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Item Addendum 2 environmental impact assessment for the reclamation and expansion at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, Hulhulhé, Kaafu Atoll(2015-10) Jameel, AhmedThis report discusses the findings of an addendum that had been carried out for the environmental impact study (EIA) which was carried out by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at the request of Maldives Airports Company Limited in July 2014. This EIA Addendum 2 report covers for changes that had been made to the reclamation component of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) expansion project. The report also covers proposed 7.1 m wide road development on southern end of the island and development of a 4.84 km sewerage collection, treatment and disposal system via 495m ocean outfall as part of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport expansion and modernisation project. Refer to the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Proposed Expansion and Reclamation at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (2015) for the details of the project. This EIA report has been approved by EPA. Environmental impacts were assessed and most of the environmental impacts from the changes that had been brought to the reclamation and expansion project at INIA would be from dredging and reclamation component. Dredging and reclamation constitute sedimentation and it is a threat to the marine environment. Sewerage collection, treatment and disposal will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur. The main negative environmental impact from changes to the project would be sedimentation and destruction of the lagoon and some areas of the reef due to dredging and reclamation and construction of the outfall of the sewerage system. Sedimentation cause by the dredging and reclamation will cause death of corals in the direct impact zone and partial death of corals in other areas. Mitigation measures for the negative impacts from the changes to the dredging and reclamation component have been identified and outlined in detail. Sedimentation control methods have been specifically focused as mitigation measure to minimise the impact of sedimentation on marine environment. Use of bund walls in the fill areas is an option to mitigate impacts of sedimentation on the marine environment. The proposed mitigation measures will have to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. The measures proposed to minimize or mitigate environmental impacts may be considered to be quite appropriate, thereby minimizing the impact by about 90%. A coastal protection method and extents have also been suggested in the EIA in order to protect the shoreline. Stakeholder consultations were held with Trans Maldivian Airways and MWSC as identified by the TOR. TMA is aware of the details of the proposed dredging component of the project and these were finalised in consultation with the stakeholders. MWSC informed that they does not any plans to develop water and sewerage system at INIA. Stakeholder views on the changes that had been brought to the project have been incorporated in the report. It is inevitable that there would be negative environmental impacts of this project. However, balancing these negative impacts and the socioeconomic benefits gained is something that is very difficult. As a result, a monitoring component has been suggested which takes in to consideration, the most important elements that require monitoring, most importantly a mechanism and means to measure and value the social benefit of the project. This monitoring component will be adhered and will allow the assessment of long term changes, despite the potential negative impacts. As the socioeconomic impacts are going to be felt in the long term, monitoring these changes is very essential. It is not seen that any significant environmental impacts would be due to the changes that had been brought to the reclamation component, addition of the road and sewerage system as part of the development, other than those outlined in the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Proposed Expansion and Reclamation at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (2015). The project involves inevitable negative environmental impacts to the natural environment of the island. Nevertheless, this project will benefit the community significantly.Item EIA for the airport development project at HAA Dhaal Kulhudhuffushi(2017-10) ZahidThis environmental impact assessment was undertaken by Dr. Zahid, contracted by Maldives Transport and Contracting Company for the development of a domestic airport at Haa Dhaal Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives. According to Regional Airports, allocated budget for the project is about USD11.4 million. Kulhudhuffushi is an inhabited island located on the south of Haa Dhaal atoll. Kulhudhuffushi is one of the most populous island in the north with a population more than 9000 people. The length of the island is approximately 2.5 km and 0.89 km in width. The most significant natural feature of the island is existence of two wetland areas (Kulhi). The larger one is in the northern end and small one in the south end of the island. Most dense vegetation exists near the wetland area and eastern side of the island. Due to the high population compared to the land size, already there is pressure on the limited available land area. The project involves the development of a domestic airport with runway length of 1220m by 30m width, taxiway with length of 90m and width of 15m and an apron with length 150m and width 45m. In addition to this, a passenger terminal, a control tower and safety buildings will constructed at the Kulhuduffushi airport. Under the project, other related services also will be established at the domestic airport. According to Regional Airports, the proposed runway to be constructed to ICAO standards and will be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Maldives. The proposed airport development involves the clearing of about 6 Ha area of the island. In addition to this, the domestic Airport at Kulhudhuffushi is proposed to be built by reclaiming part of Kulhi and wetland area, located at the northern end of the island. This wetland area has been listed as a “environment sensitive area” due to the unique environmental features of the area. In addition to reclaiming wetland area, for building the airstrip, two areas are proposed to be reclaimed from the sea area as well (two ends of the runway will be built by reclaiming the sea area). Dredging and reclamation will be undertaken by a Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger and borrow area will be from the deep sea . Kulhudhuffushi airport development project activities (construction phase) will have considerable negative impacts on the environment and will have some positive and negative impacts during operational phase. During construction phase, the wetland area will be highly modified and vegetation will be removed from a large area. Environmental values of the environmental sensitive area will be reduced due to the vegetation clearance and reclamation. The main impact is the permanent loss of habitat for the flora and fauna and loss of terrestrial vegetation and deforestation of part of the area allocated for runway and other facilities development. Reclamation of Kulhi also will have impacts due to sedimentation and fish around Kulhi will be impacted from sedimentation. The wetland area surrounding the Kulhi acts as a natural catchment area for flood mitigation. If proper drainage system is not established, the area will experience flood impacts. Associated with reclamation of the sea area for airstrip development, main negative impact would be that of sedimentation on the nearby reef areas. Already the marine environment of the project area is not in very healthy condition. Hence, any additional activity will have far damaging impact on the marine environment. Sedimentation impact associated reclamation is considered to be direct and limited to the construction phase but can have lasting impact. The impact will be quite significant if sand bunds are built around the periphery of the reclamation area as currently proposed, as due to the conditions in the area, it is very likely the sand will get eroded on to the reef. The island might experience some socio‐ economic benefits through employment opportunities and minimising the cost of transport to Male’. Associated with the operational phase of the project, noise pollution will be elevated, aesthetic value of the environment will be reduced, restriction on the construction of multi-story buildings near the airport and generation of waste. Due to the existence of an airport (Hanimaadhoo) near Kulhudhuffushi may not outweigh the negative impacts of the project on the physical environment of the island compared to the limited positive impacts from the project. There are some among the Kulhudhuffushi island community which oppose the airport development by reclaiming the Kulhi area. Instead of Kulhi area, they had suggested to develop the airport on the eastern side of the island. However, due to space limitations, it was informed that this was not practical. Other major alternatives include developing the airport in a different nearby island without such sensitive areas. This would mean Kulhudhufushi community will have to travel by sea to access the airport and has thus been rejected by the concerned Government agencies and a decision has been made to develop an airport by reclaiming Kulhudhuffushi Kulhi area, as airport development project has been a presidential pledge. Mitigation measures for negative impacts associated with the project has been identified. The most important mitigation measure for the reclamation of the Kulhi area is creation of similar environment in another location as outlined in the regulation. This also has been pointed out in the regulation that if developmental activities to be carried out at a sensitive area, similar environment needs to be created in another location in consultation with concerned authorities. A more practical alternative is to ensure the developer undertake a program to protect, maintain and preserve an existing wetland area in the same region. In order to minimize the sedimentation due to reclamation of Kulhi and sea area, it is recommended to use of silt or sediment screens and bund walls as silt screens to cordon the reclamation area. Sheet piles, concrete blocks or geobags can be used as bunds rather than sand. To minimize impacts associated with vegetation clearance, it is recommended to remove the mature trees and coconut palms and replant in another location in the island. As some of the impacts are based on assumptions, it is important to carryout monitoring environmental monitoring during construction and operation. The proponent commits to undertake mitigation measures and monitoring program outlined in this EIA report. Monitoring will help to identify the effectiveness of the mitigation measures and take precautions to minimize any damage to the environment that may arise in the future. Baseline data collected during the compilation of this EIA report can be used for comparing data collected during monitoring period to identify any changes to the environment including changes to wetland habitat, terrestrial environment, hydrodynamics, reef structure and water quality including groundwater and sea water. Although, due to the nature of the project (proposed reclamation of the sensitive area, reclamation of the sea areas, borrow areas for reclamation and huge cost), the project is undesirable from a purely environmental perspective especially due to the impacts on the kulhi. However, considering the existing condition of the kulhi and given the obligation to better protect and preserve a similar environment in the region with a strict conservation program, the impact can be offset to an extent. Moreover, due to lack of land, the reclamation of the wetland area in Kulhudhufushi seems to be a question of when rather than if. There is political will to proceed with the project along with the backing and need of a vocal majority in the island. As this is a project that has long been delayed resulting in significant community issues, it does not seem the project will be delayed any further. Therefore, if the project is to proceed, it has to be ensured that all mitigation measures proposed in this report, especially regarding conservation of a similar environment in addition to the regular monitoring proposed should be undertaken. This is highly important to fully determine the impacts of the project, which will also be a reference for such future endeavours and plans by government and communities.Item EIA for the development of an agricultural product at Baa. Hulhudhoo(2015-10) Zuhair, MohamedThis report provides the finding of an environmental impact assessment conducted for the proposal of an agricultural development at the island of Hulhudhoo, Baa Atoll. Environment Impact Assessment is required before undertaking any developmental project such as agriculture development that may have a significant negative impact on the natural environment of the island under Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012. Hence, this report is written to fulfill the legal obligations under the EIA regulation. The project is proposed by Ms. Aminath Muna and the island of B. Hulhudhoo is leased to Ms. Muna in 2015 to develop agricultural activities. The proposed agricultural project, at Hulhudhoo is based on production of high quality banana for supplying produce to surrounding resort islands. This project also involves along with the establishment of commercial farming plots for banana plantation, the establishment of mushroom culture infrastructure such as a laboratory, grow-out houses for mushroom, packing and storage facilities. The mushroom produced would also be supplied to resorts. The proposed project has the following major components: 1. Agro-Forestry: The concept of growing agricultural crops alongside forest trees, for integrated farming systems 2. Banana Plantation: Over 50 plots (150ft by 150 ft) is dedicated to growing banana, with some areas allocated for fruit orchards. 3. Mushroom culture: producing fresh mushroom by using impregnated spawn and supply to resorts Hulhudhoo agriculture development project is part of the embodiment of the Government’s vision for promoting food security and to increase yield and optimum land use through improved and high yielding crops and hybrid varieties, cultivation designed for more sustainable and commercial scale agricultural produce such as year round banana produce and mushroom culture. The project would include infrastructure to support the project and land clearance for banana plantation.This project involves the establishment of commercial farming plots for banana plantation along with mushroom culture infrastructure such as a laboratory, grow-out houses for mushroom, packing and storage facility and staff accommodation. 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. A small stilt-jetty is constructed on the western side of the island. The baseline environmental conditions were assessed using standard methods. Environmental impacts were identified and assessed for both construction phase and operational phase of the project. Some of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as positive resulting mainly from improved socio-economic conditions, increased economic activities in Baa Atoll as a whole, direct and indirect employment opportunities, and increased business opportunities. The main negative environmental impact of the project is identified to be the changes to the islandecosystem from clearance of vegetation.The main mitigation measures for the proposed project would be that clearance takes place only where necessary. Septic tanks systems have been proposed for disposing human waste and pose no long-termnegative environmental impact considering the small number of people expected to bebased on the island.The Proponent, are committed to undertake monitoring during all stages of the project and the cost monitoring programme has been endorsed. The activities proposed in the project comply with the environmental laws of the Maldives, its rules and regulations, including requirements of those agencies relevant to the agricultural development works enforcement. In conclusion, this EIA has looked into the key factors that needed to be looked in to during construction and operational stage. In my opinion, even though this project does have significant environmental impacts to the terrestrial environment, the significant positive impacts that would arise from the agricultural development in Hulhudhoo would provide such as asset for the well-being of the population and residents of Baa Atoll.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed swimming pool construction and beach replenishment project in Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort, Noonu Atoll(2013-12) CDE ConsultingThe 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 impactsItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed swimming pool construction project in Kurehdhoo Island Resort, Lhaviyani Atoll(2014-06) CDE ConsultingThe 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 impactsItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed access improvement & beach replenishment project in Madoogali Island Resort, Alif Alif Atoll(2013-03) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed airport development project in Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll(2014-12) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, South Male’ Atoll(2014-04) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Shangri-La’s Villigili Resort and Spa Maldives, Addu City(2014-11) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed beach replenishment project in Thundhufushi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll .(2014-02) CDE ConsultingThe 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 impactsItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed cold storage facility development project at Koo’ddoo Island, Gaafu Alifu Atoll(2017-11) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Dhanbidhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Kunahandhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of Island Waste Management Centre at Maabaidhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour quay wall construction at Maakurathu, Raa Atoll, Maldives(2017-12) CDE ConsultingThis 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour re-development project at Mahibadhoo Island, Alif Dhaalu Atoll(2017-11) CDE ConsultingThis 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed international airport development project in Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll(2017-11) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed provision of sewerage network at Gemanafushi, Gaafu Alifu Atoll(2017-11) CDE ConsultingThis 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed Thun’bafushi Island extension project : Thun’bafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll(2014-11) CDE ConsultingThe 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.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed tourist resort and marina development project in Madivaafaru Island, Raa Atoll(2014-04) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement the proposed resort and marina development project in Madivaafaru Island, Raa Atoll. Madivaafaru Island was initially leased for tourism in 2011 in conjunction with the proposed airport development project in Ifuru. Both these islands were awarded on the condition that Ifuru Island Airport be operational before the resort opens. Ifuru airport is nearing completion and is scheduled to open in mid-2014. The proponent of this project is Ifuru Investments Pvt Ltd. The project is a joint venture between the Government of Maldives and Ifuru Investments to partly to ensure that the Ifuru airport is operation and partly to ensure that more beds are operational in Raa Atoll. The main rationale for the project is to develop tourism in the outer atolls of the Maldives to increase the tourism bed capacity and their contribution to the local and national economic growth. Tourism development lags behinds in Raa Atoll and this project is expected to increase the speed of development in the atoll. The objective of this project is to develop and operate a five star resort on Madivaafaru Island. The project broadly involves development and operation a stand-alone 56 bed resort and a 24 berth marina. The proposed project covers nine main components: construction of island transport infrastructure; construction of the back-of-the-house and administrative infrastructure; construction of guest rooms; construction of guest facilities; construction of utilities – sewerage, power and water infrastructure; construction of a 24 berth marina; Landscaping and; resort operations. The project is estimated to take 24 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, tourism resort development 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. An approval is required for the proposed channel clearing activity under the Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. Madivaafaru Island is a small island approximately 300 m long and 90 m wide, and has a land area of approximately 2.1 Ha within vegetation and 3 Ha within high tide line in March 2014. The island is generally in pristine condition, apart from its terrestrial environment. Its vegetation is very young comprising mainly of coastal littoral shrubs and a few introduced trees. The water quality is poor. It has deep lagoon and a natural reef entrance which is to be used for the marina development. Its reef condition is good on the eastern side but poor on the western side. One of the most important finding from this assessment is the volatility of the coastal environment particularly during the last 5 years. Over the last two years the impacts have been so dramatic that most of the structures initially planned on land based on 2012 studies are now all in the water. The size of the island combined with the volatility of beach environment makes it a very unsafe island to build land based structures closer to the beach. Given the limited land area, not building closer to the beach is also not an option. This island is highly vulnerable to climate change and potential sea level rise and could be among the first group islands that are severely affected. The negative impacts from this project are typical impacts associated with resort development in Maldives. The most significant impact from this project during construction stage would be the loss of live coral colonies due to reef entrance clearance, removal of limited vegetation, excavation and dewatering, changes to coastal processes due to coastal developments, degradation of the terrestrial and marine environment due to the worker activities, lost marine life due to overwater construction and disposal of waste. Main social impacts include potential conflicts with the atoll public if equal job opportunity is not available for construction stage or operations stage of the resort. Negative impacts during operations stage are the impacts on marine flora and fauna due to potentially high number of vessels using the lagoon and marina, impacts on the beach due significant erosion and accretion patterns and social impacts associated with foreign workers or general lack of opportunities. Apart from the impacts from this project on the environment, the coastal environment itself will have a major impact on the project itself. Severe erosion is likely to continue and if left unprotected, it will pose serious challenges and economic losses for the operation of the property. If the coastal structures are erected, it will reduce the aesthetic beauty of the island and will permanently later the coastal processes. The project mainly has positive socio-economic benefits, including increased direct and indirect job opportunities and tourism growth. The key mitigation measures proposed for the construction stage include finding options to mitigate severe erosion on the island. Uncontrolled erosion would have significant financial costs on the investment and will face severe erosion issues during operation stage. A number of mitigation measures have been proposed in this assessment to mitigate the most significant impacts associated with the development, including reef clearance, worker activities, vegetation removal, marine construction, excavation works and utilities operation. Alternatives options were evaluated for the activities that are identified to have significant impacts on the project. The most important finding is that the environmental and financial costs of going forward with this project on Madivaafaru Island is higher than considering an alternative site. Alternative islands have been suggested for the project including Kottefaru, Naainfaru and Faarufushi. Other alternatives considered, should the project goes ahead in Madivaafaru, includes an extensive coastal protection system, alternative options for reef entrance, alternative methods for dredging and changes to site plan. It has been recommended to move this project to a more stable and slightly larger island. Consultations were held with the island councils and public of Ugoofaaru, Dhuvaafaru and Maakurathu. This project has strong support from the island communities and all site plans have been seen by the Island Councils. There is a general dissatisfaction due to the slow pace of resort development projects in the atoll. 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$15,000 per year. The main conclusion of this report is to relocate the proposed development to another island on grounds of its small size, coastal instability and future vulnerability to erosion hazards and climate change. It is also recommended to designate the island as a sensitive coastal environment and to prevent any physical developments on the island for the next 10 years. However, given the financial implications and legal complications that may be associated with such a drastic action, the final decision should rest on the outcome of a discussion between the proponent and the Ministry of Tourism. Should the project go ahead, extensive shore protection will be necessary and proponent should accept coastal adaptation may be an ongoing expenditure during operation as well.Item Environmental impact assessment (EIA) for establishment of a katsuobushi processing facility in Hithadhoo, Addu City(2015-12) Adam, M. Shiham; Ahusan, Mohamed1. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for proponent Yours Maldivian Addu Katsuobushi Pvt. Ltd. to develop and operate a katsuobushi plant on a leased plot of land from the RAF area of Hithadhoo Island, Addu City. The EIA is prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 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 environmental and socio-economic impacts arising from the proposed project. Major findings of this report are based on data and information gathered during the field inspection of the existing environment. In addition, expert judgement and published literature were used to predict the possible impacts from the project. 3. The development project is located in the western side of the southern section of Hithadhoo Island, Addu Atoll. The plot is separated from the western beach by about 65m of coastal vegetation. Terrestrial vegetation around the plot area is a mix of salt and salinity tolerant trees and shrubs. The population of the Island is mostly concentrated to the northern end of the island while the southern end is sparsely inhabited resulting in an abundant. 4. Tuna to be processed will be sourced from the local fishermen. While only skipjack tuna will be used to make katsuobushi, other species in the catch (yellowfin tuna and small amounts of bigeye tuna) will also be purchased and processed into other products and marketed to the locals. This is in order to incentivize the fishermen to sell their catch to the proponent and ensure a steady supply of raw materials. 5. Pole-and-line tuna fishery of the Maldives exploits the wider Indian Ocean stocks, the management of which falls on the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Maldives is a full member of IOTC and takes a lead role in promoting management of the Indian Ocean tuna stocks. Most recent assessments for skipjack tuna (2014) indicate that the skipjack tuna stock is being exploited at safe levels. However, 2015 assessment of yellowfin tuna stocks showed that the stock has been overfished and is being overfished. 6. The development project involves construction of a 100 by 100 feet processing facility, its supporting infrastructure and a staff accommodation block for the employees of the facility. All construction will use general construction materials such as cement, imported river sand and aggregate, deformed steel bars etc. Construction materials and crew will be transferred to, and waste removed from the facility via existing dirt roads. 7. Major waste stream from the factory would consist of organic waste (fish offal) and blood water from gutting and cleaning raw fish, domestic sewage diluted in flushed water and greywater from the staff accommodation block and ash from the smoking process. 8. Organic waste (consisting of viscera, cuttings, skin and bones) will be collected in leak proof containers and routinely removed from the facility before it becomes putrid. This will be disposed of in the sea by an external party during the first year and later used to make agricultural fertilizer. Blood water and water generated from cleaning the facility will be discharged onto the reef flat on the western side of the island. Septic tanks will be used for the treatment of domestic sewage and greywater from the accommodation block. 9. Assessment of the existing terrestrial environment in the vicinity of the site showed that the area consist of typical island vegetation except for a dominance of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera). Site of the project does not contain strong vegetation as it was cleared prior to leasing to the proponent. Small scale farming takes place in plots around the project site. 10. The island being located on the western atoll rim reef and the project site being located on the western side of the island, is in close proximity to the marine environment. The beach is exposed to strong swell waves originating in the Western Indian Ocean. Breaking of waves on the reef creates longshore currents which would allow almost instant mixing and dilution of effluent discharged. Benthic cover on the reef flat/lagoon showed a predominant abundance of seagrass and a lack of live corals and associated benthic fauna. 11. Minimal environmental impacts are predicted for the project. Key negative impacts include a transient deterioration of water quality at the effluent discharge site and likely deterioration of groundwater due to sewage from the accommodation block. Further, a localized reduction in air quality is expected due to gaseous (NOX) and particulate emissions from the smoking process. 12. The project is expected to have a number of positive impacts on the local economy and wellbeing of locals especially fishermen. Firstly, fishermen will be paid a competitive price for their catch in order to ensure a reliable supply of raw materials. The project will also open up employment opportunities for locals. Further, it will contribute to the local economy by outsourcing some aspects of the project such as waste disposal and sea transport of products to Male’ and contribute to government’s policy of value0addition of fishery catch.Item Environmental impact assessment : B. Thulhaadhoo harbour rehabilitation project(2014-10) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at the request of Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure for the proposed harbour rehabilitation project at B. Thulhaadhoo. B. Thulhaadhoo is located southern side of Baa Atoll. The island economy depends mainly on fisheries and tourism related works. Thulhaadhoo is famous for lacquer works. The existing harbour at the island is the borrow site for the previous reclamation project. There is a concrete quay wall constructed on the land side and rock boulder revetment on both sides of the harbour. There is no breakwater in the harbour. Hence the proposed project is to construct a 545 m breakwater in the harbour. Land side quay walls will not be replaced under this project. However new quay walls will be built on both east and west side of the harbour replacing the revetments there. In addition to this, entrance channel will be deepened. The dredged material from this project will be used to reclaim the area that adjoins the side quay walls and land. Approximately 26,100.95 cbm material will be produced during this project. Environmental impacts of the project were assessed. The impacts of the project result mainly from excavation of the entrance channel and disposal of excavated materials. The impact of excavation would be that of sedimentation. This impact is considered to be minor and short-term. The impact of breakwater construction is it will damage lagoon bottom area where the breakwater will be placed. This will be a long term impact. The socio-economic benefits of the project may be considered to outweigh the negative impacts of the project on the physical environment of the island especially increasing the usable space on the quay wall, mooring area at the island’s harbour and additional land that would be available to develop fish processing industry. The proposed project conforms to prevalent environmental legislation and thrives to achieve its objectives in an environmentally friendly manner. Mitigation measures for these anticipated impacts have been identified and outlined in detail, including sedimentation and stagnation control methods and measures for minimizing negative effects demolition of the quay wall and the generation of construction waste. These mitigation measures need to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. The details of the project have been established after considering the needs and requirements of the community by assessing and incorporating the outcomes from the community consultations held during the data collection stage. The EIA also allowed to explore the best possible alternatives for the proposed development and identified key mitigation strategies. Alternative locations and alternative designs have been investigated for the different components of the project. However, the present project design seems to be a feasible option in terms of costs, durability and safety. An environmental management plan with environmental monitoring plan has been developed including important elements that require regular checks. This monitoring component will be adhered to and will allow the assessment of changes due to construction of the harbour. Although the project involves inevitable negative environmental impacts, such impacts are not severe as to not undertake the project. The project is justifiable in light of the socioeconomic conditions and anticipated benefits resulting from the project, which seem to outweigh the negative environmental impacts.Item Environmental impact assessment : proposed 8 storey building development with basement in Ma. Gongali, Male'(2019-01) Musthafa, AmirThis report is based on the proposed 08 Storey Building Construction with Basement at the residence, Ma. Gongali in the capital city, Male’. The project is being developed and by the proponent and one of the land lords, Mr. Mohamed Fazeeh. An Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary for the works outlined in this report as they fall under ‘Jadhuvalu R’ of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2012 of the Maldives. Specifically, the inclusion of a basement comes under the Regulation. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirements, the report would further assist the proponent and important stakeholders to make decisions based on favourable environmental conditions with the main focus on sustainability. The project also adheres to several other rules and regulations in the Maldives and has obtained permit from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure for the project to proceed. The area the project is proposed to be undertaken is a moderately built area. The project is based in Male in the Machangoalhi district, in Rahdhebai Magu. There is no notable natural terrestrial environment at site as generally the case. The existing environment therefore was focussed on the regional climate of Male’, and the traffic distribution, and noise pollution in the area. The project area does endure moderate traffic relative to the general traffic conditions in Male’. A visual exterior inspection of the existing structures in the area was also observed. Serious structural defects are expected to be at a minimum, especially considering the standard foundation protection methods. The structure south of the project site is very old and vulnerable to impacts during excavation. However, regular contact had been established by the proponent and the landlord of the property and any damages would be repaired by the proponent. The condition of the road in the area is generally good. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using frameworks in literature. Since the development is undertaken in a moderately built area, the results indicate that the proposed project has neutral impact. However, there are some significant impacts on the environment during the construction phase of the project and these needs to be mitigated to avoid any significant damage to the environment. Significance of the impacts and mitigation measures have been provided based on previous similar projects undertaken in the Maldivian environment and based on literature. Considering the numerous other similar projects being simultaneously undertaken in Male’, there is considerable cumulative impacts overall from all these projects. The main cause for concern regarding such projects is the impact it will have on neighbours residing in this area. As such, several short-term impacts are envisaged including air pollution, noise pollution, aesthetic impacts, traffic issues and safety concerns. The main reason an EIA was required for the project was due to the basement in the structure. Most impacts that do occur can also be easily mitigated to minimise and/or completely nullify them as most similar projects in Male’. Mitigation measure proposed includes initially creating awareness among the construction staff and neighbours regarding the scope of the project. Signboards are recommended to be placed at all times. Additionally a labourer watchman should be placed at the site ground floor to guide any pedestrians passing the project area. Project vehicles and materials not taking up the parking space around the project area is also an important measure. Freeing up parking space near the project area for continuous flow of traffic. Other measures include taking protective measures to ensure people residing and utilising the vicinity will not have to endure the impacts during the construction stage including timing of the project works. Foundation protection measures are recommended and are provided as part of the project to prevent impact on neighbouring structures in addition to a 1m offset from the adjacent building. Dewatering procedure will also be undertaken with care, details of which are given in the report. Care should also be taken to prevent any damage to the road and disruption to traffic during transport of machinery, material and equipment. As the proposed project is virtually at the center of Male’, dewatering pipes will be lengthy and will cause obstruction to a large number of pedestrians. Alternatives, including the no project option and alternatives for some project components are also discussed. No project option is not viable at this stage of the project. Regarding construction methodology, a few alternatives are recommended. Regarding the design, there are recommendations to make the development greener. These include interior landscaping to incorporate plants, use of green walls, use of LED lights, rooftop solar panels, etc. An environmental monitoring program is provided at the end of the report, which provides details on the parameters to monitor on site, and the frequency in which it needs to be done. Estimated costs for the monitoring works are given. Implementation of the program is essential for the sustainable development of the project. In conclusion, it is discussed the cumulative impact such major housing projects have for the increasing population density in Male’, and how it can be prevented at a policy level. However, taking this project as a standalone development project in an already heavily built island city, as is the case for all these similar developments, it can be concluded that no significant long-term project specific impacts are predicted. None that the island community is not currently enduring. The same conclusion had been derived for all similar building construction projects in Male’. Therefore, it is recommended that the project go ahead as proposed with proposed precautions and mitigation measures as provided under the published guidelines and recommended in this study, especially with regards to site safety. Furthermore, it is discussed on the importance of strengthening legislation to ensure sustainability of these types of building projects and to improve the worsening living conditions in Male’.Item Environmental impact assessment fish packing and processing facility Euroglobal Maldives Pvt Ltd Huraa, North Malé Atoll(2013-03) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, Mahmood1. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently noted some fish processing facilities in operation do not have environmental clearance for their projects. EPA informed Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture that all fisheries projects should have submitted the Decision Note on environmental clearance before issuing the Fish Processing License. 2. Euroglobal Maldives Pvt Ltd established on island of K. Huraa Island falls under this category. Originally built and owned by the erstwhile HMS Pvt Ltd, Euroglobal acquired the facility during November 2009. There were no records of an EIA for Huraa’s fish processing and packing facility by HMS either. When Euroglobal Pvt Ltd appeared to renew its Fish Processing License, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture issued a temporary Fish Processing license and requested to undertake EIA for the project. 3. The work of Euroglobal Maldives Pvt Ltd is essentially packing fresh yellowfin tuna (Thynnus albacares) in variety of forms and exporting to EU-Territories and the USA. Their main products are gill and gutted, head and gutted, loins and fillets. The lowgrade tuna and off-cuttings including belly flaps, trimming are sold in Malé outlets through their agents in Malé. Fresh yellowfin tuna are sourced from Maldivian fishermen fishing from local boats. The catch is exclusively caught from the handline method which used livebait, but has little of no-by catch. The fish are gill and gutted and bled before storing in ice boxes. Trips may last 10-14 days fish normally sold for the highest offer, currently range from MVR 65-160 per kg. 4. The fish processing and packing facility is located on the north western corner of reclaimed area of Huraa, at the northern end of the urbanized area. The landing and access to the facility faces to the north which also happens to be the mouth of the mangrove area – Kulhi, which is a protected site. Tidal currents flow along the seawall in an out of the mangrove area. The area, slightly west, is also where the fishing vessel alongside the sea-wall for landing the catch. Sediment run off from the mangrove area has made the area shallower almost completely exposing during low tide. The area also has a seagrass bed on the western side nourished (and fertilized) by the nutrients run off from the mangrove area. 5. The waste water stream from the factory is released directly to the area, in front of the mouth into the tidal stream. Waste water includes, sewage mixed with water released from the collection septic tank, blood water mixed with drainage from the factory floors and reject (brine) water from RO plants. Because the area is shallow little water mixing takes place causing eutrophication and foul smell. Water quality tests show high nutrient load (sulphate + ammonia). As a result water quality test showed high BOD and excessive counts of coliform colonies and faecal coliforms. It was recommended to make direct connection to Huraa sewerage network or pump the waste stream outside reef into deep water into the channel. 6. The water production and power generation takes place in the compound. Two diesel generators with 500kvA capacity are in operation. A diesel fuel tank on a metal frame outside the power house serves the fuel to the generators. However, signs of oil spill during filling and change of oil filters was evident on the ground. These were identified as impacts and remedial measures were proposed. Water production takes place from two RO plants. Electricity from domestic grid is also present but due to high electricity demand during ice and water production it has not been possible to use effectively the local power supply. 7. Feed water for RO plant and ice production is sourced from the lagoon on the western side of the facility. The intake pipe is placed in a concrete well with the granite aggregate serving as a sand filter. Intake from the sea is difficult to main and prone to contamination given that intake is actually not far from the polluted are on the northern side. It was recommended to install a bore-hole for sourcing water for the plants. Water production is supplemented by rainwater harvest from the roof of the main building. There is about 50,000 Litres of water storage on the site. Both water plant and power generation plant required to be registered in EPA and Maldives Energy Authority respectively. 8. There are three ice plants with a total capacity of 150 MT/day. Again sea-water from the lagoon is used as feed water. Ice is given to fishermen free of charge, but only for fishermen who sell their catch. 9. Raw material (fresh fish) is supplied by the Maldivian fishermen who conduct fishing in local vessel with local crew. During 2012, record show some 150 unique vessel sold fish to Euroglobal Pvt. Ltd. During the initial stages of these processing companies supported fishermen on condition of selling the catch to facilities. Euroglobal Pvt Lrd provided icebox and start-up capital was provided. 10. The economic activity been done don by the Euroglobal is highly profitable. At present some US$ 40million per year is declared at the Customs which represents close to 50% of the total marine export earnings to the country. Although there are no accurate records at MoFA, 50% of the licensed fishing vessel (total ~750) is likely to be exclusively handline yellowfin fishing vessels. This gives the scale of this activity and positive socioeconomic impact from this activity. 11. An indirect impact from the work of Euroglobal Pvt Ltd would be the potential negative impact to the yellowfin tuna stock. Yellowfin tuna is considered to be straddling and highly migratory and the stock is distributed across to the entire Indian Ocean. However, since the current catches from Maldives represent only 7-8% of the total Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna catch (~300,000 MT/year) local harvesting levels may not cause much impact at the current level of fishing mortality. 12. Taking together all the activities of the Euroglobal Pvt Ltd (the main work of the sourcing fish, cutting, cleaning and packing and the support activities of producing electricity, water, ice and waste) the positive environmental impact far outweighs the negative impacts from the waste. These impacts can be made reversible and remedied. If the recommendation and mitigation measures are implemented, the development project of Euroglobal Pvt Ltd should be environmentally sound.Item Environmental impact assessment fish packing and processing facility Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd Hulhumalé Industrial Zone(2013-04) Adam, M. Shiham1. The requirement for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd (MMP) came in late 2012 when the company applied to renew its Fish Processing License for 2013. The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MoFA) informed that under the EIA Regulation Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd should undertake an environmental impact assessment study for the development activity according to a communication from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report is something that has to be done before the development take place, but in order to comply with the regulation the MoFA requested that a report should be submitted to EPA and the necessary environmental clearance be obtained. 2. During 2006 Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd submitted a Project Proposal as per guideline provided by the erstwhile the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources (MoFAMR). The report titled ‘Proposal to establish a Fresh Fish Packing Facility at Hulhumalé Industrial Zone’ was submitted in January 2006. Following approval by the MoFAMR, the factory was constructed and the operation of the facility started in early 2007. Until December 2012, no government department or office has asked MMP that and EIA should be undertaken for the factory to comply with the government regulations. 3. The produce of the MMP packing facility is variety of fresh yellowfin products (loins, gill and gutted, head and gutted, frozen loins, frozen) for export to EU-Territories and to USA. As such the factory is audited and assessed for EU-compliance by the National Competent Authority of EU- The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA). The factory has an approved HACCP plan endorsed by the MFDA prior to the construction of the factory. Following the completion the factory dry runs of the entire production process was undertaken to ensure the process followed the approved HACCP plan. The factory is inspected twice a year by the MFDA and Compliance Licence is renewed one every six months. 4. Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd has regularly renewed the ‘Fish Processing License’ introduced by MoFA in 2010 under the new regulation on ‘Fishing for Sale of Fish to Exporters, Fish Processing and Aquaculture Licensing’. Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd has also acquired ISO certification 22000:2005 ISO. This standard deals with the requirements for a food safety management system where an organization in the food chain needs to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe at the time of human consumption. 5. Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd is established on a land area of roughly 5,500 m2 in the Hulhumalé Industrial Zone. When the land was leased from HDC during 2006 there was no electricity, water or a sewerage system in the area. The proponent managed them until the STELO and MWSC established those services. However, the proponent continues to produce electricity and water for its use in the facility. To provide the full range of services the facility has 7 buildings including the housing for ice plants (5 of them), power generators and the control room with sync panels and the reverse osmosis (RO) water production plants (2 units). In addition to factory floor, office space, accommodation for expatriate and site staff, kitchen and canteen area all are within the compound forming fully self-contained fish packing plant. 6. When the services of MWSC’s sewerage system were available sewage and greywater from kitchen and staff canteens were connected to the sewerage system. At the time of this writing the proponent has obtained permit from the MWSC for connecting the blood water stream. Once connected the proponent will do away with the series of septic tanks/ soak pits that were used earlier. Source water for the RO plant is extracted from the ground through a borehole well below any fresh water that may have formed since the reclamation of Hulhumalé Island. The reject water from the plants is released to western side into the lagoon. Turbulence by wind and wave energy creates conditions for rapid mixing diluting the brine water almost immediately. 7. The water production plants and power generation systems require registration at EPA and Maldives Energy Authority respectively. To accommodate the process environmental impact of the plants were assessed and audited. Where necessary, mitigation measures were proposed. The proponent declares the buildings that house both these services are temporary. There are plans to relocate the power gen sets and RO plants to a new building constructed on a plot adjacent to Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd that belongs to a subsidiary company of the proponent. It was found that one ice plant uses the refrigerant R22, which is not fully compliant with government’s HCFC reduction policies. However, others use 404A, which has zero global warming potential. The proponent has plans to decommission this plant in the coming year. 8. The raw material for the production is yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) purchased entirely from the Maldivian fishermen. Fishing is conducted on local vessel from handline gear using livebait. Over 200 different vessels have sold fish to Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd over the last year. Ice is given free of charge as incentive for fishing and to encourage loyalty to the company. In addition the proponent has provided iceboxes and sometimes start-up money for staring the large yellowfin handline line fishing. 9. Fish are landed are gill and gutted and bled and so the amount of fish offal produced is minimal. The company who is assigned for disposing the fish waste harvests any left over after fish cuttings (heads, off-cuts, blood meat, and vertebrae). Only skin, fins and tail are thrown. Lower quality fish including belly flaps and fish eyes are packed for local consumption to be sold in local shops. 10. Maldive Marine Products Pvt Ltd contributes significantly to improving socioeconomic conditions of the fishing community and support secondary activities (fuel, fresh water, food etc). Together with the seven other fish packing companies exporting to EU-Territories and USA makes a significant foreign currency input to the economy. By exporting roughly 10,000 mt of processed fresh yellowfin tuna products the sector contributes about US$ 55 million per year, which is about 50% of the total declared marine export revenue. 11. The overall positive environmental impact from the development project was noted. The job creation in the island communities and the impact that is making in the visible exports is a significant positive environmental impact of this activity. The long-term sustainability of the activity however, will depend on the sustainability of the fish stock. Yellowfin tuna is highly migratory and its stock is spread out to the entire Indian Ocean. The stock is being managed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission which Maldives is now a full member. The current status of the stock is healthy and the total catch is below the assessed maximum sustainable level. The Maldives fishery component takes only 7-8% of the total Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna catch which is currently around 300,00 mt.Item Environmental impact assessment for beach nourishment and maintenance dredging of access channels and harbour in Thulhaagiri Island(2014-01) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, Mahmood1. Thulhaagiri is a small round island in the central North Malé Atoll. Located just north of Bandos Island resort, the island may be considered one of the oldest resorts in the Maldives, now operating for over 25 years. Currently in full operation, the resort has 52 beach bungalows and 34 over-water bungalows equipped with modern facilities and amenities. The current management of the resort is Angiri Resorts and Management Operation Pvt Ltd, which have been operating the resort for close to 15 years. 2. Owing to its somewhat isolated location in the centre of a large atoll basin, the island is exposed to wind driven waves from eastern and western side of the reef. Consequently the operators have been using two sides of the island for entry into the reef. During the SW monsoons season when winds are blowing from west the eastern entry is used and during north NE Monsoon when the winds are blowing from East and northwest the entry on the western side is used. 3. The inner reef flat used as a harbour sheltered by the well-developed reef crest. The area is shallow, but over time the reef flat becomes shallower due to deposition of sand. In order to maintain the depth at safer levels for the speedboats and vessels, a small pump is used to dredge the areas that get shallower. This has been the practice the resort operators. 4. The objective of the proposed project is to undertake maintenance dredging of the channels on the eastern and western side of the island and to deepen the reef flat area that is being used as harbour. And finally it is proposed to make use of the dredged sand to nourish the receding beaches on the north eastern side of the island. 5. The project activity is justified since these regular pumping and deepening of the channels and reef flat is inconvenient and hinders the smooth operation of the resort. During bad weather entry into the Thulhaagiri is dangerous and risky. There is also a need to rebuild the lost beach on the north-eastern side of the island, now felt necessary by the operators to maintain Thulhaagiri’s market position. 6. Following the recently established regulation on dredging and reclamation of the islands and lagoons, a permit was first obtained for the proposed reclamation and dredging followed by the scoping of the environmental impact assessment of these activities. This EIA is follows the Terms of Reference developed and agreed at the scoping meeting. 7. Dredging will be carried out by using a dredger mounted on a flat-top shallow-draft barge. A temporary sand bed may be constructed on the excavations area. Sand required for the construction of the bed will be obtained by excavation from the adjacent shallow areas. 8. Excavated material deposited on the barge will be transported and deposited on the beach identified for extending where it will be sieved. The coarse material will be deposited first for filling and extending the area followed the finer material on top. Temporary measures will be taken to avoid the sediment washing into the lagoon. Nourished beach will then be levelled using excavators, loaders or manually by the labourers. 9. It has been proposed that timing of this activity should be restricted to February and March, which is the transition period from northeast to southwest monsoon. Wind frequency and magnitude during the period is on the lower side. 10. The total time taken for this activity is estimated at 30 days following approval (or issuing of decision note) following successful evaluation of this report. The key mitigation measures other then timing is that limit dredging activity at lower or slack tide as much as possible. 11. The proponent has provided a commitment letter confirming accepting and confirming their responsibility on mitigation measures suggested in the report and environmental compliance during this undertaking of the proposed activities.Item Environmental impact assessment for beach nourishment, Anantara Kihavah Villas, Baa Atoll, Maldives(2013-05) Zahid; Musthafa, AmirThis report is based on the proposed beach nourishment works in Anantara Kihavah Villas, also known as Kihavah Huravalhi. The island is located in Baa atoll, 133 away from the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Hulhule’. Access to the island is mainly by sea planes. The operations of the resort island are under Anantara Hotels and Resorts, which is a renowned luxurious hotel group. An Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary for the works outlined in this report as they fall under the ‘Jadhuvalu R’ of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2012 of the Maldives. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirements, the report would further assist the proponent and important stakeholders to make decisions in an environmentally sound manner, thereby ensuring the environmental sustainability of the project. In order to ensure a uniform volume of beach is available all around the island for its guests throughout the year, the operators have started undertaking a biannual sand pumping operation in the island recently. Beach Nourishment works at Kihavah is carried out by pumping sand from the lagoon to replenish 250m length of the eroded shoreline on the SW side. The proposed program is a continuous process for Kihavah, in order to maintain beach area available throughout the year for its guests. The process is integral in maintaining guest satisfaction and the overall quality of the resort. Sand for the nourishment is obtained from the lagoon on the SW side of the island, 70m away from the shoreline. The borrow area is 100 – 150m away from the reef edge on the SW side of the island. Alternatives, including the no project option and alternatives for the project components have been given Alternative methods are proposed, such as use of Sand filled nylon bags laid side by side perpendicular to the shoreline in the form of temporary groynes. The groyne field is proposed to be relocated depending on the seasonal variation to the long shore sediment transport. Sand will be pumped to a small extent to fill the sand bags. Further alternatives such as the use of hard engineering structures are also given, such as, creations of near shore breakwaters, rock revetments and creating feeder headlands have been looked into, but not recommended to be implemented in this environment. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using frameworks found on literature and the results indicate that the proposed project has a net positive impact. However, there are some significant impacts on the environment during the construction phase of the project and these needs to be mitigated to avoid any significant damage to the environment. Significance of the impacts and mitigation measures has been provided based on previous similar projects undertaken in the Maldivian environment and based on literature. In general, soft engineering techniques, as used for this project are favourable to the environment and it is the wish of the operators that such techniques be employed as much as possible without resorting to hard engineering solutions. Furthermore, the minor negative impacts from the project will be localised to the small lagoon in which Kihavah is located. Since there are no other islands in the lagoon, there will be no impacts on any neighbouring communities. It is recommended to continue to monitor the impacts of the proposed project by regular monitoring of shorelines and near shore currents and the changing marine environment. A two stage monitoring plan is given, which recommends monthly monitoring during the 1st year and less frequent monitoring for the next 5 years. Undertaking the monitoring, along with the mitigation measures is necessary to ensure the sustainable development of the project with minimum harm to the environment. Beach nourishment is widely regarded as an environmentally friendly method to combat coastal erosion. It is thus recommended that given the positive socio economic and environmental impacts from the project far outweighs the few negative local impacts, and since the project has major socio-economic benefits, it is advisable to allow the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental impact assessment for development of drainage works and storm water infiltration galleries in H. DH. Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives(2014-09) Maldives Energy and Environmental CompanyKulhudhuffitshi Island with a population of over 8900 people is the most populated island in the northern region of the country and is considered to be the third largest population in the Maldives. The island is currently the hub of all commercial activities in the north. Physical and infrastructure developments have although brought socio-economic improvements to the resident community it has also come at an environmental cost. Among the environmental issues faced to the island, stormwater flooding has been considered having impacts on the people in many different ways. Land reclamation, reclamation of the wetland, destruction of the coastal vegetation belt and increased use of vehicles on sandy roads without an engineered drainage system have all contributed to the occurrences of stormwater flooding in the island. In an attempt to address the issue of stormwater in Kulhudhuffushi, the Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning Project (ICCRRIP) commissioned Male Water Supply and Sewerage Company (MWSC) and Engineering Consultant PVT. Ltd to undertake a study to identify technical options available to solve the flooding problem. Subsequently a report on the findings was submitted to ICCRRIP in 2013. The study proposed a number of options for stormwater management in the island. The recommended method being that stormwater from the gutters and soak pits be connected to a pipeline terminating into underground storage tanks consisting of blocks of AquaCell which has an extensive range of modular cell products and are known to provide an efficient and sustainable method of storing large volumes of run-off for water attenuation or soakaway applications. These underground water tanks would hold the water and release into the ground slow enough for the ground to be able to absorb water and ultimately re-charging the groundwater lens. The report divides the island catchment areas into four zones and recommends two flood prone areas in the northern and the southern part of the island for piloting flood control by this method. However, due to the limited financing available for the piloting flood control by this method. However, due to the limited financing available for the project, it has been decided to pilot the drainage activities in the north eastern region of the island only. This would involve diversion of storm water from six roads namely, Marukazu Magu, Miskiy Magu, Soafiya Higun, Madharusaa Magu, Dhanbu Magu and Orchid Magu. Approved project cost is MVR 16 million. Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC) has been selected as the contractor for the project while MWSC will supervise their work. MRDC intends to merge pilot project activities with the on-going road construction works. The project planning, design and surveying began in July 2014 and is entire project is expected to completed and handed over by the contractor during the first half of November. The site clearance and the earthworks is expected to start as soon as EIA clearance is sought and have been planned to be completed within about 30 days. hi order to proceed with the proposed drainage works and installation of the stormwater infiltration galleries and EIA was commissioned to obtain environmental clearance and the EIA was conducted based on the Terms of Reference agreed between the Consultant and the EPA. The EIA recognizes the importance and urgency of addressing the heavy rain associated flooding in Kulhudhuffushi based on the field investigations backed by Detailed Island Risk Assessment in Maldives (2007) and Detailed Island Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (2013). The impact analysis show no significant negative impact expected to be arising out of any activity associated with the project. Project involves minor excavations, potential dewatering, filling back and operation of vehicles and temporary enclosure of the project sites. These may have minor and temporary negative impacts to the scenic view and vista. Potential post-project negative enviromnental impact could arise out of breeding of mosquitos and pests in the tanks, in the pipeline and soakpits due to standing water. Through proper maintenance of the system the problem could be largely avoided. Potential socio-cultural impacts associated with the pilot project include, disruption to services, and temporary obstacles to right of way. Minor negative socio-cultural and environmental impacts associated with the project are temporary and reversible in nature. These further could be mitigated through appropriate mitigation measures. The most expected positive impact expected from the project will be improvement to the drainage. With the project the project is expected to alleviate drainage issue from an area measuring 175,000m2 of urban land with better drainage, and as indirect positive impacts, the project is expected to further improve groundwater, reduce potential contaminants reaching the marine environment, leading to improved public health and quality of life through reduced risk of waterborne and water-related diseases and increased public satisfaction with the urban environment. The project is expected to bring some minor positive impacts to the local economy during the three phases of the project as a results of temporary opportunities created during the works. Several major realistic and practical alternatives have been assessed including the 'no project alternative'. Without the project, the funds allocated for the project could be saved but may run the risk of losing it since the project may not have adequate time left before closure. Since, detailed designs, engineering drawings and contractor for the project has already been selected it would be completely unrealistic and wasteful to even consider utilizing the funds for a different activity. Considering meeting the objectives of the project, environmental and economical superiority of the alternatives evaluated, undertaking a pilot project in one of the flood prone area using underground tanks in empty available space for drainage has been found to the best practical option. The Council expressed their wish implement the project in the Zone A (the south east region) as opposed to Zone B (north east region). They were of the view that Zone A floods more severely compared to Zone B and therefore, the project would have greater impact by this shift. Considering that the detailed design has already been done for this zone, it is recommended to change the project location as suggested by the Council in order to increase public acceptability of the project. The intended positive impacts of the project can only be accurately determined by the post-project monitoring scheme. In order to ensure effectiveness of underground stomi water collection tanks in mitigating against flooding it is essential to monitor, collect information, evaluate the information collected and disseminated. With the following recommendations duly considered or addressed appropriately, the ETA found that the positive aspects of the project far outweigh its negative impacts. ■ Bank of Maldives Branch at Kulhudhuffushi have not been consulted during the design phase on the possible installation of an underground tank within their compound. ETA suggests that prior to the onset of ground work that the Bank be consulted for their consent. ■ Location identified for the tank at the football ground need to be relocated from the southwest corner to the northwest corner in order to reduce the pipeline length as well as the associated costs. ■ Capacity of the underwater tank proposed for Bank of Maldives' compound seem to be of inadequate capacity since it the region covers 53% of the total pilot project area. ■ It is not clear how the existing design will address the over-flow should such a situation arise. This issue need to be resolved prior to the construction. ■ Post project maintenance and management shall be discussed and agreed with the island council in order to avoid potential mosquito and other pest issues as a result of the project. If the pilot project is successful in managing storm water in the piloted area, the system will be expended to other regions of Kulhudhuffushi Island and similar systems it could be replicated elsewhere in the Maldives.Item Environmental impact assessment for extension of Kooddoo Domestic Airport and development of a city hotel Kooddoo, GA. Atoll(2013-12) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, Mahmood1. The domestic airport of Kooddoo was built during 2011 and was officially opened in 2011. This 1,200 m long airstrip in the north eastern side of the Ga Atoll serving the emerging high-end resorts have become one of the busiest and most important domestic airports in the south. It is normal to have 7-8 flights per day with mostly tourist passengers arriving and departing. Also relatively large volume local passengers make use of the route for transferring to the islands in the south or simply commuting on business trips. It was also noticed that guests with reputable business credentials were requesting to resort operators to allow their own air-craft (jet) to fly Kooddoo direct rather than having inconvenient and long layover times at Hulhule Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. 2. In order to address this need the Ministry of Tourism (previously Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture) engaged with the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport and Communication in a development project to extend the airstrip and also to upgrade and modernize the airport to provide services to international standards. Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd, a reputable property developer in the region, won the airport development contract through competitive bidding tendered by the Ministry of Tourism. The negotiated contract agreement included development of a 50-room city hotel on Kooddoo and also development of Ga. Maamutaa as an upper-class tourist resort. Under the same agreement the Kooddoo airport will also be managed by Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd, who now has an Aerodrome Certificate to run the airport under their name 3. Following the new Regulation on Reclamation and Dredging of Islands Lagoon and Reefs a permit for dredging and reclamation work was obtained before the scoping of the project took place. As such all paper works, including the dredging and reclamation permit was submitted for the Scoping Meeting held at EPA and was attended by stakeholders. 4. The scope of this development project is to reclaim about 260 m long and 150 m wide area from both ends of the island to extend the runway to 1,800 m, to dredge and create 500 m long entrance channel from the western corner of the reef connected to a harbour basin with access walkway jetty. The scope also includes the complete development works of the 50-room city hotel including upgrading of airport services and equipment following the expansion airport capacity. The most significant development activity with regards environmental change is the dredging of western side, reclamation of the both ends and development 25 over-water bungalows on the shallow lagoon on the western side. 5. Existing environmental conditions have been revised using the comprehensive set of baseline data gathered for the airport development project in 2011 but supplemented by additional field data gathered during the visit made in late November 2013. These have been used to assess and evaluate the environmental impacts from development activities. For activities with potential to cause significant impacts, appropriate and practical mitigation measures have been proposed. 6. Since management of Kooddoo airport is now under Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd the plan is to upgrade and expand the utility services (production of water, generation of electrify and overhauling of sewerage system) to meet the additional requirements of the proposed city hotel. As such the developer plans to add on to the existing structures and arrangements as much as possible to cut down development costs and improve efficiency. 7. The developer pans to increase current water production capacity of 150 cubic meters per day to 450 cubic meters per day. This would involve installing and commissioning of 2 x 150 cubic meters day capacity RO plants. Electricity generation will be increased from its current capacity of 250kVA to 3110 kVA by adding 2x800 kVA units and 2x630 kVA units. The current septic sewerage system will be overhauled to modern Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant with a capacity to treat 200 cubic meters of sewage water per day The outflow water will have negligible amount of coliforms and so will be used for watering the plants and landscaping work. 8. Installation and commissioning of electricity generation and water production system will be done as per guidelines of the Maldives Energy Authority and Environmental Protection Agency respectively. Similarly, to ensure safety, drilling of boreholes for source water for RO plant and construction of 150,000 liters of fuel storage, and 20,000 liters of petrol will be stored in bunded areas. Environmental issues arising from these developments have been identified and practical mitigation measures have been proposed. It has been recommend that water production system and power generation system should be registered with the authorities before the its full commissioning. 9. Reclamation works and extension of runway will take place whilst the airport is in operation. In order to avoid disruption of flight schedules it is advised the developer/contractor provide method statements, including details on plans and schedule of activities that should be agreed in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority. Coordination should be maintained at all times between the Air-traffic control tower and developer/contractor. Fortunately since the developer and airport management is the same company it is envisaged that there should not be any problems for this coordination. 10. The estimated volume of material recovered from dredging /excavation works is around 70,000 cubic meters. However, the estimated volume required for reclamation is estimated at 120,000 cubic meters. Alternative borrow areas have been identified to make up for this short fall. The issues were discussed at the Scoping Meeting and it was agreed that area on the south eastern side where the reef-flat is widest may be identified as a potential borrow area. Climate condition and orientation of the Kooddoo reef is such that lagoon often times becomes rough, thus prohibitive safe entry. As such hard structures (breakwaters) have been proposed for the channel and the harbor basin. 11. The proposed reclamation work on either end of the island extends close to the reef edge, creating the possibility of blocking the water exchange from the eastern and western side. It was noted that this may cause disruption of the established longshore drifts flow around the island creating areas of pockets of erosion and accretion. Since it will be difficult to predict such changes, appropriate environmental monitoring have been proposed. The developer/operator is encouraged to follow the monitoring programme and report to the authorities on a regular basis. Environmental monitoring allows detecting environmental change so that appropriate remedial action may be taken or addressed in a timely manner. 12. A Leopold Matrix has been used to classify the magnitude and importance of possible impacts which may arise during the constructional and operational phase of the project. Leopold Matrix is the most widely used methodology for identifying the impact of a project on the environment. It is a two dimensional matrix which cross references between the activities which are foreseen to have potential impacts on the environment and the existing conditions (environmental and social) which could be affected. It was concluded that the short term minor to moderate impacts as identified above outweigh the medium to long term socio-economic benefits to the region, to the tourism sector and to the country in general. 13. Since the Kooddoo Island is going to have three distinct business entities, namely Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Ltd, Kooddoo Airport, and the Kooddoo City Hotel, the EIA report includes, an officially approved boundary demarcations in Annex 3.Item Environmental impact assessment for land reclamation at Thinadhoo, G.Dh Atoll, Maldives(2015-12) Maldives Energy and Environmental CompanyThis report provides the finding of an environmental impact assessment conducted for the reclamation of 56 hectares on the north and south of Thinadhoo to facilitate much needed additional land for the residents of the island. The project is proposed by Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. According to EIA Regulations 2012, an Environmental Impact Assessment is required for reclamation and dredging projects. Thinadhoo is a highly urbanized settlement and the settlement footprint covers 90% of the total habitable land area. As a result almost all land available is currently being used for housing, economic establishments and socio- economic infrastructure on the island and the island is land-locked. Hence, there is an urgent and immediate need for land reclamation in Thinadhoo. It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of borrow materials would be needed to reclaim 56 hectares of land in Thinadhoo. The proposed locations for the sand borrow areas are within intra-atoll basin of Gdh. Atoll. Alternatives have been identified in the project document. These include alternatives for the dredge areas, dredge method and alternative reclaimed areas. In addition, a coastal protection of the 80% of the reclaimed land (approximately 1852 m) would be put in place. Environmental impacts were identified and assessed for both the reclamation (construction) phase and operational phase of the project. Most of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as positive resulting mainly from improved socio-economic conditions, increased economic activities in Gdh. Atoll as a whole, direct and indirect employment opportunities, and increased business opportunities. The main negative environmental impact of the project is identified to be the changes in hydrodynamics and sedimentation. Moreover, a significant impact would be felt on the marine environment in the northern part where an inevitable habitat loss would occur. The impacts of the project would be felt on the marine ecosystem of Thinadhoo and mitigation measures have been proposed to reduce sedimentation and other adverse impacts that would arise from the project. Mitigation measures such as, proper timing of dredging and reclamation, management of traffic, proper use of bund walls or silt screens have been proposed. If not properly managed, there could be cumulative impacts due to sedimentation which is already experienced in the nearby reef systems. These include provision of bunds and control of dredge water flow in to the marine environment. These methods have been discussed in detail in the report. The main mitigation measure for the proposed project would be the provision of shore protection for the newly reclaimed areas. The Proponent, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure is committed to undertake monitoring during all stages of the project. The activities proposed in the project comply with the environmental laws of the Maldives, its rules and regulations. In conclusion, this EIA has looked into the key factors that needed to be looked in to during construction and operational stage. In my opinion, even though this project does have significant environmental impacts to the marine environment, the significant positive impacts that would arise from the reclamation to an atoll that lacks many natural resources for other economic gain, the additional land would provide such as asset for the wellbeing of the population and residents of the island/atoll.Item Environmental impact assessment for proposed coastal protection works in AA. Ukulhas Island(2015-10) Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimThe Project is proposed by Ministry of Environment and Energy for undertaking coastal protection measures on the northern shoreline of AA. Ukulhas Island. The focus of the project is to protect the northern side of AA. Ukulhas Island as the area is currently undergoing serious beach erosion, which is currently reaching up to island infrastructures. In order to protect the area, the Ministry of Environment and Energy proposes to undertake beach replenishment of a 6,600sqm area on the north and design and construct a 280m long rock boulder revetment along the replenished shoreline. The project has been awarded to Sas e Senok JV Pvt. Ltd. on design and built basis. As the contractor for the project, Sas e Senok JV Pvt. Ltd. has undertaken the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report to be submitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. This EIA is prepared as per the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 23 September 2015. The scope of this EIA is to assess the existing environmental condition of Ukulhas Island and surrounding environment, identify potential environmental impacts, propose environmental management and mitigation measures to minimize environmental impacts as well as propose an environmental monitoring plan with appropriate environmental parameters to monitor changes on a regular basis. Ukulhas Island is located at 4°12'56.35"N and 72°51'49.13"E in a single reef found on the NE corner of North Ari Atoll. Both the island and reef is elliptical in shape and has a SE and NW orientation. The length and width of the island are approximately 1000m and 215m respectively. The area of the island is estimated to be 22ha. Main environmental impacts from the proposed project will be from sedimentation including water quality deterioration, reef damage as well as direct destruction of lagoon habitats within the project boundary. Although, these impacts are inevitable, it is effects can be reduced by implementing various environmental management and mitigation measures such as undertaking sand pumping and beach nourishment operations coinciding with low tide and on calm days as well as undertaking the operations in the quickest possible timeframe to reduce impact exposure period. During the operation of the resort, solid waste and wastewater disposal as well as certain tourist activities is believed to generate the most significant environmental impacts especially on the marine environment where the impacts may range from marine pollution, water quality deterioration, potential health risks, destruction of marine habitats as well as aesthetic and cumulative impacts. The project is believed to generate a number of beneficial impacts. These include protection of a critical island environment, protection of school and waste management center. With regards to mitigating and reducing significant environmental impacts from the project, the following measures including use physical barriers such as earthen berms, sand beds and rock boundaries to close reclamation areas, undertake the activities in shortest possible time and on calm days at low tides, reclamation to be undertaken in sections within the boundary, directing sedimentation into the deep lagoon area and number of other measures have been proposed. Although during construction of the project, significant environmental impacts from dredging and land reclamation activities as a result of sedimentation and direct destruction of habitats have been envisaged, with appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures, these impacts will be reduced to a considerable level. Also, with positive social outlook of the project and considering the overall need for the project, it is concluded that the project should go ahead as planned.Item Environmental impact assessment for proposed coastal protection works in Dh. Maaenboodhoo Island(2015-11) Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimThe proposed project is to protect areas affected by beach erosion on the NE, SE, NW and SW of Dh. Maaenboodhoo Island by means of rock boulder revetment breakwater and geobag revetment. In this regard, it is proposed to build a 220m long rock boulder revetment breakwater along the NE side, 550m long rock boulder revetment breakwater along the SE side, 225m long geo-bag revetment along the NW shoreline and 190m long geo-bag revetment along the SW shoreline of the island. Furthermore, profiling and backfilling of beach areas on the NW and SW sides as well as obtaining core fill material for the rock boulder revetments are an important part of the proposed project. As the proponent of the project, it is proposed by Ministry of Environment and Energy and has been awarded to Sas e Senok JV Pvt. Ltd. on design and built basis. As the contractor for the project, Sas e Senok JV Pvt. Ltd. has undertaken the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report to be submitted to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. This EIA is prepared as per the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 23 September 2015. The scope of this EIA is to assess the existing environmental condition of Maaenboodhoo Island and surrounding environment, identify potential environmental impacts, propose environmental management and mitigation measures to minimize environmental impacts as well as propose an environmental monitoring plan with appropriate environmental parameters to monitor changes during construction and post construction stages of the development. Maaenboodhoo Island is found at Longitude 72.963335 and Latitude 2.695566 in a 5km long reef found on the southern periphery of Dhaalu Atoll. The island is found in the NE tip of the reef and has a NE-SW orientation. The longest point of the island has approximately 950m and the widest point has approximately 350m. The average area of the island is about 20.4ha. Main environmental impacts from the proposed project will be from sedimentation including water quality deterioration, reef damage as well as direct destruction of lagoon habitats within the project boundary as well as permanent changes to the shoreline of the island where project activities will be implemented. Although, these impacts are inevitable, it is effects can be reduced by implementing various environmental management and mitigation measures such as undertaking the activities of the project coinciding with low tide and on calm days as well as undertaking the operations in the quickest possible timeframe to reduce impact exposure period and construct physical barriers to reduce sedimentation. During post construction, environmental impacts identified include risk of flooding in land fill areas as well as physical damage to geo bag revetments as a result of excessive and some destructive use. The key benefit of the project is to protect the shorelines of the island from further beach erosion and protect infrastructure on the island. With regards to mitigating and reducing significant environmental impacts from the project, the following measures including use of physical barriers such as sand beds and undertake the activities in shortest possible time and on calm days at low tides, as well as directing sedimentation into the deep lagoon area and number of other measures have been proposed. Although there are a number of environmental impacts from the proposed development, some of these can bring permanent changes to the environment of the island, other impacts can be reduced and mitigated by use of appropriate methodology. The effectiveness of these methodologies can be documented by implementing a comprehensive monitoring programme. Also, with positive social outlook of the project and considering the overall need for the project, it is concluded that the project should go ahead as planned.Item Environmental impact assessment for redevelopment of harbour at Meemu Atoll Dhiggaru(2015-01) Maldives Energy and Environmental CompanyThis report discusses the findings of the environmental impact study undertaken by MEECO Pvt. Ltd. at the request of the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure to redevelop the harbour of Meemu atoll Dhiggaru. This EIA report is prepared in accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2007 under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Act No. 4/93). The purpose of this EIA is to fulfill the requirement of the Law and to conduct an assessment of possible impacts on ecological, biophysical environment and socioeconomics arising from the proposed reconstruction. The main rationale of this project is to increase the safety, accessibility of the current harbor. This project is particularly important as the islands economy mainly depends on fisheries sector. With the current increasing demand of the fishing vessels and the growing sizes of the vessels, an extension of the harbor is needed. This will also enable more job opportunities in Dhiggaru where unemployment rate is high. The existing landside quay wall was constructed to shore extent of the island at the time of construction. However, the quay wall was not extended with the recent reclamation and addition of land. Therefore the reclaimed shore was left as rocks and rubbles. With time, this has become unusable and become difficult for mooring the vessels. To keep pace with the growing demands for the use of the harbor, it became necessary to reconstruct the harbor covering this area. The project involves redevelopment of the exiting harbour in order to facilitate and improve the facilities provided by the harbour. The exiting quay wall on landside would be extended to a have a total length of 268m and the width of the harbour would be extended to 86m. A maintenance dredging would also be carried to a depth of 3m below MSL. In addition, the project also involves relocation of the southern breakwater to further south extending the width and raising of the breakwater heights to 2m above MSL. Breakwater of total length of 449m would also be constructed. The existing entrance channel with a width of 25m would also undergo a maintenance dredging and would be extended in length. It is estimated that approximately 15,500m3 of sand would be dredged from the basin. The dredged material would be used to reclaim the land northwest of the harbor and some of the material would be used in the graveyard. Key impacts The impacts of the project result mainly during construction from activities such as maintenance dredging and reclamation of the land on the North West. Sedimentation and increase in turbidity can impact the marine environment. The reclamation can change the hydrodynamics of the island and will take some to come to equilibrium although this will address the issue of coastal erosion in that area. Baseline environmental conditions at the project site indicated that the live coral cover was almost zero and fish count is very less, showing minimum impact on marine habitat. Indirect impact may also occur from silting which is a short term impact. However, the major socioeconomic impact is found to be positive. Easing the access and creating space for more vessels will facilitate the local users of the harbor and enable development of harbor dependent sectors and livelihood of the residents of M.Dhiggaru. Key negative impacts of the project are found to be significant in short term. These negative environmental impacts weighed against socio-economic positive impacts acts as a justification for the project. Mitigation measures Mitigation measures were taken by conducting appropriate field surveys and environmental assessment of the island, proposed and alternative locations for development of the harbor. The excavation would be carried out during the high tides to allow maximum flushing of the sediments. Reclamation would be done during low tides to minimize the erosion and washing away of the material. The necessary announcements and proper use of sign boards will be used to minimize the difficulties caused during the construction works. Alternate locations and technology The proposed location where the dredged material would be used is the best location as it is the most needed location to be reclaimed for future plans of the island. Alternative technology are not recommended either due to expensive process or the available technology not suitable to the environmental conditions. An environmental management plan with environmental monitoring was developed taking into consideration the impacts and mitigation measures to be implemented. The important elements that require checks such as sediment dynamics, coral cover, shoreline changes, water quality and hydrodynamics will be monitored according to the developed monitoring program during construction and operation period. Although the project involves inevitable negative environmental impacts, such impacts are not serve as to not undertake the project. Mitigation measures have been proposed to adequately minimize the significant impacts. Hence, the project is justifiable in light of the socioeconomic conditions and anticipated benefits from the project which clearly outweigh the negative environmental impacts.Item Environmental impact assessment for resort development in K. Kodhipparu, North Male Atoll(2014-04) Riyaz, Mahmood; Zuhair, MohamedThis is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for Kodhipparu Investment Pvt. Ltd to develop and operate a three star resort development in Kodhipparu Island located in North Malé Atoll. The proposed project includes development of 108 guest rooms and necessary infrastructure to establish and operate the resort in Kodhipparu Island. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Tourism (MoT) 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. The total cost of the proposed project is approximately 15 million USD. The project will be developed within 18 months. The project will create a relatively large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities throughout the country. Therefore the project will significantly contribute to the economic growth, particularly tourism sector, and other relevant socio-economic activities This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in Kodhipparu 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. The proposed project activity will take place in Kodhipparu Island (man-made island by accumulating sand through use of coastal structures and reclamation). The island lies on an irregular shape reef, with a deep lagoon at the center. Kodhipparu Island is located on the eastern end of the E-W oriented Kodhipparu Falhu on the southwestern side of North Malé Atoll. Kodhipparu being located on the southwester rim of the atoll it is exposed to high energy oceanic swells during the southwest monsoon and refracted, reflected and regenerated indirect fetch waves during the northeasterly monsoon. Due to the exposure of Kodhipparu reef to the direct oceanic waves during southwest monsoon the calmest area within the Falhu is on the eastern end. Hence Mr.Ali Fulhu who started constructing the island was aware that the eastern end of the reef is the most stable area with the least energy within Kodhipparu Falhu. The fact that Kodhipparu Island being a man-made island it does not have a proper soil layer with humus content. Most of the existing plant species are very young and introduced by the workers in order to stabilize the cay and hold sediments. Most of the vegetation consists of very basic salt and spray tolerant coastal plants, dominated mainly with, Scaevola sp. Tournafortia sp. Pemphis sp. and some coastal shrubs. Recently planted beach hibiscus, coconut trees, and Thespesia sp exist at the central part of the island. Love birds and parrots are being introduced and reared at the island in cages. Shorebirds and seabirds were known to visit the island. Two species of reptiles were observed, these were the mourning gecko (Lapidodactylus lugubris) and the garden lizard (Calotes versicolor). The overall reef of Kodhipparu reef is not in a good condition. Generally the live coral cover does not exceed 10% in any part of the surveyed area and consists of coral mainly branching and table corals. Percentage of dead coral was found to be very high 30-75% in most areas, particularly on the northern and northwestern side. The water in Kodhipparu is highly saline and not usable for washing or gardening. At present fresh water on the island is transported from Malé and supplemented by the rainwater catchments. 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 Kodhipparu. 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 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. Sedimentation and increase in suspended sediment level in the water, has been identified as the most significant negative environmental impact that could be associated with the entrance clearance. 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. The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some modifications for resort layout and landscaping. Also the report found, based on the 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 soon. However the report has come-up with an extensive 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. The report has identified the following beneficial effects form resort development in Kodhipparu: Increased direct employment and training opportunities; Better guardianship of the terrestrial and marine resources of Kodhipparu Island; 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 report found no evidence that the resort development in Kodhipparu requires or involves any of the following environmental or socio-economic impacts. loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; resettling of local communities; removing or destroying cultural properties; 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. On the basis 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 planned development in Kodhipparu Island will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for resort development in K. Kuda Bandos, North Malé Atoll(2014-06) Riyaz, Mahmood; Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimIn mid-2005 and early 2000 the government leased large number of uninhabited islands for development of picnic islands for a relatively low rent. Those picnic island were developed and most of them are used as exclusive high end tourist resort, but the revenue generated for the government from those islands are very low due to low land rent. Therefore in order to generate more revenue to the Government the cabinet during the MDP Government decided to eliminate all picnic island and allocated them for resort developments. This decision was enforced in 2012. In this respect if the picnic island is within 700m radius of an existing resort the government offered the island to the resort if they are willing to pay the acquisition cost of the island, which is about 6 million US$ per hectares. Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd, paid the acquisition cost of Kuda Bandos Island and decided to convert the island to a mixed local and foreign tourist resort retaining the local picnic concept, and established Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd which is a joint venture company with 10% share of the Government of Maldives. This is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd to develop and operate a resort for mixed local and foreign tourist in K. Kuda Bandos Island located in North Central part of Malé Atoll. Kuda Bandos development project involves development and operation of 90 rooms, two and half-three star resort, with all the necessary facilities and amnesties. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Tourism (MoT) 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. The total cost of the proposed project is approximately 13.5 million USD. The project will be developed within 18 months. The project will create a relatively large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities for the Maldives. Therefore the project will significantly contribute to the economic growth, particularly tourism sector, and other relevant socioeconomic activities. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in Kuda Bandos 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. The proposed project activity will take place on Kuda Bandos Island, an uninhabited island lies in an N-S oriented triangular shape reef on the central part of North Malé Atoll. The island is situated on the southern end of Kuda Bandos Falhu. Vegetated area of Kuda Bandos is approximately 3.27 hectares and island area is approximately 3.9 hectares. Total area of the reef where Kuda Bandos Island is situated is approximately 11.3 hectares and the total area of the reef flat is 5.8 hectares. After the proposed development the total built-up area of the island will be 7,450 m2 which is about 18% of the total land area of the island. Kuda Bandos Island has thick and healthy vegetation all around and inside the island. The canopy of the island is generally high all around the island except for the northern and western sides where a well-established vegetation mostly consisting of mature Funa, Dhigga, Magoo, Kuredhi, young Ruh, Boakashikeyo and Uni. In general, it can be estimated that the vegetation constituent of the island can be divided into around 50-55% Ruh, 20-25% trees such as Dhigga, Funa, Kaani, Uni, Magoo and Boakashikeyo and 15-20% comprising of introduced vegetation used for landscaping such as Saima, Kandholhu, Farudhaa Bageechaa, Croyton and others. Kuda Bandos is formed within its own coral reef system inside the atoll. The coral reef is triangular in shape and the island is found in the middle of the triangle in an egg-shape. This coral reef system has a perimeter of approximately 1.3km measuring from the outer reef edge. Kuda Bandos coral reef covers an area of approximately 7 hectares including the reef slope and the reef-flat. The general reef condition can be regarded as fairly good with increasing live coral cover of 12% on average and diversity towards the northern side of the reef. The lagoon system of Kuda Bandos has an average depth of 1 – 1.2m during high tide periods. It is a relatively small lagoon which is only found from north-east to the eastern side of the island having an approximate area of 8,745m2. The lagoon found on the north-west, west and south-western sides of the island are saturated with beach areas hence, very narrow areas of the lagoon were visible at the time of the assessments. 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 Kuda Bandos 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 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. Vegetation clearance has been identified as the most significant negative environmental impact that could be associated with the proposed development. 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. The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some modifications to the proposed layout based on the considerations given to the maximum land use and preserve the existing trees and minimise vegetation clearance which will have more impacts on the island. The report has come-up with an extensive 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. As part of the assigned tasks of EIA a list of stakeholders were provided in the TOR to undertake extensive stakeholder consolation during the EIA preparation process. This is because some concerns were raised by the media, soon after the Government’s decision to convert Kuda Bandos to a resort, stating that the island will be closed for local picnics after the development. The issue was discussed with the stakeholders and the truth about the misconception was cleared during the consultation. All the stakeholders except Malé City Council welcomed the proposed development. Malé City Council is on the opinion that Kuda Bandos is the only remaining island near Malé for the picnickers from Malé City and it is the only place where people of this congested city can go and take a breath of fresh air. Therefore they are in the opinion that resort development in Kuda Bandos should not go ahead and the island should be left as it is only for the picnickers from Malé despite the fact that the island will still be accessible for local picnickers after the proposed resort development. The following improvements for the facilities for picnickers and camping site in Kuda Bandos was suggested by the stakeholders during the discussions. 1. Increase the number of public toilets and improve the quality and maintenance 2. Provision of feeding rooms for babies 3. Increase the number of showerheads and properly maintain the water network 4. Increase the number of life guards and first aid facilities 5. Increase the number of guest rooms allocated for the Maldivians 6. Properly demark the picnic and tourist areas with appropriate signage The report has identified the following beneficial effects form resort development in Kuda Bandos: Establishment of local tourism opportunities mixed with international tourism Establishment of readily available picnic facilities and other amenities such BBQ pits, dining areas etc. Increased direct employment and training opportunities; Better guardianship of the terrestrial and marine resources of Kuda Bandos Island; 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 report found no evidence that the resort development in Kuda Bandos requires or involves any of the following environmental or socio-economic impacts. loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; resettling of local communities; removing or destroying cultural properties; 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. 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 resort development in Kuda Bandos will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for the construction and setup of a sewerage system in Baarah Island, Haa Alif Atoll, Maldives(2017-09) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd in order to fulfill obligatory requirements of the National Environment Protection and Preservation Act, Law No. 4/93 for the proposed setup of the sewerage system (hereafter referred to as the project) in Baarah island, Haa Alifu Atoll, Maldives. The purpose of this EIA is to identify and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts related to this project and enhance the overall quality of the project. By examining the project location, the legal framework and the existing environmental components such as marine ecology and the socio-economic aspects, this EIA provides useful information regarding the extent, nature and the magnitude of impacts that are likely to occur. The EIA will also help to identify the long term socio-economic benefits to the community after implementing this project. It also provides a framework for future monitoring of the environment, so that changes can be monitored and corrective measures can be undertaken. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage collection and disposal system in the island of Baarah in Haa Alifu Atoll. The concept designed for Barrah is a gravity type wastewater collection and disposal system. The existing systems are mainly based on septic tanks and small bore sewers. Without proper maintenance these systems are prone to damage and contamination of groundwater can occur. The contamination of the groundwater has occurred to the extent that it cannot be utilized for any potable use. Therefore, the current setup is not environmentally acceptable nor suitable. The sewerage system for Ha. Baarah will be a gravity sewerage system where sloping pipelines will allow waste water from the entire island to flow to three zonal pumping stations. The sewage will be pumped from the pumping station to the treatment plant where it will be treated and discharged via a sea outfall pipeline into the sea. The sewerage system will comprise of elements of a given specification for sewer mains, cleanouts, manholes, vents, pump stations, outfall pipeline and diffuser that will ensure a 30 year design flow The sewerage system therefore comprises of the following components: a) Household inspection chambers. b) A gravity sewerage reticulation network. c) Reticulation pumping stations and pressure main system. d) Construction of a sea outfall to discharge the sewage into deep sea. The proposed project will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur on the near shore environments. The project is expected to bring several positive impacts on the environmental quality of the island and the surrounding reef. Particularly, the most significant benefit would be achieved through improvement in the bacteriological quality of the groundwater. The health benefits of the project are worthy of noting as the improvement in water quality are going to bring significant health benefits to the community. Environmental & social impacts and the mitigation measures Several environmental impacts of this proposed project have been examined through a number of processes. These include consultations with the project development team, field surveys, observations and assessment, and field experience gained from similar development projects implemented throughout the country. Potential positive and negative impacts on the environment have been considered. The assessment indicates environmental impacts, both during the construction and operation stage. During the construction period, impacts are likely to occur on the marine and terrestrial environment (groundwater). Most of the impacts during the construction period are impacts related to construction waste, dewatering, disruptions to the local traffic, dust emission, damage to the reef during sea outfall construction and noise. During the operational stage of this project, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts include the improvement of the ground water quality of the island. Negative impacts include the increased in extraction of groundwater for toilet flushing that may increase the chances of groundwater salinization at a much accelerated rate. This project does foresee some negative impacts even during the construction stage but is geared towards improving the overall environmental quality of the island, most notably the environmental health. The project is presently planned to lay the sewer pipeline along the centre of the exiting road. During this process, dewatering and construction pose some challenges. Previous experience of sewer construction in the Maldives has indicated that excavation depths more than 3.5m are not recommended for conventional dewatering methods to avoid the risk of undermining and trench collapses as well as loss of structural integrity of the surrounding earth. For the purpose of the Baarah design, the maximum depth of excavation will not exceed 3.5m as per the Design criteria and technical specifications for conventional gravity sewerage systems guideline released by the Water and Sanitation Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Strict reference to these criteria will be followed and necessary as the streets are very narrow and congested, leaving limited space for mechanical excavation between buildings for the installation of pipelines. The lack of an established land use plan for the island is also a draw back for Baarah. No land used plan means that future projections rely solely on population statistics rather than the land physically available for future development. The present design is based solely on the existing populated area, centrally located in the island. There are large areas of the island undeveloped and unzoned due to lack of a land use plan. Large areas of the island are used for agriculture and pilot projects have been established with aid agencies to try new agricultural technologies. The island is a potential hot spot for future tourism development due to the vase natural resources (beach, mangroves and thick forests and plenty of land). Different types of developments such as guesthouses and restaurants may require grease traps to prevent large influxes of unwanted material into the sewerage network. Therefore the present design of the system has not considered these future developments and in the event of such developments, the existing system will require upgrading. Requirements may need to be specified at a policy level to counter this issue. Therefore this is a potential risk factor in this project. Despite these shortcomings the project does not pose serious threats to the natural environment (marine and terrestrial) and will directly benefit the environment and the community, both in the short and long term. Minor negative impacts with varying significance will occur as the project is implemented. They include dewatering and localized salinization, disruption to public transport, dust emissions during pipe laying work and reef damage during the process of outfall construction. The pump stations have not been placed around the periphery of the island, instead are located within the population zone. This could pose the issue of foul odour in the event of a system failure whereby the foul odour abatement mechanism is affected. Incorporating the pump stations in the populated areas is a necessity and this design factor will enhance the functioning of the overall system. The project will benefit the community and the island in the long term. It is important to ensure that the project implementation is carried in a sustainable manner and in such the sewerage system can be maintained in a cost effective manner as and when required. It is therefore in the opinion of the consultant that the project does not foresee significant negative environmental impacts and should be allowed. Although the project will benefit the community, the proposed design has a number of disadvantages. Construction of pump stations underground on the streets is seen as a design issue that could have operational difficulties. Instead, the pump stations could be located within the residential block boundary with a small plot of land allocated for the pump station. Selection of sites can be focused on places such as mosque, symmetry and from other public buildings or plots of land. With the present design, a number of operational difficulties are anticipated. Experience from similar systems setup elsewhere in the Maldives have been studied and reviewed for this project. The reviews and experiences from these systems are not infavour of the present design and this is something that needs to be considered before undertaking the project. Sanitation systems must be both environmentally and socially friendly and acceptable. As important as the design is the operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance should be viewed as a key sustainable aspect of similar projects. No matter how good a design is, the sustainability and acceptability will depend on how good the system functions in the operational period. With the pump stations being located on the road itself, there are a number of such difficulties which are equally as important as the engineering design aspects.Item Environmental impact assessment for the construction and setup of a sewerage system in Feeali Island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives(2017-12) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd in order to fulfil obligatory requirements of the National Environment Protection and Preservation Act, Law No. 4/93 for the proposed setup of the sewerage system (hereafter referred to as the project) in Feeali island, Faafu Atoll, Maldives. The purpose of this EIA is to identify and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts related to this project and enhance the overall quality of the project. By examining the project location, the legal framework and the existing environmental components such as marine ecology and the socio-economic aspects, this EIA provides useful information regarding the extent, nature and the magnitude of impacts that are likely to occur. The EIA will also help to identify the long term socio-economic benefits to the community after implementing this project. It also provides a framework for future monitoring of the environment, so that changes can be monitored and corrective measures can be undertaken. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage collection and disposal system in the island of Feeali in Faafu Atoll. The concept designed for Feeali is a gravity type wastewater collection and disposal system. The existing systems are mainly based on septic tanks and small bore sewers. Without proper maintenance these systems are prone to damage and contamination of groundwater can occur. The contamination of the groundwater has occurred to the extent that it cannot be utilized for any potable use. Therefore, the current setup is not environmentally acceptable nor suitable. The sewerage system for F. Feeali will be a gravity sewerage system where sloping pipelines will allow waste water from the entire island to flow to two zonal pumping stations. The sewage will be pumped from the pumping station to the treatment plant where it will be treated and discharged via a sea outfall pipeline into the sea. The sewerage system will comprise of elements of a given specification for sewer mains, cleanouts, manholes, vents, pump stations, outfall pipeline and diffuser that will ensure a 30 year design flow. The sewerage system therefore comprises of the following components: a) Household inspection chambers. b) A gravity sewerage reticulation network. c) Reticulation pumping stations and pressure main system. d) Construction of a sea outfall to discharge the sewage into deep sea. The proposed project will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur on the near shore environments. The project is expected to bring several positive impacts on the environmental quality of the island and the surrounding reef. Particularly, the most significant benefit would be achieved through improvement in the bacteriological quality of the groundwater. The health benefits of the project are worthy of noting as the improvement in water quality are going to bring significant health benefits to the community. Environmental & social impacts and the mitigation measures Several environmental impacts of this proposed project have been examined through a number of processes. These include consultations with the project development team, field surveys, observations and assessment, and field experience gained from similar development projects implemented throughout the country. Potential positive and negative impacts on the environment have been considered. The assessment indicates environmental impacts, both during the construction and operation stage. During the construction period, impacts are likely to occur on the marine and terrestrial environment (groundwater). Most of the impacts during the construction period are impacts related to construction waste, dewatering, disruptions to the local traffic, dust emission, damage to the reef during sea outfall construction and noise. During the operational stage of this project, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts include the improvement of the ground water quality of the island. Negative impacts include the increased in extraction of groundwater for toilet flushing that may increase the chances of groundwater salinization at a much accelerated rate. This project does foresee some negative impacts even during the construction stage but is geared towards improving the overall environmental quality of the island, most notably the environmental health. The project is presently planned to lay the sewer pipeline along the centre of the exiting road. During this process, dewatering and construction pose some challenges. Previous experience of sewer construction in the Maldives has indicated that excavation depths more than 3.5m are not recommended for conventional dewatering methods to avoid the risk of undermining and trench collapses as well as loss of structural integrity of the surrounding earth. For the purpose of the Feeali design, the maximum depth of excavation will not exceed 3.5m as per the Design criteria and technical specifications for conventional gravity sewerage systems guideline released by the Water and Sanitation Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Strict reference to these criteria will be followed and necessary as the streets are very narrow and congested, leaving limited space for mechanical excavation between buildings for the installation of pipelines. Despite these shortcomings, the project does not pose serious threats to the natural environment (marine and terrestrial) and will directly benefit the environment and the community, both in the short and long term. Minor negative impacts with varying significance will occur as the project is implemented. They include dewatering and localized salinization, disruption to public transport, dust emissions during pipe laying work and reef damage during the process of outfall construction. The pump stations have not been placed around the periphery of the island, instead are located within the population zone. This could pose the issue of foul odour in the event of a system failure whereby the foul odour abatement mechanism is affected. Incorporating the pump stations in the populated areas is a necessity and this design factor will enhance the functioning of the overall system. The project will benefit the community and the island in the long term. It is important to ensure that the project implementation is carried in a sustainable manner and in such the sewerage system can be maintained in a cost effective manner as and when required. It is therefore in the opinion of the consultant that the project does not foresee significant negative environmental impacts and should be allowed. Although the project will benefit the community, the proposed design has a number of disadvantages. Construction of pump stations underground on the streets is seen as a design issue that could have operational difficulties. Instead, the pump stations could be located within the residential block boundary with a small plot of land allocated for the pump station. Selection of sites can be focused on places such as mosque, symmetry and from other public buildings or plots of land. With the present design, a number of operational difficulties are anticipated. Experience from similar systems setup elsewhere in the Maldives have been studied and reviewed for this project. The reviews and experiences from these systems are not infavour of the present design and this is something that needs to be considered before undertaking the project. Sanitation systems must be both environmentally and socially friendly and acceptable. As important as the design is the operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance should be viewed as a key sustainable aspect of similar projects. No matter how good a design is, the sustainability and acceptability will depend on how good the system functions in the operational period. With the pump stations being located on the road itself, there are a number of such difficulties which are equally as important as the engineering design aspects.Item Environmental impact assessment for the construction and setup of a sewerage system in Hangnaameedhoo Island, Alif Dhaal Atoll, Maldives(2017-11) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd in order to fulfil obligatory requirements of the National Environment Protection and Preservation Act, Law No. 4/93 for the proposed setup of the sewerage system (hereafter referred to as the project) in Hangnaameedhoo island, Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives. The purpose of this EIA is to identify and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts related to this project and enhance the overall quality of the project. By examining the project location, the legal framework and the existing environmental components such as marine ecology and the socio-economic aspects, this EIA provides useful information regarding the extent, nature and the magnitude of impacts that are likely to occur. The EIA will also help to identify the long term socio-economic benefits to the community after implementing this project. It also provides a framework for future monitoring of the environment, so that changes can be monitored and corrective measures can be undertaken. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage collection and disposal system in the island of Hangnaameedhoo island, Alifu Dhaalu Atoll. The concept designed for Hangnaameedhoo is a gravity type wastewater collection and disposal system. The existing systems are mainly based on septic tanks and small bore sewers. Without proper maintenance these systems are prone to damage and contamination of groundwater can occur. The contamination of the groundwater has occurred to the extent that it cannot be utilized for any potable use. Therefore, the current setup is not environmentally acceptable nor suitable. The sewerage system for A.Dh. Hangnaameedhoo will be a gravity sewerage system where sloping pipelines will allow waste water from the entire island to flow to two zonal pumping stations. The sewage will be pumped from the pumping station to the treatment plant where it will be treated and discharged via a sea outfall pipeline into the sea. The sewerage system will comprise of elements of a given specification for sewer mains, cleanouts, manholes, vents, pump stations, outfall pipeline and diffuser that will ensure a 30 year design flow. The sewerage system therefore comprises of the following components: a) Household inspection chambers. b) A gravity sewerage reticulation network. c) Reticulation pumping stations and pressure main system. d) Construction of a sea outfall to discharge the sewage into deep sea. The proposed project will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur on the near shore environments. The project is expected to bring several positive impacts on the environmental quality of the island and the surrounding reef. Particularly, the most significant benefit would be achieved through improvement in the bacteriological quality of the groundwater. The health benefits of the project are worthy of noting as the improvement in water quality are going to bring significant health benefits to the community. Several environmental impacts of this proposed project have been examined through a number of processes. These include consultations with the project development team, field surveys, observations and assessment, and field experience gained from similar development projects implemented throughout the country. Potential positive and negative impacts on the environment have been considered. The assessment indicates environmental impacts, both during the construction and operation stage. During the construction period, impacts are likely to occur on the marine and terrestrial environment (groundwater). Most of the impacts during the construction period are impacts related to construction waste, dewatering, disruptions to the local traffic, dust emission, damage to the reef during sea outfall construction and noise. During the operational stage of this project, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts include the improvement of the ground water quality of the island. Negative impacts include the increased in extraction of groundwater for toilet flushing that may increase the chances of groundwater salinization at a much accelerated rate. This project does foresee some negative impacts even during the construction stage but is geared towards improving the overall environmental quality of the island, most notably the environmental health. The project is presently planned to lay the sewer pipeline along the centre of the exiting road. During this process, dewatering and construction pose some challenges. Previous experience of sewer construction in the Maldives has indicated that excavation depths more than 3.5m are not recommended for conventional dewatering methods to avoid the risk of undermining and trench collapses as well as loss of structural integrity of the surrounding earth. For the purpose of the Hangnaameedhoo design, the maximum depth of excavation will not exceed 3.5m as per the Design criteria and technical specifications for conventional gravity sewerage systems guideline released by the Water and Sanitation Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Strict reference to these criteria will be followed and necessary as the streets are very narrow and congested, leaving limited space for mechanical excavation between buildings for the installation of pipelines. The project does not pose serious threats to the natural environment (marine and terrestrial) and will directly benefit the environment and the community, both in the short and long term. Minor negative impacts with varying significance will occur as the project is implemented. They include dewatering and localized salinization, disruption to public transport, dust emissions during pipe laying work and reef damage during the process of outfall construction. The pump stations have not been placed around the periphery of the island, instead are located within the population zone. This could pose the issue of foul odour in the event of a system failure whereby the foul odour abatement mechanism is affected. Incorporating the pump stations in the populated areas is a necessity and this design factor will enhance the functioning of the overall system. The project will benefit the community and the island in the long term. It is important to ensure that the project implementation is carried in a sustainable manner and in such the sewerage system can be maintained in a cost effective manner as and when required. It is therefore in the opinion of the consultant that the project does not foresee significant negative environmental impacts and should be allowed. Although the project will benefit the community, the proposed design has a number of disadvantages. Construction of pump stations underground on the streets is seen as a design issue that could have operational difficulties. Instead, the pump stations could be located within the residential block boundary with a small plot of land allocated for the pump station. Selection of sites can be focused on places such as mosque, symmetry and from other public buildings or plots of land. With the present design, a number of operational difficulties are anticipated. Experience from similar systems setup elsewhere in the Maldives have been studied and reviewed for this project. The reviews and experiences from these systems are not in favour of the present design and this is something that needs to be considered before undertaking the project. Sanitation systems must be both environmentally and socially friendly and acceptable. As important as the design is the operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance should be viewed as a key sustainable aspect of similar projects. No matter how good a design is, the sustainability and acceptability will depend on how good the system functions in the operational period. With the pump stations being located on the road itself, there are a number of such difficulties which are equally as important as the engineering design aspects.Item Environmental impact assessment for the construction and setup of a sewerage system in Kaashidhoo Island, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2017-12) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd in order to fulfil obligatory requirements of the National Environment Protection and Preservation Act, Law No. 4/93 for the proposed setup of the sewerage system (hereafter referred to as the project) in Kaashidhoo island, kaafu Atoll, Maldives. The purpose of this EIA is to identify and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts related to this project and enhance the overall quality of the project. By examining the project location, the legal framework and the existing environmental components such as marine ecology and the socio-economic aspects, this EIA provides useful information regarding the extent, nature and the magnitude of impacts that are likely to occur. The EIA will also help to identify the long term socio-economic benefits to the community after implementing this project. It also provides a framework for future monitoring of the environment, so that changes can be monitored and corrective measures can be undertaken. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage collection and disposal system in the island of Kaashidhoo in Kaafu Atoll. The concept designed for Kaashidhoo is a gravity type wastewater collection and disposal system. The existing systems are mainly based on septic tanks and small bore sewers. Without proper maintenance these systems are prone to damage and contamination of groundwater can occur. The contamination of the groundwater has occurred to the extent that it cannot be utilized for any potable use. Therefore, the current setup is not environmentally acceptable nor suitable. The sewerage system for Kaashidhoo will be a gravity sewerage system where sloping pipelines will allow waste water from the entire island to flow to nine zonal pumping stations. The sewage will be pumped from the pumping station to the treatment plant where it will be treated and discharged via a sea outfall pipeline into the sea. The sewerage system will comprise of elements of a given specification for sewer mains, cleanouts, manholes, vents, pump stations, outfall pipeline and diffuser that will ensure a 30 year design flow. The sewerage system therefore comprises of the following components: a) Household inspection chambers. b) A gravity sewerage reticulation network. c) Reticulation pumping stations and pressure main system. d) Construction of a sea outfall to discharge the sewage into deep sea. The proposed project will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur on the near shore environments. The project is expected to bring several positive impacts on the environmental quality of the island and the surrounding reef. Particularly, the most significant benefit would be achieved through improvement in the bacteriological quality of the groundwater. The health benefits of the project are worthy of noting as the improvement in water quality are going to bring significant health benefits to the community. Environmental & social impacts and the mitigation measures Several environmental impacts of this proposed project have been examined through a number of processes. These include consultations with the project development team, field surveys, observations and assessment, and field experience gained from similar development projects implemented throughout the country. Potential positive and negative impacts on the environment have been considered. The assessment indicates environmental impacts, both during the construction and operation stage. During the construction period, impacts are likely to occur on the marine and terrestrial environment (groundwater). Most of the impacts during the construction period are impacts related to construction waste, dewatering, disruptions to the local traffic, dust emission, damage to the reef during sea outfall construction and noise. During the operational stage of this project, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts include the improvement of the ground water quality of the island. Negative impacts include the increased in extraction of groundwater for toilet flushing that may increase the chances of groundwater salinization at a much accelerated rate. This project does foresee some negative impacts even during the construction stage but is geared towards improving the overall environmental quality of the island, most notably the environmental health. The project is presently planned to lay the sewer pipeline along the centre of the exiting road. During this process, dewatering and construction pose some challenges. Previous experience of sewer construction in the Maldives has indicated that excavation depths more than 3.5m are not recommended for conventional dewatering methods to avoid the risk of undermining and trench collapses as well as loss of structural integrity of the surrounding earth. For the purpose of the Kaashidhoo design, the maximum depth of excavation will not exceed 3.5m as per the Design criteria and technical specifications for conventional gravity sewerage systems guideline released by the Water and Sanitation Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Strict reference to these criteria will be followed and necessary as the streets are very narrow and congested, leaving limited space for mechanical excavation between buildings for the installation of pipelines. Despite these shortcomings, the project does not pose serious threats to the natural environment (marine and terrestrial) and will directly benefit the environment and the community, both in the short and long term. Minor negative impacts with varying significance will occur as the project is implemented. They include dewatering and localized salinization, disruption to public transport, dust emissions during pipe laying work and reef damage during the process of outfall construction. The pump stations have not been placed around the periphery of the island, instead are located within the population zone. This could pose the issue of foul odour in the event of a system failure whereby the foul odour abatement mechanism is affected. Incorporating the pump stations in the populated areas is a necessity and this design factor will enhance the functioning of the overall system. The project will benefit the community and the island in the long term. It is important to ensure that the project implementation is carried in a sustainable manner and in such the sewerage system can be maintained in a cost effective manner as and when required. It is therefore in the opinion of the consultant that the project does not foresee significant negative environmental impacts and should be allowed. Although the project will benefit the community, the proposed design has a number of disadvantages. Construction of pump stations underground on the streets is seen as a design issue that could have operational difficulties. Instead, the pump stations could be located within the residential block boundary with a small plot of land allocated for the pump station. Selection of sites can be focused on places such as mosque, symmetry and from other public buildings or plots of land. With the present design, a number of operational difficulties are anticipated. Experience from similar systems setup elsewhere in the Maldives have been studied and reviewed for this project. The reviews and experiences from these systems are not infavour of the present design and this is something that needs to be considered before undertaking the project. Sanitation systems must be both environmentally and socially friendly and acceptable. As important as the design is the operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance should be viewed as a key sustainable aspect of similar projects. No matter how good a design is, the sustainability and acceptability will depend on how good the system functions in the operational period. With the pump stations being located on the road itself, there are a number of such difficulties which are equally as important as the engineering design aspects.Item Environmental impact assessment for the construction and setup of a sewerage system in Landhoo Island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives(2017-11) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd in order to fulfill obligatory requirements of the National Environment Protection and Preservation Act, Law No. 4/93 for the proposed setup of the sewerage system (hereafter referred to as the project) in Landhoo island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives. The purpose of this EIA is to identify and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts related to this project and enhance the overall quality of the project. By examining the project location, the legal framework and the existing environmental components such as marine ecology and the socioeconomic aspects, this EIA provides useful information regarding the extent, nature and the magnitude of impacts that are likely to occur. The EIA will also help to identify the long term socio-economic benefits to the community after implementing this project. It also provides a framework for future monitoring of the environment, so that changes can be monitored and corrective measures can be undertaken. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage collection and disposal system in the island of Landhoo in Noonu Atoll. The concept designed for Landhoo is a gravity type wastewater collection and disposal system. The existing systems are mainly based on septic tanks and small bore sewers. Without proper maintenance these systems are prone to damage and contamination of groundwater can occur. The contamination of the groundwater has occurred to the extent that it cannot be utilized for any potable use. Therefore, the current setup is not environmentally acceptable nor suitable. The sewerage system for Landhoo will be a gravity sewerage system where sloping pipelines will allow waste water from the entire island to flow to three zonal pumping stations. The sewage will be pumped from the pumping station to the treatment plant where it will be treated and discharged via a sea outfall pipeline into the sea. The sewerage system will comprise of elements of a given specification for sewer mains, cleanouts, manholes, vents, pump stations, outfall pipeline and diffuser that will ensure a 30 year design flow The sewerage system therefore comprises of the following components: a) Household inspection chambers. b) A gravity sewerage reticulation network. c) Reticulation pumping stations and pressure main system. d) Construction of a sea outfall to discharge the sewage into deep sea. The proposed project will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur on the near shore environments. The project is expected to bring several positive impacts on the environmental quality of the island and the surrounding reef. Particularly, the most significant benefit would be achieved through improvement in the bacteriological quality of the groundwater. The health benefits of the project are worthy of noting as the improvement in water quality are going to bring significant health benefits to the community. Environmental & social impacts and the mitigation measures Several environmental impacts of this proposed project have been examined through a number of processes. These include consultations with the project development team, field surveys, observations and assessment, and field experience gained from similar development projects implemented throughout the country. Potential positive and negative impacts on the environment have been considered. The assessment indicates environmental impacts, both during the construction and operation stage. During the construction period, impacts are likely to occur on the marine and terrestrial environment (groundwater). Most of the impacts during the construction period are impacts related to construction waste, dewatering, disruptions to the local traffic, dust emission, damage to the reef during sea outfall construction and noise. During the operational stage of this project, there will be both positive and negative impacts. Positive impacts include the improvement of the ground water quality of the island. Negative impacts include the increased in extraction of groundwater for toilet flushing that may increase the chances of groundwater salinization at a much accelerated rate. This project does foresee some negative impacts even during the construction stage but is geared towards improving the overall environmental quality of the island, most notably the environmental health. The project is presently planned to lay the sewer pipeline along the center of the exiting road. During this process, dewatering and construction pose some challenges. Previous experience of sewer construction in the Maldives has indicated that excavation depths more than 3.5m are not recommended for conventional dewatering methods to avoid the risk of undermining and trench collapses as well as loss of structural integrity of the surrounding earth. For the purpose of the Landhoo design, the maximum depth of excavation will not exceed 3.5m as per the Design criteria and technical specifications for conventional gravity sewerage systems guideline released by the Water and Sanitation Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). Strict reference to these criteria will be followed and necessary as some streets are very narrow and congested, leaving limited space for mechanical excavation between buildings for the installation of pipelines. The lack of an approved land use plan for the island is also a draw back for Landhoo. The present design is based solely on the existing populated area in the island. There are large areas of the island undeveloped and unzoned due to lack of a proper land use plan. The island is a potential hot spot for future tourism development due to the vase natural resources (beach, mangroves and thick forests and plenty of land). Different types of developments such as guesthouses and restaurants may require grease traps to prevent large influxes of unwanted material into the sewerage network. Therefore the present design of the system has not considered these future developments and in the event of such developments, the existing system will require upgrading. Requirements may need to be specified at a policy level to counter this issue. Therefore this is a potential risk factor in this project. Despite these shortcomings the project does not pose serious threats to the natural environment (marine and terrestrial) and will directly benefit the environment and the community, both in the short and long term. Minor negative impacts with varying significance will occur as the project is implemented. They include dewatering and localized salinization, disruption to public transport, dust emissions during pipe laying work and reef damage during the process of outfall construction. The pump stations have not been placed around the periphery of the island, instead are located within the population zone. This could pose the issue of foul odour in the event of a system failure whereby the foul odour abatement mechanism is affected. Incorporating the pump stations in the populated areas is a necessity and this design factor will enhance the functioning of the overall system. The project will benefit the community and the island in the long term. It is important to ensure that the project implementation is carried in a sustainable manner and in such the sewerage system can be maintained in a cost effective manner as and when required. It is therefore in the opinion of the consultant that the project does not foresee significant negative environmental impacts and should be allowed. Although the project will benefit the community, the proposed design has a number of disadvantages. Construction of pump stations underground on the streets is seen as a design issue that could have operational difficulties. Instead, the pump stations could be located within the residential block boundary with a small plot of land allocated for the pump station. Selection of sites can be focused on places such as mosque, symmetry and from other public buildings or plots of land. With the present design, a number of operational difficulties are anticipated. Experience from similar systems setup elsewhere in the Maldives have been studied and reviewed for this project. The reviews and experiences from these systems are not in favor of the present design and this is something that needs to be considered before undertaking the project. Sanitation systems must be both environmentally and socially friendly and acceptable. As important as the design is the operation and maintenance. Operation and maintenance should be viewed as a key sustainable aspect of similar projects. No matter how good a design is, the sustainability and acceptability will depend on how good the system functions in the operational period. With the pump stations being located on the road itself, there are a number of such difficulties which are equally as important as the engineering design aspects.
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