Environmental Impact Assessment-FUNCTIONS OF EIA

FUNCTIONS OF EIA

·        Impact identification

·        Impact prediction and management

·        Impact interpretation or evaluation

·        Identification of monitoring requirements and mitigating measures

·        Communication of impact information to users such as decision makers and members of the public

Impact identification:

·        First task or activity

·        Knowledge concerning the nature and extent of impacts

·        Different environmental settings

·        Emphasis on identifying impacts

Impact prediction and management:

· Involves estimation of likely nature or characteristics of impacts in quantitative/ qualitative terms

Prediction techniques:

Mathematical models e.g. Gaussian Dispersion Models, Water Quality Models, Physical Small Scale Models

Nature of these effects on humans, animals or plants.

Impact interpretation or evaluation:

·        The magnitude of an impact

·        How important is this change?

Identification of monitoring requirements and mitigating measures:

Monitoring can be instituted for three main reasons:

·        First to ensure that legal standards for effluent are not exceeded

·        Secondly, to check that mitigating measures are implemented in the manner described in EIS and related documents

·        Finally, and most importantly in the context of EIA, there is monitoring to provided early warning of environmental damage so that actions may be taken, if possible, to prevent or reduce the seriousness of the unwanted impacts.

Communication of Impact Information:

·    Once impact have been interpreted it is essential that quantitative data and quantitative information on impacts be presented in a form that enables non-experts to comprehend them

·        Unless interested members of the public and decision makers can understand impact information, they will be unable to form conclusions on the merits and disadvantages of a proposal.