Overview of EIA process

Overview of EIA process, EIA is a process of analyzing the positive and negative effects of a proposed project, plan, or activity on the environment. This may include studies on the weather, flora and fauna, soil, human health including physical, social, biological, economic and cultural impacts.

EIA is intended to identify the impacts (both beneficial and adverse) of a proposed public and private
development activities. Often, the focus is dominantly environmental (biophysical); but good practice
also addresses social and economic aspects. EIA is mainly is at the level of specific developments
and projects such as dams, industrial plants, transport infrastructure (eg airport runways and roads),
farm enterprises, natural resource exploitation (eg sand extraction). Strategic environmental assessment
(SEA), a sister tool applied upstream at the level of policies, plans and programs. Like SEA, EIA
is most valuable when applied early in the planning process for a project as a support to decision-making. It provides a means to identify the most environmentally suitable option at an early stage, the
best practicable environmental option, and alternatives to the proposed initiative; and thus avoid or
minimize potentially damaging and costly negative impacts, and maximise positive impacts.

EIA was first introduced in the USA under the Environmental Policy Act (1969). Since then it has
evolved and a variety of offshoot assessment techniques have emerged (focusing, for example on
social, biodiversity, environmental health and cumulative effects and risk) acting as a broader impact
assessment toolkit.

Most countries have now introduced formal EIA systems, usually under dedicated environmental
legislation, and have introduced EIA regulations (and often regulatory bodies) specifying when and for
which developments an EIA is required, institutional responsibilities and procedures, and specific steps
and processes to be followed