Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important management tool for ensuring optimal use of natural
resources for sustainable development. A beginning in this direction was made in our country with the impact
assessment of river valley projects in 1978-79 and the scope has subsequently been enhanced to cover other
developmental sectors such as industries, thermal power projects, mining schemes etc. To facilitate collection of
environmental data and preparation of management plans, guidelines have been evolved and circulated to the
concerned Central and State Government Departments. EIA has now been made mandatory under the
Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for 29 categories of developmental activities involving investments of Rs.
50 crores and above.
Environmental Appraisal Committees
With a view to ensure multi-disciplinary input required for environmental appraisal of development projects,
Expert Committees have been constituted for the following sectors:
1. Mining Projects
2. Industrial Projects
3. Thermal Power Projects
4. River Valley, Multipurpose, Irrigation and H.E. Projects
5. Infrastructure Development and Miscellaneous Projects
6. Nuclear Power Projects
Environmental Appraisal Procedure
Once an application has been submitted by a project authority along with all the requisite documents specified in
the EIA Notification, it is scrutinised by the technical staff of the Ministry prior to placing it before the
Environmental Appraisal Committees. The Appraisal Committees evaluate the impact of the project based on the
data furnished by the project authorities and if necessary, site visits or on-the-spot assessment of various
environmental aspects are also undertaken. Based on such examination, the Committees make recommendations
for approval or rejection of the project, which are then processed in the Ministry for approval or rejection.
In case of site specific projects such as Mining, River Valley, Ports and Harbours etc., a two stage clearance
procedure has been adopted whereby the project authorities have to obtain site clearance before applying for
environmental clearance of their projects. This is to ensure avoiding areas which are ecologically fragile and
environmentally sensitive. In case of projects where complete information has been submitted by the project
proponents, a decision is taken within 90 days.
Monitoring
After considering all the facets of a project, environmental clearance is accorded subject to implementation of
the stipulated environmental safeguards. Monitoring of cleared projects is undertaken by the six regional offices

of the Ministry functioning at Shillong, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Lucknow and Bhopal. The
primary objective of such a procedure is to ensure adequacy of the suggested safeguards and also to undertake
mid-course corrections required, if any. The procedure adopted for monitoring is as follows:
1. Project authorities are required to report every six months on the progress of implementation of the
conditions/safeguards stipulated, while according clearance to the project.
2. Field visits of officers and expert teams from the Ministry and/ or its Regional Offices are undertaken to
collect and analyse performance data of development projects, so that difficulties encountered are
discussed with the proponents with a view to finding solutions.
3. In case of substantial deviations and poor or no response, the matter is taken up with the concerned State
Government.
4. Changes in scope of project are identified to check whether review of earlier decision is called for or not.
Coastal Area Management
Coastal States/UTs are required to prepare Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) as per the provisions of
the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 1991, identifying and categorising the coastal areas for different
activities and submit it to the Ministry for approval.
The Ministry has constituted a Task Force for examination of these plans submitted by Maharashtra and Gujarat
States have been discussed in the meetings of the Task Force and these need to be modified. The Government of
Orissa has submitted a partial plan covering only a part of their coastal area. In respect of West Bengal, a
preliminary concept document of the CZMP has been submitted. Revised CZMP/clarifications have been
received from the State of Goa and UTs of Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
During the year, the Task Force had seven meetings and two site visits for consideration of the plans. Once the
plans of the different States/UTs are finalised, the development activities in the coastal belt would be more
forcefully regulated to ensure non-violation of CRZ Notification.
Island Development Authority (IDA)
The 9th meeting of IDA was held on 22.1.96 under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister to decide on various
policies and programmes aimed at integrated development of the islands, keeping in view the relevent aspects of
environmental protection, and also to review the progress of implementation and impact of the programmes of
development.
Studies on Carrying Capacity
Natural resources are finite and are dwindling at a fast pace. Optimization of natural resources for achieving the
objective of sustainable development is therefore, self evidents, this can be done only when environmental

considerations are internalized in the development process. It has often been observed that one or more natural
resource(s) becomes a limiting resource in a given region thereby restricting the scope of development portfolios.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests has been sponsoring Carrying Capacity Studies for different regions.
The studies involve:
1. Inventorisation of the natural resources available;
2. Preparation of the existing environmental settings;
3. Perspective plans and their impact on natural resources through creation of "Business As Usual
Scenario";
4. Identification of "Hot Spots" requiring immediate remedial action to overcome air, water or land
pollution;
5. Formulation of alternative development scenarios including a Preferred Scenarios. A comparison between
"Business As Usual" and the "Preferred Scenario" would indicate the future course of action to be
adopted for development of the region after the package has been discussed with the local people as well
as the planners.
A few problem areas such as the Doon Valley - an ecologically sensitive area, the National Capital Region
(NCR) which is suffering from air and water pollution as well as congestion, Damodar River Basin which is very
rich in natural resources and yet has extensive environmental degradation and Tapi estuary which represents the
problems in the coastal region both for water and land development, have been selected for carrying out such
studies.
A multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional approach has been adopted for conducting these studies. Draft
reports are ready for Doon Valley and the NCR and are being discussed with the NGOs and the local people for
finalising the same. Work relating to Damodar Basin and Tapi Estuary is continuing with respect to secondary
data collection and analysis so as to identify the requirements of primary data collection and modification in the
development scenarios.

Defining Life cycle Assessment

Life cycle assessment determines the environmental impacts of products, processes or services,
through production, usage, and disposal.

Life Cycle Assessment:

A systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and
energy and the associated environmental impacts directly attributable to the functioning of a product or
service system throughout its life cycle.

Life Cycle:
Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product or service system, from the extraction of natural
resources to the final disposal.
- ISO 14040.2 Draft: Life Cycle Assessment - Principles and Guidelines

What is LCA?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique for assessing the potential environmental aspects and potential
aspects associated with a product (or service), by:

compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs,

evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs,

interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the
study.
- ISO 14040.2 Draft: Life Cycle Assessment - Principles and Guidelines

Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) involve cradle-to-grave analyses of production systems and provide
comprehensive evaluations of all upstream and downstream energy inputs and multimedia environmental
emissions. LCAs can be costly and time-consuming, thus limiting their use as analysis techniques in both the
public and private sectors. Streamlined techniques for conducting LCAs are needed to lower the cost and
time involved with LCA and to encourage a broader audience to begin using LCA.
- Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Life-cycle assessment has emerged as a valuable decision-support tool for both policy makers and industry in
assessing the cradle-to-grave impacts of a product or process. Three forces are driving this evolution. First,
government regulations are moving in the direction of "life-cycle accountability;" the notion that a
manufacturer is responsible not only for direct production impacts, but also for impacts associated with
product inputs, use, transport, and disposal. Second, business is participating in voluntary initiatives which
contain LCA and product stewardship components. These include, for example, ISO 14000 and the Chemical
Manufacturer Association's Responsible Care Program, both of which seek to foster continuous improvement
through better environmental management systems. Third, environmental "preferability" has emerged as a
criterion in both consumer markets and government procurement guidelines. Together these developments
have placed LCA in a central role as a tool for identifying cradle-to-grave impacts both of products and the
materials from which they are made.
The "life-cycle" or "cradle-to-grave" impacts include the extraction of raw materials; the processing,
manufacturing, and fabrication of the product; the transportation or distribution of the product to the

consumer; the use of the product by the consumer; and the disposal or recovery of the product after its useful
life.
There are four linked components of LCA:

Goal definition and scoping: identifying the LCA's purpose and the expected products of the study,
and determining the boundaries (what is and is not included in the study) and assumptions based upon
the goal definition;

Life-cycle inventory: quantifying the energy and raw material inputs and environmental releases
associated with each stage of production;

Impact analysis: assessing the impacts on human health and the environment associated with energy
and raw material inputs and environmental releases quantified by the inventory;

Improvement analysis: evaluating opportunities to reduce energy, material inputs, or environmental

impacts at each stage of the product life-cycle.
- Tellus Institute

Life Cycle Assessment is a process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process,
or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment;
to assess the impact of those energy and materials used and releases to the environment; and to identify and
evaluate opportunities to affect environmental improvements. The assessment includes the entire life cycle of
the product, process or activity, encompassing, extracting and processing raw materials; manufacturing,
transportation and distribution; use, re-use, maintenance; recycling, and final disposal.
- Guidelines for Life-Cycle Assessment: A 'Code of Practice', SETAC, Brussels
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used as a tool to assess the environmental impacts of a product, process or
activity throughout its life cycle; from the extraction of raw materials through to processing, transport, use
and disposal. In its early days it was primarily used for product comparisons, for example to compare the
environmental impacts of disposable and reusable products. Today its applications include government
policy, strategic planning, marketing, consumer education, process improvement and product design. It is
also used as the basis of eco-labelling and consumer education programs throughout the world.
- Life Cycle Assessment: How Relevant is it to Australia? M. Demmers and H. Lewis
Life Cycle Assessment or LCA can be defined as a systematic inventory and analysis of the environmental
effect that is caused by a product or process starting from the extraction of raw materials, production, use,
etc. up to the waste treatment. For each of these steps there will be made an inventory of the use of material
and energy and the emissions to the environment. With this inventory an environmental profile will be set up,

which makes it possible to identify the weak points in the lifecycle of the system studied. These weak points
are the focal points for improving the system from an environmental point of view.
- VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research)

Life cycle assessment process:

- Matsushita Graphic Communications Systems Inc

Roles of NGOs
Among the wide variety of roles that NGOs play, the following six can be identified as important, at the risk
of generalization:
Development and Operation of Infrastructure:
Community-based organizations and cooperatives can acquire, subdivide and develop land, construct
housing, provide infrastructure and operate and maintain infrastructure such as wells or public toilets and
solid waste collection services. They can also develop building material supply centres and other
community-based economic enterprises. In many cases, they will need technical assistance or advice from
governmental agencies or higher-level NGOs.
Supporting Innovation, Demonstration and Pilot Projects:

NGO have the advantage of selecting particular places for innovative projects and specify in advance the
length of time which they will be supporting the project - overcoming some of the shortcomings that
governments face in this respect. NGOs can also be pilots for larger government projects by virtue of their
ability to act more quickly than the government bureaucracy.
Facilitating Communication:
NGOs use interpersonal methods of communication, and study the right entry points whereby they gain the
trust of the community they seek to benefit. They would also have a good idea of the feasibility of the
projects they take up. The significance of this role to the government is that NGOs can communicate to the
policy-making levels of government, information about the lives, capabilities, attitudes and cultural
characteristics of people at the local level.
NGOs can facilitate communication upward from people to the government and downward from the
government to the people. Communication upward involves informing government about what local people
are thinking, doing and feeling while communication downward involves informing local people about what
the government is planning and doing. NGOs are also in a unique position to share information horizontally,
networking between other organizations doing similar work.
Technical Assistance and Training:
Training institutions and NGOs can develop a technical assistance and training capacity and use this to
assist both CBOs and governments.
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation:
Innovative activities need to be carefully documented and shared - effective participatory monitoring would
permit the sharing of results with the people themselves as well as with the project staff.
Advocacy for and with the Poor:
In some cases, NGOs become spokespersons or ombudsmen for the poor and attempt to influence
government policies and programmes on their behalf. This may be done through a variety of means ranging
from demonstration and pilot projects to participation in public forums and the formulation of government
policy and plans, to publicizing research results and case studies of the poor. Thus NGOs play roles from
advocates for the poor to implementers of government programmes; from agitators and critics to partners
and advisors; from sponsors of pilot projects to mediators