Distillieries - Environmental Clearance

Operational Aspects of an EIAStep 2: Are the adverse environmental effects significant?Criteria for determining ‘significance’ are to judge that the impacts:Are extensive over space or timeAre intensive in concentration or proportion to assimilative capacityExceed environmental standards or thresholdsDo not comply with environmental policies, landuse plans, sustainability strategyAdversely and seriously affect ecologically sensitive areasAdversely and seriously affect heritage resources, other landuses, community lifestyleand/or indigenous peoples traditions and valuesStep 3: Are the significant adverse environmental effects likely?Criteria for determining ‘likelihood’ include:Probability of occurrence, andScientific uncertainty4.5 Social Impact AssessmentSocial Impact Assessment (SIA) is an instrument used to analyze social issues and solicitstakeholder views for the design of projects. SIA helps in making the project responsiveto social development concerns, including options that enhance benefits for poor andvulnerable people while mitigating risk and adverse impacts. It analyzes distributionalimpacts of intended project benefits on different stakeholder groups, and identifiesdifferences in assets and capabilities to access the project benefits.The scope and depth of SIA should be determined by the complexity and importance ofthe issues studied, taking into account the skills and resources available. SIA shouldinclude studies related to involuntary resettlement, compulsory land acquisition, impact ofimported workforces, job losses among local people, damage to sites of cultural, historicor scientific interest, impact on minority or vulnerable groups, child or bonded labour, useof armed security guards. However, SIA may primarily include the following::Description of the Socio-economic, Cultural and Institutional ProfileConduct a rapid review of available sources of information to describe the socioeconomic,cultural and institutional interface in which the project operates.Socio-economic and cultural profile: Describe the most significant social, economic andcultural features that differentiate social groups in the project area. Describe theirdifferent interests in the project, and their levels of influence. Explain specific effects theproject may have on the poor and underprivileged. Identify any known conflicts amonggroups that may affect project implementation.Institutional profile: Describe the institutional environment; consider both the presenceand function of public, private and civil society institutions relevant to the operation. Arethere important constraints within existing institutions e.g. disconnect betweeninstitutional responsibilities and the interests and behaviors of personnel within thoseinstitutions? Or are there opportunities to utilize the potential of existing institutions, e.g.private or civil society institutions, to strengthen implementation capacityTGM for Distillery Industry August 20104-26