Geological and Geotechnical Considerations in EIA Studies of Geohazards Susceptible Projects: A Review

Environmentally progressive countries in the world require the conduct of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before the approval of any infrastructure project with substantial impacts on the environment to ensure sustainability. Potential problems are addressed before the implementation stage to prevent any degradation in the environment. One of these problems is the geological hazards that can pose threats to the environment and human lives if not mitigated appropriately. This study is a review and examination of scientific papers that integrate geological and geotechnical/ hydrogeological aspects in the EIA of engineering projects in geologically susceptible areas, such as power plants, waste facility, mining areas, flood structures and, oil and gas facility. The review reveals that the majority of engineering projects are not integrating geological and geotechnical aspects in their EIAs. The review also reveals that there are very limited studies that have been published about expanding or integrating geological and geotechnical aspects in EIA.