Environmental Engineering and Management

Environmental stewardship is not only at the core of our business, but also the bulk of our business and the heart of our ethos. That is why our environmental commitment extends beyond helping our clients with compliance and reducing their environmental impact to restoring impacted natural resources and advancing the safety and security of the people where we work.

We rank as the top environmental firm in Afghanistan and our consultants and environmental professionals have a long experience in solving clients’ most challenging and complex environmental problems. We are dedicated to the well-being of people and the environment. We are as passionate about creating comprehensive and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges as we are about creating thriving communities and integrated infrastructure solutions that enhance the quality of people’s lives and respect the natural environment.

We partner with our clients to mitigate risks and deliver lasting solutions through the development of viable, sustainable solutions that add value to complex environmental and infrastructure projects.

Our Environmental Engineering and Management services are in the following areas:

Environmental Governance,
Corporate Environmental Services,
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management,
Waste Management,
Environmental Engineering,
Urban Development.

1- Environmental Governance

As part of the evidence pillar, our consultancy services include assessing actual environmental and ecological monitoring systems, specifying improvements, and facilitating their implementation. Advising on environmental information systems and using them to assess the impacts of policy implementation is an equally important task.

DS, as a leading consultancy, is assisting ministries, regional bodies, and municipalities to strengthen Afghanistan’s environmental governance.

DS aims to promote and support a sustainable governance framework appropriate to the concerned country’s traditions while taking into account related international standards and the legitimate interests and requirements of sectoral stakeholders and the public.

DS experts provide advice on available policy options and analyze and discuss the development of policy measures and standards with our partners. They draft suitable legislation and implement regulations where needed and requested. Institutional capacity building is an integral part of our work. We assess priority training needs and provide targeted training, on-the-job assistance, and support. Likewise, we help in the implementation of related measures and support awareness-raising activities and outreach programs.

2- Corporate Environmental Services

The DS provides the following services according to international standards and national rules and regulations:

Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
Environmental & Social Management System Design & Implementation
Environmental Management Plan (EMP)
Resettlement Action Plan (RAP)
Planning, Regulatory Support, and Compliance
Environmental Auditing
Greenhouse Gases Inventory
Flora and Fauna Baseline Survey
Socio-economic Baseline Survey
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)

2.1 Environmental & Social Impact Assessment

DS provides a full range of EIA and ESIA services to clients across all our business sectors and throughout all our operating areas. DS provides a diverse range of services to assist clients who need to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in support of a specific development, or an Environmental Social Environmental Assessment (ESIA) of a larger scale concept or planning policy.

The level of support DS can offer ranges from individual technical sections to complete management of the EIA/ ESIA and the associated planning process.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process used to assess the environmental and socio-economic consequences (which can be positive as well as negative) of a project and provides information to decision-makers and stakeholders before deciding whether or not to permit a project.

How can DS help?

DS provides pragmatic reviews of EIA work to regulators and other interested parties. DS’s EIA/ESIA clients tend to be governmental and regulatory bodies that wish to assess the impacts of their policy-making guidance and decisions.
DS can manage and deliver an entire EIA project from concept, and pre-feasibility through to feasibility using experienced EIA project managers and its teams of technical specialists; or our technical experts can provide input on one or more discrete EIA topics. We also have key staff that are able to provide technical peer review as may be required for the more contentious projects to ensure that the assessment is robust and thorough.
Full EIAs or free-standing technical reports from in-house experts.
Many technical disciplines also have expert witness experience that can assist in more complex and contentious developments.
Providing planning and environmental support for a range of development schemes.

3- Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Poor people living in low and middle-income countries have paid a disproportionate price in terms of human suffering from disasters. We are working to sustain the institutions and build resilient communities. We are working to reduce the risks and provide services for management to understand risk and vulnerability, prevent a hazard from becoming a disaster, and mitigate its impact by making people more resilient.

Our DRRM-related services include:

Community-based disaster risk reduction/management
Disaster risk and vulnerability assessment
Disaster risk mapping and GIS applications
National and sub-national planning for disaster risk reduction;
Integrated drought risk assessment, planning and management.
Integrated flood risk assessment, planning and management.
Capacity and vulnerability assessment
Capacity development

4- Waste Management

Waste avoidance, recovery and reuse in communities and industries, and efficient waste management are critical elements of sustainable development. DS Consulting is a leading provider of environmental consultancy services to the waste sector, providing advice to a range of clients including waste producers, the waste management industry, its regulators and investors.

The waste management philosophy developed by DS follows an established waste hierarchy of waste prevention, minimization, reuse, or recycling up to the possible extent, energy recovery, and final disposal. The DS team provides practical advice on all waste types, including municipal, household, commercial, industrial, hazardous, agricultural, and, mining waste.

DS’s comprehensive range of waste management services, from planning and design to monitoring and project management, helps our clients deliver and operate essential waste management facilities while returning long-term benefits to communities and the environment, all done through our waste team management professionals.

Some of our areas of expertise are:

Waste management plans for all types of establishments and industries;
Development and review of waste policy and regulations;
Strategic planning for new waste facilities, encompassing business case development, options assessment and siting studies, and impact assessment;
Design and documentation for recycling and waste disposal facilities, such as transfer stations, resource recovery centres, landfills, and materials recovery facilities;
Design of waste processing facilities, including organic wastes, mixed solid waste and energy from waste facilities and other alternative waste technologies (AWT);
Specialist engineering advice on issues such as landfill gas, leachate, landfill capping systems and liners;
Operational support including operational management plans, and environmental advice;
Solid waste planning and management;
Researching and auditing disposal sites;
Preparation of fire and safety plans, waste drum control, spill control, and contingency plans;
Waste management personnel training;

5- Environmental Engineering

Our environmental engineers develop solutions to the world’s environmental issues. We offer engineering and professional surveying services throughout Afghanistan and the region for industrial, commercial real estate, government, and other types of projects. We also provide construction administration and advice services for a diverse portfolio of civil and environmental construction projects.

We design equipment to perform to the highest water and air pollution control standards and eliminate waste. Our environmental engineers conduct waste management studies in which we evaluate the significance of the hazard, offer analysis on treatment, and develop regulations to prevent accidents. We design municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems. We also conduct research on proposed environmental projects, analyze scientific data, and perform quality control checks.

Our environmental engineering services include:

Environmental Engineering Design & Engineering Services
Design and installation of air pollution prevention filters for coal and wood based heating system
Design of water treatment processes
Evaluation of air pollution and water pollution technologies
Process selection studies and economic evaluation
Compliance with all environmental protection regulations
Environmental Remediation
Professional Land Surveying Services
Civil and Environmental Construction Administration
Design of Water and wastewater treatment system
Hydrogeological Studies
Landfill Engineering Design Services

6- Urban Development

We are working with our clients to tackle economic growth challenges to create vibrant, sustainable cities, towns, and communities where people want to live, work, and play. We know that competitive cities draw talented people, attract investment, foster new businesses, provide jobs, and create fresh social and economic opportunities for everyone. From master planning a new “smart” city to revitalizing the core infrastructures of historic capitals, we are dedicated to imagining and delivering innovative, yet practical solutions for urban challenges.

Our urban development services include:

Program planning, management, and delivery
Master planning and urban design
Mapping and digitizing the cities
Site selection and land planning
Project development and structuring
Lean design and integrated architectural-engineering design
Procurement planning and green supply chain development
Urban transport systems development and optimization
Road and utility infrastructure design
Sustainability assessment and rating systems (smart cities)
Economic development (core jobs) planning and implementation
Urban development planning and reviewing strategies
Assessment of commercial and industrial zones
Designing transportation and smart cities
Preparing the land use management plan
Construction management and design-build
Green Walls and 3R Concept
Eco-friendly construction design services

Environmental Engineering and Management