Social Impact Assessment (SIA)

Social Impact Assessment /analysis is related to the better understanding about social consequence of projects, programs and policies.

SIA is defined in terms of efforts to access or estimate social consequences of specific policy action (programs, projects and activities)

Social Impact also refers to cultural impacts involving chanages to the norms, values and beliefs. eg. if a alcohol factory in certain community create 100 jobs then that is good but the impact of alcohol should be assessed according to the norms, values, traditions and customs of the society.

In conclusion we can say that the social impact assessment intends to do development activities with minimum social costs and maximum benefits.

So, social impact assessment also refers to the consequences to human population of any public and private actions or activities.

SIA can provide some of the mitigation measure of predicting social impact of certain development actions.

Some of the areas where SIA is essential

Construction related actions ie. road, airport, community buildings, shopping complex, irrigation canals, hydropower etc,

SIA models allows us to address the issues of alternative plans and alternative impacts.

Essential impacts can be made about probable social impacts

Analysis of basic social dimension and impacts of the policy actions

It also recommends some the mitigation measures for the higher benefits and minimum possible social cost.

Mitigation measure reduces the cost of no. of consequences and balance with benefits and consequences.