Preparation of EIAs of road project, industry and dam

Preparation of EIAs of road project, industry and dam

EIA for road project
As per the EIA notification of 14th September 2006 and its amendment dated 1st December 2009,

highway projects are divided into two categories as mentioned below :

1. Highways New National Highways & Expansion of National Highways greater than 30 km,involving additional right of way greater than 20m involving land acquisition and passing through more than one State come under category A.
2. All state highway projects State highway expansion projects in hilly terrain (above 1,000 m AMSL) and or ecologically sensitive areas come under category B.

Any project or activity specified in category B will be treated as category A, if located in whole or in part within 10 km from the boundary of:

• Protected area identified by wildlife act
• Critically polluted areas as identified by CPCB
• Eco-sensitive areas identified by Environment (Protection) Act

The environmental clearance process for all projects will comprise a maximum of four stages. These four stages in sequential order are:

1. Screening that entails the scrutiny of an application seeking prior environmental clearance to determine whether or not the project or activity requires further environmental studies for preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for its appraisal prior to the grant of environmental clearance depending upon the nature and location specificity of the project.
2. Scoping’ refers to detailed and comprehensive TOR addressing all relevant  environmental concerns for the preparation of an EIA report.
3. “Public consultation” refers to the process by which the concerns of local affected persons and others. After completion of the public consultation, the applicant shall address all the material environmental concerns expressed during this process, and make appropriate changes in the draft EIA and EMP.
4. Appraisal involves detailed scrutiny of the application and other document like the Final EIA report, outcome of the public consultations including public hearing proceedings, submitted by the applicant to the regulatory authority concerned for grant of Environmental Clearance (EC).

In terms of the EIA notification of the MOEF dated 14th September 2006, the structure of the EIA document shall be as listed below:

• Introduction
• Project Description
• Analysis of Alternatives (Technology and Site)
• Description of the Environment
• Anticipated Environmental Impact & Mitigation Measures
• Environmental Monitoring Program
• Additional Studies
• Project Benefits
• Environmental Cost Benefit Analysis
• Environmental Management Plan
• Summary & Conclusion
• Disclosure of Consultants engaged

EIA for building industry

The EIA Notification, 2006 is to set procedures of environmental clearance before establishment of identified nature and size. The suitability of site for a proposed development is one of the main concerns in awarding an environmental clearance to a project.

A project is considered B category if the built-up area is between 20,000 and 150,000 sq. m. or a township area greater than 50 ha or built-up area greater than 150,000 sq. m.

Any project or activity specified in category B will be treated as category A, if located in whole or in part within 10 km from the boundary of:

Protected area identified by wildlife act

Critically polluted areas as identified by CPCB

Eco-sensitive areas identified by Environment (Protection) Act

The prior environmental clearance granted is valid for a period of five years. The regulatory

authority concerned may extend this validity period by a maximum period of five years provided

an application is made to the regulatory authority by the applicant within the validity period

The structure of the EIA document listed below:

1. Introduction
2. Project Description
3. Description of the Environment
4. Anticipated Environmental Impacts & Mitigation Measures
5. Analysis of Alternatives (Technology and site)
6. Environmental Monitoring Programme
7. Additional Studies
8. Project Benefits
9. Environmental Management Plan
10. Summary & Conclusion
11. Disclosure of Consultants engaged

EIA for dam
An EIA for a dam project should discuss the following:

1. Location of the project, characteristics of the dam, total land area required, catchment area above the dam site,storage capacity and total cost of the project
2. It should clearly state  the need for the project
3. Based on facts and the guidance manual provided by the MoEF, the project should be classified as category A or category B enabling the decision makers to opt for a Rapid EIA (REIA) or a Comprehensive EIA (CEIA)
4. The study comprises of the following five stages
1. Determination of baseline conditions
2. Identification of differ