ENVIRONMENT IMPACT

IDENTIFICATION,PREDICTION
AND EVALUATION

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 EIA METHODOLOGY
 Methodology means the structural approaches for doing

one or more activities of EIA.

 There are some specific characteristic which an EIA

methodology should depict.
These are:
1. It should be appropriate to the necessary task of EIA
process such as impact identification/Comparison of
alternatives.
2. It should be significantly free from assessors bias.
3.It should be economical in terms of costs, and its
requirement of data, investigating
time,personnel,equipment and facilities.
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IMPACT ANALYSIS:
 This stage of EIA identifies and predicts the likely
Environmental and social impact of the proposed
project and evaluates the significance.

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METHODS FOR IMPACT ANALYSIS

 IMPACT IDENTIFICATION

 IMPACT PREDICTION

 IMPACT EVALUATION

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1.IMPACT IDENTIFICATION
 Impact identification attempts to answer the question,
"what will happen when a project enters its operational
stage?”

 A list of important impacts such as changes in ambient

air quality,changes in water and soil qualities, noise
levels ,wildlife habitats, species diversity, social and
cultural systems, employment levels etc. may be
prepared.

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 The important sources of impact like smoke
emmission,consumption of water, discharge of effluents
ect.are identified.

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 METHODS OF ENVIRONMENT
IMPACT IDENTIFICATION
 Ad hoc method

 Checklists

 Matrices

 Overlays

 Networks

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 1. Ad hoc method:
 Simple method based on subjective environment impacts on
board aspects.

 Ad hoc method is useful when time constraints and lack of

information require that the EIA must rely exclusively on
expert opinion.

 It provides minimal guidance for total impact assessment while

suggesting the board areas of possible impacts and the general
nature of these possible impacts.

 When more scientific methods are available ,it is not

recommended.
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Types of Ad hoc method:
 Opinion polls

 Experts opinion

 Delphi methods etc.

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 Ad hoc method
 ADVANTAGE
a.Specialists on a particular area will provide guidance.

 DISADVANTAGE
a. It require expert.
b.Short/long term impact are merely examined on guess,
basis.
c.Identification,prediction and interpretation of impacts are
quite poor.

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2.CHECKLISTS METHOD
 Checklists means a listing of potential Environmental
impacts.

 This method is done to assess the nature of the impacts

ie,its type such as adverse /beneficial, short term or
long term ,no effect or significant impact, reversible or
irreversible etc.

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Types of checklists method
 Simple lists

 Descriptive Checklists

 Scaling Checklists

 Questionnaire Checklists

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 Checklists:-
 ADVANTAGE
a.Simple to understand and use.
b.Good for site selection and priority setting.

 DISADVANTAGE
a. Do not distinguish between direct and indirect impact.
b.Do not link action and impact.
c.Sometime it is a difficult task.

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3.Matrices
 Matrix and its variants provide us a framework of
interaction of different actions /acitivities of a project
with potential EI caused by them.

 A simple interaction matrix is formed where project

actions are listed along one axis i.e. vertically and EI
are listed along the other side ie,horizontally.

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Matrices method
 ADVANTAGES
a. Link action to impact
b. Good method for displaying EIA results.

 DISADVANTAGES
a.Difficult to distinguish direct and indirect impacts.
b.Significant potential for double-counting of impacts.
c.Qualitative

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4.Network method
 It uses the matrix approach by extending it take into
account primary as well the secondary impact.

 Identification of direct,indirect/short and long term

environment impact is a crucial and intact basis of
making impact tree.

 Used to identify cause-effect linkages.

 Visual description of linkages.

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Networks method :
ADVANTAGES
a.Link action to impact
b.Useful in simplified form in checking for
second order impacts.
c.Handles direct and indirect impact.

DISADVANTAGES
a.Can become overly complex if used
beyond simplified version.
b.Qualitative

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5.Overlays :Mc Harg
(1968,69)
 Rely on a set of maps of a project areas environmental
characteristics covering
physical,social,ecological,asthetic aspects.
 Separate mapping of critical environmental features at

the same scale as project’s site plan

eg.wetlands,steep slopes,soils,floodplains,bedrock
outcrops,wildlife habitats,vegetative communities and
cultural resources..
 Older technique:environmental features are mapped on

transparent plastic in different colors.

 Newer Technique:Geographic information systems.(GIS)

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OVERLAY METHOD:
 ADVANTAGES
a.Easy to understand and use.
b.Good display method.
C.Good for site selection setting.
 DISADVANTAGES

a.Address only direct impact.

b.Do not address impact duration or probability.

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Types of impacts
 Biological and Physio-chemical impacts

 Social impacts

 Health impacts

 Economic impacts

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BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSIO-CHEMICAL
IMPACTS:
 It relate to effects on biological resources such as
vegetation,wildlife,crops and aquatic life.

 Interaction with Physical elements like

air ,water,soil,rocks and solar radiation.

 Chemical impacts like chemical change in air,water,soil

quality,etc.

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SOCIAL IMPACTS:
 Demographic: Displacement and relocation effects and
changes in population characteristics.

 Cultural:Traditional patterns,family
structure,religious,archaeological features,social networks.

 Gender:implication of projects on roles ofwomen in

society,employment opprtunity and equity.

 Institutional:Housing,schools,criminal justice,health,welfare

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ECONOMIC IMPACT:

 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.

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2.IMPACT PREDICTION
 The accumulated knowledge of the findings of the
environmental investigations form the basis for the
prediction of impacts.

 Once a potential impact has been determined during

scoping process,it is necessary to identify which project
activity will cause impact,and its magnitude and extent.

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METHODS OF IMPACT
PREDICTION
 Best estimate professional judgement.

 Quantitative mathematical models.

 Experiments and physical models.

 Case studies as analogues or references.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR IMPACT
PREDICTION
 Baseline condition
 Un certainty
 Spatial limits
 Temporary boundaries
 Incremental condition
 Quantitative and Qualitative methods

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3.IMPACT EVALUATION
 Its purpose is to assign relative significance to
predicted impacts associated with the projects and to
determine the order in which impacts are to be
avoided ,mitigated or compensated.

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Criteria for Evaluating Potential
Effects:
 Importance of affected resource
 Magnitude and extent of disturbance
 Duration and frequency
 Risk/likelihood of occurrence
 Reversibility
 Contribution to cumulative impacts

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 PREDICTION AND
ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ON
THE NOISE ENVIRONMENT

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 Noise is unwanted sound which may be
hazardous to health, interfere with speech
and verbal communications or is otherwise
disturbing, irritating or annoying.
 Sound is defined as any pressure variation

in air, water or other fluid medium which

may be detected by the human ear.
 Characteristics of sound wave:

◦ Amplitude
◦ Frequency (Hz)

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Sound Pressure Level
 The human response is essentially logarithmic,
therefore noise measurements are expressed by
the term “sound pressure level” (SPL) which is
logarithmic ratio of sound pressure to a reference
pressure and is expressed as a dimensionless unit
of power, the decibel (dB)
 The equation for sound pressure level is as
follows: –
SPL = 20 log (P/P0)
• Where SPL = sound pressure level
• P = sound pressure, microbar
•P0 = reference pressure, 0.0002 microbar

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Noise Impacts
 Noise impacts can be concern during the
construction and the operational phases of projects.
 Factors which are important in determining noise

levels that will potentially impact as populations

include:
◦ distance from the noise sources
◦ natural or man-made barriers between the source and the
impacted population
◦ weather conditions which could potentially absorb, reflect,
or focus sound (such as wind speed and direction and
temperature inversions)
◦ the scale and intensity of the particular construction phase.

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 Two types of noise emissions are of concern:
–
◦ Impulse noise : that is noise of short duration
and high density such as explosions, sonic booms,
and artillery fire
◦ Continuous noise : that is longer duration and
lower intensity noise such as that from
construction or traffic

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Conceptual approach
 The six generic steps associated with noise
environment impacts are:
1. identification of level of noise emissions and
impact concerns related to construction and
operation of the developed projects
2. description of the environmental setting in terms
of existing noise levels and noise sources, along
with land use information and unique receptors in
the project area
3. procurement of relevant laws, regulations, or
criteria related to noise levels, land use
compatibility and noise emission standard

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4. conduction of impact prediction activities, including
the use of simple noise source specific models,
comprehensive mathematical models, and/or
qualitative prediction techniques based on
examination of case studies and the exercise of
professional judgment
5. use of pertinent information from step-3, along with
professional judgment and public input, to assess the
significance of anticipated beneficial and detrimental
impacts
6. identification, development and incorporation of
appropriate mitigation measures for the adverse
impacts.

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

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 Categorization of areas under Noise
Pollution Rules, 2000 and permissible
noise levels

Limits in dBA
Area/Zone
category
: Day Night
Industrial
75 70
Area
Commercial
65 55
Area
Residential
55 45
Area
Silent Zone 50 40
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Mitigation Measures
 “Mitigation Measures” refer to steps that
can be taken to minimize the magnitude of
the detrimental noise impacts.
 Mitigation can proceed along three possible

courses of action, either by changing :

1) the source of noise
(2) the path of noise from the source to the receiver
(3) the receiver of noise.

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 For military training activities, firing points
should be sited near natural barriers.
 Although man-made barriers for blast noise

protection are prohibitively expensive, the

use of valleys and ravines as firing points
can affect the propagation significantly.
 Moving selected firing points a few hundred

meters can substantially reduce the

impacts.

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 Noise control measures for roads or highways
include construction of barriers to obstruct or
dissipate sound emissions, elevated or depressed
highways, and the absorption effects of landscaping
(trees, bushes, and shrubs).
 Constructed barriers can be an effective approach
for reducing noise from highways.
 When implementing this measure, important factors
include the relative height of the barrier, the noise
source and the affected area, and the horizontal
distances between the source and the barrier and
between the barrier and the noise affected area.

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 The timing of the noise generating source may be
changed.
 Noise attenuation measure should be utilized in
building design and construction.
 Design features can be used to reduce the noise
from specific sources; for example, the mechanical
noise from the gearbox of large wind turbines can
be minimized by adapting specific design features.
 Noise mitigation may be facilitated by the
development of a comprehensive noise
management program

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 PREDICTION AND
ASSESSMENT OF THE
IMPACT ON AIR
Introduction

• Many developmental activities will add air pollutants to the atmosphere or alter the weather

• which may result in adverse effects on people, plants, animals, materials, buildings etc..

• These effects can occur at local, regional or even global scale

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• The scientific and methodological approaches for
evaluating the impacts of any new project activity on the
air environment are discussed in this chapter.
• For evaluation of the air quality, impacts of any project a
six step methodological. approach is generally adopted.
• For systematically evaluating the impacts of potential
projects or activities on air quality, the basic information
on air pollution sources and the effects of specific air
pollutants have to be examined.

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AIR POLLUTION SOURCES

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 EFFECT OF AIR POLLUTION

• Air pollution effect (Human health, material damage,

climatic and aesthetical effects).
• The air pollution effects can be grouped into:
(a) Examples of effects on human health include eye
irritation, headaches, and aggravation of respiratory
difficulties.
(b) Plants and crops will be subjected to the undesirable
consequences of air pollution, including abnormal
growth patterns, leaf discoloration or spotting and
death.
(c) Animals such as cattle will be subjected to undesirable
consequences of atmospheric fluorides.

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(d) Materials damage examples are : property devaluation because of
odours, deterioration of materials such as concrete statuary, and
discoloration of painted surfaces on cars, buildings, and bridge
structures.
(e) Effects on climatic changes include green house effects, ozone
depletion, etc.
(f) The aesthetic effects include reductions in visibility, discoloration of
air, photochemical smog - related traffic disruptions at airports, and the
general nuisance aspects of odors and dust.

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 PREDICTING CHANGES
IN CONCENTRATIONS
• The assessment of air quality impacts usually focuses on determining
concentrations of air pollutants.
• Predicted concentrations are often compared against national or local air
quality standards or objectives.
• Much of the pre-project air quality data collection is directed at
determining pollutant concentrations at different times, at different
locations, and the variations in concentration in time and in space.

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• This information not only determines a baseline for comparison
against changes, but also provides background information for
predictive models.

• In cases where there is concern for higher order effects,

predictions of pollutant concentrations are necessary inputs into
predictions of deposition rates: exposure to flora, fauna. and
man; made changes to local climate and visibility.

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 A GENERALIZED APPROACH FOR
ASSESSMENT OF AIR POLLUTION IMPACT
• To evaluate the impacts on air environment by any project activity, a six-
step was proposed for planning and assessment of impact studies.
• The Six Main Steps in the Proposed Model for EIA Study on Air
Environment are
I. Evaluation and identification of sources and quantity of air pollutant
emissions of different phases of the proposed activity like the construction
operation and development:
2. Detailed evaluation of the project area for the existing ambient air quality,
emission inventory, and meteorological data;
3. Examination of appropriate laws. regulations, or criteria to be followed for
maintaining ambient air quality and I or pollutant eluission standards;
4. Carrying out impact assessment studies adopting mass balances,
dispersion calculations. comprehen;ive mathematical models. and!
qualitative predictions based on case studies and professional judgement;

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5. Assessment of significance of anticipated beneficial and detrimental
impacts; and
6. Development of appropriate mitigation remediation measures for the
adverse impacts.

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WATER POLLUTION
PREDICTION AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT
ON WATER
 Water pollution is the contamination of water sources

by substances which make the water unusable for

drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other
activities.
 Water pollution is the release of substances into

bodies of water that makes water unsafe for human

use and disrupts aquatic ecosystems

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POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCES OF
WATER POLLUTION
Pollutants enter the water environment from two main types of sources
 Point sources:- A point source is a single, identifiable source of pollution,
such as a pipe or a drain. Industrial wastes are commonly discharged to
rivers and the sea in this way.
 Nonpoint sources:- Non-point sources of pollution are often termed
„diffuse‟ pollution and refer to those inputs and impacts which occur over
a wide area and are not easily attributed to a single source. They are often
associated with particular land uses, as opposed to individual point source
discharges. Sediments,toxics,plastics etc

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Water Quality
 a)physical parameters
 b)chemical parameters
 c)biological parameters

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WATER QUALITY STANDARDS

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