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1. Definitions Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) is one of the most important procedures in the course of all develeping activities which involve decision-making An EIA can be defined as an activity designed to identify and predict the impact on the biogeophysical and the socio-economic environment, and well-being of legislative proposals, policies, programmes, projects and operational procedures, and to interpret and communicate information about the impacts. 2. Content’s of An EIA An EIA should : (a) describe the proposed action, as well as alternatives ; (b) estimate the nature and magnitudes of the environmental changes ; (d) identify the relevant human concerns ; (d) define the criteria to be used in measuring the significance of environmental changes, including the relative weighting to be assigned in comparing different kinds of changes ; (e) estimate the significance of the predicted environmental changes ; (f) make recommendations for one of the following ; (1) acceptance of the of the object; (2) remedial action ; (3) acceptance of one or more alternatives ; (4) rejection ; (g) make recommendations of inspection procedures to be followed after the action has been completed. 3. Operatian1 procedures of an EIA (a) EIA should be an integral part of all planning for major actions, and should be carried out at the same time as engineering, economic, and socioplitical assessments. (b) In order to provide guidelines for environmental impact assessments, national gals and policies should be established which take environmental considerations into account. (c) The institutional arrangements for the process of environmental impact assessment should be determined a d made public. 4. Research Research should 12 encouraged in the following areas : (a) study of conceptual framework for an EIA (b) study of contents an EIA (c) study of source of Law for EIA (d) study of assessment object of EIA (e) study of subject and agent institution of EIA (f) study of procedure of EIA (g) study of resident participation and judicial redress in the process of EIA (h) study of problems a d countermeasures in EIA system. 5. Conclusion A synthesis of biogeophysical and socio-economic impacts is difficult to achieve, and human behaviour is difficult to quantify and predict, but these do not diminish that s significance. The challenge to cross the interface between the biogeophysical and the socioeconomic environments is therefore worth the intellectual effort. To conclude, An EIA is a procedure designed to identify, predict, analyze and assess the impact on action on the biogeophysical and the socioeconmic environment and on man’s health, well-being and on quality of life, and to interpret and communicate information about the impacts. Therefore, EIA is the best technique of environmental management.
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