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Item Enviornmental impact assessment for island access and jetty construction project in Fehendhoo, Baa. Atoll(2017-07) މަހްމޫދު ރިޔާޒް; Riyaz, Mahmood; މުޙައްމަދު ޝިހާމް އާދަމް; Adam, Mohamed Shiham1. The proponent of B. Fehendhoo Island access and Jetty development project is the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI). The Ministry is the government’s responsible body for the development and regulate the housing and infrastructure of the country. Maldives Road Development Cooperation (MRDC) has been contracted to undertake the jetty and access channel construction work in B. Fehendhoo. 2. Two freelance EIA consultants has been contracted through public bidding process to provide preparation services of an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) by (MHI) for the jetty and access channel construction work project in B. Fehendhoo Island. 3. The assessment addresses specific key issues stated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as agreed between EPA and the Proponent following the scoping meeting held on the matter. 4. The island community constructed a Jetty and an access channel in B. Fehendhoo in early 2010 on the northern side of the island. They have always been using the northern side to access the island. Access from the southern side is extremely rough and far from the remaining islands in B. Atoll. Even though an access channel through the reef flat has been developed, island access issue has never been solved as the lagoon on the northern side is very shallow covered with thick seagrass which is exposed at low tide also the approach channel exposed to strong swells particularly during the onset of SW Monsoon. Due to this, boats and Dhonies that carry goods and people (island and atoll ferries) don’t access Fehendhoo directly. They usually dock at the harbour in Goidhoo, then people and goods are transported to Fehendhoo is small Dinghy’s through the manually deepened pathways in the lagoon. 5. The need for an access for the island has been recognised by the government and decided to develop a jetty and cut an access channel on the northern side to provide safe access for the vessels operating to and from B. Fehendhoo Island. 6. The study investigates impacts associated with the channel dredging and jetty construction of B. Fehendhoo and areas for disposal of dredged material. The proposed access channel will have a width of 24m and a length of 417m and the entrance channel which will be cut through the reef into the ocean ward will lead to a small rectangular shaped dredged area (harbour basin ) 40m wide and 40m long, for vessel turning and temporary mooring purposes. The proposed mooring basin and the access channel will be dredged to maintain an average depth of -3m with respect to the MSL. A total of approximately 28280m3 of dredged material is expected to be produced. This material will be used for jetty backfill and the excess will be used for the nourishment of the beach on the northern coast of the island which at present is undergoing severe erosion. 7. Main focus this reports is to document the general baseline condition surrounding island and particularly the proposed area for channel dredging and jetty construction. The following studies have been carried out as part of this assessment. a. Assessment of the marine and coastal species and habitats in surrounding impact areas. b. Coastal beach profiles to set baseline conditions of coastal processes. EIA for B. Fehendhoo island access & Jetty Project | Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure | July 2017 Page 13 of 76 c. Wave and shoreline assessment study to evaluate the potential for the proposed channel dredging and jetty construction to impact adjacent shorelines. d. Climatic and oceanographic conditions of the project site. 8. Findings from the environmental studies are summarized as follows; a. Access to the island is extremely difficult from the southern side sea roughness and long distance from the remaining islands in B. Atoll. b. Northern side is very shallow covered with thick seagrass which is exposed at low tide c. Approach channel exposed to strong swells particularly during the onset of SW Monsoon. d. Due to this, boats and Dhonies that carry goods and people (island and atoll ferries) don’t access Fehendhoo directly. They usually dock at the harbour in Goidhoo, then people and goods are transported to Fehendhoo is small Dinghy’s through the manually deepened pathways in the lagoon. e. Fehendhoo probably is the only island without a primary school. At present there are primary 12 students in Fehendhoo who are attending the Primary school in Goidhoo located two Kilometres west. Students and their parents commute between the Goidhoo and Fehendhoo twice a day on small Dinghies. 9. This EIA has been carried out on the basis that it is necessary to carry out the jetty construction and island access project at the northern side of B. Fehendhoo to facilitate socioeconomic development and easy access to the island. 10. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in B. Fehendhoo Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. 11. The environmental impact assessment study shows there are two main activities that would cause minor to moderate negative environmental impacts. Those, in order of minor to moderate impact, are: 1. Channel and mooring basin dredging 2. Jetty construction and backfilling 12. Of these a long term impact would be from dredging and beach backfilling of jetty area and nourishment of Kattihuraa at the East of entrance channel and the excess to replenish the eroding areas on the northern side of the island. These impacts would be cumulative occurring over long period of time and so can be managed through proper monitoring and addressing them in a timely manner. Based on the scale of dredging and beach nourishment work projects that is taking place in Maldives, impacts associated with the proposed dredging activity is insignificant. The positive socio economic impacts from the proposed development outweigh the temporary negative impacts of dredging. 13. The study has evaluated alternative locations for the jetty and suggested shifting the jetty 20m east of the existing one for the convenience of the island community. Even though there is no significant impact from this project particularly with the recommended T-jetty construction, EIA for B. Fehendhoo island access & Jetty Project | Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure | July 2017 Page 14 of 76 the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine environmental changes associated with the development to make necessary adjustment based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 14. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures in the report will be duly implemented, it is concluded that the benefits of island access development project in B. Fehendhoo will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment : fish purchase, pack and export facility of Addu Fresh, Addu city, Hithadhoo(2016-01) Riyaz, Mahmood; Adam, Mohamed Shiham; Naseer, Abdulla1- This is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for proponent ̶ Addu Fresh Pvt. Ltd. ̶ to operate fish purchase, pack and export facility in Addu City Hithadhoo. Addu Fresh Pvt. Ltd. (or Addu Fresh) is one that does not undertaken an EIA study prior to their establishment on Addu City Hithadhoo five years ago in 2010. The EIA Regulation requires the EIA study be undertaken before the project start. However, in this case the EIA is done only for completing formalities and obtaining the license from the MoFA. While the ToR may not entirely reflect this, the readers and evaluators of this report keep this in mind. The EIA was prepared as partial fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Fisheries and Agriculture (MoFA) for acquiring permission to renew the fish purchase pack and export licence from the relevant government authorities. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. 2- This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy in 2012 , amended in 2015 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the operation of fish purchase, pack and export facility. Major findings of this report are based on information gathered during the site visit of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, and ongoing similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives and through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere. 3- The proposed activity will take place on Addu Fresh fish purchase, pack and export facility located at Addu City, Hithadhoo harbour area on Bandherimagu. Addu Fresh Pvt Ltd is located on North eastern side of Addu City Hithadhoo harbour. Addu Fresh fish purchase pack and export facility occupies 4800m2 area and the factory and processing facilities are constructed in 1500m2 area of land on the main road at the Hithadhoo harbour Bandherimagu. 4- Major operation that will be undertaken in Addu Fresh is fish purchase, pack (G&G/HG) and export to EU and Asian markets. Water and energy needed for the facility will be purchased, on commercial rates, from the local utility providers. An emergency powerhouse will be established at the back of the facility. The proponent will ensure that the powerhouse implies with the relevant regulations and will be registered at MEA. The exhaust chimneys, lightening conductors, sound attenuators, and CO2-based fire fighting equipment will be installed. Ear mufflers will be provided for staff working at louder areas of the facility. 5- The raw material, mainly skipjack and yellowfin tuna caught by pole-and-line and handline by Maldivian on local fishing vessels will be purchased entirely from the Maldivian fishermen. Addu Fresh has been operating fish purchase, pack and export activities in Hithadhoo for over two years therefore, the company is well known among the fishermen in the southern region. 6- During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of operational phase, has been arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. The impact outcomes from this analysis are considered and appropriate mitigation measures in the operational phase has been provided. 7- The report has identified the main environmental impacts associated with the proposed activities and found that high water and energy consumption and the discharge of effluent with a high organic content are the major issues. Noise, odour, solid wastes occupational health and safety issues may also be concerns of the operational phase. The study has found that most significant negative environmental impact identified during the operational phase of this project is release of untreated effluent into the Hithadhoo harbour area. Liquid, solid and other forms of wastes and particularly hazardous waste generated during the operational phase has also been identified as moderate impact associated with the project and appropriate mitigation measures are suggested for each and every impact identified in relation to the project. 8- The study has evaluated alternative options for some of the activities of the operational phase of the project and has suggested alternatives for wastewater discharge, emergency powerhouse and fish waste. It is suggested to under-take an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring the environmental changes associated with the commencement of operations to make necessary adjustment to the activities and its operations based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 9- The overall positive environmental impact from the operation of Addu Fresh is to integrate the existing product lines and the value-addition of fishery products. Job creation and stimulation of local economy, and exports is the most significant positive environmental impact of this activity. The long-term sustainability of the activity however, will depend on the sustainability of the fish stock. Skipjack and yellowfin tuna are highly migratory and their stocks straddle across the countries’ exclusive economic zones into the high seas spreading out into the entire Indian Ocean. The stocks are being managed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission which among its 32 coastal and distant water fishing nations. Maldives is a full member and now heavily engaged, partly due to its existing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification of its pole and line skipjack and yellowfin tuna fishery. The current assessed status of the skipjack and yellowfin tuna stock is considered ‘not overfishing’. The total average Indian Ocean catches are below the assessed maximum sustainable levels and the spawning biomass is healthy well above the point of recruitment impairment. The Maldives fishery component takes 17% of Indian Ocean skipjack and some 15% of the yellowfin. The most recent MSY is around at 680,000 Mt per year for skipjack and 350,000 Mt for yellowfin tuna. 10- On the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of the operation of Addu Fresh fish purchase, pack and export facility will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for agriculture development in Gdh. Hudhuvaarulaa, Menthanhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa, Gaaf Dhaalu Atoll(2016-08) Riyaz, Mahmood; Adam, Mohamed ShihamThe report constitutes the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study carried out for Hummingboy Farms (HBF) Pvt.Ltd. for the proposed development of 10 hectares of commercial scale agricultural farmland and the necessary infrastructure in Gdh, Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonireha islands located, southeaster section of South Huvadhu Atoll. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MoFA) for granting permission for the project. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. 2- Initial estimate of the project cost is USD 10.2 million and is expected to recoup within six years. Major part of the investment will be on development of seawater cooling system, harbour and access channel, retractable roof envelope, rainwater harvesting system and condensate water collection system, electro chemical sewerage system, solar photo voltaic energy system, infrastructure for staff and service areas, other main infrastructures and equipment. The project will be developed in two main phases. Phase one includes development of an access channel 425x15m and a harbour 50x50m and 3 hectares of advanced hydroponic greenhouses (Approximately 4 hectares of land clearance in GDh. Hulhuvaarulaa), development of power grid, integrated rainwater harvesting system, electro chemical waste water recycling units, installation and operation of deep sea cooling system, Infrastructure construction including power house, oil storage tanks, waste management facility staff accommodation etc.. All key systems will be contained within bunded enclosures, such as the backup generators and fuel storage, and the Solar Power battery centre. In the growing operation best practice in storage and use of all bulk nutrients will be employed. Most of these developments will take place in Hulhuvaarulaa Island. 3- Phase two of the project includes clearance of 6 hectares of land for green house development (2 Hectares from Hulhuvaarulaa and 4 hectares from Menthanduaa and Golhaalaa); construction and operation of accommodation, green houses and other facilities; operation and management of 10 hectares of farm land in four islands. 4- The main produce of the farm will be commercial scale production of tomatoes, strawberry, raspberry and bell pepper. 5- This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and considers a wide range of negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project (development and operations) in the four islands. Major findings of this study was based on information gathered during the field inspection of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, and on-going agricultural projects through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives. 6- The proposed project activity will take place on Gdh Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa and the reef. The four islands are uninhabited islands and shares the same house reef with 6 more islands, Maavaarulaa, Kondaanahutta, Farehulhedhoo, Kalhemamal, Maavadhuvaa and the inhabited island of Gadhoo. Four island Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa are vegetated islands (thee islands Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa are sand cays and Dhoonirehaa is a rubble cay) situated on the south eastern rim of Gaafu Dhaalu (Gdh) Atoll. The cluster of four islands are located northern half of Gadhdhoo reef which is a huge reef platform EIA Report for Agriculture development in Gdh Atoll , Hummingboy Farms Pvt. Ltd over 10km long with varying width ranging between 1-1.8km. The total area of the reef platform is over 14.5km2. 7- Vegetation on the four islands is different due to the nature of the soil content; mainly Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa are different from Hulhuvaarulaa. Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa are vegetated shingle cays (rubble cays) and the eastern part of Menthandhoo is also dominated by rubble. Hulhuvaarulaa formation is completely different form the rest of the islands as the main soil content of the island is calcareous coral sand hence the vegetation succession of the island is more or less similar to the majority of islands in the Maldives. In the three islands that are facing the semi enclosed water bodies, vegetation facing the water body (eastern side of Hulhuvaarulaa, western side of Menthandhoo and Golhaala) have similar vegetation type, where the outer layer consists mainly of, Pemphis acidula (kuredhi), Tournefortia argentea (boashi) Pandanus tectoris (Boakashikeyo) Scaevola taccada (Magoo) with occasional Guettarda speciosa (Uni), Hibiscus tilaceus (Dhiggaa) and Calophyllum inophyllum (Funa), Ochrosia Oppositfolia (Dhunburi), Cordia Subcordata (Kaani) Thespesia Populnea (Hirundhu), Ficus Benghalensis (Nika). Coconut palm Cocos nucifera is scattered in various parts of the three islands Hulhuvaarulaa Menthandhoo and Golhaalaa and abundant mostly in the inner and central parts of the three islands. Few Barringtonia asiatica (Kinbi) trees were encountered in Hulhuvaarulaa and two Mangrove trees were found on the western side Menthandhoo. Only few coconut palms are observed in Dhoonirehaa. 8- The total vegetated area of Hulhuvaarulaa is 251,092m2, Golhaalaa 150,588m2, Menthandhoo 104,027 m2 and in Dhoonirehaa 52,336m2. Vegetation clearance required for land based construction, including pathways etc., is approximately, 73,664m2 in Hulhuvaarulaa, 21,000m2 Menthandhoo, 21,000m2 Golhaalaa, and 13,88m2 in Dhoonirehaa. This represents approximately 29% of Hulhuvaarulaa, 20% Mendhandhoo, 13% of Golhaalaa and 2% of Dhoonirehaa vegetation cover. 9- Parts of Gadhdhoo Reef encompassing the 4 islands of Hulhuvaarulaa, Golhaallaa, Menthandhoo and Dhoonirehaa can be characterized by distinct bio geomorphic zones. Fore ref zone on the eastern side, backreef rubble zone, backreef seagrass bed on the eastern side, shallow lagoon at the atoll lagoon ward side and seagrass bed in between the islands in the central tidal flat semi enclosed bay area. The reef system reef and lagoon is rich in fish diversity and abundance. 10- In the process of EIA study an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, was assembled for the proposed development project in Gdh. Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a consequence of project activities. 11- The report has identified and described in detail possible change that would occur to the existing condition of the environment caused during the construction phase and have suggested appropriate mitigation measures for each and every impact identified in the report. The study has identified that most severe negative environmental impact for the islands would be from clearance of 10 hectares of vegetation reef-flat and lagoon excavation for access channel and harbour development and trenching to lay the deepsea cold water intake and outfall pipeline. Liquid, solid and other forms of wastes and particularly hazardous waste generated during the construction and operational phase has also been identified as significant impact associated with the project and appropriate mitigation measures are suggested for each and every waste related impact identified in the study. 12- The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some alternative design for harbour recommended to locate harbour basin between the reef flat and EIA Report for Agriculture development in Gdh Atoll , Hummingboy Farms Pvt. Ltd the island approximately 100 off the shoreline and use a piled jetty to connect the harbour basin and the shoreline. However, given the nature of the proposed development and the fact that fairly heavy load will be transported frequently through the infrastructure, practicality of such a harbour needs to be considered and evaluated as an alternative to the proposed harbour in Hulhuvaarulaa. Also the study found, based on similar project activities elsewhere in the Maldives, the island and the reef will recover from the expected impacts rapidly and will re-establish a new ecological balance relatively soon (around 3-5 years). IN order to gather consistent data on possible changes taking place it is proposed to undertake an extensive post-development monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring the environmental changes associated with the development and make necessary adjustment to the activities of the project based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 13- The study has identified the following beneficial effects form the proposed agricultural development project in Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa: • Creation of competitive agriculture market for locally grown fruits and vegetables; • Availability of locally grown high quality salad crops that can cater for the high-end tourist resort • Employment: Temporary (10-30 job opportunities during construction period) permanent (over 10-20 jobs during operational phase); • Development of business opportunities in supply and services; and • Capacity building and technology transfer opportunities in modern farming practices. • Improvement of public facilities and infrastructure, general improvement of social conditions and service industry activities, in addition to the increased national agriculture and economic infrastructure. • Better guardianship of the terrestrial and marine resources of the four islands; • Improvements in environmental quality of the island; • Stimulation of local economy, cultivation and small business opportunities within the nearby island communities; and • Increased government revenue and increased GDP. The study found no evidence that the project requires or involves: • loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; • resettling of local communities; • removing or destroying cultural properties or archaeological sites; • contravening national government of the Republic of Maldives, or island community policies, regulations, criteria, customs or aspirations concerning environment, economy, employment, cultural traditions or life styles. 14- On the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of the proposed agriculture development project in Gdh Hulhuvaarulaa, Menthandhoo, Golhaalaa and Dhoonirehaa will substantially outweigh an unwelcomed demand of burden on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for island access and jetty construction project in Fulhadhoo, Baa. Atoll(2017-07) މަހްމޫދު ރިޔާޒް; Riyaz, Mahmood; މުޙައްމަދު ޝިހާމް އާދަމް; Adam, Mohamed Shiham1. The proponent of B. Fulhadhoo Island access and Jetty development project is the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI). The Ministry is the government’s responsible body for the development and regulate the housing and infrastructure of the country. Maldives Road Development Cooperation (MRDC) has been contracted to undertake the jetty and access channel construction work in B. Fulhadhoo. 2. Two freelance EIA consultants has been contracted through public bidding process to provide preparation services of an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) by (MHI) for the jetty and access channel construction work project in B. Fulhadhoo Island. 3. The assessment addresses specific key issues stated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as agreed between EPA and the Proponent following the scoping meeting held on the matter. 4. A jetty has already been developed in the Southern side of Fulhadhoo in 2010. The existing jetty was built by the island community when the Government provided construction material harbour. The existing jetty is difficult to use during the SW Monsoon when the sea is rough and the lagoon on the western side is exposed to refracted fetch waves during the westerly monsoon period. Therefore the island is inaccessible during rough weather condition. To overcome the accessibility issues of the island community has requested the Government to develop proper island access facilities (jetty and an access) on the island. This project is implemented to develop island access and a jetty on the southern side of the island to enable an alternative island access to use during rough weather conditions. 5. The need for access for the island has been recognised by the government and proposed to develop a jetty and cut an access channel on the southern side to provide safe access for the vessels operating to and from B. Fulhadhoo Island. 6. The study investigates impacts associated with the proposed channel dredging and jetty construction of B. Fulhadhoo and areas for disposal of dredged material. The proposed access channel will have a width of 24m and a length of 624m and the entrance channel which will be cut through the reef into the atoll lagoon will lead to a small rectangular shaped dredged area (mooring basin ) 40mx40m, for vessel turning and temporary mooring purposes. The proposed mooring basin and the access channel will be dredged to maintain an average depth of -3m with respect to the MSL. A total of approximately 16660m3 of dredged material is expected to be produced. This material will be used for jetty backfill and the excess will be used for the nourishment of the beach on the northern coast of the island which at present is undergoing severe erosion. 7. Main focus this reports is to document the general baseline condition surrounding island and particularly the proposed area for channel dredging and jetty construction. The following studies have been carried out as part of this assessment. a. Assessment of the marine and coastal species and habitats in surrounding impact areas. b. Coastal processes. c. Wave and shoreline assessment study to evaluate the potential for the proposed channel dredging and jetty construction to impact adjacent shorelines. EIA for B. Fulhadhoo island access & Jetty Project | Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure | July 2017 Page 14 of 76 d. Climatic and oceanographic conditions of the project site. 8. Findings from the environmental studies are summarized as follows; a) Southern side of the island is very rough throughout the year, particularly during the onset of SW monsoon where the moored vessels on the southern side may have to be manned 24/7 during the period b) Difficult to use the existing jetty on the southern side, particularly cannot stay alongside with the jetty due to the strong wave action. c) A normal trip by a normal Dhoni from the access on the southern side will take approximately 2 hours to go from Fulhadhoo to Goidhoo and over 2.30 hour to Eydhafushi. d) Usually people travel to Goidhoo Island in small boats Dinghy’s through the deep lagoon on the southern side, during rough weather the southern side is extremely rough and cannot be used for small Dinghy’s. The alternative route for them to go to Goidhoo is through the shallow lagoon on the northern side. The northern side can be used most of the time but due to the shallowness it may become unusable at low tide. 9. With the above mentioned concerns and grievances the island community requested to shift the proposed island access channel and small mooring basin to northern side of the island 10. This EIA has been carried out on the basis that it is necessary to carry out the jetty construction and island access project in B. Fulhadhoo to facilitate socio-economic development and easy access to the island. 11. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in B. Fulhadhoo Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. 12. The environmental impact assessment study shows there are two main activities that would cause minor to moderate negative environmental impacts. Those, in order of minor to moderate impact, are: 1. Channel and mooring basin dredging 2. Jetty construction and backfilling 13. Of these a long term impact would be from dredging and backfilling of jetty area and nourishment of eroded beach on the northern side of the island. Potential erosion/accretion and adjustment of the existing beach to create a new equilibrium with the surrounding environmental conditions are likely to extend to medium to long term. These impacts would be cumulative occurring over long period of time and so can be managed through proper monitoring and addressing them in a timely manner. Based on the scale of dredging and beach nourishment work projects that is taking place in Maldives, impacts associated with the proposed dredging activity is insignificant. The positive socio economic impacts from the proposed development outweigh the temporary negative impacts of dredging. 14. The study has evaluated alternative locations for the project and recommended shifting the project from the proposed location from southern side to northern side of the island. Even though there is relatively insignificant impact from this project the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine environmental changes associated with the development to make necessary adjustment based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 15. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of island access development project on the selected location in northern side of in B. Fulhadhoo will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environmentItem Environmental impact assessment for island access and jetty construction project in Rasgetheemu, Raa. Atoll(2017-07) މަހްމޫދު ރިޔާޒް; Riyaz, Mahmood; މުޙައްމަދު ޝިހާމް އާދަމް; Adam, Mohamed Shiham1. The proponent of R. Rasgatheemu Island access and Jetty development project is the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI). The Ministry is the government’s responsible body for the development and regulate the housing and infrastructure of the country. Maldives Road Development Cooperation (MRDC) has been contracted to undertake the jetty and access channel construction work in R. Rasgatheemu. 2. Two freelance EIA consultants has been contracted through public bidding process to provide preparation services of an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) by (MHI) for the jetty and access channel construction work project in R. Rasgatheemu Island. 3. The assessment addresses specific key issues stated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as agreed between EPA and the Proponent following the scoping meeting held on the matter. 4. The Government has already developed a harbour in Rasgatheem in 2007. The existing harbour is 60m wide and 120m long and located on the western side of the island. The existing harbour is difficult to access during the SW Monsoon where the access channel on the western side is exposed to strong swells during the westerly monsoon period. Therefore the island is inaccessible during rough weather condition. To overcome the accessibility issues of people of the island has requested the Government to develop alternative island access facilities (jetty and an access channel) on the eastern side of the island. This project is implemented to develop island access and a jetty on the north eastern side of the island to enable an alternative island access to use during rough weather conditions. 5. The need for an alternative access for the island has been recognised by the government and decided to develop a jetty and cut an access channel on the eastern side to provide safe access for the vessels operating to and from R. Rasgatheemu Island. 6. The study investigates impacts associated with the channel dredging and jetty construction of R. Rasgatheemu and areas for disposal of dredged material. The proposed access channel will have a width of 24m and a length of 28m and the entrance channel which will be cut through the reef into the ocean ward will lead to a small rectangular shaped dredged area (mooring basin ) 30m wide and 40m long, for vessel turning and temporary mooring purposes. The proposed mooring basin and the access channel will be dredged to maintain an average depth of -3m with respect to the MSL. A total of approximately 5616m3 of dredged material is expected to be produced. This material will be used for jetty backfill and the excess will be used for the nourishment of the beach on the north eastern coast of the island which at present is undergoing severe erosion. 7. Main focus this reports is to document the general baseline condition surrounding island and particularly the proposed area for channel dredging and jetty construction. The following studies have been carried out as part of this assessment. a. Assessment of the marine and coastal species and habitats in surrounding impact areas. b. Coastal beach profiles to set baseline conditions of coastal processes. c. Wave and shoreline assessment study to evaluate the potential for the proposed channel dredging and jetty construction to impact adjacent shorelines. EIA for R. Rasgetheemu Access and Jetty construction project | Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure | June 2017 Page 14 of 76 d. Climatic and oceanographic conditions of the project site. 8. Findings from the environmental studies are summarized as follows; a. Access to the existing harbour is extremely difficult particularly at the onset of SW monsoon during the Months of May June and July. Therefore based on this assessment and experience the locals are opting to have an alternative access to the island on the NE side of the island. b. Field verification of the project site has revealed that the dimensions given in the MHI proposal does not fit into the location as the reef edge is closer and there is no need for channel dredging in the proposed location at end of Kanneli Magu, Rasgatheemu. c. Based on the discussion with the people of the island and in-situ wave measurements has suggested to shift the location of the jetty and the access channel further south for various reasons detail are evaluated in the alternatives section of this report which would be the preferred location to develop island access in R. Rasgatheemu. 9. This EIA has been carried out on the basis that it is necessary to carry out the jetty construction and island access project at the eastern side of R. Rasgatheemu to facilitate socio-economic development and easy access to the island. 10. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in R. Rasgetheemu Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. 11. The environmental impact assessment study shows there are two main activities that would cause minor to moderate negative environmental impacts. Those, in order of minor to moderate impact, are: 1. Channel and mooring basing dredging 2. Jetty construction and backfilling 12. Of these a long term impact would be from dredging and beach backfilling of jetty area and nourishment of eroded beach on the NE side of the island. Potential erosion/accretion and adjustment of the existing beach to create a new equilibrium with the surrounding environmental conditions are likely to extend to medium to long term. These impacts would be cumulative occurring over long period of time and so can be managed through proper monitoring and addressing them in a timely manner. Based on the scale of dredging and beach nourishment work projects that is taking place in Maldives, impacts associated with the proposed dredging activity is insignificant. The positive socio economic impacts from the proposed development outweigh the temporary negative impacts of dredging. 13. The study has evaluated alternative locations for the project and recommended shifting the project 150m south of the proposed location. Also the study has evaluated two options to develop island access in the new location. Based on the alternative option evaluation, the preferred option is to construct a 65m long 4m wide T jetty with 40m long-T, standing on pad-column foundation. The recommended access jetty will eliminate the most of the impacts envisaged with the proposed development. Even though there is no significant impact from this project particularly with the recommended T-jetty construction, the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine environmental changes associated with the development to make necessary adjustment based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 14. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of alternative island access development project in the selected alternative location in this study at the eastern coasts of R. Rasgetheemu will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for island access jetty reconstruction project Inmandhoo, South Ari Atoll(2017-07) މަހްމޫދު ރިޔާޒް; Riyaz, Mahmood; މުޙައްމަދު ޝިހާމް އާދަމް; Adam, Mohamed Shiham1. The proponent of ADh. Mandhoo Island access Jetty reconstruction and maintenance dredging project is the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI). The Ministry is the government’s responsible body for the development and regulate the housing and infrastructure of the country. Maldives Road Development Cooperation (MRDC) has been contracted to undertake the access jetty reconstruction and maintenance dredging work in ADh. Mandhoo. 2. Two freelance EIA consultants has been contracted through public bidding process to provide preparation services of an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) by (MHI) for the access jetty reconstruction project in ADh. Mandhoo Island. 3. The assessment addresses specific key issues stated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) as agreed between EPA and the Proponent following the scoping meeting held on the matter. 4. ADh Mandhoo is an inhabited island located on the southern half of south western side of Ari Atoll. The island lies on huge reef system with fairly large deep lagoon with large number of patch reefs. The lagoon is accessible from the eastern side and can reach very close to the island shoreline. 5. The island can be accessed by using two jetties constructed from the shore and extend into the deep lagoon on the eastern side of the island. The jetty on the south eastern end of the island was constructed by the management of Conrad Maldives (Rangali) to use to access the land plot (southern part of the island) during the period they rented land from the council to establish resort support facilities. The second jetty is located approximately 190m north of the jetty, constructed by the island community in early 2008 to access the island. This is the main jetty that is used by the island community to go in and out of the island. 6. The existing jetty was built manually by the people of the island. Hence pad columns structures are not placed deep enough consequently they started scouring at the base, particularly columns in deeper water and the sandy slope. Columns are slowly collapsing and the whole structure is unstable at present. The concrete sheet on top of the pillars has crashed leaving large holes and making the jetty unsafe and risky for the public to use. The people of Mandhoo requested for Government’s assistance to reconstruct a jetty to access the island. As a response for their request the Government proposed this project to reconstruct a T- jetty at the footprint of the existing jetty. The project involves development of a T-jetty, maintenance dredging of areas near the jetty. 7. The study investigates impacts associated access jetty reconstruction and proposed maintenance dredging neat the jetty area of ADh. The access jetty will be 35 long and 6m wide the project also proposes to do some maintenance dredging in the vicinity of the jetty. 8. Main focus this reports is to document the general baseline condition surrounding island and particularly the proposed area for jetty reconstruction and maintenance dredging. The following studies have been carried out as part of this assessment. a. Assessment of the marine and coastal species and habitats in surrounding impact areas. b. Coastal conditions and coastal processes. c. Wave and shoreline assessment study to evaluate the potential for the proposed jetty reconstruction and maintenance dredging to impact adjacent shorelines. d. Climatic and oceanographic conditions of the project site. 9. Findings from the environmental studies are summarized as follows; e. The pillars in the deeper water at the slope of lagoon have already collapsed and the concrete sheet on top of the pillars has crashed leaving large holes thus, making the jetty unsafe and risky for the public to use. f. Jetty area is very deep within the range of 5-7m, therefore, it is not necessarily required to undertake maintenance dredging as proposed in the project. g. Based on the discussion with the people of the island they have requested to shift the location of the new jetty 20m south of the existing one and lengthen the jetty 4-5m into the deep lagoon and extend the shore parallel section of the T-jetty 30-40m to accommodate larger vessels. 10. Field investigation during the EIA report preparation process has identified that the initially proposed maintenance dredging of the jetty area can be excluded from the scope of the project as the area is deep enough to accommodate larger vessels. With this finding the major activity that will cause significant environmental impact has been eliminated. The proposed method for reconstruction of jetty will have very negligible environmental impact on the nearshore areas of the Mandhoo Island. In fact environmental impact assessment is not required as per the EIA regulation schedule (Raa) for jetties standing on pillars that allows water and sediment flow underneath it. However, this EIA has been completed to fulfil the requirements of the ToR issued by the EPA on 13th June 2017 based on the discussions at the scoping meeting held on the 11th of June 2017. 11. Based on the scale of the proposed development project, environmental impacts associated with the proposed jetty reconstruction work is insignificant and negligible. The positive socio economic impacts from the proposed development outweigh the temporary negligible impacts related to jetty construction work. 12. Even though the impact is negligible and of short-term the report has come-up with a monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine environmental changes associated with the development to make necessary adjustment based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. 13. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures in the report, it is concluded that the benefits of the access jetty reconstruction project in ADh. Mandhoo eastern coast will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed artificial beach in Ga. Villingili, North Huvadhu Atoll(2016-11) Riyaz, Mahmood; Adam, Mohamed Shiham1- This is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for GA Villingili Island Council to develop a public recreation area for swimming and picnics on the north eastern end of Villingili Island. The project is funded by the Ensis Fisheries Pvt. Lts as part of their Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) related to the proposed fisheries development in GA Raaverehaa. The island was used by locals for picnics. The project involves deepening 3859m2 swimming area, and sources the material for beach replenishment, coastal protection work and construction of toilets showers and changing rooms in the beach area. The EIA was prepared as fulfillment of the requirement by the Environmental Protection Agency under the dredging and reclamation regulation (Regulation 2013/R-15) for granting permission for the project. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. 2- This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy in 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in GA Villingili Island. Major findings of this report are based on information gathered during the field inspection of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives. 3- The proposed project activity will take place in GA Villingili Island. Villingili is the capital of GA Atoll and lies in Huvadhu Atoll in a 20 km long elongated N-S oriented reef located on the north eastern periphery of GA Atoll. Villingili is an elongated-oval shape, N-S oriented island large part of the island has been reclaimed. Average depth of the reef flat is on the eastern side of the island is between less than -0.5 to -1.5m m from MSL. Reef perimeter is 43km and the area is approximately 25sqkm. The reef is shared by three more islands including Villingili Island. The distance from the edge of the reclaimed beach to the reef edge in both eastern and western sides is fairly consistent measured approximately 160-200m on the east and 200m on the western side. 5- The proposed development will take place on the north eastern coastal area of the Villingili. The coastal environment of GA Villingili has been extensively modified, particularly the eastern and western sides of the island. Over 40 hectares of land has been reclaimed from the eastern side under the land reclamation project. With the extensive reclamation and expansion and subsequent urbanisation the two marshy lands that exists on the northern and southern side of the island has significantly decreased in size and the natural environment has been altered. The eastern shoreline has been protected by a rock boulder revetment. Two harbours are developed on the western side of the island. The harbours are protected with a rock boulder breakwater and a quay wall has been constructed at the inner edge of the harbour. Three entrance channels have been cut through the reef flat into the inner atoll lagoon on the western side. 6- The proposed project involves deepening of 3859m2 area to a depth of 1-2m and source the dredged material, approximately 5788.5-7718m3 sand, for beach replenishment. 182m long coastal protect made of rock boulders will be constructed around the swimming and beach replenished area. The area proposed for dredging a very shallow (0.5-1.5m exposed at low tide) on the eastern reef flat of Villingili Island. The area is covered with sand, seagrass and rubble. There are numerous coral patches and individual coral colonies on the reef flat. 7- During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in GA Villingili Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. The environmental impact assessment study for proposed development of artificial beach in GA Villingili shows there are two main activities that would cause significant negative environmental impacts are lagoon dredging, beach nourishment and coastal structures and impacts of solid waste during the operational phase Of these a long term impact would be from lagoon dredging and beach nourishment activity to create a beach and deepen the swimming area. Potential erosion/accretion and adjustment of the existing beach to create a new equilibrium with the surrounding environmental conditions are likely to extend to medium to long term. These impacts would be cumulative occurring over long period of time and so can be managed through proper monitoring and addressing them in a timely manner. Based on the scale of dredging and beach nourishment work projects that is taking place in Maldives, impacts associated with the proposed dredging activity is insignificant. Inadequate methods of solid waste management during the operation phase of the artificial beach will generate marine pollution in the surrounding area, which in turn will have detrimental impacts on coral reefs as well as on reef fish populations and coastal vegetation. Thus, the beach will become aesthetically unattractive and unpleasant, which can tremendously affect the prime use of the beach as a recreational area. These impacts could be managed through adoption of proper garbage management practices such as a permanent staff to look after the beach and placement of adequate number of dustbins and other relevant management measures. However, the positive socio economic impacts from the proposed development outweigh the temporary negative impacts of lagoon dredging beach replenishment and coastal protection work. The study has evaluated alternative locations for the project and found that the extended beach, five hundred meters south of the proposed area would be a more preferable option for the proposed artificial beach development in GA Villingili Island. Based on the similar project activities elsewhere in the Maldives the published report found, that the lagoon will recover from the impacts of dredging, reclamation and coastal modifications and will re-establish a new ecological balance soon. Even though there is no very significant impact from this project after the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring coastal and marine environmental changes associated with dredging and make necessary adjustment based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. The study found that the proposed project is in line with key legal and policies maintained by the Government authorities and EPA including Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (4/93), EIA Regulations 2012, and land-use plans developed by the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. Therefore, on the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of development of artificial beach and swimming area in the selected location in this study in GA Villingili will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.