A new development is always an exciting prospect and one which people devote large amounts of money and energy to. Whether the development is a factory or processing plant, the project is always of a substantial magnitude and so it requires extensive assessment and planning before construction can commence. Part of this preliminary activity is the environmental assessment, or Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAS), which are conducted to determine whether an area is suitable for the development and what risks exist in it.
The consistent attitude of the developer should be that the environment matters and that pollution is not acceptable. The old-fashioned view that the environment should be taken for granted is not popular these days, and neither is a lax approach to pollution. The public and government are not going to appreciate that approach and where there is enough opposition, government can sometimes restrict or even curtail the entire project. An environmental assessment is part of a more responsible attitude.
As a rule, then, developers should always take cognisance of the environment. They should maintain the approach that the latter needs to be preserved, not damaged or polluted. This is in keeping with the modern philosophy of conservation and respect.
The ESAS looks at several factors in the natural environment that are of extreme importance in determining the safety of the area. These factors are related to aspects of the environment that can potentially have an influence on human health and the ability of the area to sustain the development or planned activities.
One of the most important is the water in the area. Water is a good indicator of other conditions because it may contain any toxins that are present. Toxins in the soil and plants are probably also going to be present in the water.
The soil is another aspect that should be examined. This sounds strange, but soil is not as innocuous as it looks. It absorbs any chemical that it comes into contact with, especially from sources such as animal carcases or decomposing vegetation. Poisons sink into the soil and remain, where they can potentially poison anything else. Poisoned soil is not suitable for crops or animal husbandry.
Undesirable plants are those species which are not wanted by the authorities in that specific area. This is almost always because they are not indigenous species. Alien plant species are a threat to the environment because they do not form part of the endemic food chain. They then cause a disruption in the food chain by absorbing too many nutrients or taking up too much space. They may also cause the soil quality to deteriorate. Unhealthy plants are those which have been poisoned or which are carrying diseases. Poisoned plants are sometimes eaten as fodder by insects and animals, and this is how the poison enters into the local food chain.
Then there is the soil. The soil may seem uninvolved in trouble such as toxins or diseases, but it is equally pollutable. Soil is polluted by toxins in water (such as rain) and the dead bodies of animals and decaying plants. Once soil is poisoned, it has the potential to poison anything else. Farming is not possible in such areas.
All of these aspects need to be assessed in order to determine whether the environment is suitable for the proposed development. Developers should not try to pre-empt or bypass this assessment.
The consistent attitude of the developer should be that the environment matters and that pollution is not acceptable. The old-fashioned view that the environment should be taken for granted is not popular these days, and neither is a lax approach to pollution. The public and government are not going to appreciate that approach and where there is enough opposition, government can sometimes restrict or even curtail the entire project. An environmental assessment is part of a more responsible attitude.
As a rule, then, developers should always take cognisance of the environment. They should maintain the approach that the latter needs to be preserved, not damaged or polluted. This is in keeping with the modern philosophy of conservation and respect.
The ESAS looks at several factors in the natural environment that are of extreme importance in determining the safety of the area. These factors are related to aspects of the environment that can potentially have an influence on human health and the ability of the area to sustain the development or planned activities.
One of the most important is the water in the area. Water is a good indicator of other conditions because it may contain any toxins that are present. Toxins in the soil and plants are probably also going to be present in the water.
The soil is another aspect that should be examined. This sounds strange, but soil is not as innocuous as it looks. It absorbs any chemical that it comes into contact with, especially from sources such as animal carcases or decomposing vegetation. Poisons sink into the soil and remain, where they can potentially poison anything else. Poisoned soil is not suitable for crops or animal husbandry.
Undesirable plants are those species which are not wanted by the authorities in that specific area. This is almost always because they are not indigenous species. Alien plant species are a threat to the environment because they do not form part of the endemic food chain. They then cause a disruption in the food chain by absorbing too many nutrients or taking up too much space. They may also cause the soil quality to deteriorate. Unhealthy plants are those which have been poisoned or which are carrying diseases. Poisoned plants are sometimes eaten as fodder by insects and animals, and this is how the poison enters into the local food chain.
Then there is the soil. The soil may seem uninvolved in trouble such as toxins or diseases, but it is equally pollutable. Soil is polluted by toxins in water (such as rain) and the dead bodies of animals and decaying plants. Once soil is poisoned, it has the potential to poison anything else. Farming is not possible in such areas.
All of these aspects need to be assessed in order to determine whether the environment is suitable for the proposed development. Developers should not try to pre-empt or bypass this assessment.
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