Distillieries - Environmental Clearance

Conceptual Facets of EIA2.9.1 Criteria/methodology to determine the significance of the identifiedimpactsThe criteria can be determined by answering some questions regarding the factorsaffecting the significance. This will help the EIA stake-holders, the practitioner inparticular, to determine the significance of the identified impacts eventually. Typicalexamples of such factors (one approach reported by Duval and Vonk 1994) include thefollowing:Exceedance of a threshold: Significance may increase if a threshold is exceeded. e.g.Emissions of SO 2 and/or PM10 exceed the permissible threshold.Effectiveness of mitigation: Significance may increase as the effectiveness ofmitigation measures decreases. e.g.,control technologies, which may not assureconsistent compliance to the requirements.Size of study area: Significance may increase as the zone of effects increases e.g.High temperature discharge from a cooling tower in sea may impact the mangroveecology at a distant location.Incremental contribution of effects from action under review: Significance mayincrease as the relative contribution of an action increases.Relative contribution of effects of other actions: Significance may decrease as thesignificance of nearby larger actions increase.Relative rarity of species: Significance may increase as species becomes increasinglyrare or threatened.Significance of local effects: Significance may increase as the significance of localeffects is high.Magnitude of change relative to natural background variability: Significance maydecrease if effects are within natural assimilative capacity or variability.Creation of induced actions: Significance may increase as induced activities alsohighly significant.Degree of existing disturbance: Significance may increase if the surroundingenvironment is pristine:For determining significance of impacts, it is important to remember that secondary andhigher order effects can also occur as a result of a primary interaction between a projectactivity and the local environment. Wherever a primary effect is identified, thepractitioner should always think if secondary or tertiary effects on other aspects of theenvironment could also arise.The EIA should also consider the effects that could arise from the project due to induceddevelopments, which take place as a consequence of the project. Ex Population densityand associated infrastructure and jobs for people attracted to the area by the project. Italso requires consideration of cumulative effects that could arise from a combination ofthe effects due to other projects with those of other existing or planned developments inthe surrounding area. So the necessity to formulate a qualitative checklist is suggested totest significance, in general.TGM for Distillery Industry August 20102-17