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Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed agriculture project on Dhandhoo, Baa. Atoll(2013-03) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, MahmoodBaa Atoll Hanifaru was leased in 2008 to Mr. Mohamed Shareef of Maafannu Sunny Coast to develop agricultural activities. Following Environmental Regulation, an EIA Screening Form was submitted to EPA during early 2009. However, after elapse of some considerable period, the erstwhile Ministry of Housing and Environment declared Hanifaru Bay (lagoon) as a protected site under environmental law. Later Hanifaru was also declared as a protected site. In order compensate for this unexpected ‘taking away’ of Hanifaru, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, in consultation with Mr. Mohamed Shareef, arranged an alternative island – Baa Dhandhoo. The proposal under consideration is to develop Baa Atoll Dhandhoo as an agricultural island along with three other minor functions. The primary business model is based on production of high quality agricultural products. The island would also be a facility providing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services. To complement this function a small nursery of about 4,000 sq feet is proposed to grow indigenous medicinal plants that are becoming rare/extinct. Finally a small visitor centre is proposed which would allow visitors to learn about the activities on the island. Two main approaches − the AutoPot and hydroponics systems − are proposed for the production of rock-melon, cucumber, capsicum, chillies, lettuce, tomatoes etc. The growth system is completely contained either in the grow pots or in water medium. The main development feature of the island is 6 x 4,000 sq feet green houses to set up the AutoPot and hydroponics system. The green houses will be imported and assembled at site. Similarly the AutoPot system will be imported and assembled at site. The hydroponics system will be constructed locally from the imported material. Construction of the buildings will be kept to a minimum; staff accommodation, kitchen / dining facilities will be constructed to accommodate no more than 15 people for the agricultural works. Treatment rooms for CAM treatments will be built on the northern side of the island. A small stilt-jetty is constructed on the western side of the island. A complete list of the buildings is given in the layout plan. The island would be self-contained, and so water production and power generation will take place on the island. An RO plant of 10 cubic meters / day capacity is proposed with intake from the lagoon. To supplement the water production rainwater will be harvested from every possible roof on the island. A 25kW diesel power generator will installed for producing electricity. Storage of diesel on the island will be minimal transporting the required amounts from the nearby islands. The baseline environmental conditions were assessed using standard methods. Significant erosion was observed on the north-western and northern side of the island while accretion was evident on the western side. There appears to be a directional shift of the island to west. However, observation of such magnitude of movement has entirely due to seasonal erosion and accretions have been observed in some islands of Baa Atoll. No interventions for mitigating erosion were proposed at this stage. Biannual monitoring of shoreline was proposed to determine the seasonal dynamics of the island beach. No hard structures are proposed at this stage. A Leopold Matrix was used to determine the scale and extent of the impacts. The short-term environmental impact from this development project would to the island ecosystem from clearance of vegetation. About 60-80 palms may have to remove and/or relocated for the development work that will be replaced accordingly. Loss of top-soil, and shade and the clearance may affect the vegetation around the periphery. It is recommended that clearance take place only where necessary. Septic tanks systems have been proposed for disposing human waste and pose no long-term negative environmental impact considering the small number of people expected to be based on the island. It is recommended that non-biodegradables should be regularly removed from the island for disposal in to another island with arrangement made with the Council. Biodegradable waste from the plant material will be left to appropriately degrade on the island, thereby contributing nutrients pool of the island ecosystem. The Atoll Council and the resorts were consulted regarding the project and their views were considered. There was full support of the Council and no issues were highlighted. There were also no issues raised from the resorts except they wished see only minimal landscape Impacts during the operation phase are considered to be negligible. Overall the impact from the Project will be positive – demonstration of effective economic and sustainable use of uninhabited small islands inducing encouragement for climatesmart type agriculture.Item Second Addendum to the EIA for the ongoing Airport Development Project in Maamigili, South Ari Atoll(2011-05) CDE ConsultingThis Addendum to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socio-economic and natural impacts of the proposed changes to the airstrip development project in Maamigili, South Ari Atoll. Maamigili is situated in one of the key tourism dominant zones in the Maldives. The ongoing development of an airstrip in Maamigili addresses the need for improved transport infrastructure to complement the thriving tourism industry in the atoll. Maamigili will be used as a regional hub for tourism transfers. The proposed changes will enhance the transfer if tourists to and from Maamigili Airport. The present designs of the area, particularly coastal protection using sheet piles, do not suit the low wave activity in the region. The proposed changes to the project will address this issue, by changing the proposed coastal protection methods from sheet piles to armour rock revetment. This is the second time the plans for the western end has been modified to suit the changing needs of developing Maamigili as a key service provider for the tourism sector. The initial change proposed to use the western end for transporting passengers, including a small terminal, quay wall construction and backfilling.Item Second addendum to the EIA for the ongoing airport development project in Maamigili, South Ari Atoll(2011-04) CDE ConsultingThis Addendum to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socio-economic and natural impacts of the proposed changes to the airstrip development project in Maamigili, South Ari Atoll. Maamigili is situated in one of the key tourism dominant resorts in Maldives. The ongoing development of an airstrip in Maamigili addresses the need for improved transport infrastructure to complement the thriving tourism industry in the atoll. Seaplane operations have been planned on the western end of the island to enhance the services of Maamigili as a regional hub. The present designs of the area, particularly coastal protection, do not suit sea plane operations and other marine transport needs of the area. A key objective of the Maamigili Airport is to transport tourists from Surrounding islands and atoll to Male’ International Airport. The proposed changes to the project will address this issue, by constructing creating additional areas as a sheet piled quay wall and dredging the lagoon on the western side of the island. This is the second time the plans for the western end has been modified to suit the changing needs of developing Maamigili as a key service provider for the tourism sector. The initial change proposed to use the western end for transporting passengers, including a small terminal, quay wall construction and backfilling. The major objectives of the proposed project activities are to: 1) Improve airport services offered to the tourism industry 2) Facilitate future sea plane activities 3) Improve marine transportation 4) Mitigate coastal erosion