Unit 7 eia and sd

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT

Introduction

For a nation to progress economically, socially as well as politically development process in various field are necessary. This has been true and super power could do this at tremendous rate , the third world is in the process of such development. This is one side of coin . Let us also have to look another side of coin . What are the cost of such development not in terms of money but equally or rather more valuable in terms of its impact on environment.

The two things i.e development and environment is linked with each other. The process of development is bound to have its impact on environment. Agricultural, industry & mining have been very harmful impact on our environment. Such impact led to degradation of our land, forest, water, air and biological diversity and releases noxious substance.

In our country in the post independent period our ideas were dominated by developmental growth and we did not have a culture of pollution control. Even late Prime minister. Jawahar Lal Nehru wrote in 1957 

“ We have large scale project which are carefully examined by our engineer I wonder however, how much thought is given before the project is launched to have an ecological survey of the area and to find out what the effect would be to the drainage system or to flora and fauna of the area. It would be desirable to have an ecological survey before project is launched thus avoid to imbalance of nature.

It is desirable to have an idea of possible impact of any development plan on our environment. In order to have sustainable development it is necessary that before we embark on a project, we have to assess the effects of its development on the environment . Such as assessment is known as the Environmental Impact Assessment.

EIA is potentially one of the most valuable, interdisciplinary and objective decision making tool with respect to alternative route for development process, technology and project site.

 The objective of EIA is to ensure that development is sustained with minimum environmental degradation.

  The ministry of Environment & Forest ( Government of India)

has been assigned the responsibility for appraisal of project with regard to environment implication.

The ministry of Environment & Forest ( Government of

India) has been assigned the responsibility for appraisal of

project with regard to environment implication.

Three general criteria have been suggested to identify a

project that is likely to have “significant” effects. These

are:

Size of the Project : Whither it transcend the local

significance.

a) Location of the Project – distance from Biosphere reserve, National Park, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Seashore, site of scientific interest, human habitation, important monument.

b) Adverse Impact : Pollutions and other adverse impact on environment.

Defining EIA

It means the identification or evaluation of any proposed development project on our environment i,e air, water, soil & living.

The primary purpose of EIA is to encourage consideration of the environment in planning and decision-making and finally to arrive at actions that are more environmentally compatible.

It presents a clear & concise picture of all benefits & costs associated with alternative courses of action & provides a mechanism for merging the concerns for environment & economics in the process of decision-making.

INDIAN SCENARIO:

Environmental clearance on the basis of Environmental Impact Assessment is mandatory for various developments projects in most part of the world today. In India, this was introduced as an administrative measures in 1978-79, initially for river valley projects and extending later to industrial projects. There are about 29 categories of projects (annexure-1) for which Environmental Clearance was made mandatory by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Notification issued in January 1994 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986(4). Certain activities permissible under the coastal regulation zone Notification 1991 also require clearance.Environmental Clearance is granted by the Impact Assessment in the Ministry of Environment and Forest.

This power has been delegated to the State governments in the case of co-generation power plants of any capacity, gas/ naphtha based and coal based power plants with fluidized bed technology of up to 500 MW capacity and conventional coal based power plants of up to 250 MW capacity except when located within 25 Km. of the boundary of reserved forests, biosphere reserves and critically polluted areas or within 50 km. of inter-state boundary.

Types of EIA

Classified under two categories:

• Rapid Assessment &• Comprehensive Assessment

o Rapid Assessment is the initial feasiility study carried out for a minimum period of 3 months.

o After it gets appraisal from MOEF , the next phase, comprehensive assessment is carried out.

o It is carried out for a period of 16 months.

RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT(REIA):

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as the study , which is done for quick assessment of likely adverse impacts.

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment studies will be conducted at the initiation of the new activity. In some cases this study may be required for the expansion of existing unit or change in the current manufacturing process( if the pollution load is to exceed the existing one ).

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment study covers one season baseline data for various environmental components viz. Air , Noise, water, land, Biological and Socio-economic including parameters of human interest.

Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment

Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment is basically a study which includes collection of data for various components for four seasons i.e. Monsoon, Post-monsoon, Winter and Summer. Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment report has to be submitted after the evaluation of Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment report, if so asked by the Impact Assessment Agency.

The various methods used in the EIA are Adhoc Method, Overlays methods, Checklists, Matrix , network and Integrated Method- combination of Matrix, Network analysis model and a computer aided systematic approach. A typical EIA study including an industry includes.

1.Field data collection for various Environmental parameters.2.Assessment of various liquid, solid and gaseous pollutants generated from the plant and existing pollution control devices.3.Assessment of various impacts from these pollutants on Environment.4.Consideration of various statutory guidelines and standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Environment and Forests.5.Formulation of detailed Environment Management Plan (EMP) to mitigate / control the various impacts and bring them within the standards limits.

Annexture -1

LIST OF PROJECTS REQUIRING ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT:

•Nuclear power and related projects such as heavy water plants, nuclear fuel complex, rare earth•River valley projects including hydel power, major irrigation and their combination including flood control•Ports, harbours, airports (except minor ports and harbours)•Petroleum refineries including crude and products pipelines•Chemical fertilizers (nitrogenous and phosphatic other than single superphosphate)•Pesticides (technical)•Petroleum complexes ( both olefinic and aromatic ) and petrochemicals intermediates such as DMT, Caprolactam, LAB etc. and production of basic plastic such as LDPE, HDPE, PP,PVC•Bulk drugs and pharmaceuticals•Exploration for oil and gas and their production , transportation and storage

• 10. Synthetic rubber

• Asbestos and asbestos products

• Hydrocyanic acid and its derivatives

• Primary metallurgical industries ( such as production of iron and steel, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead and ferro-alloys)Chlor alkali industry

• Integrated paint complex including manufacture of resins and basic raw materials required in the manufacture of paints

• Viscose staple and filament yarn

• Storage batteries integrated with manufacture of oxides of lead antimony alloy

• All tourism projects between 200m-500 meters of high water line and at locations with an elevation of more than 1000 meters with investment of more than 5 crore

• Thermal power plants

• Mining projects ( with lease more than 5 hectares )

•Highway projects except projects relating to improvement work including widening and strengthening of roads with marginal land acquisition along the existing alignment provided it does not pass through ecologically sensitive areas such as National Parks, Sanctuaries . Tiger Reserves, Reserve Forests

•Tarred roads in the Himalayas and forest areas

•Distilleries

•Raw skins and hides

•Pulp, paper and Newsprint

•Dyes

•Cement

•Foundries (individual )

•Electroplating

METHODOLOGY FOR EIA

EIA involves three steps:

1. Identification of environmental impacts2. Prediction of environmental impacts3. Evaluation of environmental impacts

Identification is carried out with the help of checklist, matrices & networks.

oChecklists present a list of environmental parameters to be investigated for possible impacts. oMatrices are 2D checklists in which cause-effect relationship are established.

o Networks illustrate cause-condition effect linkages & provide the most comprehensive approach for impact identification.

Prediction Prediction of environmental impacts requires the greatest degree of

scientific application. It involves projecting the baseline environmental setting into the future, with & without the project, and performing necessary calculations for predicting real impacts of the proposed development.

Evaluation:

The evaluation step calls for conversion of predicted values for various environmental parameters to a comparable set of units using some system of normalisation. Ideally, the environmental impacts should be expressed in monetary units for easy and objective comparasion with other costs and benefits of the project.

In practice, assigning monetary values to intangible parameters is quite difficult. Therefore various methods involving numerical rating & ranking and scaling of environmental impacts are used.

Component of EIA

The Following Impacts of the Project should be Assessed:

• Air: - Changes in ambient levels and ground level concentrations due to total emissions from point, line and area sources. - Effects on soils, materials, vegetation, and human health.

• Noise: - Changes in ambient levels due to noise generated from equipment and movement of vehicles. - Effect on fauna and human health.

• Water: - Availability to competing users. - Changes in quality. - Sediment transport. - Ingress of saline water.

• Land: - Changes in land use and drainage pattern. - Changes in land quality including effects of waste disposal. - Changes in shoreline/riverbank and their stability. •Biological: - Deforestation /tree-cutting and shrinkage of animal habitat. - Impact on fauna and flora (including aquatic species, and migratory path/route of animals. - Impact on breeding and nesting grounds.

• Socio-Economic: - Impact on the local community including demographic changes. - Impact on economic status. - Impact on human health. - Impact of increased traffic.

Risk Assessment

Hazard IdentificationMaximum credible accident (MCA) analysisConsequence analysis of failure and accidentsHazard and operability studies

Environment Management Plan - Delineation of mitigation measures including prevention and control of each environmental component and rehabilitation & resettlement  

Alternatives, Delineation of Mitigation Measures and EIA Report

For every project alternatives should be identified & Environmental attributes compared.

Alternatives should cover both project location & process technologies.

Once alternatives has been reviewed, a mitigation plan should be drawn up and is supplemented with an Environmental Management Plan to guide the proponent towards “Environmental Improvement”.

An EIA report should provide clear information to the decision maker on the different environmental scenarios without the project, with the project.

Uncertainties should be clearly reflected in the EIA report.

Public Hearing

Law requires that the public must be informed and consulted on a proposed development after the completion of EIA report.

It includes:

1.Bonafiede local resident2.Local associations3.Environmental groups4.Any other person located at te project site

Decision Making

Decision making process involve consultation between the project proponent and the impact assessment authority (assisted by an expert group if necessary)

The decision on environmental clearance is arrived at through a number of steps including evaluation of EIA and EMP

Monitoring the Clearance Conditions

Monitoring should be done during both construction and operation phase of a project.

This is to observe whether the predictions made in the EIA reports were correct or not.

Monitoring will enable the regulatory agency to review the validity of predictions and the conditions of implementation of the Environmental Management Plan.

The EIA process

The environment impact assessment consists of eight steps with each step equally important in determining the overall performance of the projectThe eight steps of the EIA process are presented in brief below:

Screening: First stage of EIA, which determines whether the proposed project, requires an EIA and if it does, then the level of assessment required.   Scoping: This stage identifies the key issues and impacts that should be further investigated. This stage also defines the boundary and time limit of the study.  Impact analysis: This stage of EIA identifies and predicts the likely environmental and social impact of the proposed project and evaluates the significance.

Mitigation: This step in EIA recommends the actions to reduce and avoid the potential adverse environmental consequences of development activities. 

Reporting: This stage presents the result of EIA in a form of a report to the decision-making body and other interested parties.   Review of EIA: It examines the adequacy and effectiveness of the EIA report and provides the information necessary for decision-making.  Decision-making: It decides whether the project is rejected, approved or needs further change.  Post monitoring: This stage comes into play once the project is commissioned. It checks to ensure that the impacts of the project do not exceed the legal standards and implementation of the mitigation measures are in the manner as described in the EIA report.   The overview of the EIA process is represented in figure

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPEMENT

Sustainable development (SD) may be defined as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs.

For rich countries- SD may mean steady reductions in wasteful level of consumption of energy and other natural resources through improvements in efficiency and through changes in lifestyle.

For poorer countries- SD would mean the commitment of resources towards continued improvement in living standards.

The Supreme Court of India, in the Narmada Case, observed,“ Sustainable Development means what type of development can take place, which can be sustained by nature/ecology with or without mitigation”

Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

Was held in September 2002

Participation was from governments, NGO’s, Businesses, and other groups

Among many other things, the number of people living on less than one dollar a day, the number of people suffering from hunger and the number of people without sustainable access to drinking water and basic sanitation are to be reduced by half by 2015.

Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) cont…

Three priorities in WSSD implementation have been identified as:•Improve policy coherence•A sustainable management of natural resources; indicators to measure biodiversity implementation are being developed, strategies to protect essential sources of biodiversity, such as seas and soils, are being designed; and•The promotion of sustainable consumption and production; make a decisive contribution towards meeting the WSSD goal to ensure the sound management of chemicals.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

•LCA is defined as ‘an objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process or activity by identifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, and to evaluate and implement opportunities to enhance environmental improvements.’•The standardization of these methods has been promoted by the ISO (the International organization for standardization). ISO has published a standard 14040 that gives the brad lines on how to perform LCA Studies.•LCA can be used as a scientific tools for gathering quantitative data to inventory, weigh and rank the environmental burden of products, processes and services.•It is the cradle to grave concept.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) FRAMEWORK METHODOLOGY

Direct Application

•Product Development•Strategic Planning•Public Policy making•Marketing•Others

LCA Framework

Inte

rpre

tatio

n

Goal and scope

specification

Inventory Analysis

Impact Assessment

3 R’s / 3 R Concept

Reduce/Reduction: to make something smaller or use less, resulting in a smaller amount of waste."Source reduction" is reducing waste before you purchase it, or by purchasing products that are not wasteful in their packaging or use.A key part of waste "reduction" is "conservation"—using natural resources wisely, and using less than usual in order avoid waste.You can practice reduction by selecting products that do not have to be added to landfills or the waste stream in general. This is really easy to do...First and foremost, buy and use lessStart making wise "package" selections. Refuse store bags!

Reduce/Reduction

You can "reuse" materials in their original form instead of throwing them away, or pass those materials on to others who could use them too! Remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure!

Here are some examples of reuse...•Take along washable cups or travel mugs instead of disposables; a lot of restaurants and stores will be glad to fill or refill your own mug.

•When you do use disposables like plastic cups, plates, utensils, and plastic food storage bags, don't throw them away! Wash and reuse them—most of them will last for a long time with many uses. They may not cost much to replace, but it doesn't make any more sense to throw away those things than it does to throw away your bicycle after one use.

REUSE

Don’t just toss everything in the trash. Lots of things (like cans, bottles, paper, and cardboard) can be remade into either the same kind of thing or new products. Making new items from recycled ones also takes less energy and fewer resources than making products from brand new materials.

Recycle