The importance of environmental impact assessments REMA announced

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By Annonciata BYUKUSENGE

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of predicting and evaluating the environmental hazard & impact of a proposed project or development schemes, taking into account co-related socio-economic, culture, and impacts due to human activity, both beneficial and adverse effects.

The effects of human activities related to the use of environmental resources on the natural environment are called Environmental Impact. The prediction and evaluation of environmental effects of human activities are collectively called as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

REMA announced the environmental impact assessments

Reference is made to the Law N°48/2018 OF 13/08/2018 on environment in its article 30: on projects that must undergo an environmental impact assessment and its procedure;

Reference is also made to Ministerial Order No 001/2019 of 15/04/2019 establishing the list of projects that must undergo Environmental Impact Assessment, instructions, requirements, and procedures to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment; its articles 3 and 4, which list the projects that undergo full and partial EIA respectively;

Further reference is made to the Law N°36/2016 of 08/09/2016 Establishing Rwanda Association of Professional Environmental Practitioners and determining its organization and functioning in its article 31 stipulating the Persons authorized to conduct an environmental impact assessment and environment audit.

Considering the findings and recommendations of the Rwanda Environmental and Social Risk Management Capacity Need Assessment, among others, highlighted the need for multi-disciplinary teams to conduct environmental social impact assessments to enhance the quality of the studies hence the sustainability of the development projects;

This public notice serves to inform all project developers and other related stakeholders, both in the public and private sector, that effective from 1st August 2023:

Full Environmental Impact Assessments shall be conducted by RAPEP-registered and licensed consulting firms.
Partial Environmental Impact Assessments may be conducted by RAPEP-registered and licensed environmental practitioners, which in this case can be a consultancy firm or individual consultant.

What Is EIA?

According to the CiviConcepts, EIA is the method of evaluating environmental consequences such as environmental changes, construction of dams, reservoirs, roads, rails, bridges, industrial locations, urban expansion, etc. and the maximum possible adverse effects of these environmental changes due to human activities.

Environmental changes referred to as degradation of environment and pollution resulting in ecological imbalance and ecosystem disequilibrium. The environmental impact assessment process began with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969.

It aims to predict environmental impacts at a certain stage in project planning and designing find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts, shape projects to suit the local environment, and establish the predictions and options to decision-makers.

Importance of EIA

Followings are the importance of EIA,

EIA links the environment with development for environmentally safe and sustainable development.
EIA gives a cost-effective method to eliminate or reduce the adverse impact of developmental projects and schemes.
It is the government policy that any industrial projects have to obtain EIA clearance from the Ministry of Environmental before approval by the planning commission.
EIA is potentially a necessary component of good environmental management & prediction of it.
EIA enables the decision-makers to analyze the effects of developmental activities on the environment well before the developmental project is implemented.
EIA encourages the adaption of mitigation strategies in the developmental plan.
EIA makes ensures that the development plan is environmentally good and within the limits of the capacity of assimilation and regeneration of the ecosystem.
EIA is a tool to anticipate the possible damage to the environment caused by development projects and schemes.
It creates efforts to prevent or minimize damage to the environment and the biosphere, and stimulate the health and welfare of man.
EIA seeks to increase the understanding of the ecological system and the importance of natural resources to the nation and to provide for the appropriate institutional structure to carry out the objectives.

EIA Process

EIA involves the various steps mentioned below. However, the Environmental Impact Assessment process cyclical with the interaction between the various steps.

Screening
Scoping
Collection of baseline data
Impact prediction
Mitigation measures and EIA report
Public hearing
Decision making
Monitoring and implementation of an environmental management plan
Assessment of alternatives and Environmental Impact Assessment report
Risk assessment

1. Screening

The project plan is screened for the scale of investment, location, and type of development and if the project needs statutory clearance screening is required. It is to determine which projects or development schemes require a full or partial impact assessment study.

2. Scoping

This step in EIA process is necessary to establish which potential impacts are related to assessing (Based on legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge, and public involvement), to compensate adverse effects on biodiversity (including the option of not preceding with the development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts or give compensation for adverse & hazardous impacts), and finally to eliminate terms of reference for the impact assessment. Scoping is to know the project’s potential impacts, the zone of impacts, mitigation possibilities, and the need for monitoring.

3. Collection of Baseline Data

Baseline details are the environmental status of the study area under the EIA.

4. Impact Prediction

Predicting and establishing negative & positive, reversible & irreversible, and temporary & permanent effects are needed which presupposes a good understanding of the project by the assessment agency. To predict and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development scheme, including the detailed elaboration of alternatives.

5. Mitigation Measures and EIA Report

The final report of EIA should be consisting of the actions and steps for preventing, reducing, or bypassing the impacts or else the level of compensation for probable environmental damages or losses. This report also includes an environmental management plan and a non-technical summary for the general public.

6. Public Hearing

After the completion of the EIA report, public and environmental groups living close to the project site should be informed and consulted. In a public hearing review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be done based on the terms of reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.

7. Decision Making

In decision making Impact Assessment Authority along with the experts consult the project-in-charge along with the consultant to take the final decision, keeping in mind both Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environment Management Plan (EMP). In this process, it decided whether to approve the project or not and if yes then under which conditions.

8. Monitoring and Implementation of an Environmental Management Plan

The various phases of implementation and execution are monitored e.g. planning, surveying, construction, etc. monitor whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as defined in the Environment Management Plan (EMP). Reviewed the conformity of supporter with the EMP, to make sure that the unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified and addressed in a timely fashion.

9. Assessment of Alternatives and Environmental Impact Assessment Report

For every project and development scheme, possible alternatives should be identified, and environmental attributes are compared. Alternatives must be covering both project location and process technologies. If other solutions have been checked, a mitigation plan must be drawn up for the selected option and is supplemented with an Environment Management Plan (EMP) to guide the proponent towards environmental improvements.