Environmental Impact Assessment: In its Infancy

by Selamawit Seyoum

A soap factory built in Addis Ababa recently came under inquiry after it was discovered that its hazardous discharege was polluting water. According to experts, the poisonous chemical was leaking through a ruptured drainage pipe. The health of people living in the area was threatened by the leakage. Eventually, the metropolitan environmental protection bureau intervened and persuaded the factory to take mitigation measures. Consequently, the factory has now been able not only to avert the problem but, to make one million birr per year by recycling the waste matter.

The Addis Ababa Cement Factory, located down town the city, has been operating for about 20 years. In as much as it endeavoured to meet the local demand for cement, the dusty emission it sent forth had been a cause for discomfort and health problems among about a quarter of one million local residents. Insiders said the factory's apparatus that controls the emission of dust had not been functional for 15 years. According to the sources, the problem could have been avoided at a cost of one to two million birr, a sum the factory earns in less than six months. However, it took years for the factory to act. Following the complaints of the local people, the Environmental Protection Bureau and other concerned bodies, a decision was reached, by government in 1997 to make the factory stop its crushing process, which then has been undertaken by another cement factory on the outskirts of the city.

Environmentalists believe that the various projects being undertaken in the city have direct and indirect impact on the environment, says Ato Tesfaye Berhe, Head of the Addis Ababa City Administration Environmental Protection Bureau. "If we really scrutinize the projects launched years ago or only recently from an environment perspective, it will not be difficult to pinpoint their damaging effects. There are fatories, like tanneries without treatment plants and whose poisonous emissions pose serious health threats to the local communities, "he says. "We have visited about 40 different factories operating in the metropolis to sensitize them on the environmental impact of their projects. Some of them, taking our advice at heart, have embarked on mitigating measures," he added:

But why did it take the owners of locally funded projects as long time to act? How come they failed to see that environment is one crucial factor that ensures the sustainability of their projects? One likely answer which experts provide for these questions is that "Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a fairly new concept in Ethiopia." Like other East African countries, EIA was first introduced in this part of the world in the 1980s when international donors and financiers made it a requirement for funding projects.

According to Mr. Ian Campbell, Chief Technical Advisor of the Environmental Planning Unit within the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (MEDaC), international funding institutions like the World Bank and the African Development Bank came up with certain standards that should be met to ensure sustainable environmental management. He said African countries in the region were required to conduct EIA on their major projects to qualify for funding by these multilateral agencies. Gradually, countries in the region came to realize that locally funded projects should also be sensitized to the environment.

Ethiopia is no exception. The government has been developing procedures for all projects to go through EIA. Mr. Campbell noted that in Ethiopia EIA for locally funded projects is still at its infancy. He said, "Ethiopia does not yet have a well developed EIA consultancy. I am sure there are a few companies that are capable for doing good EIA, but not many with few exceptions, EIA for most large projects are still done by foreign consultants who may coopt local consultants on to their teams." Despite the availability fo the know-how, Ethiopian consultants "did not take the chance to work as integrated teams in performing and completing major EIAs," he said.

Mr. Campbell noted that there is a fact that makes Ethiopia's approach to environmental management unique. "In other East African countries, environmental responsibilities are concentrated on environmental authorities and environmental management is divorced form the day to day activities of planners. In Ethiopia, however, the Environmental Protection Authority undertakes the major work with the Federal Government taking the responsibility of coordinating, and key ministries integrating environmental issues into their parallel planning processes."

Established in 1995, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has formulated national environmental policy and developed procedure enabling the assessment of economic and social projects among others. The authority, in collaboration with MEDaC, formulated in 1997 Environmental Policy whose priority is community-based environmental management. EPA has also drafted procedural and sectoral guidelines. The sectoral one includes agriculture, industry, transport, mining, damps and reservoirs. Composing the five sectoral and the procedural guidelines EPA has produced a document entitled "Environmental Assessment and Management Guidelines." As in the EPA Conservation strategy of Ethiopia is also established in the MEDaC.

The metropolitan Environmental Protection Bureau, which was set up in 1996, is engaged in capacity building, public awareness and data collection. EPA is taking the initiative for the establishment of environmental protection institutions in the various states, Ato Yonas Teklemichael, EIA study and control team leader with EPA told this reporter. These would be autonomous bodies that deal with environmental issues, he added.

Most investment projects approved are found in Addis Ababa where the metropolitan environmental Protection Bureau is studying the impact of the projects on the environment.

The bureau head says project owners are often reluctant to conduct EIA. They see EIA as "an extra cost," he said, when, in fact, the opposite is true. Nevertheless, there are some proponents with big projects and accomplished preliminary EIA.

The bureau as well as EPA face constraints that impinge on their activities which Herald will carry in the second part of this piece.