Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)

What is Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)As a prerequisite before submission of an ESIA, a developer is supposed to conduct a Project Scoping and develop Terms of Reference in regard to the scoping in accordance with Section 13 and 14 of THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT (ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ASSESSMENT) REGULATIONS, 2020 and submit to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

ESIA expands upon ElA by including social dimensions alongside environmental concerns. It assesses how a project will impact local communities, their health, livelihoods, and socio-economic conditions.

Objective:

The objective of ESIA is to ensure that both environmental and social impacts are considered in the project design, leading to sustainable development and better stakeholder engagement.Key Elements of ESIA:Environmental factors:

This includes air, water, and ecological impacts.Social factors: Health impacts: Assessing changes in public health due to the project. 

Livelihoods: 

Determining how local jobs, agriculture, or businesses will be affected. Cultural heritage: Identifying impacts on sites or practices of cultural significance. 

Community engagement: 

Ensuring the participation of affected communities and addressing their concerns. Example of ESIA: A large hydropower dam project would require an ESIA. For list of projects that an ESIA is mandatory, check Schedule 5 of the National Environment Act Cap 181. 

Projects for which environmental and social impact assessment is mandatory. 

A developer of a project under section 113 of the Act and set out in Schedule 5 of the Act shall undertake scoping and an environmental and social impact study in accordance with these Regulations.A developer of a project proposed to be located in or near an environmentally sensitive area listed in Schedule 10 of the Act may be required to undertake scoping and an environmental and social impact study in accordance with the relevant regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, where a lead agency or the Authority intends to undertake a project under Schedule 5 or Schedule 10 of the Act, the lead agency shall be considered to be a developer under this part.The Authority shall, in determining whether the project referred to under sub regulation (2) requires scoping and an environmental and social impact study, take into consideration—- the requirements of any applicable law, standards, and international agreements; the recommendation of the relevant lead agency consulted, if any; 

• the physical characteristics and nature of the project;
• the proposed location of the project;
• the likely impact of the project on human health or the environment, including likely socio-economic impacts; 
• the sensitivity of the area in relation to biological diversity, including species richness or endemism;
• the likely impact of the proposed project on cultural resources, including proximity to sites of historic, archeological, cultural, religious or scientific importance;
• the proposed use of natural resources, in particular land, soil and water; 
• an estimate, by type and quantity, of expected emissions and types of waste produced during the various phases of the proposed project;
• the impact of the project on climate and the project’s vulnerability to climate change;
• any agreement or undertaking on transboundary environmental matters; 
• and- any other factor the Authority may consider necessary.

In respect to a project by the Authority, the technical committee on environmental and social assessment appointed by the Board under section 21 of the Act shall take into account the factors under sub regulation (4).

Duty of developer with regard to environmental and social assessment .

The developer is responsible for the content of a project brief, environmental and social impact statement or an environmental risk assessment prepared under the Act and these Regulations and shall ensure that the assessments are prepared in accordance with the Act, these Regulations, and any other applicable law. The developer shall, during the project life cycle, take into account the environmental and social assessments undertaken under these Regulations.NB: Ensure to sign in or Sign up on ELMIS page (http://eservices.nema.go.ug) to allow you submit your application for permit, licence, ESIA, ToR or Project Brief. Apply for ESIA