Hot Tips Conduct EIA with Focus

How to Conduct an EIA with Focus and Prepare an EIA Report Efficiently?

For effective EIA report preparation, a project proponent might find a series of EIAO Guidance Notes useful. Please click here to view the guidance notes.

Also, there are some useful tips:

Hot Tip No.1 - Understand the Study Brief and Environmental Concerns

• Get a thorough understanding of the study brief;
• Critically examine requirements for alternative considerations, if any; and any specific environmental concerns as listed down in the Study Brief; and
• Critically review any public comments received, particularly during the public exhibition of project profile.

Hot Tip No.2 - Gather and Understand the Public Concerns

• Start early dialogues, get views from key stakeholders and green groups as early as possible;
• Take proper account of public comments and opinions on environmental implications of the project;
• Think from the perspective of the general public and those to be affected; and
• Present issues in layman terms.

Hot Tip No.3 - Understand project history, project justification and alternatives

• Critically review the need and justification for a project, collect background information from strategic, planning or feasibility studies;
• Proactively look for environmentally-friendly alternatives;
• Remember the application of EIA principle: "Avoidance - Minimization - Mitigation"; and
• Clearly document the considerations being made on alternatives.

Hot Tip No.4 - Understand assumptions made in an EIA, scenarios development and input parameters in impact prediction

• Know assumptions in EIA, especially basic information (e.g. traffic forecast & composition, pollution load, loss rate in dredging and operation hours of facility etc.)
• Know assumptions in identifying sensitive receivers (e.g.planned land uses, changing development programs and concurrent projects in the vicinity); and
• Know assumptions in construction methods and sequence together with plant schedule, and critically review whether the construction programme is engineering realistic (e.g. whether a 24 hour operation is required for the works; adequacy of works areas especially for spoil storage; location of temporary haul road, concrete batching plant, rock crushing plant, jetty, mug-out portals, conveyor belts and different assumptions of working into restricted hours etc.).

Hot Tip No.5 - Review EIA Recommendations Review practicality and programming of EIA recommendations and proposal of mitigation measures;

• Review the Implementation Schedule of Mitigation Measures and the EM&A Program;
• Review permanent structure/fixtures that are essential in operation phase such as location of ventilation shafts, passenger connections, overflow bypasses. Clarify roles of maintenance and implementation; and
• Find out concurrent projects for cumulative impacts.