No. AGES-P-10 Title of the Project Environmental Impact Assessment: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Campus Development in Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram District Name of Funding agency/ Consulting Engineering Services, New Delhi Client Name of Investigator/ N.P. Singh, Surojit Das, Dr. M.P. Nayar, S. Mohankumar and Coordinator Dr. P.K. Shaji Associate/collaborating Environmental Resources Research Centre (ERRC), institution, if any Thiruvananthapuram Nature of project R&D/Consultancy/Implementation monitoring/ Quality Audit/EIA/EMP/Resource audit/mapping Area/Location Vithura (Nedumangad Taluk), Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala Status Completed (2010) Duration Six Months Date of Initiation September 2009 Date of completion February 2010 Brief description of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), project (objectives, planned to have its campus in a picturesque location of approach and salient Vithura in Nedumangad Taluk of Thiruvananthapuram findings/recommendations) District. The campus that envisaged accommodating 3000 people was planned in 200 acres of land, given on freehold by the Government of Kerala to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India. This land was part of the 400 acres of Jersey Farm established by the Govt. of Kerala at Vithura in the 1970s. Since the proposed campus development project involved a built up area of about 117000 m2, in the proximity of forestlands (of the southern part of the Western Ghats), the project warranted an environmental impact assessment study towards analyzing its impacts on the land, water, biological and sociological environments and for framing an environment management plan (EMP) in order to make the development programme environmentally compatible and sustainable. The study was carried out during September-December 2009 which analyzed and described the ecological/environmental characteristics of the project area and its surroundings and assessed the impacts on the air, water, land, biological and sociological environments. For impact assessment, both checklist and matrix methods were considered. On the basis of the study, a comprehensive environment management plan was framed. The project was granted environmental clearance by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt. of India.