Addendum to environmental impact assessment for the changes that had been made to the harbour rehabilitation project at Kurendhoo Island, Lavaiyani Atoll, Maldives

Abstract

This report discusses the findings of social and environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at the request of Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure for the changes proposed to harbour rehabilitation project at Lh, Kurendhoo. Kurendhoo with a total land area of about 19.9 hectares is located at 5º32’59’ N and 73º27’57” E. The island is inhabited island, with slightly over 72.0 persons per hectare. Kurendhoo is in a strategic location given that it is located in the middle of all inhabited islands of the atoll with easy access for inter- and intra-atoll travel. The closest inhabited island is Maafilaafushi, which was chosen by the Government as a potential growth-focused island. The Ministry of Housing and Environment awarded the Kurendhoo harbor developed project to Works Cooperation Limited in 2011 to develop the harbor in accordance with the “EIA for the proposed rehabilitation of harbour in Kurendhoo, Lhaviyani Atoll, February 2011”. EPA approved the proposed harbor development project at Kurendhoo which was outlined in the EIA report. The actual harbor development project deviated from the original plans that were approved by EPA. EPA intervened and stopped the project in 2012. When EPA intervened, 12,000 m2 of area was reclaimed on south of harbor from the material that was excavated from the harbor basin. This was the material that needs to dispose to the area that was eroding on north eastern side of the island. 166 m of the quay wall has been completed and the dredging of the harbor basin has been completed. The island community, island council and the MP of the island has requested the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure to bring some changes to the original plan that had been approved. Hence following changes has been made to the Kurendhoo Harbour Development project. - Extending the quay wall to northern section of the harbor. Total quay wall would be 300 m - Construction of a rock boulder revetment on north eastern side of the island to mitigate sever erosion - Construction of a rock boulder breakwater on either side of the entrance channel - Construction of 450 m of rock boulder breakwater to protect the harbor basin - Construction of 276 m of coral revetment to protect the area that had been reclaimed - Removal of the 6,875 m2 of sand from the area that had been reclaimed on south side of the island. - Replenishment of 3,900 m2 of area on north eastern side of the island and 1,570 m2 on south eastern side of the island. - Placement of marker lights on the entrance channel and the navigation light to mark the entrance channel to the atoll. Environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the additional works for the harbour development project were assessed. The impacts of the project result mainly from excavation of the harbour basin of the area that had not been excavated, placement of the breakwater, construction of the breakwaters at the entrance channel, construction of the revetment and disposal of the excavated materials as to mitigate the erosion on north west and south eastern side of the island. The impact of excavation would be that of sedimentation. The excavation area also falls to the hard rock area of the reef flat and hence this would cause difficult to excavate using light machineries. It is recommended to use heavy machineries to excavate the western sections of the harbour basin. The project would help to address the current erosion problem by replenishing the eroding beach with the materials borrowed from the harbour basin. The socio-economic benefits of the project may be considered to outweigh the negative impacts of the project on the physical environment of the island especially increasing the usable space on north western side of the island. The proposed project conforms to prevalent environmental legislation and thrives to achieve its objectives in a environmentally friendly manner. Mitigation measures for these anticipated impacts have been identified and outlined in detail, including sedimentation and stagnation control methods and measures for minimizing negative effects of construction waste. These mitigation measures need to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. The details of the additional component of the project have been established after considering the needs and requirements of the community by assessing and incorporating the outcomes from the stakeholder consultations held during the data collection stage. The EIA also allowed to explore the best possible alternatives for the proposed development and identified key mitigation strategies. Alternative locations and alternative designs have been investigated for the different components of the project. However, the present project design seems to be a feasible option in terms of costs, durability, safety and incorporation of the expectation of all stakeholders. An environmental management plan with environmental monitoring plan has been developed including important elements that require regular checks. This monitoring component will be adhered to and will allow the assessment of changes due to construction of the harbour. Although the project involves negative environmental impacts, such impacts are not severe as to not bring changes to the original harbour development project. The changes to project is justifiable in light of the socio-economic conditions and anticipated benefits resulting from the project, which seem to outweigh the negative environmental impacts.