Addis Ababa University

Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction &

City Development (EiABC)

Course: Environmental Planning

Program: B.Sc in COTM

Lecture-3
 Presentation Contents
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Introduction

EIA

Procedures in EIA

EIA and Construction

 Brain Storming
o What do you understand from EIA or any experience to share?
o What is the linkage between Construction and EIA?

o What is the significance of EIA in construction industry?

o What do you expect to gain from EIA?

. INTRODUCTION
Bear in mind that:
Whenever any:
program
Policy
construction activity or
site development is introduced in to a country, society or specific area,
Two new things will be injected in to the Environment and the Society.
1.Positive +ve = Encourage them
2. Negative -ve = Mitigate them with appropriate measures

e.g. Road Construction: -----------------Discussion??

In the light of this all the fore-coming discussions under this part will spin
around on such issues
• Economic development in developing countries has been focused:
 On immediate economic gains

 Environmental protection has not been a priority in these countries;

 because the economic losses from environmental degradation often

occur long after the economic benefits of development have been
realized

• The past failure of development planning processes to take adequate account of

the detrimental impacts of economic development activities led to:
 The advent of environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes
• EIA was first employed by industrialized countries in the early 1970s

• Since that time, most countries have adopted EIA processes to examine the
social and environmental consequences of projects prior to their execution

• The purpose of these processes is to provide information to decision

makers and the public about the environmental implications of proposed
actions before decisions are made
 Development and Environment

Agriculture expansion, urbanization and infrastructure development are the

major causes of environmental degradation

For example;

with Agriculture expansion: Deforestation, pollution (water, Air and

Land) occurs

with Urbanization: Deforestation, pollution (waste generation) occurs

 Pollution is widespread.

Existing air pollution is being aggravated by increases in the use of low

quality petroleum and coal for transportation and energy.

The amount of toxic and hazardous material discharged into the

ambient environment is also rapidly increasing.

Urban populations are being exposed to un-quantified or qualified levels

of toxic pollutants because of industrial growth

 All these are the bad faces of development.

 It is these negative impacts on the environment that calls EIA to be considered
before any project, program or policy is enacted.
 Aims and objectives of EIA
EIA can:
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
 The EIA process should be

Purposive – meeting its aims and objectives

Focused – concentrating on the effects that matter
Adaptive – responding to issues and realities
Participative – fully involving the public
Transparent – clear and easily understood
Rigorous – employing ‘best practicable’ methodology
Practical – establishing mitigation measures that work
Credible – carried out with objectivity and professionalism
Efficient – imposing least cost burden on proponents
 Key operating principles of good EIA practice

EIA should:

Be applied to all proposals with significant impacts

Begin early in the project cycle

Address relevant environmental, social and health impacts

Identify and take account of public views

Result in a statement of impacts and mitigation measures

Facilitate informed decision making and condition

setting
 EIA and Development Planning
• EIA has an important role to play in resolving the aforementioned environmental
problems through its ability to:
 contribute to environmentally sound and sustainable development.

EIA Inputs to the Project Cycle

• Increasingly, countries are enacting laws requiring EIAs for all major projects.
 Stages of project cycle
A generalized project cycle can be described in terms of six main stages:

1) project concept

2) prefeasibility

3) feasibility

4) design and engineering

5) implementation; and

6) monitoring and evaluation

 EIA has a role to play at each stage in the cycle,
 Outputs of the EIA Process
The main goal of EIA is:

 To influence development decision-making by providing sound information on

environmental impacts and the means for preventing or reducing those impacts
 Analysis of Environmental Effects
• EIA analysis has three sequential phases:
 Identification

 Prediction, and

 Assessment

• Identification involves characterizing the existing physical, social, economic,

and ecological environment and identifying components of a development
project which are likely to impact that environment
 For example Results of an analysis of the environmental
effects of a highway project may include:

1. Noise: The planned highway may to pass through residential areas

which will disturb the surrounding residents.

2. Social Impacts: Social impacts includes the interference of the

highway with pedestrian traffic routes.

3. Water Resources Impacts: The flood which will be discharged in to

the nearby water resources will degrade the water quality.
 While the impervious highway surface would increase run-off during
and after rain, the steep gradients of the small watercourses which
drain the highway would make significant flooding.
4. Air Impacts: Air pollution from vehicle exhaust will pollute the air resource.

5. Traffic Impacts: The impact on traffic during the construction phase is expected
to increase congestion, particularly at the entry and exit points, and the presence
of maintenance vehicles, machinery and staff on the road.

6. Erosion and Slope Stability Impacts: Erosion is expected to continue through

the construction phases on embankments & cut slopes, especially where
vegetation cover was incomplete.
 Environmental Management Plan

 Environmental protection measures are taken to:

• Mitigate environmental impacts

• Provide in-kind compensation for lost environmental resources; or
• Enhance environmental resources

 One of the goals of the EIA processes is to develop an implementable

set of environmental protection measures

• These measures are normally set out in an environmental management

plan
 Environmental Monitoring Program
 Environmental monitoring involves the systematic collection of data to
determine:
• The actual environmental effects of a project;
• The compliance of the project with regulatory standards; or
• The degree of implementation of environmental protection measures and
success of the environmental protection measures.

 The information generated by monitoring programs provides the

feedback necessary to:
• ensure that environmental protection measures have been effective in helping
achieve an environmentally sound project.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• It refers to the need “to identify & predict the impact on:
the environment and

on man’s health and

well-being of legislative proposals, policies, programs, projects &

operational procedures, and to interpret & communicate information about
the impacts”,

• “The term ‘environmental assessment’ describes:

a technique and a process by which information about the environmental

effects of a project is collected, both:
 by the developer and from other sources, and
 taken into account by the planning authority in forming their judgments
on whether the development should go ahead.”
 Benefits of EIA include
Environmentally sound and sustainable design

Better compliance with standards

Savings in capital and operating costs

Reduced time and costs for approvals

Increased project acceptance

Better protection of the environment and human health

 

ACTORS INVOLVED IN THE EIA PROCESS

Project Proponent 
Consultant
 Interested and affected parties
 Decision Maker (e.g. EPA)
 EIA PROCESS
Prescreening

Screening

Scoping

Reviewing

  
Monitoring

Note: Each will be discussed in next slides

 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

evaluate their significance

Mitigation - to establish measures to prevent, reduce or

compensate for impacts
 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 the impacts of project

implementation

Public involvement - to inform and consult with stakeholders

 Generalized EIA Process Flowchart
Proposal
identification

EIA required Screening No EIA

Initial
Scoping environmental
examination

Impact analysis

Mitigation
and impact
management
*Public involvement
Resubmit EIA report
*Public involvement typically
occurs at these points.
It may also occur at any
Redesign Review other stage of the EIA Process

Not approved Decision-making

Approved
Information from this process
contributes to effective EIA in the future
Implementation
and post-EIA
monitoring
SCREENING
 What is screening?

 The screening process determines:

 Whether or not EIA is required for a

particular project

 What level of EIA is required

 Not required
 Partial or
 Full
 Screening outcomes

 Full or comprehensive EIA required

 Limited EIA required

 No EIA required
 Screening tools (methods)

 Legal/policy definition

 Project lists:

 Inclusive — listed projects must undergo EIA

 Exclusive — listed projects exempted from EIA

 Case-by-case examinations:

 Determine whether projects may have significant environmental

effects

 If so, project should undergo EIA

 Combination of above
 Typical proposals requiring a full EIA

 Dams and reservoirs

 Resettlement and urban development

 Infrastructure (e.g. transport and sanitation)

 Industrial facilities (e.g. manufacturing plants)

 Energy and minerals extraction (e.g. oil & gas, coal)

 Waste management and disposal of hazardous and toxic

materials

 Energy development (power stations, transmission lines,

pipelines)
An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
Describes the proposal

Considers alternatives

Addresses the concerns of the community

Identifies potential environmental effects

Establishes mitigation measures

Includes monitoring and follow up (as necessary)

Recommended elements for effective screening in Ethiopia
 Mandatory application of EIA should be based on the list
established in Annex I of the EIA Guideline Document

 Case-by-case screening should be applied, based on criteria

defined in the Procedural EIA Guideline

(Get the doc and keep it for your future use)

Lecture-4
SCOPING
 What is scoping?
 An early stage of the EIA process

 Begins once screening is completed

 Identifies key issues and impacts to

be considered

 Establishes the content and scope of an

EIA report

 It is the most important step in EIA lays the foundation of an effective

process, saves time and money, and reduces conflict
 Emphasis to be given during scoping phase

early step:- begins once screening completed

open, interactive process: – involves the public

lays the foundation of an EIA: – by identifying

 boundaries of the EIA study

 the information necessary for decision-making

 key issues and significant impacts to be considered

 Guiding principles to conduct scoping

scoping is a process not an activity or event

design the scoping process for each proposal

start early, as soon as information permits

prepare information package on what is expected

specify the role of the public in decision-making

approach should be systematic; implementation should be

flexible

document the results to guide preparation of EIA

respond to new information and issues as necessary

 Elements of scoping

define the parameters of the EIA study

Identify & inform stakeholders

identify stakeholder concerns

agree on the means of public involvement & methods of analysis

identify the main issues & impacts to be studied

consider feasible & practical alternatives

establish ‘Terms of Reference’ for the EIA

 Consideration of alternatives

demand alternatives

supply or input alternatives

activity alternatives

location alternatives

process alternatives

scheduling alternatives
 Who should be involved in scoping?
o proponent

o EIA consultant

o supervisory authority for EIA

o other responsible agencies

o affected public

o interested public
 EIA ‘ToR’ to be included in outline

Study area and boundaries

Alternatives to be examined

impacts and issues to be studied

approach to be taken

requirements for mitigation and monitoring

information and data to be included in the EIA report

timetable and requirements for completion of the EIA process

opportunities for wider public involvement

 Screening and scoping compared

Screening

Determines the requirement for EIA

Establishes the level of review necessary

Scoping

Identifies the key issues and impacts

Establishes the Terms of Reference

REVIEW
 Goals of an EIA review

 The purpose of the review process is to:

 establish if the information in an EIA report is

sufficient for decision-making.

 Key objectives are to:

 Review the quality of the EIA report.

 Take public comments into account.

 Determine if the information is sufficient.

 Identify any deficiencies to be corrected

 Considerations during an EIA review

The review complies with terms of reference for the EIA Report.

Information is correct and technically sound.

Public comments are taken into account.

There is a complete and satisfactory statement of key findings

Information is clear and understandable.

Information is sufficient for decision-making.

 EIA review types

 Internal review

Features:

 low operating costs

 can lack rigour and transparency

 often no documentation of result.

 External review

Features:

 independent, expert check on EIA quality

 more rigorous and transparent

 report on sufficiency or deficiency

 Formal Review of EIA Reports
7- 20 working days to declare if the EIA Report meets the
requirements of the laws or whether it needs additional
information.

Series Review Guidelines are prepared to assist Environmental

Protection Agencies in considering the adequacy of EIA reports.

The EIA Report is checked against the terms established during

scoping, which includes public participation.
Lecture-5
MONITORING
 Why is monitoring needed?

Monitoring is an essential but

neglected component of EIA

implementation & follow up.

Other components include

supervision, auditing & ex-post evaluation.

 Aims of monitoring

Ensure the implementation of conditions attached to a

decision.

Verify that impacts are as predicted or permitted.

Confirm that mitigation measures are working as

expected.

Take action to manage any unforeseen changes

 When is monitoring needed?

 Monitoring and auditing should be undertaken when:

 potential impacts are significant or uncertain; and/or

 mitigation measures are untried and outcomes

uncertain.
Key components of monitoring

Establish baseline conditions.

Measure impacts of a project as constructed.

Verify conformity with established with conditions and

acceptable limits.

Establish links to environmental management plans.

Carry out periodic checks and third-party audits.

 Design considerations of EIA monitoring
What is required?

 Identify the scope and components.

Who will carry out the activities?

 Specify roles and responsibilities.

How will these be implemented?

 Allocate resources.

 Define procedures and arrangements.

Who can access outcomes of monitoring?

 Only decision-maker and the wider public may access monitoring

outcomes.
 Purposes of EIA

1. An aid to decision-making
• EIA is a process with several important purposes.
• It is an aid to decision-making.
• For the decision-maker it provides a systematic examination of the
environmental implications of a proposed action, program or project and
sometimes alternatives, before a decision is taken.

2. An instrument for sustainable development (SD)

• SD is the central and ultimate role of EIA as one of the instruments to achieve
sustainable development: “development that does not cost the Earth”

• Existing environmentally harmful developments have to be managed as best

they can.
Impact Analysis
 The 'impact analysis'

 It is the detailed study phase of EIA which involves

identifying the impacts more specifically

predicting the characteristics of the main impacts

evaluating the significance of the residual impact

 The term ‘environment’ encompasses

human health and safety

flora, fauna, ecosystems and biodiversity

soil, water, air, climate and landscape

use of land, natural resources and raw materials

protected areas and sites of special significance

heritage, recreation and amenity assets

livelihood, lifestyle and well being of affected communities

 Methods for identifying environmental impacts

checklists

matrices

networks

overlays & geographical information systems (GIS)

expert systems

professional judgement
 Example of a checklist
For Water Supply and Sanitation Projects
Aspects of EIA Checkli st Questi ons Yes No Addi tional
Wi ll the pr oject: Data needs

Sour ces of I mpacts 1. Require t he acquis it ion or c onv ers ion of s ignificant areas
of land for res erv oir/t reatment work s etc . (e.g. > 50 ha
rural, > 5 ha urban)?
2. Res ult in s ignific ant quantities of eroded material, effluent
or s olid was tes ?

3. Require s ignific ant ac c ommodation or s erv ic e amenities to

s upport t he work forc e during c ons truc tion (eg > 100
manual work ers )?

Receptor s of Impacts 4. Flood or otherwis e affec t areas which support

c ons erv ation worthy terrest rial or aquatic ec osy st ems ,
flora or fauna (eg protec ted areas , wilderness areas ,
fores t res erv es , c rit ic al habit ats , endangered s pec ies ); or
that cont ain s ites of his torical or cultural import anc e?
5. Flood or otherwis e affec t areas which will affec t the
liv elihoods of loc al people (eg require populat ion
res ettlement ; affec t loc al indus t ry, agric ult ure, liv est oc k
or f is h s t ock s ; reduc e the availability of natural resourc e
goods and s erv ic es )?
6. Inv olv e s iting s anit ation t reatment fac ilit ies c los e to
human s ett lements (part ic ularly where loc ations are
s usc ept ible to f looding)?
7. Affec t s ourc es of water ex trac t ion?

Envir onmental Impacts 8. Caus e a not ic eable permanent or s eas onal reduct ion in
the v olume of ground or s urf ac e water s upply ?

9. Pres ent a s ignific ant pollution risk through liquid or s olid

was t es to humans, s ourc es of water ex trac t ion,
c ons erv ation worthy aquatic ecos y s tems and s pec ies , or
c ommerc ial fis h s toc k s ?
10. Change t he loc al hy drology of s urfac e water-bodies (eg
s treams , riv ers , lak es ) suc h that c ons erv ation-worthy or
c ommerc ially s ignif ic ant f is h s toc ks are affec ted?
11. Inc reas e t he ris k of dis eas es in areas of high population
dens ity (eg onc hocerc ias is , filarias is, malaria, hepatit is ,
gast rointes tinal dis eas es )?
12. Induc e s ec ondary dev elopment, eg along acc es s roads ,
or in the form of ent repreneurial s ervic es for c ons truc t ion
and operational ac tiv it ies ?

Miti gation Measur es 13. Be lik ely to require mit igation meas ures that may res ult in
the projec t being financially or s ocially unac c ept able?

Comments

I r ecommend that the pr ogr amme be assigned to

Categor y

Signature: Delegation. .. ... .. .... ... ... .. ... ... .... ... ... .. ... Des k ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... .
Main advantages and disadvantages of impact identification methods
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Checkl i sts • simple to underst and • do not di sti ngui sh
–si mpl e and use bet ween di rect and
–ranki ng • go od for si te sel ect i on i ndi rect i mp act s
and and priori ty set t i ng • do not l ink acti on and
wei ghting i mp act
• t he process of
i ncorpo rat i ng val ues
can be cont roversial
Matrices • li nk acti o n t o i mp act • di ffi cult t o di st in gu ish
• go od met hod fo r di rect and i nd irect
di spl ayi n g EIA resul ts i mp acts
• sig ni fican t po t ent ial
for do ubl e-cou nt ing o f
i mp acts
Networks • li nk acti o n t o i mp act • can become very
• useful in si mpl i fi ed complex if used bey ond
fo rm for checki ng for simpl ifi ed v ersion
second o rder i mpact s
• han dles d irect an d
in di rect i mpact s
Overla ys • easy to u nderst and • address onl y di rect
• go od di spl ay met hod i mp acts
• go od sit i ng tool • do not address impact
durat i on or probabi l i ty
GIS and • excel l ent for i mp act • heavy rel ian ce on
computer id ent i ficati on and kno wledge an d d ata
expert anal ysi s • oft en comp lex and
systems
• go od for ‘experi ment in g’ expen si ve
 Impact characteristics can vary in

nature (positive/negative, direct/indirect)

magnitude (severe, moderate, low)

extent/location (area/volume covered, distribution)

timing (during construction, operation etc, immediate, delayed)

duration (short term/long term, intermittent/continuous)

reversibility/irreversibility

likelihood (probability, uncertainty)

significance (local, regional, global)

 Impact characteristic summary table
IMPACT TYPE

IMPACT
air quality health etc
CHARACTERISTIC

nature

magnitude

extent/location

timing

duration

reversibility

likelihood (risk)

significance
 Health impacts
Examples of health impacts by sector
Communicable Non Nutrition Injury Psychosocial
disease communicable disorder and
disease loss of well-
being
Mining Tuberculosis Dust induced Crushing Labour migration
lung disease
Agriculture Parasitic Pesticide Loss of
infections poisoning subsistence
Industry Poisoning by Occupational Disempowerment
pollutants injury
Forestry Loss of food Occupational
production injury
Dams and Water borne Poisoning by Increased food Drowning Involuntary
irrigation diseases pollutants production displacement
schemes
Transportation HIV/Aids Heart disease Traffic injury Noise and
induced stress
Energy Indoor air Electromagnetic Community
pollution radiation displacement

Source: Birley, 2000

 Factors affecting economic impacts

duration of construction and operation

workforce requirements for each period

skill requirements (local availability)

earning

raw material and other input purchases

capital investment

outputs

the characteristics of the local economy

MITIGATION
 Purpose of mitigation
• Defined as “measures envisaged in order to avoid, reduce and, if
possible remedy significant adverse effects”.

 A measure before any problem/impact occurs.

find better ways of doing things

to avoid, minimise or remedy adverse impacts

to ensure that residual impacts are within acceptable levels

to enhance environmental and social benefits

Proponents have a responsibility to:

o avoid, minimise and remedy adverse impacts

o internalise the environmental & social costs of the

proposal

o prepare plans for managing impacts

o repair or make compensation for environmental damages

 Framework for impact mitigation

Common (desirable)
Alternative sites or
Avoidance technology to
eliminate habitat loss

Actions during
design, construction and
Mitigation operation to minimise
or eliminate habitat
loss

Used as a last resort

Compensation to of fset habitat loss
Rare (undesirable)
Impact avoidance can be achieved by:

 not undertaking certain projects or elements

 avoiding environmentally sensitive areas

 use of measures to prevent impacts from occurring

 site remediation bonds

 resettlement plans

 in kind measures and offsets

 Impact compensation can be achieved by

rehabilitation of resource or environmental components

restoration of the site to its previous state

replacement of the environmental values lost at another

location
Public Participation
Public participation:- is the direct involvement/consultation of the
public in any devt activities, programs or policies.

 This is to inform the public about these activities & include their
ideas/knowledge in those devt activities, programs or policies.

Purpose & objectives of public involvement

informing stakeholders

gaining their views, concerns and values

taking account of public inputs in decision making

influencing project design

obtaining local knowledge

 Key stakeholders

local people affected by a proposal/activity, policy, program

proponent and project beneficiaries

government agencies

NGOs

others, e.g. donors, the private sector, academics

Public involvement in key stages of the EIA process

screening
determining the need for, and level, of EIA

scoping
identifying the key issues and alternatives

impact analysis
identifying the significant impacts and mitigating measures

review
commenting on/responding to the EIA report

implementation and monitoring

checking EIA follow up
Principles for successful application of public involvement techniques

provide the right information

allow sufficient time to review & respond

provide appropriate opportunities/means for stakeholder

involvement

respond issues & concerns raised

feed back the results of public input

choose venues and times of events to suit stakeholders

 Principles for minimising conflict

involve all stakeholders

establish communication channels

describe the proposal & its objectives

listen to the concerns & interests of affected people

treat people fairly & impartially

be flexible

mitigate impacts & compensate for loss and damage

acknowledge concerns & provide feed-back.

 Conclusion
 EIA is an important tool to conduct a healthier construction & hence it should be included
in each construction activity once in which category the concerned activity is categorized
(EIA requiring, partial or not)
 Therefore as a construction manager, do not forget to:
o “Consider EIA as part of environmental planning for any construction activity”.
 Because EIA is a tool which helps to encourage positive impacts & discourage
negative impacts.
 During Rural Road construction & provision:
 Possible +ve impacts: facilitating transportation, economic devt, social devt,

 Possible -ve impacts: Land degradation, Water resources pollution, Relocation of

residents, Forest destruction,
 Hence, there is a need to include mitigation measures for the negative impacts.
Note: The EIA processes & procedures must be considered to prepare a sound EIA
document.
The EIA Guide lines can be obtained from the Ethiopian Environmental Protection
Authority or from its web-site.
Thank you