Arrange the following steps in Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in correct chronological order.

Question

Arrange the following steps in Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in correct chronological order.

I. Screening

II. Scoping

III. EIA Report

IV. Impact Analysis

V. Review and Public Participation

1. A. I-II-III-IV-V
2. B. I-II-IV-V-III
3. C. I-II-IV-III-V (Correct answer)
4. D. I-II-III-V-IV

Correct Answer

Option C — I-II-IV-III-V

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is I-II-IV-III-V.

Key Points

• Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of evaluating the likely environmental consequences of a proposed project before it is cleared. The correct chronological order is:
  • I. Screening — deciding whether the project requires an EIA at all, and at what level of scrutiny. Category A projects always require prior clearance; Category B projects are screened into B1 (EIA required) or B2 (exempt).
  • II. Scoping — the Expert Appraisal Committee determines the Terms of Reference, identifying which impacts, alternatives and baseline data must be studied in detail.
  • IV. Impact Analysis — predicting the magnitude and significance of the identified effects on air, water, soil, flora, fauna and human settlements, and framing mitigation measures.
  • III. EIA Report — compiling the findings, along with the Environment Management Plan (EMP), into a formal document.
  • V. Review and Public Participation — the draft report is placed before the public hearing, and the appraisal body reviews it before recommending clearance.
• The logic that fixes the order is that you cannot write the report before doing the analysis, and the public cannot be consulted before there is a report to consult them on. Impact Analysis (IV) must therefore precede the EIA Report (III), which must precede Review and Public Participation (V).

Shortcut Trick

• Every option in this question begins with I-II, so Screening and Scoping are not in dispute. The decision rests entirely on ordering the last three. Fix IV before III (analyse, then report) and V last (consult on a finished report), and only I-II-IV-III-V survives.

Additional Information

• The four stages of environmental clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006: Screening, Scoping, Public Consultation and Appraisal.
• Category A projects are appraised by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and cleared by the Central Government (MoEFCC); Category B projects are handled at State level by the SEIAA on the advice of the SEAC.
• Public consultation comprises a public hearing at the project site conducted by the State Pollution Control Board, together with written responses from other concerned persons. It is exempted for certain categories, including modernisation of irrigation projects, projects inside notified industrial estates, expansion of national highways not involving land acquisition, and all Category B2 projects.
• The EIA Notification, 2006, was issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, replacing the earlier notification of 1994.
• Validity of prior environmental clearance is generally 10 years for river valley projects, 30 years for mining, and 7 years for all others.