Scoping in EIA using Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix - A case study

Solid waste arising from human and animal activities, comprises of countless different materials which are difficult to name them all. Sanitary landfills have been and continue to be an economical method for solid waste disposal especially in developing countries. The solid waste management problem is getting aggravated in the capital city of Kerala, Trivandrum with current generation of around 280-300 metric tons per day and disposing the same in low-lying areas without taking proper precautions which has led to breeding of rodents, flies and other domestic pests and also pollution of air, surface water and ground water. This paper reports the results of the scoping process in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study that was conducted for the feasibility of converting the solid waste dumping site into a sanitary landfill. Scoping study was carried out using Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) method. The impacts of various activities were evaluated against the different environmental and socio-economic components and for each component a score was determined, which provides a measure of the impact expected from the component. It was found that most of the environmental components like Sociology and Culture, Biology and Ecology have scored positive values for the conversion option.