Word count: XXXXXXXXXXwords Scenario: The UN Habitat program is seeking to understand how Environmental Impact Assessment processes are playing out across the globe, and is seeking to compile a set of...

Running Head: EIA IMPACT ON ZERO POINT INTERCHANGE PROJECT    1
EIA IMPACT ON ZERO POINT INTERCHANGE PROJECT    15
EIA IMPACT ON ZERO POINT INTERCHANGE PROJECT
Table of Contents
Introduction    3
About Project    3
Role of EIA Policy in the Project    4
Climate change impact on this project    6
Comparison of SDGs against EIA    7
Problems and issue come up in the EIA of this development projects    8
Conclusion    10
Recommendations    11
References    14
Introduction
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process is a multilevel process. This process ensures that any of the projects are affecting the environment. The EIA process helps identify the environmental impacts of project activity. Together with this process also describes how to mitigate those environmental impacts. The main goal of the EIA process is to tell the public about the ecological consequences of implementing the proposed project. The EIA document itself is a technical tool that analyzes the identification of social, cultural, physical environments as well as the impact on health.
It describes alternative measures to reduce the environmental impact of the proposed project if the EIA process is successful. Besides, the EIA process plays an essential procedural role in the overall decision-making process to promote public participation. The EIA process never guarantees that the project will be modified or rejected if the process states that there will be serious environmental impacts. In some Asian countries, a decision-maker may choose the most environmentally damaging option until the results are disclosed in the EIA. In other words, the EIA process ensures an informed decision, but it is not necessarily an environmentally beneficial decision (Riffat & Khan, 2006).
About Project
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is used to identify the social, economic impacts and ecological information of a project before making a decision. The process leads to the selection of projects on the principle of sustainable development. Through this, the adverse effects of active development are minimized through active and rational decision-making. EIA has not been practiced holistically in developing countries for years.
Over the years, environmentalists, researchers, communities, governments, and media from these countries have created an adequate institutional framework for the EIA. This paper gives an overview of EIA practices in South Asia countries. In these observations, there is a greater emphasis on the developments in Pakistan. The creation of awareness and construction-related legislation has forced countries to abandon social development projects that were harmful to the environment. Here the report will talk about s - ZPIP0, a mega project of EIA.
Zero Point Interchange is the largest interchange project in South Asia, which was started on 11 September 2008 by Engineering Consultant Int. Pvt. Ltd. The crossing was inaugurated in July 2011 by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, even after construction work on one of its loops continued. The construction of this interchange project was completed in 2012, and the total cost of the project came to PKR 4 billion (Hassan, Ullah & Hussain, 2017).
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, planned and designed on the principles of modern town planning and urban development. The city's road network has improved a lot over the years, and barrier-free sidewalks and underpasses have been built. The Zero Point Interchange Project (ZPIP) was launched by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad in the last five years and is one of the mega projects.
Role of EIA Policy in the Project
The question first comes to mind is whether EIA is required or not. Projects in Pakistan are divided into three schedules. Schedule 1 covers projects that require only the Preliminary Examination (IEE). The project is approved to implement non-significant impacts inside it. A detailed EIA study is carried out to determine whether Schedule 2 consists of projects. Both IEE and EIA are not required for projects in Schedule 3. A number of steps are taken for projects requiring EIA (Umair, Bjorklund & Petersen, 2013).
The process of scoping is one of the most important stages in EIA. Basic data about existing environmental parameters are collected by this step. The unavailability of sufficient baseline data in developing countries such as Pakistan makes scooping both a time-consuming and costly process. Baseline data about water quality, noise level, landscape, visual quality, and air quality are considerations for developmental projects that are more important. The scientific community and policy makers develop alternative solutions in scooping for proposed projects.
In EIA, the baseline data about environmental parameters are collected through the process of impact assessment, and then in the next phase the impact forecasts for new projects are obtained. By this, the historical data of expert decisions can provide some insight into impact assessment. EIA methods are used to collect data. EIA techniques are used to assess the effects of new development on the environment. It contains checklists, matrices, networks, and mapping techniques, by which to assess environmental impacts during operation and construction.
Mitigation measures are called when the ecological impacts of a new project are determined to reduce or eliminate adverse effects. The EMP incorporates institutional arrangements, supervision responsibilities, and evaluation requirements based on the development of the Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP). Implementing budget EIA abroad during this project life cycle requires a rigorous EMP.
The EIA for public consultation provides an ideal platform to check whether the affected public has been adequately consulted. It is also examined whether the views taken from the public in the project have been taken into consideration. This process helps reduce conflicts during the implementation of the project. An excellent public consultation process should provide essential information for stakeholders' feedback. The EIS can be revised based on public consultation and feedback process to give final approval of the project. The project can be approved for implementation if related concerns are attended to (Eckelman & Sherman, 2016).
Climate change impact on this project
Buildings and roads should always be designed, keeping in view the future climatic conditions. Saving homes, paved areas, and roads in winters and from sudden torrential rains has become even more critical today. A climate always reduces the durability of building materials and affects the indoor environment of buildings. Higher water levels in rivers and springs and greater risk of storm surges along the coastline make it appropriate to protect buildings against seepage and flooding.
To avoid this, new roads should be designed, keeping in mind future requirements. The most...