Environmental Impact Assessment

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool used to determine whether or not a programme, activity or project will have any adverse impacts on the environment. It is also used to promote intragenerational and intergenerational equity.

The major aim of conducting an EIA for any organization/individual is to provide information for decision-making on the environmental consequences of proposed actions as well as to promote environmentally sound and sustainable development through the identification of appropriate enhancement and mitigation measures.

According to the Environmental Management and Coordination Act [EMCA] 1999 Part VI Section 58(1),any person, being a proponent of a project, shall, before financing, commencing, proceeding with, carrying out, executing, conducting or causing to be financed, commenced, proceeded with, carried out, executed or conducted by another person any undertaking specified in the Second Schedule to this Act, submit a project report to the Authority, in the prescribed form, giving the prescribed information and which shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee. This therefore justifies the reason why it is advisable for clients to carry out these activities.