Abstract:

The objective of this handbook is to provide a description of practical methods which are useful in designing and executing effective environmental assessments (EAs) to those who are involved in various aspects of road projects, from planning to construction to maintenance. This handbook is primarily concerned with specific road projects, ranging from major works on new alignments to minor rehabilitation and maintenance activities on existing roads. The techniques discussed can be applied to in-depth environmental assessment studies, or to modest action plans for dealing with environmental aspects of small projects. As EA practitioners are by no means the only set of participants in the EA process, this handbook is not limited to their exclusive use. People representing the project proponents, government agencies, NGOs, research groups, and community organizations, as well as any others whose input is desired in both the project development and EA processes, are all intended handbook users.

This handbook consists of two parts. Part I provides an overview of the EA process in the context of road planning and construction and also describes the detailed methodological steps of the EA process, as they apply to specific projects being planned. Part II provides a more detailed, in-depth discussion of each of the major factors involved in environmental assessment, including impact mitigation, of road projects. Each chapter covers one component of the environment and provide a description of possible impacts, the nature and scale of the impacts, and some practical information on common mitigation options. This is followed in each chapter by a checklist which suggests common ways of minimizing the impacts on the component. Each chapter ends with a list of information sources which users may want to refer to for more details.

URL: http://go.worldbank.org/7989W6YLJ1