedback may lead to invalid results.

 Delphi is time consuming and if the questionnaires are long,

one may tend to fill them in a casual (careless) manner.

61
 3. Check Lists
 Checklists are an advance on ad-hoc methods in that they list
biophysical, social and economic components, which are likely to be
affected by a development, in more detail

 It combines a list of potential impact areas that need to be considered

in the EIA processes with an assessment of often qualitative of the
individual impacts

 Environmental Protection Authorities may provide such checklist and

guidelines for different projects that all items deemed important by the
authority are given due consideration

 This approach has been followed by a number of public agencies since

it ensures that the entire list of areas prescribed by the agency is
considered in the assessment processes. 62
 Advantage of checklist method
 Easy to understand and use,

 It promotes thinking about the array of impacts in a systematic way and allows
concise summarization of effects,

 It is the simplest assessment methodologies (simple ranking and weighting).

Limitations
 Checklists do not usually include direct cause-effect links to project activities

 do not distinguish between direct and indirect impacts

 Checklist may be too general or incomplete

 They do not illustrate interactions between effects

 The same effect may be registered in several places under heading that overlap in
content (double counting)

 The number of categories to be reviewed can be immense thus destructing attention

from the more significant impacts.
63
 The identification of effects is qualitative/subjective
 4. Matrices
 A matrix is a grid-like table that is used to identify the interaction
between project activities, which are displayed along one axis, and
environmental characteristics, which are displayed along the other axis.

 Using the table, environment-activity interactions can be noted in the

appropriate cells or intersecting points in the grid

 Entries are made in the cells to highlight impact severity (magnitude of

impacts) or other features related to the nature of the impact, for
instance:

 ticks or symbols can identify impact type (such as direct, indirect,

cumulative) pictorially;

 numbers or a range of dot sizes can indicate scale; or

 descriptive comments can be made. 64

5. Network or impact trees
 A network diagram is a technique for illustrating how
impacts are related and what the consequences of impacts are

 Network methods illustrate the multiple links between project

activities and environmental characteristics

 Environmental impacts ( primary, secondary, tertiary and

higher order impacts) can result either directly from a
development action or indirectly through induced changes in
environmental conditions

 Either diagrams or tables are used to show the logical

consequences of a certain action of a given project.
65
 Procedures
 Start with a project activity and identify the types of impacts
which would initially occur

 Select each impact and identify the impacts which may be

induced as a result

 This process is repeated until all possible impacts have been

identified

 Sketching results in ‘impact tree’ (see Fig…and…below

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Impact trees Figure

67
 Advantage
 link action to impact
 useful in simplified form for checking for higher order impacts
of proposed development
 handles direct and indirect impacts
Disadvantage
 It does not establish the magnitude or significance of
interrelationships between environmental components, or the
extent of change
 It requires considerable knowledge of the environment.
 Can become very complex if used beyond simplified version.
68
 6. Overlays & GIS
 Overlays provide a technique for illustrating the geographical
extent of different environmental impacts

 Each overlay is a map of a single impact

 For example, salt affected areas, deforested areas, etc can be

analyzed and clearly demonstrated to non experts.

 The original technique used transparencies which is somewhat

cumbersome

 The development of GIS make this technique suitable for

pinpointing sensitive zones.

69
 Overlays & GIS
Cont…
 The overlay approach can accommodate both qualitative and
quantitative data
 The weakness of the overlay approach is that it is only
moderately comprehensive, because there is no mechanism
that requires consideration of all potential impacts
 When using overlays, the burden of ensuring
comprehensiveness is largely on the analyst
 Also, the approach is selective because there is a limit to the
number of transparencies that can be viewed together
 Finally, extreme impacts with small probabilities of
occurrence are not considered
70
 Overlays & GIS
Cont…
Advantages:
 Easy to understand
 Focus and display spatial impacts
 Good siting tool
 Excellent for impact identification and spatial analysis
 Good for ‘experimenting’
Disadvantages:
 Can be cumbersome (unwieldy)
 Poorly suited to address impact duration or probability
 Heavy reliance on knowledge and data
 Expensive 71
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