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Title: | Environmental impact assessment for island access and jetty construction project in Rasgetheemu, Raa. Atoll |
Authors: | މަހްމޫދު ރިޔާޒް Riyaz, Mahmood މުޙައްމަދު ޝިހާމް އާދަމް Adam, Mohamed Shiham |
Issue Date: | Jul-2017 |
Citation: | Riyaz, M. & Adam, M. S. (2017). Environmental impact assessment for island access and jetty construction project in Rasgetheemu, Raa. Atoll. Male': Maldives |
Abstract: | 1. The proponent of R. Rasgatheemu Island access and Jetty development project is the Ministry
of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI). The Ministry is the government’s responsible body for
the development and regulate the housing and infrastructure of the country. Maldives Road
Development Cooperation (MRDC) has been contracted to undertake the jetty and access
channel construction work in R. Rasgatheemu.
2. Two freelance EIA consultants has been contracted through public bidding process to provide
preparation services of an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) by (MHI) for the jetty and
access channel construction work project in R. Rasgatheemu Island.
3. The assessment addresses specific key issues stated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as
agreed between EPA and the Proponent following the scoping meeting held on the matter.
4. The Government has already developed a harbour in Rasgatheem in 2007. The existing
harbour is 60m wide and 120m long and located on the western side of the island. The
existing harbour is difficult to access during the SW Monsoon where the access channel on
the western side is exposed to strong swells during the westerly monsoon period. Therefore
the island is inaccessible during rough weather condition. To overcome the accessibility
issues of people of the island has requested the Government to develop alternative island
access facilities (jetty and an access channel) on the eastern side of the island. This project is
implemented to develop island access and a jetty on the north eastern side of the island to
enable an alternative island access to use during rough weather conditions.
5. The need for an alternative access for the island has been recognised by the government and
decided to develop a jetty and cut an access channel on the eastern side to provide safe access
for the vessels operating to and from R. Rasgatheemu Island.
6. The study investigates impacts associated with the channel dredging and jetty construction of
R. Rasgatheemu and areas for disposal of dredged material. The proposed access channel will
have a width of 24m and a length of 28m and the entrance channel which will be cut through
the reef into the ocean ward will lead to a small rectangular shaped dredged area (mooring
basin ) 30m wide and 40m long, for vessel turning and temporary mooring purposes. The
proposed mooring basin and the access channel will be dredged to maintain an average depth
of -3m with respect to the MSL. A total of approximately 5616m3 of dredged material is
expected to be produced. This material will be used for jetty backfill and the excess will be
used for the nourishment of the beach on the north eastern coast of the island which at present
is undergoing severe erosion.
7. Main focus this reports is to document the general baseline condition surrounding island and
particularly the proposed area for channel dredging and jetty construction. The following
studies have been carried out as part of this assessment.
a. Assessment of the marine and coastal species and habitats in surrounding impact
areas.
b. Coastal beach profiles to set baseline conditions of coastal processes.
c. Wave and shoreline assessment study to evaluate the potential for the proposed
channel dredging and jetty construction to impact adjacent shorelines.
EIA for R. Rasgetheemu Access and Jetty construction project | Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure | June 2017 Page 14 of 76
d. Climatic and oceanographic conditions of the project site.
8. Findings from the environmental studies are summarized as follows;
a. Access to the existing harbour is extremely difficult particularly at the onset of SW
monsoon during the Months of May June and July. Therefore based on this
assessment and experience the locals are opting to have an alternative access to the
island on the NE side of the island.
b. Field verification of the project site has revealed that the dimensions given in the
MHI proposal does not fit into the location as the reef edge is closer and there is no
need for channel dredging in the proposed location at end of Kanneli Magu,
Rasgatheemu.
c. Based on the discussion with the people of the island and in-situ wave measurements
has suggested to shift the location of the jetty and the access channel further south for
various reasons detail are evaluated in the alternatives section of this report which
would be the preferred location to develop island access in R. Rasgatheemu.
9. This EIA has been carried out on the basis that it is necessary to carry out the jetty
construction and island access project at the eastern side of R. Rasgatheemu to facilitate
socio-economic development and easy access to the island.
10. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for
identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed
development project in R. Rasgetheemu Island. The activities carried out during the
construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of
environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project
activities.
11. The environmental impact assessment study shows there are two main activities that would
cause minor to moderate negative environmental impacts. Those, in order of minor to
moderate impact, are:
1. Channel and mooring basing dredging
2. Jetty construction and backfilling
12. Of these a long term impact would be from dredging and beach backfilling of jetty area and
nourishment of eroded beach on the NE side of the island. Potential erosion/accretion and
adjustment of the existing beach to create a new equilibrium with the surrounding
environmental conditions are likely to extend to medium to long term. These impacts would
be cumulative occurring over long period of time and so can be managed through proper
monitoring and addressing them in a timely manner. Based on the scale of dredging and
beach nourishment work projects that is taking place in Maldives, impacts associated with the
proposed dredging activity is insignificant. The positive socio economic impacts from the
proposed development outweigh the temporary negative impacts of dredging.
13. The study has evaluated alternative locations for the project and recommended shifting the
project 150m south of the proposed location. Also the study has evaluated two options to
develop island access in the new location. Based on the alternative option evaluation, the
preferred option is to construct a 65m long 4m wide T jetty with 40m long-T, standing on
pad-column foundation. The recommended access jetty will eliminate the most of the impacts
envisaged with the proposed development. Even though there is no significant impact from
this project particularly with the recommended T-jetty construction, the report has come-up
with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine
environmental changes associated with the development to make necessary adjustment based
on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring
plan.
14. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact
mitigation measures in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given
due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of alternative island access development
project in the selected alternative location in this study at the eastern coasts of R.
Rasgetheemu will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment. |
URI: | http://saruna.mnu.edu.mv/jspui/handle/123456789/5120 |
Appears in Collections: | ތިމާވެށި Environment A
|
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