First addendum to the EIA for the proposed domestic airport development in DH. Kudahuvadhoo

Abstract

This report addresses the environmental concerns of the newly proposed burrow area for the reclamation of the Domestic Airport in Dh.Kudhahuvadhoo. The previously considered burrow areas posed technical difficulties in getting the required amount of sand which was needed for the project, therefore the new burrow area was proposed in the shallow area close to the proposed deeper borrow areas. An area of about 150,000-170,000m2 in the shallow area close to the approved dredge area is to be dredged to a depth of 6-7m to obtain about 750,000m3 of fill material. This area has been selected because one of the approved areas is too deep to dredge with the dredger. Also, the other approved areas have hard rock as a result of which the total volume of material is reduced. Since the proposed area is in close proximity to the proposed area and further away from the reef and reef patches than the proposed areas, the proposed new area has lesser environmental impacts than that proposed. However, the impacts of dredging would be similar to those of the already approved areas. The main impacts of the proposed component are related to changes in coastal water quality and oceanography, impacts on coral reefs and the associated marine fauna. Mitigation measures are mainly focused on reducing sedimentation, dredging methods and timings of the dredging. Monitoring programme outlined in the EIA report was found to be sufficient and additional environmental monitoring was not found to be necessary. Given that the change in the project component does not have major negative environmental impacts it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.