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The Environmental Impact Assessment of Sanitation Projects in Chile: Overview and Improvement Opportunities Focused on Follow-Ups

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  • Dante Rodríguez-Luna

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Catholic University of Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
    Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Ciencias Químicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile)

  • Francisco Javier Alcalá

    (Facultad de Ingeniería, Instituto de Ciencias Químicas Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago 8910060, Chile
    Departamento de Desertificación y Geo-Ecología, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), 04120 Almeria, Spain)

  • Francisco Encina-Montoya

    (Nucleus of Environmental Studies, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco 4781312, Chile)

  • Nuria Vela

    (Applied Technology Group to Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Science, Catholic University of Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain)

Abstract

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a legal and administrative tool aimed to identify, predict, and interpret the impact of a project or activity on the environment and human health. The EIA also evaluates the accuracy of the predictions and audits the effectiveness of the established preventive measures. Regarding the sanitation sector, efficiency of wastewater treatments and sanitation networks determine the pollutant level of the discharged liquid effluents and the subsequent impact on the environment and human health. This problematic makes necessary to assess how proper the regulatory follow-ups of sanitation projects is. This paper evaluates the performance of the Chilean EIA System concerning to sanitation projects. Taking into account that the more restrictive Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and more permissive Environmental Impact Declaration (EID) are the ways for projects’ entry to the EIA System in Chile, 5336 sanitation projects submitted to EIA between 1994 and 2019 were complied. A representative sample of 76 projects (15 entered as EIS and 61 as EID) was analyzed by using a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) through 14 selected performance indicators. Observed weaknesses have led to propose improvement opportunities of the EIA focused on the follow-ups after the environmental license is obtained, such as creation of a simplified sanctioning procedure, decentralization of decision-making, deadline establishment in each stage, and unified direct link for each project. These proposals seek to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and possible sanctions to early identify impacts of sanitation projects on the environment and human health. This paper introduces a robust methodology for evaluation criteria focused on the follow-ups analysis, which can be used in other countries that consider respectful sanitation projects have direct social and environmental benefits leading to long-term indirect cultural and economic values.

Suggested Citation

  • Dante Rodríguez-Luna & Francisco Javier Alcalá & Francisco Encina-Montoya & Nuria Vela, 2022. "The Environmental Impact Assessment of Sanitation Projects in Chile: Overview and Improvement Opportunities Focused on Follow-Ups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:3964-:d:780427
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Dante Rodríguez-Luna & Nuria Vela & Francisco Javier Alcalá & Francisco Encina-Montoya, 2021. "The Environmental Impact Assessment in Aquaculture Projects in Chile: A Retrospective and Prospective Review Considering Cultural Aspects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
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    1. Dante Rodríguez-Luna & Francisco Encina-Montoya & Francisco Javier Alcalá & Nuria Vela, 2022. "An Overview of the Environmental Impact Assessment of Mining Projects in Chile," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, December.

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