Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is the assessment of environmental and social consequences (positive/negative) of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. It is a tool of environmental management forming a part of project approval and decision-making. An ESIA is a standard requirement for most construction related projects and for technical feasibility studies. OCTOPUS has experience in conducting ESIAs and can give you more advice.
Environmental protection laws may compel you to perform an ESIA.
Objective of ESIA
The objective of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Assessment (ESIA) is to identify and assess the severity of potential impacts on receptors and identified resources; develop and describe mitigation measures that will be taken to prevent or minimize any potential negative effects and maximize the potential benefits; and communicate the severity of residual impacts that will remain once the applied mitigation,
Purpose of ESIA
ESIA’s goal is to determine the good and negative effects of a project’s execution.. This is determined by examining the consequences of interactions between environmental and social components, as well as the numerous activities of a project’s development.
Methodology of ESIA
The ESIA process is a systematic technique to evaluate a project and its associated activities throughout the project. The process includes:
- Screening and Scoping- initial screening of the project and scoping of the assessment process;
- Project Alternatives and Base Case Design;
- Existing Environmental and Socio-Economic Conditions- stakeholder identification (focusing on those directly affected) and gathering of environmental and social baseline data
- Impact Assessment- impact identification, prediction, and analysis
- significance of impacts and evaluation of residual impacts and Generation of mitigation or management measures and actions
- Disclosure and Stakeholder Consultation; and
- Monitoring and Mitigation.