CHAPTER 6: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

6.1 SOME DEFINITIONS

Human environment can be interpreted to comprehensively include the natural and built up
environment and man’s relationship with that environment.
Impacts (or effects) – these include ecological (natural resources and the components, structure,
and functioning of the ecosystem), aesthetic, historic, economic and health effects. They may be:
• Direct: Caused by the action and occur at the same time and place as the project for
example, displacement of persons for dam and reservoir construction.
• Indirect: Caused by action but may occur in different place at another time, although still
reasonably foreseeable for example, the sinking of borehole lowers the water table which
may result in die-off of vegetation miles away.
• Cumulative: Continued action of the project compounds the present impact or future impact.
This may also be explained by the concepts of bioaccumulation and biomagnification
(Figure 6.1). Bioaccumulation is the selective absorption and storage of a great variety of
molecules. In so doing, the toxins that are rather dilute in the environment can reach
dangerous levels inside cells and tissues through bioaccumulation. On the other hand,
biomagnification the process whereby the effects of toxins are magnified (increase) and
thereby their concentration is increased in the environment through food chains. It occurs
when the toxic burden of a large number of organisms at a lower trophic level is accumulated
and concentrated by a predator in a higher trophic level; where a trophic level of an organism
is the position it occupies in a food chain, i.e. what it eats, and what eats it!

Figure 6.1. The concept of bioaccumulation and biomagnification using DDT as an example.

For example, the small fish and zooplankton eat vast quantities of phytoplankton. In doing so,
any toxic chemicals accumulated by the phytoplankton are further concentrated in the bodies of
the animals that eat them. The top predators at the end of a long food chain, such as lake trout,

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large salmon and fish-eating gulls, may accumulate concentrations of a toxic chemical high
enough to cause serious deformities or death even though the concentration of the chemical in
the open water is extremely low. The concentration of some chemicals in the fatty tissue of top
predators can be millions of times higher than the concentration in the open water.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is defined as the systematic examination conducted

to determine whether or not a project will have any adverse impact on the environment (National
Environment Statue, 1995). Following an EIA, a concise public document for which the
government is responsible is prepared. The document serves to
i) Briefly provide evidence and analysis for determining if an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) is required if the findings are of no significant impact
ii) It aids the agency’s compliance with the government Environment Policy act when no EIS is
necessary
iii) It will facilitate the preparation of the EIS if necessary
The EIA also includes a brief discussion of the need for the project, the alternative options, and
the persons consulted.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a detailed written statement, quite similar to the
EIA but greater in depth and detail.

6.2 OBJECTIVES OF AN EIA

i) To identify whether or not (YES or NO) a proposed policy, project or activity is likely to
have significant impacts (both beneficial and adverse)
ii) If YES, to identify the potential significant environmental impacts
iii) Analyse the significance of the adverse environmental impacts
iv) Determine whether the adverse impacts can be mitigated
v) Recommend preventive or mitigation measures
vi) Identify and assess any other alternatives of the proposed policy, project or activity and
associated activities.
vii) Recommend whether or not the proposed project should be implemented or modified.

6.3 WHEN DOES ONE NEED AN EIA?

• In the preliminary stages of a project.
• To determine possible impacts of the project on the environment,
• To establish any possible impact reductions, improvements and if they are not possible, to
find alternatives to the project, for example, change the project site, or invest in something
else, etc.

The list of projects that are likely to be exempted from EIA and those to be considered for EIA
are stated in Annexes 2 and 3 in the Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in Uganda
(1997). This list is reproduced as an appendix to these notes.

The principal components of the environment are highlighted in the Table 6.1. Additionally, an
EIA can also be prepared using categories of environmental parameters under the following
broad categories: Physical/chemical, ecological, aesthetics and social.

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Table 6.1. Principal components of the environment
Social
Services Safety Sense of community
• Education facilities • Structures • Structural organisation
• Employment • Materials • Homogeneity and diversity
• Commercial facilities • Site hazards • Physical stock and facilities
• Healthcare/ Social services • Circulation conflicts Psychological well-being
• Liquid waste disposal • Road safety and design • Physical threat
• Solid waste disposal • Crowding
• Water supply Physiological well-being • Nuisance
• Storm water drainage • Noise Historic value
• Police • Vibration • Historic structures
• Fire • Odour • Historic sites and districts
• Recreation • Light Visual quality
• Transportation • Temperature • Visual content
• Cultural facilities • Disease • Formal coherence
• Apparent access
Physical
Geology Special features Biota
• Unique features • Sanitary landfill • Plant and animal special lists
• Resource value • Wetlands • Vegetation community types
• Slope stability/rock fall • Coastal zones/shorelines • Diversity
• Foundation stability • Mine dumps/spoil areas • Productivity
• Depth of impermeable layers • Nutrient cycling
• Subsidence Water Climate and air
• Weathering/chemical release • Hydrologic balance • Macroclimate hazards
• Tectonic activity/volcanism • Aquifer yield • Forest and range fires
• Groundwater recharge • Heat balance
Soils • Groundwater flow direction • Wind alteration
• Slope stability • Depth to water table • Humidity and precipitation
• Foundation support • Drainage/channel form • Generation and dispersion of
• Shrink swell • Sedimentation contaminants
• Frost susceptibility • Impoundment leakage Energy
• Liquefaction and slope failure • Shadow effects • Energy requirements
• Irritability • Flooding • Conservation measures
• Permeability • Water quality • Environmental significance

6.4 WHAT SHOULD AN EIA COMPRISE OF?

i) A description of proposed action and alternatives
ii) An estimate of the nature and magnitude of likely environmental changes including action-
induced effects
iii) An identification of human concerns, i.e., who and/or what will be affected and what will be
changed
iv) Definition of criteria for measuring and grading significant changes and relative weighting
for comparison of different changes. These may be:
• subjective, e.g., [very bad] – [bad] – [fair] – [good] – [very good]
• logically weighted, e.g., 0(very bad) – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 (very good)
• comparison with standards, e.g., results of lab analysis of samples, visual inspections
v) Estimation of the significance of the predicted changes by summing up all the impacts and
weighing the project proposal according to the set limits or goals
vi) Preparation of proposals for:
• acceptance for the project by the community
• remedial action to avert/alleviate negative impacts

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 • one or more viable alternative methodologies
• rejection of the project
vii) Preparation of recommendations for inspection/monitoring procedures after action has been
taken to check whether the project impact will be as anticipated

6.5 LEVEL OF DETAIL REQUIRED OF AN EIA

The required level of detail of an EIA depends on:
1. Sensitivity of the local environment, e.g., discharge of toxic wastes in an inhabited area, as a
last resort, will require a more detailed EIA than, say, disposal in the middle of the Sahara
desert.
2. Scale and potential effects of the proposed developments, e.g., in rural or urban area impacts
may differ.
3. Social value attached to conserving environmental quality locally, nationally and
internationally. Some nations for example may afford to spend millions of dollars to protect
their environment. Also architectural relics, historical sites, traditional burial grounds, etc.,
may overrule urbanisation.
4. Resources and scientific expertise locally available.
5. Available time in which to produce the document (set time limits, deadlines).

6.6 TOOLS USED IN PREPARING AN EIA

Some of the tools used by assessors preparing EIA include
• field surveys
• questionnaires, public opinion polls
• modelling (computer aided simulation)
• agency guidelines (may vary from agency to agency, NEMA in the case of uganda)
• literature searches
• workshops
• interviews with specialists (brainstorming)
• monitoring before and after project establishment, continuous assessment, use of a pilot
project or model.

6.7 EXPERTISE REQUIRED FOR CONDUCTING EIAS

It is obvious that knowledge of environmental components and impacts of various activities on
these components is not the monopoly of any one discipline. For this reason, the EIA on any
project is usually carried out and a report compiled by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in
the various fields. The team may include the following expert personnel: environmental
scientist, environmental engineer, socio-economist, health worker, anthropologist,
hydrogeologist, land resource economist, etc.

6.7.1 Public participation in EIAs

It is widely accepted that public participation can make a key contribution to the sound design,
effective implementation and efficient operation and management of development projects. All
stakeholders should be involved to the fullest possible extent in the development process, from
the inception, design and development of a project through its implementation, monitoring and
evaluation.

A number of techniques can be applied to promote and establish dialogue with stakeholder
groups. These include:
• institutional committees and working groups

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 • workshops, conferences and round tables
• advisory groups
• media announcements; local radio phone-ins; newsletters and brochures; public notices,
displays, meetings, telephone service lines
• collaboration with community NGOs and community leaders; participatory learning and
action techniques
• surveys, interviews and questionnaires

Ideally, participation should start at the screening stage-by making outline details of
development plans available to local communities and/or NGOs, in an accessible form, for
example. Scoping provides the opportunity for participants to ensure that the terms of reference
for the EIA process address all issues perceived to be of importance and to optimise and provide
for the involvement of different stakeholders groups.

Once such terms of reference have been defined, the opportunities for the public to influence the
process diminish markedly. Opportunities for integrating participation approaches throughout the
EIA process also exist, for example through joint assessment, whereby different stakeholders
work with EIA practitioners to negotiate and agree on issues relevant to decision-making.
Dissemination and public review of the draft EIA documents can help identify issues that have
been ‘missed’ or addressed inadequately.

6.8 THE EIA PROCESS

The EIA process has three phases (Figure 6.2).

An Executive Summary of the document produced would include the following:

• Introduction – background, justification, objective(s), and description of the intended
project
• Methodology
• Description of existing environment
• Legal and regulatory framework
• Mitigation measures
• Environmental monitoring plan

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 DEVELOPER Inputs/Outputs

Submission of project Project Brief forwarded

brief to the Authority to Lead Agency

Authority and Lead

Agency consultation on
SCREENING

Screen1 Screen2 Screen3 Project Brief

(Annex 2) (Annex 3) Whether adequate
Whether project is Whether project mitigation measures Certificate of Approval
exempt from EIA requires mandatory have been of EIA
EIA incorporated

Stakeholder
Scoping
consultations on scope

TORs Authority, Lead Agency

EISTUDY

and Stakeholder
Review of TORs consultations on TORs
Public and stakeholder
EIStudy and collection of information consultations

Prepare EIS EIS

Lead Agency and

Public comments
DECISIONS

Review and comment on EIS

and review
Approval of EIS Any further stakeholder
and Lead Agency
Decision on Project comments

Record of Decision
Action by DEVELOPER

Figure 6.2. Schematic representation of the EIA process

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