| Abstract: | 1. This Environmental Impact Assessment report concerns the proposed redevelopment of Giraavaru Island, North Malé Atoll, to a three-star tourist facility. The purpose of this EIA is to fulfill the obligations of the proponent under Clause 5 of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of the Maldives (Law # 4/93), and the requirements of Maldives Tourism Regulation. This EIA establishes the current state of the existing environment on Giraavaru Island where the redevelopment takes place. All the activities of the redevelopment and operations are evaluated for their environmental impacts.
Corrective and mitigation measures are proposed for reversing or improving the predicted potential negative impacts so as to maintain the overall quality of the environment.
2. Giraavaru is in North Malé Atoll located about 11 km from capital Malé. Closest resort islands are Vaadhoo, Velassaru, Bolifushi in the South Malé Atoll and Kurunbaa Village, Fullmoon and Bandos in the North Malé Atoll. Giraavaru is at the centre of Maldives’ growing economic hub - the industrial area which also encompasses conurbations of the City of Malé (Malé, Vilingili, and Hulhuamle).
3. The industrial island of Thilafushi is only 1.5 km east where a major dredging and reclamation works is taking place. Some 157 Hectares are to be reclaimed using Cutter Suction Dredgers and excavators. Further east, only 6 km from Giraavaru, the new development of Gulhifalhu reclamation is taking place. The first phase of Gulhifalhu is complete and the second phase is expected to start in August where a Trailer Hopper Suction Dredger will borrow material just north of Gulhifalhu from the atoll lagoon to reclaim over 37 Hectares of land on the southern face of the reef facing Vaadhoo Channel.
4. Operation of Giraavaru island resort will take place at the centre of Maldivian economic activity where no other resort in the Maldives will have to operate. The development plans of Thilafushi also include an international port/container terminal on the western section of the island where the reclamations are now taking place. This would mean large number of ship traffic and port activities will take place only about 1 km from the resort.
5. Giraavaru Island Redevelopment project is a partnership between the current lease holder and Centara Group one of the largest hotel chain in Thailand. Centara now operates in several overseas destinations of Asia, including its home Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives Indonesia, India, Egypt and Vietnam and soon in Mauritius. Centara boast having over 56 hotels totaling over 9,000 rooms. Centara also operates Machchafushi Resort – the Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa in the Maldives. The whole redevelopment investment in Giraavaru is being made by the Centara Pvt Ltd. 6. The redevelopment concept essentially involves complete dismantling of about 85% of the existing infrastructure on Giraavaru Island, currently in a state of disrepair. The remaining buildings on the island would also be refurbished and modernized. A total 140 rooms are proposed of which 110 will be over-water villas spread out in three rows on the north western and south western reef flat connected by walkways. The remaining 30 would be beach bungalows that would replace existing old-fashioned rooms. Specialty restaurants and the full back-of-the house facilities will be completely rebuilt with
modern equipment to provide the services for 280 guests expected to house and at full capacity. Repair of the existing seawalls, breakwater and groynes will take place. They will be renovated using the existing coral rock boulders or cement/sand bags. 7. Major redevelopment activities were assessed and evaluated for their impacts on the various characteristics of the environment in a Leopold Matrix framework. While the analysis does not provide an overall quantitative rating the Matrix portrays value judgments that help ascertain the magnitude and importance of the assumed impacts. On the 9 factors evaluated against 11 environmental characteristics significant impact causing activities were found to be placement of over 1200 concrete stilts (footing) on reef flat, potentially prolonged construction activities of over-water structures, clearing of
vegetation and deconstruction and removal activities these were found to be most influential impact causing activities. Appropriate mitigation measures and alternatives have been proposed. These activities were found to cause negative environmental impacts to lagoon, coral reef, coastal processes, and scenic views - essentially during the development phase.
8. For those major impacts, and where possible, alternative and/or mitigation measures were proposed. The proponent is committed to taking responsibility, including financial commitment, on implementing them where practical. Environmental impacts relating to power generation and water production were emphasized as these require environmental compliance and for the new requirement of registration of these facilities at Maldives Energy Authority and Environmental Protection Agency respectively. 9. Stakeholder consultations were undertaken with Thilafushi Corporation Ltd, Global Projects Development Pvt. Ltd. (Gulhifalhu Development Project), Ameen Construction, Malé City Council (Waste Management Section), Maldives Ports Limited, and CDE Consulting firm. CDE is currently undertaking a baseline assessment of Thilafushi area prior to a major IFC assisted investments on waste management to be managed by the Malé City Council. The current practices of open-burning and burying of waste is to be transformed to incineration and landfill operations with some recycling of nonbiodegradable waste.
10. Given the large number of economic activities taking place in the area, Giraavaru redevelopment project may have little or no socioeconomic economic impact. During the construction period close 300 people are expected to be employed and nearly 85% of them would be unskilled labourers from Bangladesh, Nepal and to some extend Sri Lanka and India. Centara Maldives is Thailand-based firm and so it is expected engineers and
supervisors will mostly from Thailand. The resort is expected to have guest to staff ratio nearly 1:0.65 and so only about 250 people would be employed on the resort.
11. The redevelopment activities proposed are standard for any resort development in the Maldives. The contractor would be made responsible for the compliance and reporting required during the construction phase. A monitoring programme has been proposed which include monitoring of shorelines, sand movement, coral cover, fish fauna and coastal processes. Reports are to be submitted as required during construction and operation phase.
12. It was concluded that environmental impacts from Giraavaru Redevelopment project will not be significant and only short term (1-2 years). It was also noted that the potential medium to long term environmental impacts from developments of Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu and its related activities will mask the environmental impacts of resort operation on Giraavaru in the medium to long-term. |
