Environmental Impact Assessment
 Environmental Components
 Baseline studies
Engr. Zee Shan Sameja
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Environmental Components
Human
Environment
Physical/Chemical
Ecological
Aesthetical
Social and
Cultural
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Physical & Chemical Component
 Geology
 Topography
 Surface and groundwater sources
 Water quality
 Air quality
 Meteorology
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Ecological Component
 Flora
 Fauna
- Species of trees, grasses
- Fish, Birds
- Mammals etc.
- Special reference is made to rare and endangered species
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Aesthetic Component
 Land use impact of the project
 Sensory effects – Visual
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Social & Cultural Component
 Human life quality
 Health
 Welfare
 Human population trends
 Population distribution
 Historic and archeological sites
 Human welfare indicators
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Interaction of the Environmental Components
 Natural environment interacts with man
 Impact on physical/ chemical environment
 Consequently, ecological, aesthetical and social &
cultural environment gets affected
 Separate analysis and combined analysis
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Environmental Parameters
 Subdivision of environmental components
- Actual parameters
- Measured & assessed
- List may expand or decrease
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Physical & Chemical Parameters
 Water
BOD, Ground water flow, Dissolved oxygen, Fecal
Coliforms, nitrogen, Heavy metals, Pesticides, pH,
Temperature, TDS, Turbidity, Stream flow, Toxic
substances
 Noise
Intensity, Duration, Frequency
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Physical & Chemical Parameters
 Land
Soil erosion, Buffer zones, Soil suitability for use, Compatibility of
land use, Solid waste disposal
 Air
CO, HC, NOx, PM, SOx, CH4, Photochemical oxidants etc.
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Ecological Parameters
 Species & Population
Natural vegetation, Managed Vegetation, Resident and migratory
birds, Sports and commercial fisheries, pest species etc.
 Habitat & Communities
Species diversity, rare and endangered species
 Ecosystems
Productivity
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Aesthetical Parameters
 Land
Topography
 Biota
Animals, wild and domestic, Vegetation type and diversity
 Air
Odor, visual, sounds
 Water
Flow, Clarity, Floating material Interface land and water
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Social & Cultural Parameters
 Individual Environmental Interests
Educational/scientific, Cultural, Historical, Leisure/recreation
 Social Interactions
Political, Socialization, Religious, family, Economics
 Individual Well-being
Health, Safety, Hygiene
 Community Well-Being
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Baseline Studies
 Refers to collection of baseline information on biophysic
al, social and economic aspects of a project area.
 Identification of existing environmental conditions
 Estimation of their future trends, without project
activities.
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Objectives of Baseline Studies
 To provide a description of the status and trends of environmental f
actors (e.g., air pollutant concentrations) against which predicted
changes can be compared and evaluated in terms of importance.
 To provide a means of detecting actual change by monitoring once a
project has been initiated.
 Potential impacts can be predicted and evaluated
 Operational and emission standards can be set and mitigation
measures devised
 Auditing of environmental changes resulting from project operation
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Data Collected
 Physical Environment
- Topography
- Soil and geology
- Hydrology
- Air quality
- Noise levels etc.
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 Biological Environment
 Flora and fauna
- Species of trees
- Wild life
- Fish
- Bird
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 Socio-economic Environment
- Demography
- Historic sites
- Public facilities
- Per capita income
- Literacy rate
- Commercial activities
- Development needs and potential
- Infrastructure facilities,
- Economic activities
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 Cultural Environment
- location and state of archeological
- historical, religious sites
- Social and behavioral attitudes
- Customs of local communities
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Data Sources and Methods of Collection
Primary Sources: Result of the field and laboratory data collected and analyzed directly
Secondary sources: Data collected indirectly from published
records or documents such as project documents, village profile,
maps, photos, internet sources etc.
Methods of data collection:
General
methods:
Literature
review,
map
interpretation,
checklists (e.g. scaling and questionnaire checklists, matrices etc.)
Resource‐based methods:
Scientific instruments and techniques
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Data Processing
Raw data is converted into knowledge and information that
is more easily comprehensible. Tools such as tables, graphs,
maps can be used for presentation.
 For Physical data: graphs, tables, enumeration
 For biological data: species numbers, volume, density, bio
mass can be calculated.
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Collection of Baseline Data
Baseline studies in EIA may take a long time, h
ence EIA
is blamed for higher costs and
delays in project implementation.
Therefore, the studies should be focused on tho
se aspects that are likely to be affected.
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