Environmental impact assessment for poultry farm development at M. Maahura

Abstract

This report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study for the proposed poultry farming project at M.Maahura. Maldives is a country heavily dependent on the import of food for the daily consumption. Government has taken several measures to introduce numerous technologies in food production. Therefore, as such a step, island of Maahuraa was provided to practice poultry farming. As of now there are no infrastructures on Maahura, except for a well and a small hut made of roofing sheets. The proponent will build all the required project facilities on the island. This would include the infrastructure needed for the poultry production and the utility services for the facility. The water is proposed to be provided by the means of a desalination plant. The sewer is proposed to be collected to a discharge pump station via a gravity line. The sewerage will be discharged beyond the reefs edge as per the respective technical specifications. Two number of 300 KW and one number of 50KW generator sets would be utilized to cater for the electricity needs. While a waste storage area will be developed, the waste is planned to be routinely shipped to the nearest waste management facility. Alternatives have been identified in the project document, whereby the alternatives of combining the outfall for brine and waste water is deemed feasible as the exiting lagoon is too shallow to diffuse the concentrate brine discharge effectively. The most significant impact from the proposed project would be temporary deterioration of local freshwater quality and seawater quality at the disposal site; however, these are low magnitude impacts. There are some significant environmental impacts identified for the proposed project, however these can be minimized by adhering to the respective regulations and adopting the necessary mitigation measures. A monitoring program has been proposed for the project to assess and examine changes to the environment, if any in the long run.