| Abstract: | This report discusses the findings of a social and environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. upon request from Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC). MTCC has been awarded the project by Ministry of Environment and Energy.
The project involves shore or coastal protection works and beach nourishment of the northern side of Maafushi island, South Male’ Atoll. The project aims to:
Protect the north side from erosion, by nourishing the beach with sand.
Increase the available beach space in Maafushi island on the north side.
Construct a set of groynes to retain the sand.
Ensure that a sustainable beach is available on the north side while at the same time protecting the island’s shore from erosion.
One of the biggest development challenges facing Maafushi today is the lack of recreational space, most importantly a beach for locals as well as hundreds of tourists visiting the island every month. With the increase in guest houses, the demand for beach space has never been this high and it is now in competition with locals who also utilizes the same space for recreational purpose. Due to the limited availability of beach, the northern side of Maafushi has been declared by the Island Council as a designated area for guest, where they can enjoy swimming in bikinis and swimming cloths. Thus the importance of segregation from locals is emphasized due to this factor.
The northern side of the island has been in a state of erosion for many years and no proper erosion management has been undertaken to rectify this problem. The result of this lack of management from the concerned authorities is the use of ad hoc and inappropriate erosion management measures that does not work as intended. Such measures include protecting the beach using coral rubbles, cement bags and even construction waste such as demolition debris. These measures have helped to control further damage in some manner, but the erosion has not been controlled at all. The beaches are laden with debris and the visual beauty of an island’s shore is no more. Nevertheless, most of the guests are compelled to use this area for relaxing, sunbathing and swimming. It has now become one of the most economically active and important area of the island, yet the most neglected and ugly. Some of the structures such as the government institution, “Residential School for Minors” has been affected. Most area of the boundary wall has been partly collapsed from erosion, which shows no signs of improvement.
The present population of the island is roughly 3500 and there are 248 households. The development of guest houses in the island has increased the burden on the available beach space for recreation. The northern part of the island has been allocated as recreational space for guests as this area can be easily segregated from the main population. However, beach erosion on this side is affecting guest house businesses and will continue to pressure if a solution is not found. With limited recreational space, at present, there is a lot of mix of both locals and foreigners. Presently, the only beach area that is available for the islanders is very small as most of the beach areas have been allocated for guest recreation.
Managing and controlling erosion on the north side is therefore not only an environmental issue, but a major social and economic issue as well. The success of this project will not only help prevent an environmental problem, but also safeguard an industry that has become one of the most significant for the local economy. Further damage from erosion is something that the community will pay dearly if a solution is not brought.
Environmental impacts of this project was assessed and most of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as resulting from the dredging and beach nourishment works. Dredging will be undertaken using excavators and this is particularly a method that creates lot of sedimentation. Such beach nourishment projects contributes to significant amount of sedimentation and it is the biggest threat to the marine environment. Dredging has been proposed from the northern side of the island
Mitigation measures for the negative impacts have been identified and outlined in detail, and sedimentation control methods have been specifically focused due to its seriousness. The most important mitigation measure is the use of bund walls in the dredging and fill areas to contain sedimentation of the remainder of the reef or at least minimize it significantly. In addition, completing the dredging and beach nourishment works in the shortest time frame is also a significant mitigation measure that can help avoid serious and prolonged reef damage.
The proposed mitigation measures will have to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. The measures proposed to minimize or mitigate environmental impacts may be considered to be quite appropriate, thereby minimizing the impact by about 90%. The main negative environmental impact of the proposed project would be sedimentation and destruction of the lagoon and damage to some areas of the reef, which will cause death of corals in the direct impact zone and partial death of corals in other areas of the coral reef. During dredging works, the sedimentation will also affect the fish species in the vicinity of these areas and hence, their population will drop in areas affected by sedimentation. Not only will this be an environmental issue, but will also affect the hundreds of tourists that use the house reef for snorkelling, diving and water sports. Snorkelling and diving is a sport that particularly depends on good visibility and high sedimentation rates can spread sediments to large areas. The project is mainly driven by the environmental and economic gain for the development of Maafushi island. Stakeholder consultations were held with various groups, including the island council and the client in order to incorporate the socio-economic components in the project. Stakeholders, most importantly the island community represented by the Island council was the most significant as they have the maximum knowledge and experience from the daily difficulties faced and issues of the island. On a daily basis, the council receives request / complains from the general public on various issues and these have been incorporated in the report. In addition, the business community, most notably members representing the Maafushi guest houses were met and discussions were held with them about the project, dredging methods using excavators, beach nourishment methods and the best possible type and methods for costal protection.
It is inevitable that there would be negative environmental impacts of this project. However, balancing these negative impacts and the socio-economic benefits gained is something that is very difficult. It will not be possible to avoid environmental damage entirely, but ways to minimize damage are critical factors to consider during implementation. As a result, a comprehensive mitigation and monitoring component has been suggested which takes into consideration, the most important elements that require monitoring, most importantly a mechanism and means to measure and value the social benefit of the project. This monitoring component will be adhered and will allow the assessment of long term changes, despite the potential negative impacts. As the socioeconomic impacts are going to be felt in the long term, monitoring these changes is very essential. The beach nourishment and coastal protection of Maafushi’s north side does pose some threats to the marine environment. There will be direct and indirect damage to corals in the vicinity of the project site. Some of the corals, mostly in the lagoon and shallow areas of the reef slope will die due to smothering as well as from construction activities. But these are damages that cannot be entirely avoided. The damage rate and percentage can be reduced by limiting the dredging area to one single location as identified in the project. |
