Synopsis What are the EIA methodologies reported thus far? What are their virtues and shortcomings? What are the requirements of an ideal methodology and how does one proceed towards approximating that ideal? The present book deals with these questions. It begins with an overview of the existing EIA methodologies. The ones commonly used as well as the ones less-tried or untried, are reviewed. The book simultaneously identifies the strenths and the weaknesses of these methodologies and focuses on the attributes desired to achieve comprehensiveness in EIA at the least cost and in the shortest possible time. It then presents three new methodologies - which together form a system or a logical sequence - and demonstrates their applicability with reference to a real-life study area.