Abstract:
The proposed harbour development project in Noonu Velidhoo is of medium scale project in which the proposed
project falls under rehabilitation of an existing harbour, which has been in need of extensive repair and
improvement through modification and improved design.
Under the proposed project, a 24 m wide entrance will be dredged (modification of an existing entrance) along
with deepening of harbour basin. The existing harbour basin from quay wall will be dredged to a width of 76.2 m
and a length of 289m. An additional 30m quaywall with associated harbour basin dredging will also be
undertaken.
The proposed concept has not been discussed with the community so far. Therefore, some of the community
views that have been incorporated in this EIA report along with further formal consultations need to be given
consideration in finalising the design. However, the community has been waiting for the project for quite some
time and the first elected Island Council is under a lot of pressure to initiate the works. Therefore, it is
recommended to allow the project to proceed while any further modifications to the proposed design can be
finalized in consultation with the relevant stakeholders during the construction phase. Taking this into
consideration the environmental impacts have been assessed for the worst case scenario in which the Proponent
takes into consideration all demands of the community and provide the final detailed design to the EPA in due
course. The recommended alternative proposed in this EIA report has been based on informal community
consultations held with some key members of the community.
The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate matrices and the results
indicated that the proposed project has net positive impact. Given that the project has several socio-economic
benefits although there would be some negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project
to proceed as proposed.
