Chapter 204. Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act

FOURTH SCHEDULE
(Regulation 9(4))
GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPERS IN CONDUCTING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
STAGE 1: PRELIMINARY ACTIONS
(1) The description of the project which is done in the project brief submitted
to the Council under regulation 5.
(2) The developer appoints a co-ordinator for the environmental impact study.
The qualification of the co-ordinator depend on the nature of the project.
(3) Together with the co-ordinator the developer selects the experts that will
comprise the team that will undertake the study. Preference should be given to
experts with specific knowledge of local or similar conditions. The team shall
include at least one person resident in the potentially affected area.
(4) The co-ordinator allocates work to the team member of the purpose of
carrying out the scoping exercise.
(5) The team reviews and determines the applicable laws, regulations and
standards.
(6) The developer, the co-ordinator and the team identify the various
alternatives for the development of the project (sites, technology and design).
STAGE 2: SCOPING (OR IDENTIFICATION OF IMPACTS)
(1) The team under the guidance of the co-ordinator identifies all the possible
environmental impacts of the project.
(2) The co-ordinator, the team and the Council determines which of the impacts
shall be the subject of the study based on the following criteria:
(a) magnitude, including the impact of the project on environmental
resources;
(b) extent, including the geographical extent of the impact;
(c) significance, including the actual effects of the impacts on the
environmental resource; and
(d) special sensitivity, including impacts which are significant in the
specific local economic, social and ecological setting (see Regulation 8).
(3) The developer submits the names and qualifications of all persons to carry
out the study to the Council for approval.
STAGE 3: BASELINE STUDY
The team undertakes a detailed description of the existing environment including
the social and economic activities of the population resident in the potentially
affected area.
STAGE 4: IMPACT EVALUATION
The team predicts and evaluates the various predicted impacts and ranks them in
order of importance on the basis of two criteria:
(1) Quantitative change where change can be quantified.
(2) Qualitative change where change cannot be quantified, but instead the
impact of the project depends on the environmental acceptability of the project.
STAGE 5: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY
(1) The team seeks the view of the communities which are likely to be affected
by the project.
(2) The views sought in (1) are considered in the development of mitigation
measures (regulation 11).
STAGE 6: IDENTIFICATION OF MITIGATION MEASURES
(1) The team identifies measures for the elimination (where possible), or
reduction, of environmental impact for the various alternatives identified in
the study such as:
(a) engineering works in noise reduction, prior treatment of effluent air
pollution reduction measures and solid waste minimisation through reclamation,
recycling and any other appropriate measures.
(b) management measures especially in the areas of natural resources,
reforestation, control of soil erosion, desalinisation, desilting.
(2) The team includes the cost mitigation measures into the impact evaluation.
(3) Where necessary the team will create a new alternative based on the
mitigation.
STAGE 7: ASSESSMENT (OR COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES)
(1) The team compares all alternatives on the basis of economic, socio-cultural
and environmental gains and costs.
(2) The team ranks and recommends the various alternatives to the developer on
the basis of sound environmental and economic analysis.
STAGE 8: DECISION MAKING BY THE DEVELOPER
The developer makes a decision choosing one alternative and giving reasons for
the rejecting of other alternatives.
STAGE 9: SUBMISSION OF THE REPORT TO COUNCIL
(1) The team completes the environmental impact statement (see regulations 11
and 12).
(2) The developer submits the report to the Council.
STAGE 10: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT AND POST ASSESSMENT AUDITS
(1) If the Council approves the environmental impact statement (under regulation
21) the developer may implement the project.
(2) The team shall carry out a post assessment environmental audit between 12-36
months of the commencement of the project (see regulation 28).