ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCE PROJECTS WITH MATRIX AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION-MAKING METHODS: A CASE STUDY
HIMANSHU JOSHI
MD. ABDUL LATIF
DOI: 10.2190/E7BK-WAHF-QHF5-V6P6
Abstract
The importance of environmental evaluation of water resources projects has been realized world over in view of their long-term consequences and large investment requirements. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can be defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential impacts of proposed projects, plans, programs, or legislative actions relative to the physical, chemical, biological, cultural, and socioeconomic components of the total environment. The primary purpose of the EIA process is to encourage the consideration of the environment in planning and decision-making and to ultimately arrive at actions which are more environmentally compatible. The objective of the present study was to assess the environmental impacts of the Kalni-Kushiyara River Management Project (KKRMP) in Bangladesh. The KKRMP covers a gross area of 335,600 ha between latitude 243 563 and 243 153 N and longitude 923 053 and 903 553E. It extends over the districts of Sylhet, Sumanganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, and Kishoreganj. The project is bounded by Kushiyara-Bijna-Ratna River system on the south, the old Surma-Dahuka River system and Jagannathpur-Sylhet road on the north, the old Surma-Baulai River system on the west, and the Sylhet-Kaktai village road on the east. Some of the major problems faced in the project area are river erosion, damage to boro crops by flash floods in pre-monsoon season and to aman crops during the monsoon, and the silting of beels, ponds, and channels. The overall goal of the project is to enhance economic activity and the quality of life on the Kalni-Kushiyara flood plain. Among various methods available for conducting EIA of water resources projects, matrix, indices and computer-based approaches have been used more frequently in recent times. Two methods--a conventional matrix method and a more sophisticated Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method--have been employed in this study. Whereas the main utility of the matrix method lies in communicating complex information in a simplified and easily assimilated form, the MCDM techniques present an interaction of network indices, and matrix approaches within a computation framework suitable for consideration of a diverse range of options and criteria characterizing the environmental impacts and subsequent integration of the same. The impact identification matrix developed for this project exhibits generally positive impacts that reflect the adaptability of the project. Further, the composite programming-based MCDM method yields a more holistic evaluation of the system, and a ranking in decreasing order of environmental soundness of various future options.
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