Environmental impact assessment for the proposed pipe manufacturing plant Gulhifalhu Kaafu Atoll, Maldives

Abstract

This report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study under the proposed establishment of a pipe manufacturing plant at Gulhifalhu, Kaafu Atoll. The project is proposed by MWSC Pvt. Ltd. The project involves manufacturing PVC and PE pipes in a small plant on Gulhifalhu. This would require establishing a power plant, RO plant and operational building at the MWSC site in Gulhifalhu. Feed water intake will be done via a borehole on the North West side of the project site. For this project, a PVC dry-blend (ready-made mixture) will be imported in large bags. This will then be sent to an extrusion line where the mixture will be heated to appropriate limits and moulded into pipes of required dimensions. A cooling system comprising of water will be used after the moulding process. As the process is done in a closed system, there will not be emission of any gases into the atmosphere during the entire process except for water vapour from the cooling system. Additionally, scrap materials from the manufacturing process will be re-used in the extrusion line leading to extremely small amount of waste being generated from the entire manufacturing process. However, there will be emission of carbon dioxide and similar gases from burning fuels in the power plant along with brine discharged into to the lagoon from the RO plant. Alternatives have been identified in the project document. Of these alternatives, the recommended alternative would be using eco-friendly power generation methods such as solar power cells and OTEC technologies. The proposed project is done on an artificial island away from any inhabited island and devoid of any terrestrial flora and fauna. Additionally there are no significant marine habitats close to the project site either. There are no significant impacts on the environment from the proposed project. However, there will be a major positive socio-economic impact from the project due to increased job opportunities and economic gain for the proponent. Since there were no significant environmental impacts identified for the proposed project, mitigation measure were general construction phase guidelines such as dust control measures and waste management plans. A monitoring program has been proposed for the project to assess and examine changes to the environment, if any in the long run.