30-07-2014, 02:13 PM
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR AN OVERVEIW
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL.pdf (Size: 1.29 MB / Downloads: 129)
ABSTRACT
Development of water resources is of prime importance for the survival of mankind, due to its alarming
increase in population growth. A stable eco-system and increase in food production in long terms require the
development of water resources projects. Which are linked with changes in Environment due to the construction
of hydro-electric projects, reservoirs, irrigation and water supply schemes, etc. Thereby submergence of land,
displacement of population including flora and fauna and settlement in the surrounding catchments, denudation
of forests, water quality and ground water table, etc. are in constant transition. Environmental Impact
Assessment is a formal process for identifying the likely effects of a particular activity or project on the
Environment and on human health and welfare. The Environment includes the biological, physical Environment
and the socio-economic Environment. Environmental Impact Assessment also encompasses the development
and mitigation measures.
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is a methodology used for examining social changes due to existing
sources especially specific development project, governmental policies, technological changes and social
processes and anything that has a social impact.
The interpretation of term, "Environment" is provided by 'National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
Federal Govt. of USA, (1969) [1].
The impacts of the conditions are assessed through Environmental Impact Analysis. Major steps in EIA
processes are Screening, Scoping, EIA Report, Review, Post Audit and Evaluation.
Types of Environmental Impacts may be 'primary' and 'secondary'. The primary impacts are in fact the
first round impacts associated with projects, programs & other activities of man such as air pollution, water
pollution and employment generation, etc. From such impacts one may link several types of induced effects
subsequently.
Environmental Impacts are classified as 'short term' and 'long term'. Narmada dam in India displaced people
in the short-term, submerged a large tract of forests and other damages, but it brought economic prosperity in
the long-run.
Criteria for identification of 'significant impacts' are reported as,
i. Significance based on Institutional recognition like public laws, treaties and other government standards. ii.
Significance based on Public recognition. iii. Significance based on Technical recognition.
Impact Prediction involves forecasting the characteristics of any change to the environment that may occur
as a consequence of a policy or project. Such changes identified are described in temporal and spatial terms.
The environment base line conditions need to be established for both the present and the future.
Baseline conditions are also important in evaluating impacts and setting operational standards
CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENT
The dictionary meaning of the term "Environment" is a "Surrounding". How, the nature and the man
together create the environment is not a simple mechanism to understand. It is a complex one having a two way
relationship indicating nature's influence on man and man's on the nature. The natural factors like land-forms,
soil, climate, vegetation, minerals, water, air etc. together influence the human factors or conditions like
demography, economy and even the history of the mankind. Human factors are in turn responsible for
developing the technology and hence greater and better use of the earth and the other resources at the disposal of
the man. This leads to a change in land- use patterns which affect the ecological or natural factors.
The interpretation of term, "Environment" provided by 'National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) of
Federal Govt. of USA, (1969) [1], include the whole complex of physical, chemical, social, cultural, economic
and aesthetic factors which affect individuals and communities and ultimately determine their form, character,
relationship and survival. Thus any natural or manmade change in the environment such as air pollution, land
use patterns, deforestation, excessive rise in population, technological changes, earthquakes, cyclones, drifting
of mountains, rise in sea level etc. will eventually affect the environment which intern affects the living beings
and change their life styles or patterns of behavior and survival.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS (EIA)
The environmental conditions vary according to nature, scale and location of the action or actions. The
impacts of the conditions are assessed through "Environmental Impact Assessment" called in common
terminology or "Environmental Impact Analysis" called in scientific terminology. The EIA is an activity
designed to identify and predict the impacts on bio-geographical environment, on man's health and well being,of the legislature, proposals, policies, programs, projects and operations, procedures and to interpret and
communicate information about impacts.
Major steps in EIA processes are as follows
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSMENT
1. Environmental impacts may be 'primary' and 'secondary'. The primary impacts are in fact the first
round impacts associated with projects, programs & other activities of man such as noise pollution,
displacement of people & business etc. From such impacts one may link several types of induced effects in the
subsequent rounds. For example if people are displaced, there might be several consequences in due course of
time for their socioeconomic conditions which might change overtime. Construction of highways, airports,
dams, power houses and other large projects would generate several types of primary inputs but the investments
in such projects induce several other types of investments and consequences. So inputs cause primary impacts
and its outputs cause 'secondary impacts'. Most of the socio-economic environmental changes fall in the
category of 'secondary' or 'induced effects' or 'impacts'.
2. Environmental impacts can be 'short term' and 'long term'. The impacts which are felt in the shorter
period of time such as during construction period of projects and its early phase of operation are short term in
nature and impacts which are felt in a longer period of time are defined as 'long term' impacts.
Considering the nature of the short-term and long-term environmental impacts, positive or negative, one
may find a trade-off between them. Short term gains or losses might be counteracted by the opposite
consequences in the long-term. A project like Narmada dam in India displaced people in the short-term,
submerged a large tract of forests and created all kinds of construction damages, but it brought economic
prosperity in the long-run. Likewise the green revolution in short term improves farm productivity and enhances
incomes of farmers, but in the long run one may find a declining fertility of farms due to excessive chemicals
used as fertilizers and insecticides. Such chemicals may also be cited as sources of several diseases like cancer
as they enter in human body through food grains produced with the help of chemical fertilizers based farm
technology under green revolution.
Thus through proper environmental impacts analysis one may get a clear idea of such trade-offs and suggest
appropriate mitigation measures to minimize them.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS
The term ‘socio-economic’ has been defined as “being of, related to, or involving combinations of
social and economic factors” by Rau and Wooten (1985) [15]. The profound influences of population growth,
high density of population and urbanization, industrial expansion, resource exploitation, large projects like
nuclear and hydrostatic power projects, etc create and perpetuate conditions under which man and nature can
exist in productive harmony and fulfill the social, economic and other requirements of people. All
developmental activities are undertaken for the well being of ‘man’. He is a focal point in all environmental
impact studies. The influence of projects and/or programs or policies on his values, culture, living standard and
institutions, etc. is included under socio-economic impacts.
To study the socio-economic impacts a new term known as ‘socio impact assessment’ (SIA) or
‘socio-economic impact assessment’ (SEIA) has been introduced. Wolf (1974) [6], did a pioneering work on
SIA and defined it as ‘the estimating and appraising of the conditions of society organized and changed by the
large scale application of high technology’. Bowles (1981) [16], another important Pioneer of SIA provided
similarly a broad definition of the term as ‘the systematic advanced appraisal of impacts on the day to day
quality of life of people and communities when the environment is affected by development or policy change’.
Usually secondary effects include changes in existing community facilities and activities, induce new
facilities or activities in the next round and change in natural conditions. All such effects may be much more
substantial than the primary impacts of the original actions. Such changes will come slowly and bulk of them
will be concerned with the socio economic character of people. Consider a case of displacement of people from
a project site. This implies a reduction in permanent population from the project area. All displaced people will
be resettled somewhere else. This requires not only economic costs but requirements of land, housing,
availability of water and public services at the new places, apart from the socio cultural and psychological
adjustments to a new place by the project affected people. During construction phase of the project temporarily
population (labourers and their families) will come to the project area, such people are to be adjusted in the area,
they need all kinds of services for living such as living space, transportation and trade, healthcare and etc. the
social environment of the area will go under changes by the influx of the temporary labour. All such changes
will come under socio economic impacts of the project. They will be affecting the human environment of the
area which is the basic theme of all environmental impacts studies
HYDRO ELECTRIC PROJECTS IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR AN OVERVIEW
Two Hydroelectric power stations Uri1 and Uri II, are located on the downstream of river Jehlum and
Gantamullah power house, in Kashmir province. Uri 1 is a runoff river scheme & utilizes a gross head of 256m.
The project consists of a barrage, cut and culvert, desilting basin, an open power channel, a 10.65 Km, long head
race tunnel, 2 No. of pressure shaft and underground powerhouse and 2.06 Km long tailrace tunnel without fall
at the Bandi village. The project has installed capacity of 480MW (4X 120 MW each unit)