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An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process which identifies the environmental impacts of a development project and clearly outlines measures to mitigate the negative impacts caused during project construction, implementation and  decommissioning. The Environmental Management Act defines an Environmental Impact assessment as “an evaluation of a project to determine its impact on the environment and human health and to set out the required environmental monitoring and management procedures and plans”. The EIA is thus a tool that enhances sustainable development where environmental, economic and social pillars are mainstreamed in the project in a balanced manner.

Purpose of an EIA

• To determine the potential and known effects of proposed projects on the cultural, social, economic and ecological health of an area affected and put in place measures to avoid negative impacts while enhancing the positive ones.
• To ensure that adequate environmental information is available to decision makers,
• Identification of cultural, social, economic and ecological monitoring and management requirements during construction, operation & decommissioning,
• To improve public participation in government decisions by involving the public at all stages of the EIA,

Benefits of an EIA

• Increased accountability and transparency during the development process.
• Reduced environmental damage as measures are already put in place before a project starts.
• Increased project acceptance by the public- communities as they are involved in the process
• Better environmental planning and design of a proposal. Carrying out an EIA entails an analysis of alternatives in the design and location of projects.
• A well-designed project can minimise risks and impacts on the environment and people, and thereby avoid associated costs of remedial treatment or compensation for damage.
• It fosters mutual understanding between organisations, proponents and the people affected by the development. It provides the proponent with more realistic and objective information about the constraints placed on it by authorities.
• Savings in capital and operating costs. EIA can avoid the undue costs of unanticipated impacts. These can escalate if environmental problems have not been considered from the start of proposal design and require rectification later.

In Zimbabwe, the projects that need Environmental Impact Assessments are listed in the first Schedule of the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20:27) and they include mining, quarrying, housing developments and ore processing, among others. The EIA is based on the “precautionary principle” a process which directs project studies and addresses environmental impacts before they occur. EIA is a tool to achieve the desired balance between development and environmental protection.

EMA plays a facilitative role in the EIA process. The EIA review fees for all prescribed projects are charged on a sliding scale based on the impact of each project on the environment.  Furthermore, staggered payments can be done on each stage of project development as shown in the table above.

The fee structure is aimed at boosting sustainable investment in the country as we endeavour to balance environmental, economic and social components in a growing economy. So why wait to regularise your operations? An EIA is a tool that does not inhibit but enhances sustainable development.

Send your feedback to; [email protected], like us on Facebook and Twitter or visit our website www.ema.co.zw. Alternatively, call us on: Tel 04-305550/ 305407/ 305188 and Toll-free 08080028; or use our WhatsApp platform 0779565707. We are ready to listen.