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Browsing by Author | މުސައްނިފުން "CDE Consulting"

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    Technical Report
    Additional information for the proposed solid waste management facility at Thilafushi, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
    (2011-12) CDE Consulting
    This document provides the responses by the consultant to the additional information and queries made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following the review of the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the proposed solid waste management facility at Thilafushi, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives.
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    Technical Report
    Construction of a 9- storey building at the compound of adk hospital, Male’, Maldives
    (2017-02-01) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed development of a 9-storey building at the compound of ADK hospital, Male’. The proponent of this project is ADK Hospitals Private Limited. The objective of this project is to execute the Phase 2 of the planned extension of the ADK Hospital. The project involves development of a 9-storey building in the compound of ADK hospital to accommodate skilled foreign staffs of the hospital. At the moment, the accommodations for these staffs are provided in rented apartments at the cost of the hospital. Hence, developing an adequate accommodation block for the staffs will not only relieve ADK hospital from this expense, it will also allow doctors and nurses to report instantly during times of emergency. The development will also add parking and office space. A total area of 381.7 sqm of land has been approved by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure for the development. As accommodation units, a total of 108 rooms will be developed with attached toilets. Some of these units have been designed with kitchen, living area and a balcony. The ground floor of the building has parking and office space. It is estimated that approximately, 79 motorcycles or 19 cars can be parked in the area allocated. The proposed project covers: mobilisation, excavation and dewatering, foundation and concrete works, mechanical and electrical works, exterior and electrical works.. The project is estimated to take 18 months to complete. The proposed designs and plans are also generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. Additional approvals are required for the following before commencement of project activities. They include; dewatering application and approval before commencement of any dewatering activities; connections to sewer systems; water connections; power connections and approvals to use the building for housing. The project will be implemented on Abadha Ufaa Magu, a one way street from Sosun Magu. There are two other buildings owned and operated on both sides of the proposed site for the construction. The site is a vacant area with no vegetation. However there are some debris and other materials which will need to be cleared before commencement of project activities. The existing environment was assessed as part of this EIA. As such, groundwater condition in the project site, noise measurements and a traffic study was conducted. In addition a visual observation of the nearby buildings was carried out. Noise assessment showed that the noise level around the area beyond the recommended levels by IFC for residential areas and as per traffic study most number of vehicles are observed during the night from 10pm to 11pm. The negative impacts from this project are typical impacts associated with building in Male’. The most significant impact from this project during construction stage would be those associated with dewatering and potential damage to neighbouring buildings during excavation. Groundwater quality and soil condition may also be impacted through accidental leakage and spillage of oil and chemicals. Traffic is also expected to be moderately disrupted in the area during concreting works, as the one way road “Abadha Ufaa Magu” will need to be closed for a maximum two days and this will impact traffic flow on Sosun Magu. In addition, during concreting works it is anticipated that noise and air quality around the area will be negatively impacted. Since the area is a residential area, this impact is significant. The construction activities will also be an eyesore for the nearby residents. There will also be additional burden on waste management and utilities. The project mainly has positive socio-economic benefits, including increased direct and indirect job opportunities and improvement in health care services. During operational stage, one of the key impacts is the health and safety of the occupants of the building and demand on utility providers for power, water, sewerage and waste management. In addition, it is expected that demand for parking space and impact on traffic flow will be positively impacted during the operational stage of the building. The key mitigation measures for the construction stage include use of proper shoring methods, dewatering only when required, minimising traffic disruption by limiting working hours to evenings and weekends, and consulting with Maldives Traffic Police regarding traffic flow and road closure. To mitigate the impacts to air quality, it is recommended to keep the construction area damp at all times and to minimise the impact of noise to nearby residential houses and Villa TV, it is recommended to fence the site with solid panels Monitor all occupational areas to ensure noise levels do not exceed WHO standards. In addition, nearby properties must be notified by the proponent and an issues registry must be maintained. To avoid impacts on health and safety during operational stage, the building must be designed for fire and safety with sprinklers, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors installed. All the occupants must be trained atleast once a year. Alternative options were evaluated with “No Project” alternative and for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. These include options for shoring methods and foundation methods. The currently proposed options are preferred. Consultations were held with Health Protection Agency, MWSC, STELCO, WAMCO, Male’ City Council and nearby residents and businesses for this EIA. Neighbouring properties were mainly concerned about the noise levels during construction stage and impact on traffic flow. They recommended to conduct the work during off peak hours to minimize the impact of traffic congestion. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as human environment. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between USD 3,000 – 5,000 annually.The main conclusion of this report is to proceed with the project but after incorporating the mitigation measures proposed in this report. Safety of the adjacent buildings and occupational health and safety must be a priority.
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    Technical Report
    Enviornment impact assessment for the proposed harbor development project in Noomara island, Shavaiyani Atoll
    (2011-12-01) CDE Consulting
    Executive Summary This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed harbour extension project in Noomara Island, Shaviyani Atoll. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Housing and Environment and the project contractor is MT Højgaard, Denmark. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting. Introduction and Key Features of the Project Project Background  Noomaraa Island is considered one of the most difficult islands to access in Maldives due to the lack of a reef flat; it‟s location on the eastern rim; and the presence of year round wave activity around the island. In the SW monsoon, for most part of the year, the northern side is inaccessible. During the NE monsoon the southern side receives more wave activity and hence is not easily accessible. Hence, the island uses alternative sides of the island depending on the season. This island in many ways resemble the access difficulties faced in the northern islands in Maldives like Fokaidhoo, Feevah, and Nolhivaramu Island and to some extended the Fuvahmulah Island.  Due to the absence of a safe harbour the island has not been able to develop its fishing industry. The island is mainly agricultural but they have also had problems exporting the produce to Male‟ or other islands due to connectivity. This is again linked to poor accessibility to the island. Moreover, there is significant safety risk involved in accessing the island during peak periods of SW and NE monsoon. This aspect becomes critical when emergency evacuations are required due to the absence of good health facilities.  There has been an attempt to create an access channel on the NE side of the island during the 1990s. However, the locals report that this site presently experiences strong off shore current activity and due the absence of breakwaters, it is difficult to access for most part of the NE monsoon.  For these reasons the Government has been considering building access facilities or a harbour on the island since 2004. After years in the Government harbour projects pipeline funding for the Noomaraa harbour was approved in 2011. Project Objectives  Providing safe access to the island  Developing a safe harbour for the commercial and passenger vessels.  Facilitate the expansion of the economic sectors, particularly the agricultural industry, fishing industry and transport sector. EIA for the proposed harbour project in Noomaraa Island, Shaviyani Atoll Project Scope The main components of the project are:  Dredging harbour and reef entrance  Land reclamation or backfilling  Construction of harbour protection and sea wall infrastructure Project Scope and work methodology a) Harbour basin dredging and shore protection This component mainly involves dredging a 5,200 sq m harbour basin and reef entrance at a depth of 3.0 m MSL and construction of associated coastal protection measures. The harbour will be protected using armour rock breakwaters. The shoreline of reclaimed areas will be protected by a revetment. A quay wall will be developed along the existing shoreline. The work methodology involves the use of excavators mounted on barge and sand beds to excavate the basin and cranes mounted on sand beds to place the armour rocks. Construction of the quay wall will be undertaken in Thilafushi Island and armour rocks will be imported from India. b) Land reclamation or backfilling This component mainly involves disposing the dredge waste by reclaiming an area next to harbour up to 3,800 m2 to an elevation of 1.4 m MSL using the dredge waste. The remaining dredge waste will be placed in pile on a designated site on the island to be used by the locals in the future. Project Schedule and Life Span Mobilisation for the project will begin after the EIA is approved. It is anticipated that the completion of the whole project will take approximately 8-10 months. Conformance to Laws and Regulations of Maldives and International Conventions The key laws and regulations of the Maldives to which the proposal is applicable are:  Environmental Protection Act,  Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2007,  Fisheries Act of the Maldives  Tourism Act and Regulations
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    Technical Report
    Enviornmental impact assessement for the proposed : harbour development project in Gemanafushi, Gaafu Alifu Atoll
    (2012-09-01) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed harbour development project in Gemanafushi, Gaafu Alifu Atoll. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Housing & Infrastructure. The main rationale for the project is to improve the access facilities of Gemanafushi Island to facilitate improvement in the social and economic condition of the island. The existing harbour in the island is in urgent need of repair and maintenance. Furthermore, development of the fishing and transport sectors of the island requires expansion of the harbour facilities for access and anchorage. The project involves new and maintenance dredging of an area of 37,000 m2 to a depth of -3.0 m MSL, demolition of the existing damaged breakwater and construction of harbour protection structures. A quay wall of about 190m and a 290m breakwater will be constructed. A total area of 17,000 m2 to the north and south of the harbour will be reclaimed to +1.5 m (MSL) and protected using revetments. The existing harbour will be expanded by about 150 m in length. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act and Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012. The existing harbour basin and entrance channel had few visible live corals and were highly polluted, with high turbidity. The dominant benthic substrate of the footprint of the expanded harbour basin is seagrass with coral cover consisting of few medium sized boulder corals (Poritessolida). Significant impacts of this project during construction phase of the project are the potential impact of sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint and the health and safety risks to construction workers. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report The main mitigation measures include carrying out construction activities during low tide hours and calm weather, deployment of silt screen or construction of bunds on the northern side and where appropriate to reduce sediment dispersal and avoid adverse sedimentation impacts, relocation of live coral recruits to locations with similar conditions, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete construction activities in the shortest time possible. The alternatives evaluated for the project are dredging methods; dredge waste disposal sites and alternative harbour layout. The “No Project” option has also been explored and this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the harbour and the need for expansion. The use of excavator on a temporary sand bed is the preferred option for alternative dredging method, since it is the most common, practical and cost-effective method. An alternative harbour layout is recommended, to facilitate the flushing of water from the harbour basin, thereby mitigating the accumulation of seagrass and other debris within the basin. This option is preferred by the island community as well. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the island, coastal changes and depth variations of harbour area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the proposed redevelopment – phase I of Gasfinolhu Island Resort, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
    (2011-07) CDE Consulting
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment : first addendum for the proposed tourist resort redevelopment project in Gasfinolhu Island, Kaafu Atoll
    (2014-01) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary additional environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed changes to the resort redevelopment project in Gasfinolhu Island Resort, Male’ Atoll. The proponent of this project is Global Pvt Ltd. The primary rationale for the proposed additional activity is to adjust the re-development plan from the observed shortcomings of the initial plan. The proposed revisions include increase in the number of rooms, changes to the room design and relocation of some guest facilities, revegetation, reclamation/replenishment of a 10,000 – 11,000 sq m on the main island and beach replenishment of about 500 sq m of the small islet on the eastern side. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Reclamation Regulations 2013 and Tourism Act. Approvals for the project have been granted from Ministry of Tourism and EPA (for coastal modifications). The study area for the project is Gasfinolhu Island and baseline conditions are based on Original EIAs (Phase I and Phase II EIA’s) and monitoring reports/data. Baseline conditions indicate that most of the developments highlighted in the EIAs have been undertaken as specified. Existing coastal modifications such as replenishment and dredging has had short term impacts on the marine environment but has been very localised. Impacts from the current proposal will be cumulative and will mainly have impacts on the marine environment. Significant impacts of this project during construction phase of the project are the potential impact of sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint and the health and safety risks to construction workers. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report and as practiced in the current environmental management framework. The main mitigation measures include carrying out construction activities during low tide hours and calm weather, deployment of silt screen or construction of bunds in the project area and where appropriate to reduce sediment dispersal and avoid adverse sedimentation impacts, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete construction activities in the shortest time possible. The alternatives evaluated for the project are alternative near shore breakwater technologies and alternatives for borrow areas. The “No Project” option has also been explored and this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the shore and the need for mitigation of ongoing seasonal and long-term erosion problem. The monitoring plan is designed to extend the existing monitoring programme. The management plan for this addendum will also be the same framework existing for the project. In conclusion, the proposed additional activities for this project have been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts. Prepared
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the development of 7,000 social housing units in Hulhumale’ phase II
    (2016-09) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed development of 7,000 social housing units in Hulhumale’ Phase II. The proponent of the project is China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC). The project is designed to achieve the housing development goals of the Government and under the effort to develop Hulhumale’ into a youth village. The project forms part of an umbrella effort to establish 15,000 social housing units in Hulhumale’ Phase II. These housing units will be specifically targeted for families. This project will be among the first developments in Hulhumale’ Phase II. This project is also the first high rise residential building of more than 14- storeys in the Maldives. The project involves constructing 16 buildings over 7 plots. Each building will have 25-storeys and the total area allocated for the project is 35,604 sqm. Out of the 16 buildings, 10 buildings will have 16 apartments on every floor and the remaining 6 buildings will have 20 apartments on every floor. A total of 7,000 residential units will be developed. Each building will consist of two bedroom apartments units, parking space and waste collection point in the ground floor. The target population is estimated between 21,000 to 28,000 persons at 3 to 4 persons per apartment. The target population for these flats is low to low-middle income Maldivians. Each apartment will have an area of approximately 50.53 sqm and it consists of two bedrooms, living room and kitchen, two toilets and balcony. Parking space is design to accommodate two motorbikes per apartment. The building will be complete with outdoor fire hydrant systems, two escape stairs, fire elevators and fire alarm systems. All utilities during operation will be provided by state owned services. The proposed project covers: mobilisation, construction of worker’s accommodation blocks, excavation and dewatering, foundation and concrete works, mechanical and electrical works, exterior and electrical works.. The project is estimated to take 24 months to complete. The proposed designs and plans are also generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. Additional approvals are required for the following before commencement of project activities. They are detailed drawings approval from the HDC; dewatering application and approval before commencement of any dewatering activities; connections to sewer systems; water connections; power connections and approvals to use the building for housing and approval from civil aviation authority. The project will be implemented on the newly reclaimed area in Hulhumale’ Phase II located on the south eastern rim of North Male’ Atoll which has been developed as an extension of Hulhumale’ Phase I. The proposed housing development site is located towards the north eastern side in Phase II. Seven plots has been allocated for this project with a total area of 35,604 sq.m. The existing environment was assessed for the purpose of this EIA. Baseline assessments include groundwater and marine water quality assessments, soil profiling, noise measurements and marine assessment. The groundwater quality of the site was found to be good except with elevated levels of turbidity. Marine assessment showed mainly dead corals and white sand in the area. During construction stage, the project is expected to incur minimal impacts on the environment, as the area is a vacant land. Minor impacts are anticipated on groundwater and soil condition, marine water quality due to oil spillages and through disposal of residual water after dewatering. Impact on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions is anticipated to be moderate as a significant number of generators will be used. During operational stage, the proposed developments involve significant positive impacts on the socio-economic environment. These are associated with the increased supply of housing to those in need and reduce the level of congestion in Male’. This will also benefit the economically disadvantaged by providing easy access to affordable and improved housing units. The project will involve the settlement of a large number of populations, which will exert pressure on existing utility service centres, schools and hospitals. It is anticipated that the demand for parking space and traffic flow in Hulhumale’ will also increase following this development. Risk of fire and criminal activities are also anticipated negative impacts associated with this project Mitigation measures are recommended for potential significant impacts during operational and construction stage. It is recommended to design and develop the building with adequate measures for fire prevention and to ease evacuation during a fire. It is also recommended to establish a community police nearby the building to maintain peace in the area and develop a master transportation plan to cater the demand for parking space in the future. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. These include the ‘No Project’ alternative, alternative dewatering outfall locations, alternative location, alternative use of the building and alternative location for concrete batching plant. Alternatives for height of the buildings were also assessed in the report. It has been recommended to follow the proposed plan for the development. However, location of batching plant will have to be changed as per requirements by HDC. Consultations were held with all relevant stakeholders including, EPA, Housing Development Cooperation, MWSC, STELCO, Civil Aviation Authority, Waste Management Corporation, National Disaster Management Centre, MNDF Fire and Rescue Service, Transport Authority, Maldives Police Service and Ministry of Environment and Energy. The regulatory authorities asked to follow the existing regulations and guidelines in the design and construction of buildings. Attempts to consult Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure have been unsuccessful. The ministry was unable to confirm a meeting before the submission of the EIA report. In addition, a general public survey was also conducted for this EIA to seek the views of the public towards the project. In general the public was very positive towards the project but some raised concerns over corruption and unfair allocation of plots during operation. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as human environment. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between USD 10,000 annually. The main conclusion of this report is to proceed with the project but after incorporating the mitigation measures proposed in this report. Safety during construction must be a priority.
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the development of a domestic airport on Kooddoo, Ga. Atoll : report 1: land clearance and initial mobilization work
    (2011-09) CDE Consulting
    1. Kooddoo Island is located in eastern boarder of the Huvadhoo Atoll, Ga. Atoll. The island has a fresh fish collection, freezing and storage facilities owned by the stateowned enterprise – Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO). MIFCO was restructured early 2011 and the Koodoo Island’s operation was made a separate business entity - Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Private Ltd. 2. Plans for development of a domestic airport in Gaafu Alifu (Ga) Atoll have been a government priority. Initial plan was to have the airport on Villingili Island, located just north of Kooddoo. Large area of the island on the north eastern side was reclaimed following the 2004 Tsunami. However, the size and shape of the reclaimed area was found to be not sufficient for the 1500m long aerodrome required for the domestic flights. 3. Two uninhabited islands in region are being developed as tourist resorts and one of them - Falhumaafushi Resort - is now close to completion. The island is expected to be officially open in early 2012. The construction of the second island Dhigurah is expected to the start very soon. These islands were tendered and developed in the hope the domestic airport will be operational by the time of their opening. The need for a domestic airport for guest transfer is now essential if these resorts are to be viable as expected. 4. In order to fast tract the development of the domestic airport, the National Planning Council (NPC) in consultation with the major stakeholders in the region (i.e., atoll and island councils and the Regional National Office) decided that a best possible option is to have the airport on Kooddoo. 5. The developer of the airport Bonaventure Maldives Pvt Ltd is property developer and resort owner based in Singapore. The contractor for the project is Alysen Services Pvt Ltd. 6. At the scoping meeting the developer requested that EIA be submitted in two parts; the first one focusing only on the initial deployment of heavy machinery, labourers and the clearance of the area required for the development. It was agreed that the second and complete EIA be submitted within the validity of the ToR (see Annex 1) and before the construction work begins. This first report therefore focuses only on the initial mobilization and clearance of vegetation. 7. The surveys required for the EIA has been undertaken on 4-10 September 2011. Two separate trees surveys were done; one by total enumeration on randomly selected 4 x 100 x 100 m plots and the other by image analysis using a high resolution satellite imagery combined with ground truthed data done in a separated survey at the same period. 8. The satellite image was classified to nine categories; Agricultural crops, Bush vegetation, Coastal bush vegetation, Coconut grove, Developed area, Mixed woody vegetation, Modified woody vegetation, Open area and Strand vegetation. The enumerated survey identified 10 major tree species providing estimates of the trees by simple average method. The estimated number of trees what will have to be relocated is considered to be a reasonable estimate. 9. All mature trees and coconut palms will be uprooted under the guidance and supervision to ensure that trees are in good condition for transport and replanting. The developer has identified five main islands (Villingili, Falhumaafushi, Vilivaru, and Gulhifalhu) to which trees will be transported. Separate arrangement will be made by the contractor to ensure the safe transport and re-planting of tree in those islands. 10. Significant negative impacts (of initial mobilization and vegetation clearance) include loss of top soil, potential degradation of ground water quality, loss of significant area of vegetation and potential death of the significant number of trees and likely shift of ecological regime of the island in the medium to long term. Positive impacts include opportunities for economic growth and development of the region, the local aviation industry and further increase of tourism potential in Ga and neighbouring area. 11. The operational arrangement of airport is not clear. It is envisioned that some of the services of Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Pvt Ltd will be used for the management and day-to-day running of the airport. In this case separate arrangements will have to be made by the airport operator and the Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives. 12. A comprehensive EIA will be submitted in due course
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the development of N3-56 and N3-57 plot under the proposed 3,000 housing units project at Hulhumale’, Kaafu Atoll
    (2016-05) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed development of Hulhumale’ Plot N3-56 and N-57 under the 3,000 housing unit construction project. The overall project comprises of three plots (N3-55, N3-56 and N-3-57). An EIA has already been prepared and approved for N3-55. The original EIA application had all three plots together but since the concept approval was only available for N3-55 decision was taken in the scoping meeting to submit N-56 and N-57 later. This EIA is prepared for the remaining two plots. The project is designed to achieve the housing development goals of the Government and to expand the settlement in Hulhumale’ Island. The proponent of this project is Sea Life Global Inc Private Limited who owns the right to develop the plot. The main rationales for the project are to cater for the shortage of housing in Male’ Urban Region and to relieve the congestion in Male’. The project at N3-56 and N-57 involves constructing three 13-storey buildings or towers. A total of 506 residential units are planned to for a target population between 800 to 1000 persons at 4 to 6 persons per household. The bottom three floors will be used for commercial purposes while the rest will be developed for housing. A combination of one bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom, four bedroom and penthouse apartment units will be developed in each tower. In addition to the apartment units, each floor will offer auxiliary space including corridors, stairs, lifts, lobby and service stores. Commercial zone of each block has 4 retail stores, fire control room, transformer room, service stores and waste management stores. Parking is provide on the ground floor behind the commercial zone. All utilities will be provided by existing state-owned service providers. The proposed project covers: demolition and site clearance; concreting works; interior, mechanical, exterior and electrical works; finishing, and; building operations. The project is estimated to take 30 months to complete. The proposed designs and plans are also generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. Additional approvals are required for the following before commencement of project activities. They are detailed drawings approval from the HDC; dewatering application and approval before commencement of any dewatering activities; connections to sewer systems; water connections; power connections and approvals to use the building for housing. The proposed site is located near the existing flats around the central part of Hulhumale. Plot N3-56 covers a total area of 6,631.69 sqm (~71,000 sq ft) and plot N3-57 covers a total area of 6,935.64 sqm ( ~ 74,000). There are some trees planted on both plots, which needs to be cleared for construction. All these trees will have to cut down or trees of significance were identified on the site. There are existing flats, a school and a mosque within the vicinity of the plot. There are also construction project within the vicinity including the proposed tertiary hospital in Hulhumale. The street facing east of the project site has moderate high traffic due to the presence of flats. The rest of the streets around it have moderately low traffic. The assessment shows that the proposed developments involve significant positive impacts on the socio-economic environment. These are associated with the increased supply of housing to those in need, growth of Hulhumale Island and economic benefits to the proponent. The negative impacts are moderately small as this is reclaimed land with barely minimal biodiversity. Most impacts are associated with dewatering, health and safety, noise, vibration and dust. A focus has been placed on minimising impacts on ground water due to over-extraction, contamination from accidental spills and leakages. Operational stage impacts are mainly beneficial impacts as well. Negative impacts are those associated with the increase population and related pressures on resources and utilities, traffic congestion and criminal activities, among others. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. These include the options alternative foundation methods and alternative dewatering outfall location. The proposed options were preferred over the alternatives. Consultations were held with all relevant stakeholders including Ministry of Housing, EPA, Housing Development Cooperation, MWSC, STELCO and members of the public. In general there was strong support of the project. The regulatory authorities asked to follow the existing regulations and guidelines the design and construction of buildings particularly in relation to utilities, waste management and dewatering. EPA also asked to undertake geo-technical investigations before construction. The public was very positive towards the project but some raised concerns over corruption and unfair allocation of plots during operation. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as human environment. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between Rf 25,000 annually. The main conclusion of this report is to proceed with the project but after incorporating the mitigation measures proposed in this report. Safety during construction must be a priority.
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the establishment of a floating fish processing facility at Hulhumale’
    (2013-03) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain the existing fish processing facility anchored in hulhumale harbour area. The proponent of this project is Ocean Seafood Pvt Ltd. The project is solely designed, implemented and financed by the proponent. The existing facility has all necessary facilities for fish processing. Including ice plants, desalination plants, generator sets etc.. The processing is divided into fish filleting, storing, packing and transporting to Male’ International Airport for airfreight. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are Environmental Protection and Preservation Act and Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012. The project site is Hulhumale’ harbour area designated for such vessels and many safari and tourist vessels are moored in this area. There environmental impacts from the project are to marine water quality and to subseuesnt marine life. The impacts are rather cumulative as sewage and waste water are expelled to lagoon by all the vessels in the area.. However, measures have been put forward to minimise moderate impacts and any unpredicted impacts and accidents. This project will generate new jobs in Male’ Region, which is a significant positive impact. The main alternatives assessed for the project are alternate sewage and waste water disposal methods, alternate site and island. “No project” option has also been considered and given the economic and environmental factors the best option would be to proceed with the project. Housing Development Cooperation (HDC), the main regulating authority in Hulhumale’. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes marine water of the site and waste generation from the facility. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed swimming pool construction and beach replenishment project in Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort, Noonu Atoll
    (2013-12) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed swimming pools construction and beach replenishment project in Irufushi Beach and Spa, N. Atoll. The proponent of this project is Sun Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd. The main rationale for the project is to enhance and upgrade the tourism operations at Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort by building 45 swimming pools attached to existing 45 Beach Villas and to replenish the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. Moreover, Irufushi Island has ongoing seasonal erosion which requires to be mitigated. The project involves upgrading and expanding the resort operations by construction of 45 swimming pools attached to existing 45 Beach Villas on the Northern side of the resort and ongoing beach replenishment for the next two years (on a need basis) on Irufushi Island for mitigating seasonal erosion. Two areas have been proposed for replenishment totalling a maximum of 11,100 cbm. Replenishment height is 1.5 m and will be sloped as a beach at 1:7 scales. Replenishment width is 10 m from the registered shoreline. Five areas have been proposed for borrow areas totalling a maximum volume of 20900 cbm. The dredge depth will be a maximum of 1.0 m from the existing depths. In exceptional circumstances depths may be increased to 1.5 m. The borrow area distance from the registered shoreline is 50 m. The borrow area had no visible live corals. The area mainly consists of rubble and mussy sand. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and the Tourism Act. Significant impact associated with the components of the project; beach replenishment and swimming pool construction involves sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint, impact on the islands groundwater, impact on the flora at the project site and the health and safety of construction workers and swimming pool users. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. The main mitigation measures include carrying out sand pumping and construction activities during low tide hours and calm weather, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete construction activities in the shortest time possible. And continuous monitoring for the diagnosis of further problems. The alternatives evaluated for the project are dredging methods as the project involves dredging the lagoon for materials required for beach replenishment. The use of sand pump is the preferred option for beach replenishment work, since it is the most common, practical and cost-effective method. The “No Project” option has also been explored for both beach replenishment and construction of swimming pools nonetheless, this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the beach and the status of the resort. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the island, coastal changes and depth variations of harbour area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed swimming pool construction project in Kurehdhoo Island Resort, Lhaviyani Atoll
    (2014-06) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed swimming pool construction project in Kuredu Island Resort, Lh. Atoll. The proponent of this project is Kuredu Holdings Pvt. Ltd. The main rationale for the project is to enhance and upgrade the tourism operations at Kuredu Island Resort, by building a swimming pool in front of the bar on the South West side of the resort, to provide a better product for the visiting guests. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and the Tourism Act. Significant impact associated with the components of the project impact on the islands groundwater, impact on the flora at the project site and the health and safety of construction workers and swimming pool users. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. The alternatives evaluated for the project is The “No Project” option nonetheless, this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the resort. Other alternatives explored are alternative location and alternative pool type. Given the disadvantages of the existing conditions, the preferred option is to go ahead with the proposed project of construction of a fresh water swimming pool at the proposed location. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the environment of the island, groundwater and flora and fauna that are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the water quality groundwater and flora and fauna. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these impacts
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed access improvement & beach replenishment project in Madoogali Island Resort, Alif Alif Atoll
    (2013-03) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed access improvement and beach replenishment project in Madoogali, Alif Alif Atoll. The proponent of this project is Blue Lagoon Investments Pvt Ltd. The main rational for the project is to improve the access facilities of Madoogali Island and to replenish the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. The existing harbour has been constructed at the early stages of the resort development and requires extensive dredging as outlined in this report to provide safe access to the island and safe anchoring of boats and vessels used for guest transfer and transportation. The project involves maintenance dredging of 35m × 65m area to a depth of -2.5.0 m MSL, and replenishment of the 330m length of beach on the south western side of the island. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and the Tourism Act. The existing harbour basin and entrance channel had no visible live corals and highly turbid. Coralline rubble and muddy sand is found at the harbour area. Significant impacts of this project during construction phase of the project are the potential impact of sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint and the health and safety risks to construction workers. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report The main mitigation measures include carrying out construction activities during low tide hours and calm weather, deployment of silt screen or construction of bunds where appropriate to reduce sediment dispersal and avoid adverse sedimentation impacts and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete construction activities in the shortest time possible. The alternatives evaluated for the project are dredging methods as the project if for maintenance dredging of the existing harbour. The “No Project” option has also been explored and this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the harbour and beach. The use of excavator on a temporary sand bed is the preferred option for alternative dredging method, since it is the most common, practical and cost-effective method. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the island, coastal changes and depth variations of harbour area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed airport development project in Ifuru Island, Raa Atoll
    (2011-10) CDE Consulting
    This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socioeconomic and natural impacts of the proposed regional airport development project, planned for Ifuru Island, Raa Atoll. The project is being undertaken by Ifuru Investments Pvt. Ltd. The main components of the project include constructing and operating an airport (domestic), and a 200 bed transit hotel. The airstrip and supporting facilities for the airport will be developed on the eastern half of the island. Additional land is to be reclaimed from the lagoon to accommodate the airstrip length and supporting facilities. Moreover, extensive vegetation clearing will also be required to accommodate the airstrip. The tourist hotel will also be constructed on the western side of the island. Most infrastructure will be developed independent of each other (i.e. airport and hotel), but utilities such as power, water supply, access infrastructure, sewerage management system and waste management will be developed as shared facilities. Since the airport is being constructed on an island currently used for agricultural purposes a few developments such as the roads and access facilities already existing on the island. However, these facilities are in poor condition and will be repaired or redeveloped under this project. These include the redevelopment of the existing harbour and entrance channel, reclamation of new land and the development of a road between the harbour and airport terminals. The construction is expected to begin during 2011 and will be completed within 18 months. The construction of the airport hotel will also begin during 2012 and is expected to take 24 months. The estimated costs for both project is $50 million. This EIA has been developed based on the Term of Reference (ToR) issued by the Ministry of Transport, Housing and Environment (MTHE) of the Maldives. This document is submitted by the proponent to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and MHTE to fulfil the requirements for an EIA under Article 5 of the Environment Protection and Preservation Act (4/93). The EIA Regulations 2007 have been used as the basis for developing this document. This EIA only covers the construction and operation of the airport and, vegetation clearing for the hotel area. A separate EIA will be submitted for the construction and operation of the hotel.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed airport development project in Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll
    (2014-12) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed airport development project at Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll. The proponent of this project is Millenium Capital Management (MCM) Private Limited, Male’ Maldives. The southern half of Maafaru Island has been leased by the Island Council and Regional Airport to the proponent in 2013. Maafaru Island is one of the largest inhabited islands in Noonu Atoll and the airport is being built on the uninhabited southern half of the island. Maafaru Island was originally leased to Noonu Hotels Private Limited for airport development. An EIA was prepared and approved for the original project in 2009. Since then, the Government has cancelled the agreement with Noonu Hotels. It was then rebid and MCM won the rights to develop the airport. This EIA is to get the approvals for their revised airport development plan. The aim of this project is to improve the transport link between Male’ and north central Maldives, particularly Noonu Atoll. The project involves construction of a domestic airport on Maafaru Island. The airport will consist of a 1800m runway, aircraft parking aprons, passenger terminal, air traffic control facilities, fire and safety facilities and utilities among others. The airport will also dredge a reef entrance and harbour basin, and construct a jetty specifically to access the airport. The eastern shoreline of the airport will be protected using a revetment. The operation stage of the project involves operating the domestic airport. The main components of this project are mobilization and setup; vegetation clearance, dredging reef entrance and harbour basin; backfilling and levelling low lying areas and marshlands in Maafaru; constructing runway and apron; constructing service building and utilities; establishing air traffic controls, fire and safety and navigation systems; and constructing shore protection measures. All project designs are in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, and Dewatering Regulation. Preliminary approvals have been granted for the concept by MoFA. This project has Dredging and Reclamation Approval has also been granted by EPA. In addition, there are a number of permits to be obtained for the operation of aerodrome. The presence of mangrove vegetation poses a challenge to meet the requirements of the Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees but the small number of trees involved makers it suitable for relocation. The proposed site has been modified due to human activities. Overall, the island and reef system represents a typical inhabited island with modified vegetation for forestry, contaminated groundwater and moderately good reef system. The proposed site has been partially been cleared under the original area but 90% of the vegetation is still intact. There is a sand bed on the western side created by the previous developers. Maafaru Island’s vegetation system is extensive. There are five marshland areas on the island, three of which will be backfilled under this project. One of the marshland areas contains some mangrove vegetation. The central marshland area has recently connected to open lagoon, bringing in juvenile marine life. The site may be considered a breeding site but no concrete evidence was found in this evaluation to classify the site as a breeding site. The mangrove vegetation area is very small but 85% of these trees will have to be relocated. The island topography is varied and will require extensive backfilling to level the site. The reef system is in moderately good condition. The deep lagoon contains some good live coral colonies. The proposed dredging footprint does not contain any live coral colonies but contains an extensive seagrass bed. The island is undergoing erosion on the northern and eastern side but the proposed airport site is generally stable. Significant impacts are expected to arise mainly during the construction phase of the project. These impacts include significant loss of terrestrial biodiversity. Of particular concern is the removal of over 20,000 trees, relocation of mangrove vegetation, and backfilling a recently active marshland with juvenile life. Impacts will also be felt on marine biodiversity due to dredging and reclamation due to associated direct removal, turbidity and sedimentation; contamination of marine and ground water and soil due to accidental spillage/leakage of construction materials and waste; increased turbidity and sedimentation of the water column due to coastal activities; changes to coastal hydrodynamics; salinization of ground water due to use of dredged sand for backfilling and risks to the health of construction workers. Major potential impacts from the operations phase include pollution of air, water and soil due to emissions from island operations such as power generation, water production and flight operations; bird collisions; potential fuel leaks into soil and ground water; impacts from waste accumulation and alteration of faunal species behaviour. Mitigation measures have been proposed to minimise anticipated impacts. These include measure to minimise sedimentation and turbidity in the lagoon, salinization and contamination of ground water, loss of useable trees, loss of mangrove vegetation, social discontent, coastal erosion and safety of workers and passengers. Among these, all large trees and coconut palms which can be transplanted to other islands will be made available for transport. Discussions are underway with Lh. Huruvalhi, proposed resort to be reclaimed on Dhiffushi Reef, N. Dhigurah and proposed island to be reclaimed in K. Thunbafushi. No sites have been finalised yet. All mangrove plants will be relocated to the southernmost wetland or to a nearby island such as Kendhikulhudhoo. Alternative options have been evaluated for the most significant impacts. Among these alternative locations for the proposed airport location were considered, including Manadhoo, Dhigurah and Medhufaru. Among these, only Medhufaru has the space to build a 1800 m runway but it has a number of pristine marshlands which may involve higher impacts than Maafaru. Alternative layouts for the airport were also considered but all other options involve significant reclamation, which subsequently will involve high marine environmental impacts. Alternative borrow areas were evaluated, including an option not to dredge the lagoon. It involved excavating the foot print of vegetation removal area and using the material to level the low lying areas. However, since dredging is required, the reuse of dredge waste for reclamation was preferred. Alternatives were also evaluated for shore protection design and material, and dredging technologies. Consultations were held with Noonu Atoll Council, Maafaru Island Council, Manadhoo Island Council, Maafaru public, management of Irufushi and some staff members of Irufushi. There is overwhelming support for the project. Some members of the public from the islands on the western rim (Velidhoo and Holhudhoo) expressed concern about their distance to Maafaru Airport and would have preferred a more central location for the airport. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, it will also provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the resort. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between US$5,000 per year. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development on grounds of very high socio-economic benefits which out weight the environmental impacts form the project. The project does have significant terrestrial environmental impacts. However, the scale of the impacts is not irreversible at a regional or atoll level. The loss of the mangrove vegetation is insignificant compared to the mangrove vegetation that exists in Noonu Atoll. The number of wetlands in the near vicinity of Maafaru is also quite substantial and will allow for the migratory birds relocate. The establishment of marshland as a habitat for juveniles is a very recent development (since 2009) and it does not appear that the marine species are using it as a permanent breeding site. The site is also not listed as a sensitive environment owing to the limited presence of sensitive ecosystems. Environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the project are expected to be significantly reduced if the mitigation measures and monitoring programme presented in the report are properly implemented within the framework of the environmental management plan.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, South Male’ Atoll
    (2014-04) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the project in Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, South Male’ Atoll. The proponent of this project is Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, South Male’ Atoll The main rationale for the project is to enhance and upgrade the tourism product at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives by replenishing the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. Kandooma Island does not have a natural beach and for the island to continue operating, they will need artificial replenishment. Moreover, Kandooma Resort, at present, has ongoing seasonal erosion which requires to be mitigated. This project involves ongoing beach replenishment on Kandooma Island for the next two years for mitigating seasonal erosion. The project will be carried out on a need basis and only the areas experiencing erosion will be replenished. The property had an approval for beach replenishment before but has since expired. This submission seeks to renew the approval for the next 2 years. Three areas have been proposed for replenishment totalling 7000 cbm. Replenishment height is 1.5 m and will be sloped as a beach at 1:7 scale. Replenishment width is 10 m from the registered shoreline. Five areas were originally proposed as borrow areas totalling 7750 cbm. Howver, based on the impact assessments and consultations with Guraidhoo Council, the primary borrow areas has been reduced to three and the remaining two has been reclassified as alternative sites. The dredge depth will be a maximum of 3.5 m from the existing depths. The borrow area distance from the registered shoreline is 50 m. The dredge depth has been adjusted in the revised site plan, which is provided as an alternative site plan in the Alternatives Chapter. The only component of the project is beach replenishment. Equipment has already been mobilised under a previous EIA for replenishment, which has since expired. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Land reclamation Regulation 2013 and the Tourism Act. All the required permits prior to initiation of the work have already been attained from the respective regulatory bodies, namely coastal development approval and concept approval from Ministry of Tourism and, dredging and reclamation approval from EPA. Beach replenishment in Kandooma Island has been extensively discussed with the Guraidhoo Island Council in the scoping meeting and EIA process. Three months of communications ensued between the Guraidhoo Council, Kandooma Management and the Consultants. The significant delays are causing damage to the beach in Kandooma and reducing the value of its tourism product, and require immediate action. Guraidhoo Council reported that some islanders feel that the replenishment and dredging activities may be a causative factor for erosion in Guraidhoo Island. Therefore, the EIA preparation was to proceed with the consultation of the Island Council and with an evaluation of the historical erosion and patterns in Guraidhoo Island. The project has to be carried out with regular assessment and monitoring of Guraidhoo Island as well. Since the project has clearance from the relevant authorities, the management of Kandooma wishes to continue with the replenishment project, while they endeavour to continue the consultations with Guraidhoo Council in tandem, to reach a mutually beneficial solution to the erosion problems in Guraidhoo Island. A separate Addendum to this EIA is to be submitted to include any new developments agreed with the Guraidhoo Council. The existing environment is modified with past reclamation, dredging and shore protection. The site is in close proximity to Guraidhoo Island as well. The benthic composition at this site is dominated by sand and coral rubble, with few patches of sea grass spread across. Live corals observed at the survey area are very low, the abundance of fish was also low. However, the marine water quality perimeters tested fall within the normal range for sea waters. Coastal sediment movement patterns are restricted in Kandooma due to the extensive shore protection measures and coastal modifications on the island. Seasonal erosion is persistent on the southern and western shoreline and requires seasonal replenishment to keep the beach in a useable condition. The results of the coastal assessment show that there have been significant changes on the northern and southern end of Guraidhoo Island. The reasons for erosion appear to be mostly natural causes but the coastal modifications in Kandooma may have played a role in accelerating some processes. These include the removal of a long solid jetty in Guraidhoo which protected the northern shoreline from wave activity approaching from the north. However, a link between sand pumping from lagoon and erosion in Guraidhoo Island could not be established, except in cases where dredging was being undertaken in close proximity to Guraidhoo Islands NE sand pit. Based on this finding and community consultations, two borrow areas close to the sand pit was removed as proposed primary borrow sites. Significant impact associated with the components of the project; beach replenishment involves sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint, health and safety of construction workers and potential social discontent among some community members in Guraidhoo Island. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. The main mitigation measures include carrying out sand pumping and replenishment activities during low tide hours and calm weather, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete the replenishment activities in the shortest time possible, and continuous monitoring for the diagnosis of further problems. Where practical, the erosion problems in Guraidhoo and Kandooma are to be treated as a single problem requiring complementary solutions. The Kandooma management shall continue a dialogue with the Guraidhoo Council to come to a mutual agreement on erosion mitigation assistance to Guraidhoo. Operational stage impacts are mainly limited to ongoing sedimentation which will require adherence to the environmental management plans provided in this document to minimize the effects on the marine environment. Natural erosion of at least 30% of the replenished beach is anticipated during the initial phases after construction. No specific erosion prevention measures are proposed but appropriate action will be decided after monitoring the changes. As key stakeholders, EPA and Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture advices to go ahead with project, while Guraidhoo Island Council have reservations and further discussions are required to come to a mutual understanding. The alternatives were evaluated for the project but the current designs and methods have been preferred. The site plan has been changed to an alternative option where the borrow areas close to Guraidhoo sand pit were not considered as primary borrow sites and only sites that were likely to have minimal impacts on the current flow and erosion were considered. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the two islands, coastal changes and depth variations of the lagoon area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, the project is beneficial to the tourism industry since the resort can be made operational with enhanced products. Kandooma Island does not have a natural beach and for the island to continue operating, they will need artificial replenishment. Since Kandooma shares a reef with Guraidhoo Island, it is important that the works in Kandooma proceed with caution and with due consideration to erosional impacts on Guraidhoo Island. Kandooma management must continue the dialogue with the Guraidhoo Island Council and public to reduce any social discomforts associated with this project.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives, Addu City
    (2014-11) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed Beach Replenishment Project in Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives (Villigili Island), Addu City. The proponent of this project is Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives. The main rationale for the project is to enhance the tourism product at Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives by replenishing the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. Villigili Island does not have a natural beach and a large section of the existing beach has been created artificially in 2009. It has been 5 years since the initial replenishment and some of these areas have now retreated due to natural causes. This project has been initiated to undertake maintenance beach replenishment. Hence, for or the island to continue operating, they will need artificial replenishment. This project involves a one off maintenance project by pumping additional sand to the eroded areas and ongoing cosmetic improvements to the beach for the next two years by placing small amounts of sand. The cosmetic improvements will be carried out on a need basis and only the areas experiencing erosion will be cleaned. A contractor will undertake the one off maintenance project while buying sand from the local sand miners will make the ongoing cosmetic improvements. Two areas have been proposed for replenishment totalling 7000 cbm. Replenishment height is 1.5 m and width is 10 m from the registered shoreline. The proposed borrow areas, as in 2009 project, will be the northern rim of Addu City, in Hulhumeedhoo Reef. A minimum of 5000 cbm and a maximum of 8000 cbm of sand it to be dredged using an excavator or a sand pump. The resulting material will be transported to Villigili in barges and unloaded directly to the beach using a loader. All replenishment operations will be undertaken in manner which avoids disturbance to guests. The reasons for choosing the Hulhumeedhoo site is the absence of beach quality sand in Villigili lagoon. Numerous attempts have been made to pump to sand during the construction stage with no success. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Land reclamation Regulation 2013 and the Tourism Act. All the required permits prior to initiation of the work have already been attained from the respective regulatory bodies, namely mining approval from Addu City Council, concept approval from Ministry of Tourism and, dredging and reclamation approval from EPA. The existing environment is modified with replenishment, dredging and coastal developments. The borrow site is in within 2 km of Meedhoo Island. The benthic composition of the borrow site is dominated by sand and coral rubble, with few patches of individual coral colonies. Live corals observed at the survey area are very low and the abundance of fish was also low. However, the marine water quality parameters tested fall within the normal range for sea water. The erosional problems in Villigili are the result of manmade issues and natural causes. Erosion is set to continue in the near future but is manageable using soft adaptation measures. Coastal sediment movement patterns are restricted in Villigili due to a shore perpendicular structure (arrival pavilion) on the island. This structure was constructed to separate the replenished beach with the rest of the beach. Seasonal erosion is persistent on the areas adjacent to the main arrival pavilion and adjacent to the service jetty. The existing conditions on Ismahela Hera are poor. It does not have an adequate beach and beach composition is mainly rubble. The lagoon has a large seagrass bed and the island is eroding on the northern and southern side. The assessment shows that the proposed developments involve significant impacts on the marine environment and hydrodynamics due to dredging and beach replenishment. The main impacts from the project are on marine environment, particularly live coral cover damage during dredging and replenishment, both due to turbidity and sedimentation, and temporary loss of benthic organisms. The project also involves social impacts on Meedhoo Island sand miners and possibly to the atoll in general as sand is a limited resource in the atoll. Key mitigation measures for the construction stage include undertake construction works during calm weather conditions as much as possible particularly when wave activity is calmer. Carry out the activities in as short a time period as possible to allow normal conditions to re-establish in the area as soon as possible. Specific attention has been given to mitigate social impacts. These include allowing a quota of the project to be delivered by the local miners, dredging from relatively deeper areas which are not used for manual mining, using the smallest footprint possible for the project, locating the borrow site away from the islands and complete the works in the shortest time possible. Operational stage impacts are mainly limited to ongoing erosion which will require soft adaptation measures to maintain, including periodic cleaning up of eroded areas. Severe erosion of at least 30% of the replenished beach is anticipated during the initial phases after construction. However, this is expected as the new beach system tries to achieve equilibrium. No specific erosion prevention measures are proposed but appropriate action will be decided after monitoring the changes. The alternatives were evaluated for the project but the current designs and methods have been preferred as they are based on engineer’s guarantees and cost considerations. Alternative locations that were considered are Hulhumeedhoo harbour, Hulhudhoo harbour, Hithadhoo lagoon, Hithadhoo mining site, atoll lagoon and Huvadhoo atoll. All these options had practical, financial or social limitations which prevented their use. The only practical and viable solution in terms of the quality of sand, feasibility and practicality is the proposed Meedhoo lagoon. Alternative dredging methods considered included excavator mounted on a barge or a sand bed, sand pumping onto a barge, hopper suction dredger and manual mining. Among these a combination of excavator mounted on a barge or a sand bed and manual mining was preferred. A hopper suction dredger which could dredge from atoll lagoon of any atoll in the Maldives was not preferred due to costs as well as practicality for a small scale project. Monitoring of the project is crucial particularly the changes to hydrodynamics, shoreline, water quality, coral reef recovery and lagoon benthos recovery. Particular attention should be given to monitor the erosion patterns in Hulhumeedhoo reef, Ismahela Hera Island and Villigili Island. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Consultations were carried out with the key stakeholders and public of Meedhoo and Hulhudhoo. Sand mining in Addu City has recently been a topic of debate owing to the limited mining sites in the Addu City and the lack of options to bring sand from other atolls. However, given that Shangri-La, at present, is the biggest economic asset of the City, most people agree that they should do everything possible to keep the property as a top destination in the Maldives. The group most likely to be directly affected are the sand miners. They have been consulted during the formulation of this project and the project components have been modified to meet their needs. These include mining from deeper areas which that cannot generally use for manual mining and to allocate quota of the project for manual mining methods. The City Council and the general public have been consulted and have the general blessing to move forward with the project. In conclusion, the project is beneficial to the tourism industry since the resort can be made operational with enhanced products. Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives does not have a natural beach and for the island to continue operating, they will need artificial replenishment. The property needs to be in the best condition and achieve high occupancy for the benefits to accrue to the Addu City population.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Thundhufushi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll .
    (2014-02) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the project in Thundufushi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll. The proponent of this project is Seagulls Group Pvt. Ltd. The main rationale for the project is to enhance and upgrade the tourism product at Thundufushi Island Resort by replenishing the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. Moreover, Thundufushi Island Resort has ongoing seasonal erosion that requires to be mitigated. This project involves ongoing beach replenishment on Thundufushi Island for the next two years for mitigating seasonal erosion. The project will be carried out on a need basis and only the areas experiencing erosion will be replenished. The maximum replenishment volume that may be required for the project is estimated at about 13,500 cbm, covering all areas of the island. It is difficult to get an exact sand requirement estimate for the next 2 years, as erosional conditions may change. It is estimated that the most likely scenario is going to require about 5,000 cbm of sand. Two burrow area and two alternative sites have been identified for the project. The proposed borrow area and alternative sites are expected to yield 14,000 cbm. The dredge depth will be a maximum of 1.5 m from the existing depths. In exceptional circumstances depths may be increased to 2.0 m. The borrow areas are located 50 m from the registered shoreline and the alternative sites are about 160 m. Not all the identified areas may require replenishment but has been included for approval purposes. The borrow area had no visible live corals. The area mainly consists of rubble and fine sand. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and the Tourism Act. Significant impact associated with the components of the project; beach replenishment involves sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint and health and safety of construction workers. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. The main mitigation measures include carrying out sand pumping and replenishment activities during low tide hours and calm weather, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and to complete the replenishment activities in the shortest time possible. Continuous monitoring to diagnose further problems has also been proposed. The alternatives evaluated for the project are dredging methods as the project involves dredging the lagoon for materials required for beach replenishment. The use of sand pump is the preferred option for beach replenishment work, since it is the most common, practical and cost-effective method. The “No Puoject” oGtion has also been exGloued fou beach ueGlenishment nonetheless, this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the beach and the status of the resort. The burrow site (alternative site) approved by EPA for the project was found to have practical limitations and higher impacts on the marine environment. Thus, the originally proposed site is preferred. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the island, coastal changes and depth variations of the lagoon area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed cold storage facility development project at Koo’ddoo Island, Gaafu Alifu Atoll
    (2017-11) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the proposed cold storage facility in Koo’ddoo Island, Gaafu Alifu Atoll. The proponent of the project is Mr. Mohamed Ali Janah. Koo’ddoo Island houses an airport, Koo’ddoo Fish Processing Plant and a transit hotel. The project is proposed on an uninhabited 6 Ha piece of land on the SE corner of the island. The site has been leased to the proponent for 21 years under an agreement with the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MoFA). The project proposes to develop and operate a cold storage facility on the site. The objective of this project is to import food perishable food in bulk, store them in cold storage rooms or units and distribute to the region. The primary clients are expected to be the resort islands in GA Atoll where the proponent has an investment stake. The client base will be expanded to local inhabited islands and other resorts based on demand. The project design will include modular storage systems which will be expanded based on demand and a transport system to deliver the goods directly to islands. The infrastructure proposed on the island include buildings to house cold storage room or units, own utility infrastructure, support service facilities, accommodation, recreation and a harbour for loading and unloading. The project also anticipates undertaking small scale farming, medicinal plant farming and supporting local medicine activities. These are all additional services undertaken at a small scale. The project aim of improving food security and availability is in line with the ruling party manifesto and government policies. Project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Employment Act (2/2008), Immigration Act (1/2007), Land Act, Public Health Act, Civil Aviation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, Waste Management Regulation 2013, and the Environmental Liability Regulation. The project parameters cannot adhere to the dredging reclamation regulation as is states that no dredging shall be undertaken within 50 m of the vegetation line or 500 m from the ocean side reef edge. The harbour proposed in this project is located within both these restricted zones. For projects of economic or social importance, the regulations allow for exceptions to be made. Therefore, discussions must be held between the proponent and the EPA before the commencement of the project in order to resolve this issue. The assessment shows that the proposed developments result in significant positive socioeconomic benefits during the operational phase. Most important is the availability of food in the atoll at a lower cost and in higher quantities. However, both the construction phase and the operational phase of the development result in negative impacts on the marine and coastal environment. The main construction impacts results from the harbour project and vegetation clearing. The main impacts from marine works are on sediment movement patterns around the island, marine biodiversity due to sedimentation and turbidity and potential marine and groundwater contamination. Impacts during facility construction, impacts are limited to vegetation clearing, potential ground water contamination, negative effects of improper vegetation disposal and health and safety. Main operation stage impacts include waste management difficulties if a product batch goes bad or expires, potential fuel leakage into groundwater, ground water impacts from pesticide and fertilizer use and marine impacts related to sewage outfall. The proposed channel is unlikely to be useable throughout the year due to rough wave conditions. Safety concerns exist if boats try to access the site during rough conditions. Boat movement across the aircraft approach path close to the Runway End Safety Area is also identified as a concern. Key mitigation measures for the construction stage include finding options to minimise turbidity and sedimentation through the use of sediment control measures especially during the dredging and reclamation works, carrying out project activities only in the allocated areas, and ensuring that activities are a carried out in as short a time period as possible to allow normal conditions to re-establish in the area. The construction staff should also be properly educated on the sensitivity of the reef system and measures which can be taken to minimise impacts on the marine environment. Vegetation removed is to be replanted around the transit hotel area, project site and if require, on other areas of the airport. Given that the proponent at present has stakes in these two investments, it is practical to implement this plan. A good communication system between boats, proposed site office and Air Traffic Control tower has been recommended to minimise safety issues related to air and sea transport near the harbour entrance. A composting machine has been proposed by the developer to manage potential issues resulting from food waste. Alternatives were evaluated for the project. This assessment found that the proposed original master plan had a number of issues including wrong locations for island access, missing land use items and lack of island access options. These issues were recommended to be corrected and were presented as an alternative master plan. The developer is in agreement with these changes and has already submitted a revised plan to MoFA and is pending approval. This EIA has evaluated the recommended alternative Consultations were held with Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA), Health Protection Agency (HPA), Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The results revealed a number of aspects which need to be incorporated into the design and construction plan. They include: a. The first task of construction should include construction of fence to delineate the project site before construction personnel can be deployed for general construction. b. Using air-side access to the project site to transport goods on public vehicles is not recommended and the alternative plan of accessing via the new harbour should be enforce. The air-side can still be used for emergency access and if required, personnel access. c. Airport will require developing an access control system and an access road to facilitate the above process. d. Crossing the runway with goods and public vehicles are not recommended from a safety perspective e. A mechanism to communicate between the tower and the project site needs to be established to deal with unforeseen safety issues. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, it will also provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the development. The programme may cost about RF 40,000 per year. Overall the project has significant beneficial socio-economic impacts on Huvadhoo Atoll, and if successful, promises to become an important logistical hub for food distribution in the Atoll.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of 25 storey building at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Male’
    (2016-06) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed construction of a 25-storey building at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’. The proponent of this project is IGMH. The project has put forward by IGMH to expand the healthcare services in the existing hospital. Currently, IGMH with a bed of capacity of approximately 300 does not have the sufficient space and capacity to provide the best service to the growing demand. The project broadly involves the construction of a 25-storey building covering an area of 27,000 square feet. This facility will be complete with enhanced OPD services, diagnostic and laboratory services and with new medical facilities. The development is also expected to increase the bed capacity by 500. Medical tourism will also be introduced with high-end apartments targeted for the high-end market. Apartment units for doctors will also be development under this development. Upon completion, the facility will be able to cater 10,000 patients per day. The new facility will be merged with existing facility from level 1. Duration of project development is approximately 24 months. The proposed designs and plans are also generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. Additional approvals are required for the following before commencement of project activities. They are detailed drawings approval from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure; dewatering application and approval before commencement of any dewatering activities; connections to sewer systems; water connections; power connections. Responsible institutions include Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment and Energy. Proposed location for the project is the plot located south of existing IGMH. Significant buildings in the vicinity of the project site include Dhiraagu Head Office, Thajuddeen school, existing IGMH and residential buildings. Assessments were conducted to determine baseline traffic count and noise level of project site and a visual survey of the nearby buildings were also conducted for this project. PA marine survey was conducted to determine the general status of the reef and fish species abundance and composition of reef system. There are no marine protected areas within project or impact boundary. Most significant environmental impacts of the construction phase include vibration, noise and air quality impacts. Attention has been paid to consider the impacts on sensitive buildings in thevicinity including Dhiraagu, IGMH and schools. Socioeconomic impacts of construction stage include public nuisance from noise impacts and traffic congestion. The most significant impacts once the facility becomes operational are management of health care waste and wastewater discharge. The project will mainly have socioeconomic benefits from improvements in national health care services, and increased direct and indirect job opportunities. The key mitigation measures include measures to mitigate noise and vibration impacts, stringent measures to manage dust emissions from the operation of batching plant and onsite management of health care wastes and proper measures for occupational health and safety. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. These include no project alternative, options for piling methods, alternative locations for batching plant, alternatives for building elevation and project location. Options were considered to relocate the project site away from reef and existing IGMH. The project is anticipated to bring positive socioeconomic impacts, hence no project alternative is not considered. Proposed project location has been preferred due to feasibility and practicality. Jack in Pile method is been preferred over conventional methods as it is the most environmentally sound technique for piling in dense urban environment causing the least noise and vibration impact. Options are considered to relocate batching plant, however there is no other space available for this project. Hence the best option is to move the batching plant to the sand and aggregate storage area within the project site. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. A waste management has also been included with guidelines and strategies for medical waste minimisation and medical waste treatment and disposal methods.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Dhanbidhoo, Laamu Atoll
    (2017-10) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Dhanbidhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipments to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 98ft by 98ft and it will be developed on the southern tip of the island. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 2 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. The location, which has been approved, by EPA and MLSA is approximately 1km from the residential and requires the development of an access road. This will incur additional cost and the distance also makes it impractical to transfer waste on a daily basis. At present, there is no designated site waste disposal. The island community disposes waste at two different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, air quality and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of the IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation and loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already some of the vegetation has been cleared. However, if the allocated site is chosen for the construction of IWMC, an access road will need to be developed which will require more vegetation to be cleared including palm trees. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality. The IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Further to this, distance to the IWMC from the residential zone means a longer commute route which will further contribute to GHG emission from transportation. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted and given that the nearest island in the vicinity will be developed to a resort this poses major issues in the long term. However, through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Given the unfeasibility of the proposed site for IWMC due to the long distance for transportation from the residential zone and from the harbour, alternative locations for the IWMC explored. It is recommended that any other location within 200ft from either the northern or southern direction from the residential zone is feasible or building IWMC. This provides a feasible transportation distance from the collection entities also to the harbour where the recyclable materials can be easily traded. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Dhanbidhoo Island council, Dhanbidhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Dhanbidhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project, although the newly elected council not fully acquainted with the project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Since the proposed location for the IWMC is not practical in terms of transportation of waste and the need to develop an access road which will incur additional cost, it is recommended to consider alternative locations for the IWMC. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC at a site that will not cause major loss of biodiversity or cause GHG emissions. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement and environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Kunahandhoo, Laamu Atoll
    (2017-10) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Kunahandhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipments to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 84ft by 89ft. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 1.5 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. At present, there is no designated site waste disposal. The island community disposes waste at different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of the IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation and loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already most of the vegetation has been cleared. However, prior to construction few of the pioneer species will need to be cleared. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality, especially given the island has low groundwater lens is prone to flooding. The IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted. However, through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. Overall this is an environmental improvement project. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Alternative locations for IWMC were also considered, however as there are no other apt locations in the island, it is proposed to go ahead with the proposed location, since the IWMC will be built with 1ft elevated as a mitigation measure. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Kunahandhoo Island council, Kunahandhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Kunahandhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project, although the newly elected council not fully acquainted with the project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC and to follow the mitigation measures to avoid significant impacts. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement and environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of Island Waste Management Centre at Maabaidhoo, Laamu Atoll
    (2017-10) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Island Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Maabaidhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) The contractor for this project is Uni Maldives Private Limited. The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipment to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 89ft by 83ft and will be built at southern tip of the island. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 1.5 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. The island community previously disposed waste at different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. Following the efforts during the mangrove conservation project, all waste is now disposed to the location designated to build the IWMC under this project. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation, loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already most of the vegetation has been cleared. However, prior to construction few of the pioneer species will need to be cleared. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality. During operational stage, the IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The proposed is an aesthetically pleasing site and the visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted. Since the proposed site used to be a wetland, before it was reclaimed from waste, risk of flooding the area during swell tides or torrential rain is high. This may significantly impact the operation of the IWMC. Proper mitigation measures must be taken to reduce the risk of flooding. Overall this is an environmental improvement project.. Through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Alternative locations for IWMC were also considered, however as there are no other apt locations in the island, it is proposed to go ahead with the proposed location, with stringent measures to mitigate flooding in the area. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Maabaidhoo Island council, Maabaidhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Maabaidhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC and to follow the mitigation measures to avoid significant impacts. Stringent mitigation measures must be taken to reduce the risk of flooding at the proposed location. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement an environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed drainage system development for flood control in the taro fields at Fiyoary Island, Gaafu Dhaal Atoll
    (2012-12) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the proposed Drainage system at Taro fields of GDh Fiyoary. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture The project is to bring many socio economic benefits to the people of Fiyoary as during flooding SW monsoon the wetland area where the Taro and Reed fields are present gets flooded damaging the crops. As Taro cultivating is a livelihood of most women in Fiyoary and Reed/Hau is used for traditional mat weaving it impacts the the whole mat weaving community, namely craftswomen from Rathafandhoo and Gadhoo. The project aims to ensure a drainage system that could manage the water in wetland during floods. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012. The project components are 1(mobilisation) equipment and construction materials will be brought to the project site, 2(Site preparation) this includes vegetation clearance and storage of construction equipment and machinery, (3) Drainage construction and decommissioning. The project duration is expected to be between 4-8 weeks and a total of 15 staffs are required for the construction works. Significant impacts that are expected to arise from the project include (1) impacts on groundwater, seawater and wetland water quality, (2) Health and safety risks as the working environment is a marshy land. (3) Loss of Terrestrial flora and fauna (4) Loss to biodiversity including birds. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. On the other hand, significant positive impacts to the local economy and traditional mat weaving community of Gadhoo and Rathafandhoo are also anticipated due to this project. The main mitigation measures include carrying out construction with propoer safety standards while following strict environmental protocols. This includes storage of oil and grease and other construction materials in proper bunded locations. Storing materials at a certain distance and proper supervision by an experienced professional at all times. Vegetation clearance impacts can be minimised by keeping the vegetation clearance to absolute minimum and replanting the removed vegetation where possible. Alternatives evaluated for project activities are alternative drainage pipe sites depending on the topography, alternative drainage pipeline network and alternative infiltration system design and size. The “No Project” option has also been explored but is not deemed preferable, due to the significant economic opportunities and environmental and economic impacts caused if the project does not proceed. The monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the ground water, wetland water quality and marine water quality. In addition to monitor impacts of expulsion of water to the marine environment beach profiles and reef health checks are included in the monitoring plan. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be impacts on vegetation and ground water quality of the island. Anticipated long-term impacts of the operational phase can and should be managed by proper implementation of proposed mitigation measures. The project commencement is highly anticipated by the locals as the damage to Taro fields is an annual event which causes immeasurable damage to the island socioeconomically.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed dredging component of the resort development project in Ithaafushi Reef, South Male’ Atoll
    (2016-07) CDE Consulting
    This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is the evaluation of the potential environmental, socioeconomic and natural impacts of the proposed dredging component of resort development project in Ithaafushi reef. The EIA Regulations published by EPA has been used as the basis for preparing this document. The proponent of this project is Ithaafushi Investments Private Limited. An EIA has been prepared and approved for the project on October 2015 under the Tourism Law. The First Addendum to the EIA was submitted MoT on June 2016 and is pending approval. This EIA has been specifically necessitated as the proponent has opted to use a Trailing Hopper Suction Dredger (THSD), which requires dredging from atoll lagoon. Any development outside the boundary of tourist property requires a separate EIA approval from EPA. Thus, this report only looks into the dredging component of the project. The overall project involves reclaiming a total area of 20.8 Ha in Ithaafushi Reef and the development of the necessary infrastructure for the functioning of a stand-alone 240 bed (120 room) bed capacity. The property will comprise of three separate islands but will be operated as single property. The component proposed under this EIA is to use a THSD to dredge about 500,000 cbm of sand from the atoll lagoon of North Male Atoll and reclaim the proposed island. The rationale for the proposed dredging technology is due to the availability of a TSHD in the Maldives. THSD was proposed as the preferred option on the original EIA if a ship was to become available. The proposed borrow area is located in the atoll lagoon in North Male’ Atoll approximately 27-30 km from Ithaafushi reef. Distance to nearest Marine Protected Area from the borrow site is 1.8 km and distance to sensitive environment is about 1.1 km. A total of 500,000 cbm of sand will be dredged for reclaiming Ithaafushi reef. The site has been identified due to the presence of sand, reusability and proximity to reclamation site. Dredging activity will take approximately two to two-and-a-half weeks and a total of 17 trips will be made by TSHD. Duration of the overall project is 24 to 30 months. The proposed borrow site has also been used to reclaim the Male’ SW harbour area. The proposed developments are generally in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations. Additional approvals are required for the following before commencement of project activities. They include dredging and reclamation approval from EPA, detailed drawings approval from the Ministry of Tourism and construction approval from Ministry of Tourism. Existing environment utilises the baseline data collected for the original EIAs. Works already completed in the reef include construction of sand bunds for Island B and dredging the entrance channel. For this report, borrow area sediment quality, marine environment and marine water quality around borrow sites was assessed. In addition, a detailed bathymetry survey was undertaken. Results of the assessment at proposed borrow site showed limited fines and 80 – 90% moderate sized material suitable for reclamation. The nearest MPA to the proposed dredging site Giraavaru Kuda Haa has excellent coral life and abundance fish. The most significant negative impact from this project during construction are typical impacts associated with dredging and reclamation. All marine organisms within the footprint of dredging will be lost. In addition, increased levels of turbidity and sedimentation inhibit corals ability to successfully reproduce. Others include impacts on ambient noise level, air quality and greenhouse gas emission, marine water quality, changes in hydronamics, impacts on unique habitats and impacts on visual amenity for nearby resorts. Main socioeconomic impacts include the impacts on marine biodiversity and visibility around house reefs of nearby resorts and dive spots in the region. Loss of marine fauna and impact on reef systems will cause a direct impact on the revenue of the resorts. The presence of sensitive environment within the vicinity is a concern, particularly due to the recent coral bleaching event, cumulative impacts from the recently completed Hulhumale’ reclamation project and cumulative impacts of dredging from the same site for Male’ SW harbour construction project. The key mitigation measures proposed for the construction stage include finding options to mitigate noise and air pollution, increased turbidity and sedimentation, resource and social conflicts. To mitigate turbidity and sedimentation, bund walls are proposed to control sediment dispersal during dredging and reclamation and use of ‘green valves’ in the TSHD to minimise impacts from the water overflow during loading into the hopper. Relevant stakeholder must be informed about the project at all stages to mitigate any resource and social conflicts. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. Alternative options have been explored for no changes to dredging method, shore protection and to master plan. Alternatives have also been explored for harbour options, outfall locations and alternative locations for borrow sites. Given strong benefits for the project it is recommended to proceed with changes and preferred option for harbour is proposed northwest corner for aesthetics. Four sites have been studied for potential borrow sites, but South Male’ atoll is left untouched due to the manoeuvring difficulties for a large ship in the area. It is proposed to use the proposed borrow site with stringent adherence to TSHD overflow control. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts associated with THSD activities, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. The Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the resort, particularly in relation to THSD operations. The monitoring plan in the addendum has been updated as per the changes made to the project. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated to be USD 5,000 per year. Since the project already has a monitoring programme approved for the original EIA under MoT, the overall programme must incorporate the programme presented in this report. The report must be submitted to both MoT and EPA. Stakeholder consultations were held with Environmental Protection Agency, Marine Research Centre, The proponent, Baros Maldives, Centara Rasfushi Resort and Spa and Diver’s Lodge Maldives. Attempts were made to consults with Kohdhipparu island but were non-responsive. Stakeholder consulted raised concerns on the impacts dredging activity will have on notable dives spots and house reefs of the nearby resorts. Given the vicinity of a MPA around the dredging site, stakeholders recommended exploring alternative borrow sites. The proponent emphasized on the importance of the changes made to the project. EPA noted that a separate EIA may be required to be approved by EPA. This EIA has been initiated based on this suggestion. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed changes with the proposed alternatives and the suggested mitigation measures. It has been proposed to move forward with THSD use as it reduces the timeframe of impacts by 6 months which is a substantial environmental benefit compared to a CSD.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour entrance channel dredging project in Bodufolhudhoo Island, North Ari Atoll
    (2011-08) CDE Consulting
    This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed entrance channel dredging project in Bodufolhudhoo Island, North Ari Atoll. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Housing and Environment.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour extension project in Ukhulas, North Ari Atoll
    (2011-08) CDE Consulting
    This Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socioeconomic and natural impacts of the proposed harbour extension project in Ukulhas Island, North Ari Atoll. The project is proposed by Ministry of Housing and Environment (MHE) and the project contractor is MT Højgaard, Denmark. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting. This EIA has been developed based on the Term of Reference (ToR) issued by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 7 July 2011. This document is submitted by the proponent to EPA to fulfil the requirements for an IEE under Article 5 of the Environment Protection and Preservation Act (4/93). The EIA Regulations 2007 have been used as the basis for developing this document. The main components of the project are: − Dredging harbour extension area − Land reclamation − Construction of harbour protection and sea wall infrastructure Ukulhas is the one of the main fishing islands of North Ari Atoll. Due to the size of the fishing fleet in Ukulhas, the island has had major problems with providing safe anchorage to fishing vessels and expanding the fishing industry. The congestion within the harbour is also making it difficult for passenger vessels to access the island. Harbour expansion has been identified as priority for island development, particularly to facilitate passenger access. A harbour redevelopment project was undertaken in 2010 through a tsunami reconstruction project funded by an international agency. However, due to budget limitations the project had to be divided into two phases. The first phase involved the maintenance dredging and upgrading of quay wall and breakwater. The first phase was completed earlier this year. Funding for the second phase of the project has been secured by the Government and the second phase in now ready for implementation. The second phase mainly involves extending the harbour, as originally planned in 2010.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour project in Meedhoo, Dhaalu Atoll
    (2011-09) CDE Consulting
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour quay wall construction at Maakurathu, Raa Atoll, Maldives
    (2017-12) CDE Consulting
    This document is submitted to the Environment Protection Agency, by the proponent to fulfil the requirement of an EIA under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) of the Maldives (4/93). The EIA Regulations 2012 has been used as a basis for preparing this document. This report provides the background to the proposed project components as well as an assessment of their likely environmental and social impacts, both beneficial and adverse. The proposed enhancement and mitigation measures are outlined where necessary, together with an environment management plan and a monitoring programme. This project was initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure with the aim of upgrading and increasing the usability of the existing harbour at R. Maakurathu. The project involves deepening some shallow areas within harbour basins and constructing a quay wall on the western side of the basin. The western side has been left as a beaching area with no quaywall during original harbor construction project. The estimated time for project completion is nine months. Project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (4/93), Employment Act (2/2008), Immigration Act (1/2007), Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Land Reclamation Regulation, Waste Management Regulation 2013, and the Environmental Liability Regulation (Regulation 2011/R-9). Decision Statement for this EIA report and a Dredging and Reclamation Permit need to be obtained from the EPA prior to commencement of the project. The assessment shows that the proposed developments results in significant positive socioeconomic benefits during the operational phase. However, both the construction phase and the operational phase of the development result in negative impacts on environment. The main impacts from the project are potential impact on marine water quality and biodiversity from increased turbidity, and suspended solids generated from dredging works. In addition, as the public and Island Council expects expansion of the harbour, conducting the project without dialog with these key stakeholders may result in strong opposition to the project. Key mitigation measures for the project include finding options to minimise turbidity and sedimentation by carrying out dredging activities only in the allocated areas, during calm sea conditions preferably when the tide is low. The construction staff should also be properly educated on the sensitivity of the reef system and measures which can be taken to minimise impacts on the marine environment. Measures such as proper maintenance of vehicles and management of the site area can aid in minimising air as well as noise pollution. Contamination of the marine water, groundwater and land can also be limited by taking appropriate measures detailed in this report. Public consultations were carried out for the project with the island council and the public. The results show a difficult situation where the project proposed by MHI does not exactly match the expectations and demands of the community. The public and the Council indicates while they want the harbour upgrade project, they want to see the harbour expanded on the western side rather than construct the quaywall at the currently proposed position. They also complained that they were not consulted on the detailed design. MHI notes that the project has limited funds and therefore risks delaying the project if such major changes are to be accommodated. This issue needs to be resolved through dialogue between MHI, Council and the public prior to commencement of project. Alternative options were evaluated for the harbour layout and sand borrow area. The harbour layout favoured by the public included expanding the harbour to the west and constructing the quay wall. There is no design prepared for this. However, the proponent has stated that this is not practical within the funds available for the current project. The alternate sand borrow area is where vessel repairs are carried out and locals can benefit from dredging. However, this area is not recommended for this project due to concerns of erosion raised by public for other dredging activities around the island. The “no-project” option was also compared against the proposed project. A monitoring plan has been designed to assess any changes to the physical environment for the duration of the project. Estimated costs of monitoring of the preconstruction stage is approximately USD 5000 and USD 5500 for the construction stage. Monitoring costs for the operational stage is approximately USD 4700. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. The main conclusion of this report is for MHI to discuss and agree on the outstanding issues relating to project scope with the Council and public, before continuing with the project. If there is an agreement this EIA recommends to move forward with the proposed development with the suggested mitigation measures, and alternatives.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour re-development project at Mahibadhoo Island, Alif Dhaalu Atoll
    (2017-11) CDE Consulting
    This document is submitted to the Environment Protection Agency, by the proponent to fulfil the requirement of an EIA under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) of the Maldives (4/93). This report provides the background to the proposed project components as well as an assessment of their likely environmental and social impacts, both beneficial and adverse. The proposed enhancement and mitigation measures are outlined where necessary together with an environment management plan and a monitoring programme. This project was initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure with the aim of providing an adequate and safe harbouring and beaching area for the locals of Mahibadhoo island while providing coastal protection for the immediate surroundings. The present harbour is unable to facilitate the growing size of vessels using the harbour, particularly the increased number of small vessels on the island. Similarly, the make-shift beaching area (boat yard area) which the locals are currently using does not have the proper facilities to service the island’s fleet. The scope of this project comprises of the following activities: 1. Maintenance dredging at the entrance channel and basin 2. Expanding the existing north harbour basin 3. Re-constructing quay wall, revetment and breakwater 4. Paving around quay wall landing areas 5. Installing road lights and navigation lights around harbour 6. Constructing beaching area 7. Backfilling and reclamation This EIA has found that the proposed backfill volume required do not match the available dredged material. Hence, an alternative site plan has been proposed whereby reclamation activities are restricted to backfilling purposes only and the required sand volume within the available limits. Project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Employment Act (2/2008), Immigration Act (1/2007), Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, Waste Management Regulation 2013, and the Environmental Liability Regulation. The project parameters cannot adhere to the dredging reclamation regulation as is states that no dredging shall be undertaken within 50 m of the vegetation line or 500 m from the ocean side reef edge. The harbour proposed in this project is located within both these restricted zones. For projects of economic or social importance, the regulations allow for exceptions to be made. Therefore, discussions must be held between the proponent and the EPA before the commencement of the project in order to resolve this issue. The assessment shows that the proposed developments result in significant positive socioeconomic benefits during the operational phase. However, both the construction phase and the operational phase of the development result in negative impacts on the marine and coastal environment. The main impacts from the project are on sediment movement patterns around the island, marine biodiversity due to sedimentation and turbidity related to the construction activities, potential marine and groundwater contamination, and noise pollution. While the construction of the quay wall and shore protection measures will prevent erosion around the harbour basin thereby facilitating better usage of the harbour, there will be residual impacts around the project site in the medium term as the island works towards obtaining equilibrium with the new shore protection measures. It is unlikely that the construction stage of this project will result in significant damage to live coral colonies due to the enclosed nature of the harbour basin and limited live coral cover within vicinity of the project site. Key mitigation measures for the construction stage include finding options to minimise turbidity and sedimentation through the use of sediment control measures especially during the dredging and reclamation works, carrying out project activities only in the allocated areas, and ensuring that activities are a carried out in as short a time period as possible to allow normal conditions to re-establish in the area. The construction staff should also be properly educated on the sensitivity of the reef system and measures which can be taken to minimise impacts on the marine environment. Operational stage impacts are mainly related to changes in the coastal hydrodynamics arising from the coastal modifications of the proposed harbour. It is not possible to accurately predict erosion accretion patterns without high level modelling. Therefore, appropriate mitigation measures and actions will be decided after monitoring the changes. Consequently, environmental monitoring is crucial, particularly changes to hydrodynamics, shoreline, and water quality. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development with the suggested mitigation measures.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed international airport development project in Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll
    (2017-11) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the proposed international airport development project on Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll. The proponent of the project is Regional Airports, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives. Maafaru Island is one of the largest inhabited islands in Noonu Atoll and the airport is being built on the uninhabited southern half of the island. Main rationale of the proposed project is to facilitate the overall development of the region and to cater to the tourist resort transfers to Noonu Atoll. The aim of the airport project is to provide more convenient, safer and faster transportation to Noonu atoll region and boost the socioeconomic development of the region through enhancement of tourism, commerce and trade. Maafaru Island has been leased to separate developers on three occasions. Each of these developers had developed airport master plans and two of them had approved EIAs. The third EIA was being prepared, before developer changed again. Regional Airports have now decided to develop the airport themselves with assistance from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). The project has two main components: (i) site preparation and; (ii) airport construction. Site preparation involves land reclamation, channel dredging, sea grass removal in front of arrival areas, vegetation removal and backfilling. Airport construction involves building a 2200 m runway with all ancillary services, VIP facilities and a transit hotel. The proposed site has been modified due to human activities. The island and its reef system represents a typical inhabited island with modified vegetation for forestry, contaminated groundwater and moderately good reef system. The proposed site has been partially cleared under the original area but 80% of the vegetation is still intact. There is a sand bed on the western side created by the first developers during mobilization. Maafaru Island’s vegetation system is extensive. There are five marshland areas on the island, three of which will be backfilled under this project. One of the marshland areas contains limited mangrove vegetation. The central marshland area has recently connected to open lagoon, allowing juvenile marine life to thrive. The site may be considered a breeding site but no concrete evidence was found in this evaluation to classify the site as a permanent breeding site. The mangrove vegetation area is very small and contain about 10-15 medium to large trees, but 85% of these trees will have to be removed. The island topography is varied and will require extensive backfilling to level the site. The deep lagoon contains some good live coral colonies. The proposed dredging footprint does not contain any live coral colonies but contains an extensive seagrass bed. The island is undergoing erosion on the northern and eastern side but the proposed airport site is generally stable. Significant impacts are expected to arise mainly during the construction phase of the project. These impacts include significant loss of terrestrial biodiversity. Of particular concern is the removal of over 20,000 medium-to-large trees and about 50,000 small trees, removal of mangrove vegetation, and backfilling a recently active marshland with juvenile life. Impacts will also be felt on marine biodiversity due to dredging and reclamation due to associated direct removal, turbidity and sedimentation; potential contamination of marine and ground water and soil due to accidental spillage/leakage of construction materials and waste; increased turbidity and sedimentation of the water column due to coastal activities; changes to coastal hydrodynamics; salinization of ground water due to use of dredged sand for backfilling and risks to the health of construction workers. Major potential impacts from the operations phase include air, water and soil pollution due to emissions from island operations such as power generation, water production and flight operations; noise impacts on the settlement; bird collisions; potential fuel leaks into soil and ground water; impacts from waste accumulation and alteration of faunal species behaviour. Mitigation measures have been proposed to minimise anticipated impacts. These include transplanting trees to recently reclaimed lagoons in Male’ Atoll, bunding dredging and reclamation works to minimise sedimentation and turbidity in the lagoon, reducing salinization and preventing contamination of ground water, relocate or replant mangrove vegetation, reduce social discontent, control coastal erosion and focus on safety of workers and passengers. All mangrove plants need to be relocated to the southernmost wetland or to the nearest point where they can be grown. The trees may not survive and a mangrove planting programme needs to be conducted on the southernmost wetland. Alternative options have been evaluated for the most significant impacts. Among these alternative locations for the proposed airport were considered, including Manadhoo, Dhigurah and Medhufaru. Among these, only Medhufaru has the space to build a 1800 m runway but it has a number of pristine marshlands which may involve higher impacts than Maafaru. Alternative layouts for the airport were also considered but all other options involve significant reclamation, which subsequently will involve high marine environmental impacts. Alternative borrow areas were evaluated, including an option not to dredge the lagoon. It involved excavating the foot print of vegetation removal area and using the material to level the low lying areas. However, since dredging is required, the reuse of dredge waste for reclamation was preferred. Alternatives were also evaluated for shore protection design and material, and dredging technologies. Alternative designs have been recommended for reclaimed areas due to high coastal impacts from current design. Consultations were carried out with members of Noonu Maafaru Island Council. Island community of Maafaru, Noonu Atoll Council, Maldives Civil Aviation Authority, Regional Airports - Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure, and Ministry of Environment and Energy. There is overwhelming support from the community and the Island Council of Maafaru. Key concern raised by the Ministry of Environment and Energy was the loss of coconut forest, and recommended measures to take to mitigate this loss. Maldives Civil Aviation Authority officials pointed out potential aviation hazards resulting from the presence of the islands waste dump in the flight approach path, and advised to relocate this dumpsite. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, it will also provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the airport. Environmental monitoring cost of pre-construction stage (if required) is approximately MVR 167,500. Monthly environmental monitoring cost during the construction phase ranges between MVR 100,500 to MVR 150,000. The estimated annual environmental monitoring cost during operation is MVR 127,000. All project designs are in conformance to most of the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, and Dewatering Regulation. There are a number of permits to be obtained for the operation of aerodrome. The project at present is non-compliant to some of the clauses in Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, and Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. The removal of mangrove and coastal vegetation poses a challenge to meet the requirements of the Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees and, the requirement for seagrass removal within 50 m of the shoreline make it difficult to remove all seagrass areas identified. Project will require special consideration and approval from EPA on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. EPA has the authority to provide approval in exceptional circumstances. Public has raised questions about why the runway is being located on the island, when there is potential to reclaim land from the lagoon and build the airport, as has been done in other islands. The proponents view on the matter is, that, it is cheaper to build the airport on land and therefore is more likely that the project will get implemented. This issue is explored in the alternatives section. From an environmental perspective, reclamation itself has irreversible damage to the marine life but when compared with significant loss of vegetation, forestry resources, wetland environments and future land for Maafaru Island development, land reclamation with proper mitigation may involve lower long-term impacts than building on the island. Nonetheless, the project’s implementation is dependent on financial viability and the Government has taken the decision based on this aspect. The loss of wetland and large quantities of coconut palms is an irreversible damage from this project. Measures have been proposed soften this impact as described above but residual impacts will remain from the loss of trees. The developer will need to undertake replanting, with 2 trees for every tree permanently lost as a guideline. The scale of the impacts on the wetland is not irreversible at a regional or atoll level. The loss of the mangrove vegetation is insignificant compared to the mangrove vegetation that exists in Noonu Atoll. The number of wetlands in the near vicinity of Maafaru is also quite substantial and will allow for the migratory birds to relocate. The establishment of marshland on Maafaru as a habitat for juveniles is a very recent development and it does not appear that the marine species are using it as a permanent breeding site. The site is also not listed as a sensitive environment owing to the limited presence of sensitive ecosystems. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. Environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the project are expected to be significantly reduced if the mitigation measures and monitoring programme presented in the report are properly implemented within the framework of the environmental management plan.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed land reclamation and resort development project in Dhiffushi Reef, Kaafu Atoll
    (2013-06) CDE Consulting
    This Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts the proposed land reclamation and resort development project in Dhiffushi Reef, North Male’ Atoll. The proponent of this project is Mr. Hamid Ismail, H. Hirifushi, Male’ Maldives. The project contractor has not been finalised yet. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting. Architect is Gedor Architecture, Maldives. This EIA has been developed based on the Term of Reference (ToR) issued by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 28 February 2013. This document is submitted by the proponent to EPA to fulfil the requirements for an IEE under Article 5 of the Environment Protection and Preservation Act (4/93). The EIA Regulations 2007 have been used as the basis for developing this document. The Government of the Maldives (GOM) in its efforts to enhance the economic potential of the Maldives has been trying to speed up the planned increase in tourist bed capacity in order to meet the steady increase in tourist arrivals. So far, the construction of resorts has lagged behind and there is a need to introduce more beds as soon possible. This project forms part of the overall effort to increase bed capacity. The Male’ region with its proximity to the Male’ International Airport offers unparalleled advantages to develop certain types of tourism products. However, there are not enough islands in the Atoll or even the region to consider for new developments. Almost all available islands have been leased or handed over to relevant authorities for economic or infrastructure development. The only available option is to reclaim land from shallow reefs. A number of resorts have already been enlarged through reclamation such as One and Only Reethi Rah, the former Dhonveli Beach Resort, Sonevagili Island Resort, Paradise Island Resort, Fun Island Resort and Olhuveli Island Resort. These islands have increased their bed capacity through reclamation. There are also a number of new islands being created from land reclamation in Male’ Atoll such as Hulhumale’ Island and Gulhifalhu Island. This method is now accepted in Maldives as the main means to relieve land shortage. In 2008, the GOM decided to lease a section of the reef of Kaashidhoo Island (an inhabited island) located in Male’ Atoll. The project was opened for bidding and Mr. Ahmed Shafeeg (Ma. Nivico, Male’) won the bid. Kaashidhoo Island is one of the largest islands of Maldives located in the Kaashidhoo Channel as an Oceanic Island or a separate ‘one island” atoll. The reef area allocate for the development was northern end of the reef system. Following the award, Mr. Ahmed Shafeeg came to an agreement with Mr. Hamid Ismail to finance and build the property. Mr. Hamid Ismail has now been granted the rights to build the property. The proponent initiated studies to develop the concept plan for the resort. However, it soon became apparent that the proposed site is highly exposed to strong wave activities during both NE and SW monsoon. The cost of development was found to be extremely high due to the existing conditions on the site. There were concerns that the existing Kaashidhoo Island shoreline may also undergo drastic changes due to any reclamation in the reef. Moreover, accessibility to the island was identified as being difficult due the need to cross the notoriously rough South Kaashidhoo Channel. Given the challenges and difficulties in financing the project in Kaashidhoo Reef, the proponent requested GoM for a location change to another site in Male’ Atoll. During 2011, GoM decided to develop some of the sand banks within Male’ Atoll already leased for resort activities to be reclaimed and developed as resort islands. Under this programme, three reefs have already been finalised for reclamation. This includes ‘Navaagan Island” and Nakachchaa Huraa reef in Male’ Atoll. There were also a number of other reefs in consideration including 10 islands in one reef comprising 100 ha and 10 other islands from various locations within atoll reef (M. Solih, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism 2012, Pers. Comm, 15 Jan). Under this programme, the GoM decided to allow the proponent to switch the location to Dhiffushi Reef in Male’ Atoll. It has to be noted that this would be the first time where an island is proposed to be reclaimed from scratch to develop a resort island. Approval has also been granted to reclaim and enlarge an existing island (Kuda Viligilli) about 3 km south of the proposed site. The proposed location within the reef has been suggested by the Ministry of Tourism and the final location was fixed by the proponent in consultation with the Ministry.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed luxury villa development project in Dhapparu Island, Haa Alifu Atoll
    (2013-08) CDE Consulting
    This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental and social impacts of the proposed resort development project in Dhapparu Island, Haa Alifu Atoll. The proponent of this project is Noomadi Resorts and Residences Anstalt. The project contractor has not been finalised yet. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting and engineering consultant is Gedor Architecture. As a variation to the tourism development programme of Maldives and a desire to provide direct benefits of tourism development to the public, President Nasheed’s Government initiated a plan to develop Luxury Villas in inhabited and uninhabited islands. The focus was both to raise finance for public housing projects while increasing tourism related bed capacity and diversity of the tourism product. These properties were meant purely for long-term lease as plot of land (not the whole island), which the proponent could use to construct a luxury villa and lease/sell to prospective clients. Under this programme, on 9 August 2010, based on a Cabinet Decision, the Government of Maldives awarded Dhapparu Island (part of Filladhoo Island, Haa Alifu Atoll, and a declared uninhabited island) to Noomadi Resorts Residence to construct 50 luxury villas (20,000 sq ft for every 10 housing units developed). In addition, 100,000 sq ft of land is allocated for the development of support services, since this is an uninhabited island. The proposal included the construction of 500 housing units in Kelaa, Baarah, Hoarafushi and Ihavandhoo. Dhapparu Island was classified as an uninhabited island by the Cabinet on 3 August 2010. This project is completely different from a typical tourism development project in that the land leased for development is not the entire island but allocated plots. The proponent has been given land to build villas as well as additional land for support facilities and infrastructure. The objective is to sell or lease this property to potential customers as a residential unit, and thus, a different product from that of resort tourism. The plots will be developed and sold to potential clients. The clients will utilize the services on the island, including utilities, restaurants and other facilities based on a user-pays system. The aim of this project is to develop and operate luxury villas in Ha. Dhapparu Island as part of the agreement to construct 500 housing units in inhabited islands. The specific objectives are: (1) develop the necessary infrastructure for the functioning of a stand-alone residential island; (2) operation of a luxury villa residential island; and (3) diversify the tourism product offered in the North Maldives and increase the bed capacity
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed nationwide submarine cable by Ooredoo Maldives
    (2016-05) CDE Consulting
    This document is submitted by the proponent to the Environmental Protection Agency to fulfil the requirement for an EIA under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (4/93). The EIA Regulation 2012 has been used as the basis for preparing this document. The proponent of this project is Ooredoo Maldives. The project involves laying a communication submarine cable stretching the entire archipelago of Maldives. The estimate length of the cable is 11,000 km, and is divided into 5 main segments with 6 landings sites. The main rationale for the project is to increase the capacity, and improve the quality of all telecommunication services provided by Ooredoo Maldives. The proponent estimates that they will not be able to cater for the growing demand for telecommunication services in a near future with the existing system. In each island a cable ship will lay the submarine cable and it will be passed to the reef flat using experienced divers and small boats. A concrete stabiliser clamped on reef flat will be used to pass the cable line from reef flat to a precast concrete trench on the seabed in each island. An existing trench will be used in B.Eydhafushi and Hulhumale’. Cable line will pass through the trench to Beach Manhole (BMH). In Gdh, Thinadhoo, geo-bags at beachfront will have to be cleared to facilitate the transfer of cable to BMH. MTCC has been contracted to clear the geobags and to build the precast concrete trench in Thinadhoo. Submarine cable will be connected to a land cable inside BMH and the land cable will then pass through an earth trench to Connecting Landing Station (CLS) in each island. The proposed development plans are generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. The key laws and regulations applicable are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Maldives Telecommunication Act, Fisheries Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation 2013, The Environmental Liability Regulation, EIA decision note is required before implementation of this project. The cable landing sites for all the proposed islands are existing Ooredoo Antenna Stations and does not require the removal of any vegetation from these areas. The cable laying route (on land) up to the cable landing site in each of the islands follow an existing road or pathway from the beach with the exception of Hdh.Kulhudhuffushi and S.Hithadhoo. The reefs flat at all islands are mainly made up of rocky bottom, with low live coral coverage. Large seagrass patch occurs on the reef flat near shore along the cable route in Kolhufushi. Live coral abundance is higher mainly near the reef edge of all islands. Highest live coral coverage was recorded at Thinadhoo, while the lowest was recorded in Kulhudhuffushi. The most significant negative impacts from this project during construction stage would be, loss of sessile marine life within the cable route, and the potential health and safety risks to the workers and general public associated with offshore cable deployment, and excavation works on land. The project mainly has positive socio-economic benefits; via improvement in quality and speed of telecommunication service provided by Ooredoo Maldives across the Maldives. The key mitigation measures proposed for the construction stage include relocation of live coral colonies on the reef flat of project sites to nearby locations, and strict measures to minimize healthy and safety risks to workers and the general public from the project. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. Alternative options have been considered for method of excavation on land. Main concern of the utility providers and telecommunication service providers in all the islands is potential damage to their existing infrastructure in the footprint of proposed land cable during excavation works. Manual excavation has been recommended over the use of an excavator to reduce the risk of damage to existing cables and pipelines. It has also been recommended to inform these institutions prior to commencing the earth trenching works. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the project. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated around US$ 4000 annually. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development after with the proposed alternatives and the suggested mitigation measures. Prepared
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed provision of sewerage network at Gemanafushi, Gaafu Alifu Atoll
    (2017-11) CDE Consulting
    This document is submitted by the proponent to Environmental Protection Agency to fulfil the requirements for an EIA under Environmental Protection and Preservation Act. The EIA Regulations 2012 has been used as the basis for preparing this document. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Environment and Energy, the sewerage network was designed by Malé Water and Sewerage Company, and EIA was undertaken by consultants from CDE Consulting. At present, sewage disposal for most households is by collection in septic tanks, which are laborious to maintain, and susceptible to leakage if poorly maintained. The main rationale for replacing the existing sewage disposal system with a conventional sewerage network is to improve the sanitation facilities and health of the island community. The proposed project covers five main components: installation of the sewerage network, collection pump stations, sewerage outfall, house connections, and construction of an Administrative Building. The project is estimated to take about 36 to 40 months to complete. All project designs are in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Dredging and Reclamation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees and Dewatering Regulation. Decision Statement for this EIA report, Dewatering permit, and Domestic Wastewater Disposal Consent should be obtained from the EPA prior to commencement of the project. Gemanafushi Island is situated on a large reef system that forms part of the eastern rim of Gaafu Alif atoll. The island measures roughly 55 ha; census conducted in 2014 reports a population of 1223 people. The island is surrounded by a rich dynamic reef system, the shallow lagoon around the island forms a thick seagrass bed, and terminates to a healthy reef slope on the ocean side which is frequented by a variety of shark species, and diverse range of fish species. The north eastern corner of the reef system is listed an Environmentally Sensitive Area by the EPA, for this reason. Most of the negative impacts from this project are typical impacts associated with sewerage network and building construction in Maldives. The most significant impact from this project during the construction phase would be potential contamination of islands groundwater lens, marine water, and disturbance and loss of marine flora and fauna. The project is expected to have positive impact on overall quality of islands groundwater, health of the island community, and sanitation system of the island. Of particular concern is the proximity of the proposed sewage disposal site to Maahera located on the north eastern corner of the Gemanafushi reef. This dive site is popular with tourists due to sightings of Hammerhead sharks and numerous other marine species. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has designated this site as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA). Alternative options for disposal sites were evaluated in this EIA. The key mitigation measures proposed during the construction stage focuses on reducing the most significant environmental impacts. These include measures to prevent accidental spillage, and spill clean-ups, discharge of any groundwater extracted back to the islands aquifer. Relocation of vegetation, and live corals within the footprint of sewage outfall pipeline. Alternative options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impact on the environment. The main concern identified as stated earlier is the proximity of the proposed sewage disposal point to Maahera ESA. Two alternative locations were evaluated, in addition no project option was also compared against the proposed sewerage network. Stakeholder consultations were held with Gemanafushi Island Council, FENAKA (local branch), and Ampus (local cable service provider). The key concern by Gemanafushi council was whether two pump stations would be sufficient, especially as they plan to develop a tourism zone on the southern end of the island. FENAKA stated based on their experience at GA Villingili, two pump stations may not be sufficient to handle sewage, once tourism zone is developed. Ampus requested to setup a grievance mechanism in case any damages to the islands existing cable lines. The following actions needs to be carried out by the proponent prior to the implementation of the project; proponent to present details of the proposed sewerage system to the island council, and FENAKA, and setup a grievance mechanism prior to initiation of the project. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment during construction and operation phase of the project. Estimated environmental monitoring cost of preconstruction stage (if required) is about MVR 112,000. Estimated monthly environmental monitoring cost for construction phase is approximately MVR 90,000. Estimated annual environmental monitoring cost during operation phase is about MVR 125,000. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development with the suggested mitigation measures, and alternatives.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed reef entrance channel dredging and beach replenishment project in Maamigili Island, Raa Atoll
    (2011-08) CDE Consulting
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed residential area and airport area reclamation project in Funadhoo, Shaviyani Atoll Atoll
    (2017-03-01) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed airport and residential area reclamation in Funadhoo Island, Shaviyani atoll. The project is jointly proposed by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Regional Airports Authority and, with each agency responsible for their respective components. Main rationale of the proposed project is to facilitate the overall development of the region and to cater to the existing and future land demands of Funadhoo. The Government of Maldives has continued to develop Shaviyani Funadhoo as a regional hub and a centre for population consolidation. The residential area reclamation project aims to cater for the increasing population of Sh. Funadhoo together with other communities willing to move to the Island. The aim of the airport reclamation project is to provide more convenient, safer and faster transportation to Shaviyani region and boost the socioeconomic development of the region through enhancement of tourism, commerce and trade operations. This EIA is concerned with the First Phase of the project, which only involves land reclamation and shore protection. Rest of the airport construction and housing development will be covered in separate EIAs. The proposed project has two main components: (i) dredging and reclamation of airport area and residential areas and; (ii) construction of shore protection around the reclaimed areas. The project originally proposed to reclaim 26.24 Ha on northwest lagoon for airport development and to reclaim a total area of 27.6 Ha at two sites (14 Ha on the northeast and 19.5 Ha southwest lagoon), for residential development. 4200 m of shore protection is also proposed. The master plan was evaluated under this EIA and suggestions were made to the Master plan. The proponent has agreed that the alternative master plan would be used. The revised design includes reclaiming 66.5 Ha of land and about 3500 m of shore protection. This EIA has limitations due to the limited detailed plans on the project. At present, the dredging technology, borrow sites and shore protection designs have not been finalised in detail. Therefore, these components have been evaluated based on existing concepts and design assumptions. There is a likelihood that these design parameters may change. An EIA Addendum will be required if the assumptions used in this EIA is changed. The proposed developments are generally in conformance to the Environmental laws and regulations of the Maldives and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. However, the Funadhoo eastern reclamation site is located within 150 m, in contravention to the 200 m distance between a sensitive area and reclamation site as recommended in the Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. The first amendment to the Dredging and Reclamation Regulation (2014/R-13) published on 9th February 2014 provides a provision for the Government to consider developments in such sites if it is deemed necessary for socio-economic development. Additional approvals are required before commencement of project activities are dredging and reclamation approval from EPA and additional EIA addendum once the borrow area details are identified. Funadhoo Island is a highly modified settlement. The existing environment has been affected due to human habitation and proposed developments reflect the ongoing need to keep modifying the environment. The key focus of this EIA to minimize damage to the Funadhoo wetland, Farukolhu wetland and the reef slope on the western side of Funadhoo. The assessment shows that the proposed developments involve significant positive and negative impacts on the marine, coastal, terrestrial and social environment. The main impacts on the marine environment are from dredging and reclamation and resulting turbidity and sedimentation. The project will alter hydrodynamics on the reef flat but is unlikely to change the patterns in the atoll lagoon. Dhaffalhu area, a key mangrove habitat, could be affected by turbidity and sedimentation. Funadhoo will lose most of its recreational beach. Reclaimed land will change the natural hazard zones on the island, particularly, rainfall flooding. The following key recommendations have been made in this EIA to mitigate major impacts: a. Deploy measures to reduce the impacts of turbidity and sedimentation on reef. These include the use of containment sand bunds and in sensitive areas, the used of additional turbidity curtain/groyne. b. No dredging work, including bund preparation works, should start without mitigation measures are in place around the sensitive sites. c. Relocate all movable live coral colonies in the impact footprint, including large colonies to the northern eastern reef edge of Farukolhu reef to the same depths. d. Conduct shore protection activities during daytime to minimize nuisance to humans and fauna. e. Incorporate flood mitigation plans and structures around the areas where the newly reclaimed areas meet the existing island. The impacts predicted could be minimized considerably with the proposed mitigation measures suggested in the report. Special attention needs to be paid during construction stage to minimise damage to the environment especially when outside contractors are in operation. It is important that proper monitoring be undertaken during construction stage to identify any unwarranted practices and activities. Key stakeholders consulted for this project are Funadhoo Island Council, public of Funadhoo Island including fishermen and businesses, Shaviyani Atoll Council, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEE). Majority of the stakeholders consulted from the island expressed strong support for the project and eagerness for a swift start to the project. Based on these discussions, recommendations were made to the proponent to alter the reclamation master plan. The proponent agrees to most changes, except when substantial costs are considered. The larger reclamation proposed by Funadhoo residents was not considered by the proponent due to potential budgetary constraints. A ‘No Project’ alternative was considered separately for the airport as well as the housing components. The ‘No Project’ alternative for the airport reclamation project was ruled out considering the importance of the project to the island and atoll public to improve its connectivity and achieve better economic growth. Similarly, this option was ruled out for housing component due to the land shortage and increasing housing demand in Funadhoo. Alternative reclamation plans were proposed to address the limitations in the reclamation master plan. It is recommended for the proponent to choose between the two alternative reclamation options based on cost limitations. Alternatives were also evaluated for dredging technology, borrow areas, and sediment containment measures. Monitoring of the project is crucial particularly the changes to hydrodynamics, shoreline, water quality, coral reef recovery and lagoon benthos recovery. Particular attention should be given to monitor beach erosion and changes to the island shoreline and to monitor impacts on Dhaffalhu Mangrove area. This project is unique in that the burden of monitoring will be shared by the proponents. Monitoring and mitigation responsibilities of each proponent need to be identified and the proponents shall each provide commitment to monitoring and mitigation for their respective components. Overall, the proposed project will have significant positive socio-economic impacts on Funadhoo Island and Shaviyani Atoll by facilitating the overall convenience and development of the region and by catering for the current and future land demands of Funadhoo. The findings of this EIA are that if the proposed project activities proceeds as described and in accordance with the recommendations outlined in this report, it will limit significant adverse environmental impacts. This EIA provides the necessary environmental evaluations based on the concept plan. It allows the project to proceed into detailed planning and contracting. However, an EIA Addendum is required once a dredging technology is confirmed and once more details on borrow areas and shore protection plans are confirmed.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed swimming pool construction and beach replenishment project in Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort, Noonu Atoll
    (2013-12) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the proposed swimming pools construction and beach replenishment project in Irufushi Beach and Spa, N. Atoll. The proponent of this project is Sun Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd. The main rationale for the project is to enhance and upgrade the tourism operations at Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort by building 45 swimming pools attached to existing 45 Beach Villas and to replenish the beach to provide a better product for the visiting guests. Moreover, Irufushi Island has ongoing seasonal erosion which requires to be mitigated. The project involves upgrading and expanding the resort operations by construction of 45 swimming pools attached to existing 45 Beach Villas on the Northern side of the resort and ongoing beach replenishment for the next two years (on a need basis) on Irufushi Island for mitigating seasonal erosion. Two areas have been proposed for replenishment totalling a maximum of 11,100 cbm. Replenishment height is 1.5 m and will be sloped as a beach at 1:7 scales. Replenishment width is 10 m from the registered shoreline. Five areas have been proposed for borrow areas totalling a maximum volume of 20900 cbm. The dredge depth will be a maximum of 1.0 m from the existing depths. In exceptional circumstances depths may be increased to 1.5 m. The borrow area distance from the registered shoreline is 50 m. The borrow area had no visible live corals. The area mainly consists of rubble and mussy sand. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and the Tourism Act. Significant impact associated with the components of the project; beach replenishment and swimming pool construction involves sedimentation on the marine water quality and consequent impact on marine life, direct loss of marine life within the project footprint, impact on the islands groundwater, impact on the flora at the project site and the health and safety of construction workers and swimming pool users. All these impacts can be minimized with proper mitigation measures recommended in the report. The main mitigation measures include carrying out sand pumping and construction activities during low tide hours and calm weather, and proper supervision of all activities by qualified personnel. The work schedule and duration will also be planned to avoid disruptive weather conditions and complete construction activities in the shortest time possible. And continuous monitoring for the diagnosis of further problems. The alternatives evaluated for the project are dredging methods as the project involves dredging the lagoon for materials required for beach replenishment. The use of sand pump is the preferred option for beach replenishment work, since it is the most common, practical and cost-effective method. The “No Project” option has also been explored for both beach replenishment and construction of swimming pools nonetheless, this option is not deemed preferable, given the current condition of the beach and the status of the resort. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the coral reef environment of the island, coastal changes and depth variations of harbour area as well the marine water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. The most significant impacts are expected to be short-term impacts on the marine water quality, coral reef and lagoon bottom habitats. However, mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimise these significant impacts.
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    Environment impact assessment for the proposed Thun’bafushi Island extension project : Thun’bafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll
    (2014-11) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed Thunbafushi Island Extension Project in Thunbafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll. The proponent of this project is Mr. Mohamed Moosa, Ma. Champa Villa, Male’ Maldives. Thunbafushi Reef and the Thunbafushi Island has been leased by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MoFA) to the proponent in 2009, and extended again in 2006, to undertake agriculture and fisheries related developments on the island. The original Thunbafushi Island, which lies on the NE corner of the Thunbafushi Reef System, has been reclaimed. At present, the proponent is planning to expand the fisheries, agriculture and animal husbandry related activities on the island. New developments being planned include the construction of a fish processing facility, an aquaculture farm, a large farm area and the installation of necessary infrastructure such as the power and desalination facilities to handle the new developments. The current land area is insufficient to undertake these developments and require expansion. Thus, the main rationale for the proposed reclamation project is to undertake expansion of the fisheries and agriculture related works as specified in the contract between the Government and the Proponent. The proposed works, as agreed principally between the two parties cannot be undertaken without the necessary additional land. The aim of this project is to undertake the expansion of industrial activities planned by the proponent as per the agreement with the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. The original project broadly involves the reclamation of a 11 Ha extension of existing Thunbafushi Island on the western end of the reef system and the development of industrial activities on them. The project requires dredging about 300,000 cbm of sand from the Thunbafushi lagoon using a cutter-suction dredger. The project is divided in to three phases. The first phase will undertake dredging, reclamation, shore protection, reef entrance dredging and harbour development works. The second phase will establish the key infrastructure on the island including the utilities, staff facilities, farming facilities and fish processing facilities. The third phase will involve operations activities including aquaculture, hydrophonics, farming and forestry. The details of the fish processing facilities and activities were not finalised at the time of this EIA and therefore is not included as part of this EIA. Upon detailed evaluation of the reef and lagoon environment and the potential alternatives, it has been recommended to revise the project specifications. Bathymetry analyses and sediment availability studies revealed that the currently proposed borrow sites are too deep and does not have enough sand to be dredged using a cutter-suction dredger. Hence the changes recommended to the project as alternatives include new sites and alternative borrow areas from the shallow reef areas, expansion and deepening the harbour, widening and deepening of the reef entrance, reducing the planned island elevation to +1.3 m MSL and reducing the island size to 10.5 Ha. The sand requirement has been reduced to 240,000 cbm. All these changes have been brought to address the limitation of sand in the reef system and to reduce the overall dredging and reclamation footprint. The proponent is in agreement to make these changes. All project designs are in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, and Dewatering Regulation. Preliminary approvals have been granted for the concept by MoFA. Further approvals are required before construction and operations. Dredging and Reclamation Approval has also been granted by EPA for the original dredging and reclamation plan. However, following the changes to the master plan as recommended by this report, the new master plan will need to be approved by EPA’s Coastal Section. In addition, there are a number of permits to be obtained for the operation of utilities, import of chemicals and operation of the aquaculture facility. The proposed site is in pristine condition apart from a small islet created during reef entrance clearing. The reef system is in moderately good condition. The deep lagoon contains some good live coral colonies. The project site is not in proximity to any sensitive environment. The proposed reclamation footprint does not contain any live coral colonies but the proposed borrow area in the deep lagoon contains some live patches within its foot print. At present, the only island within the Thunbafushi Lagoon is Thunbafushi Island on the NE corner of the reef. It is located about 2 km away from the proposed site. Wave conditions on the proposed site are expected to moderate to low considering its limited exposure to swell waves. The strongest waves are expected to be felt on the western end of the island which is a small stretch of shoreline compared to the overall island perimeter. Significant impacts are expected to arise mainly during the construction phase of the project. These impacts include significant loss marine biodiversity due dredging and reclamation due to associated direct removal, turbidity and sedimentation; potential impacts on terrestrial vegetation of source islands; contamination of marine and ground water and soil due to accidental spillage/leakage of construction materials and waste; increased turbidity and sedimentation of the water column due to coastal activities; changes to coastal hydrodynamics and risks to the health of construction workers. Major potential impacts from the operational phase include pollution of air, water and soil due to emissions from island operations such as power generation, water production and sewage/ wastewater disposal. Agricultural activities are likely to impact the ground water, soil and marine water quality. The overuse of agrochemicals, which is highly likely due to the reclaimed island, is likely to have moderate high impacts on the terrestrial environment. The project has significant positive socio-economic benefits, including increased direct and indirect job opportunities, food security and reduction in food imports. Key mitigation measures for the construction stage include minimising the impacts of dredging and reclamation by constructing sand bunds around all dredging and reclamation site and retaining the bunds until the sediments have settled down. Given the artificial nature of the island, the entire shoreline will be protected by a revetment. The impact footprint of the project has been minimised by reducing the borrow are size and deepening the key facilities such as the harbour and the reef entrance. The outfall locations have been carefully located to allow proper mixing and minimise impacts of marine life and human health. Operation stage mitigation measures have been proposed to minimise the overuse of agrochemicals and its impacts on the environment. Contamination of ground water and soil is a key concern and appropriate measures have been recommended in this report to minimise these impacts. Alternatives options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on or from the project. The most important of these is the recommendation to abandon the proposed borrow areas and use the alternative borrow areas suggested in this report. Changes have been proposed to the project specifications including island size, harbour size and reef entrance width to counter the limitation in available sand. Alternative have been evaluated for the island location, reef entrance location, shore protection design, shore protection material, dredging and reclamation technology and sedimentation control measures. Consultations were carried out with MEE, Meeru Island Resort, Helengeli Island Resort and Atoll Council. No serious concerns regarding the proposed new development was raised. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the resort. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between US$5,000 per year. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development after with the proposed alternatives and the suggested mitigation measures.
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    Technical Report
    Environment impact assessment for the proposed tourist guest house development project in Huraa Island, Kaafu Atoll
    (2014-06) CDE Consulting
    The purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed guest house development project in Huraa Island, Male’ Atoll. The proposed site is the northern end or Thundi area of the Huraa Island. The proponent acquired the right to develop the guest house after in open bidding initiated by the Huraa Island Council. The proponent of this project is Pearl Sands of Maldives Pvt Ltd, which was registered specifically to develop the guesthouse business in Huraa. The main rationale for the project is to develop guesthouse tourism in the Maldives to increase the tourism bed capacity and their contribution to the local and national economic growth. The purpose of the project from the Council’s perspective is to increase the revenue of the Council and to provide direct benefits of tourism to the community. The island currently has a number of guest houses but servicing mainly locals. The project broadly involves the development and operation of 25 room guest house. The proposed project covers four main components: construction of guest rooms; construction of guest facilities; seagrass removal, and beach replenishment, and; guesthouse operations. The project is estimated to take 12 months to complete. All project designs are in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Tourism Act, Guesthouse regulations, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees and Dewatering Regulation. Approvals have been granted for the concept by the Ministry of Tourism. Further approvals are required before construction and operations. The project is being undertaken in an inhabited island which has a heavily modified Environment. The island has undergone land reclamation, shore protection, vegetation removal and habour construction, among other modifications. The settlement occupies more than 60% of the island and settlement areas are generally devoid of continuous vegetation cover. There is a wetland environment on the island, which is considered the only such environment in the region. However, this site is not in the best of conditions, with signs of waste and reclamation around it. The proposed site has not been used for settlement but the areas have a highly modified vegetation system. Much of the project footprint comprises of coconut palms. The undergrowth in much of the area has been long removed and the palms appear to be planted by the locals. There is as Cadet Corp training camp within the vicinity of the project site. The biggest challenges from the natural environment are current erosion, lack of beach and seagrass overgrowth. The beach areas close to the proposed site are in poor condition with most areas lacking any beach and with severe erosion. There is sand pit which is a preferred picnic area for the locals. The immediate lagoon is covered with seagrass and will need to be removed to make the lagoon useable for swimming and other guest activities. The negative impacts from this project are typical impacts associated with tourism facilities development in Maldives, but with a much reduced scale. The most significant impact from this project during construction stage would be the loss of live coral colonies due to dredging and reclamation, removal of vegetation, excavation and dewatering, changes to coastal processes due to coastal developments, degradation of the terrestrial and marine environment due to the worker activities and disposal of waste. Main social impacts include potential conflicts with the public if equal job opportunity is not available for construction stage or operations stage of the property and social conflicts associated with sharing of utilities, beach areas and lagoon. The main anticipated negative impact during operations stage is the impacts on the beach due significant erosion and accretion patterns and social impacts associated with the above mentioned potential conflicts. The project mainly has positive socio-economic benefits, including increased direct and indirect job opportunities, growth of small businesses, growth in transport sector and improvement in transport to the island. Key mitigation measures for the construction stage include finding options to mitigate severe erosion on the island. A number of mitigation measures have been proposed in this assessment to mitigate the most significant impacts associated with the development, worker activities, vegetation removal, seagrass removal and beach replenishment. Alternatives options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on or from the project. These include the options for erosion mitigation and seagrass removal. Alternative options have been proposed mitigate erosion and preference has been given to construct groynes on the NW corner. Alternative options assessment for seagrass removal was assessed but the currently proposed option to use excavators on sand beds was preferred. The Island Council, public and the nearest two resort islands were consulted on the project and all stakeholders have strong support to implement this project. The resorts have some reservations with some components of the project. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the guesthouse. The total cost of mitigation and monitoring are estimated between US$5,000 per year. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development after with the proposed alternatives and the suggested mitigation measures.
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