ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The right to live, work and play in a safe and clean environment is guaranteed in their constitutions of most countries in the world.
Development must comply with environmental legislation, which, in most cases, make the submission af of an Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plans compulsory.
These assessments evaluate the impact of the development proposal on the natural environment and on the people living within the sphere of influence of the project. This will assists the planners to pro-actively design and develop the project with the smallest possible negative environmental cost.
During the past number of years, the terms Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and Environmental Auditing (EA) have also become relevant. SIA is used to identify the impact of the project on surrounding communities and to ensure that they benefit from the project, or at least is not affected negatively. EA on the other hand is used to measure compliance with existing legisklation and guidelines, including the approved EIA of the specific project. The scenario is that man lives in an environment and he should have the right to influence the planning process to ensure compliance with legislation. The INDEX philosophy of partnering supports this concept. Therefore, INDEX will, as part of its service, establish participative forums where stakeholders will jointly decide on procedures to limit impacts and to monitor change and compliance with the EIA.
INDEX has extensive experience in environmental planning, assessments, and works to the guidelines of the World Bank or of the appropriate legislation of the country in which the development takes place.
