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Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed resort development at Kanbalifaru, Shaviyani Atoll, Maldives(2014-08) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed development of a resort on Kanbaalifaru; shaviyani Atoll. The island is about 195,709 m2 in its size. Kanbaalifaru is located close to the eastern rim of Shaviyani atoll at 6° 7'26.84"N and 73°15'18.89"E. There are no other islands within the house-reef of the island. The Proponent of the proposed development is Kanbaaalifaru Development Pvt. Ltd. The Proponent proposes to develop a medium to high end resort on Kanbaalifaru with 201 rooms, having a bed capacity of 402, which comprise of 30 x Beach Villas (2 rooms each); 50 x Ocean view villa; 18 x Family Villas (2 rooms each); 30 x Water villas and 25 x Superior water villas. In addition to these, guest facilities will include an Arrival Jetty; water villa arrival point; Reception and Admin office, a Main Restaurant; Main bar, Specialty restaurant, Spa Complex, Dive Center & Medical Clinic, Shops, Beach Bar/Coffee shops and Sports area. The proposed development will conform to all current environmental legislation including the Regulation on the Protection and Conservation of the Environment in the Tourism Industry. The main negative impact of the proposed development will be the impact of deforestation due to land clearance for proposed buildings. There may also be some degree of sedimentation due to excavation to place footings of jetties and water villa structures, which is considered minor negative. The other impacts due to environmental infrastructure such as power generation, sewage and wastewater disposal and water production are considered general impacts similar to all such developmental projects. There are no specific concerns or environmental impacts related to these. These impacts are inevitable. Yet, every effort is to be made to minimize the impact and footprint of the impact. To minimize the impact of deforestation, buildings will be designed around mature trees minimizing their removal. If a mature tree were to be removed, they will be carefully uprooted and transplanted elsewhere. It is noteworthy that there are very few mature trees in Kanbaalifaru with a few mature coconut palms. The other negative impacts of the water villas include impacts on sediment transport around the north-western side and south-western side of kanbaalifaru and some minor degree of sedimentation on the reef nearby. The impact on hydrodynamics would be minimized by placing water villas as far away from live reef areas and dynamic beach areas as possible especially on the southern end where there is a dynamic sand spit. To minimize the impact on longshore sediment transport, the walkways of water villas will stand on piles with their footings buried in the seabed. Care will also be taken to minimize sedimentation on the reef when placing water villa footings and columns. Precast footings and columns will be used and excavator movements shall be minimized. Excavator is preferably moved on barge to minimize sedimentation and if high bed excavators were to be used, they shall move as far from coral reef flat areas as possible. This impact of sedimentation will be short-lived given that tidal and wind-driven currents would normally carry the sediments away from the reef at all tides and monsoons. It is vital, therefore, to monitor the condition of the reef prior to the start of works, during the works and after the works to establish the true nature of the impact. Transplanting live corals in impacted area would be a priority. There are very few live corals in development zones, which may be impacted. The other environmental impacts of the proposed development include solid waste management, water supply, sewage disposal and energy generation. Solid waste will be generated both during the constructional and operational phase of the resort. Constructional waste will be disposed of by the Contractor to Vandhoo in Raa Atoll or Thilafushi in Kaafu Atoll. During the operational phase, a waste management center established on the island will segregate waste and dispose of them in a manner prescribed in tourism regulations. It is during the construction stage that the waste is often not managed properly and waste ends up in the environment. Therefore, it is vital that waste management procedures are in place during construction phase to ensure waste is appropriately dealt with. Supervision and awareness of construction workforce is highly recommended. Desalination, sewage treatment and power generation are fuel-dependent processes and fuel efficient desalination technology, STPs and, especially, generator sets will be installed in the island. Solar water heaters have been proposed and photovoltaic system incorporated, the costs of which have already been taken into consideration. Gravity sewers will deliver the sewage with multiple pumping stations, which will be minimized by appropriate design. Treated effluent with low levels of BOD (less than 20mg/l) will be disposed to the sea at not less than 10m below MSL and 5m away from the reef edge. Therefore, the impact from sewage disposal will be almost negligible. In fact, the daily peak flows is quite small that the proposed sea outfall would provide over 500-fold dilution to the sewage effluent even if it were raw sewage, which would occur only in the unlikely event that the sewage treatment plant fails. Hence, no further mitigation measures have been considered for sewage disposal and treatment. In order to minimize the energy-intensive nature of wastewater treatment, it has been recommended to avoid wastewater treatment and to consider direct disposal to sea or ground, if possible. Although the island is located within the atoll, the reef on the east is subjected oceanic swells from the channel between Fonadhoo and Eriyadhoo, therefore, the southeastern side or the north-northeastern side of the island is considered appropriate for disposal of raw sewage. Furthermore, due to the narrow nature of the island, the groundwater is quite saline and a proper groundwater lens is not formed, therefore, sewage and wastewater (being primarily domestic in nature) may be disposed into the ground through a septic tank system. The project encompasses clean technology and alternative energy options will be investigated with specific focus on a solar energy system. This will complement the proposed diesel generator sets. In addition, solar water heaters will be installed to provide hot water to all guest units. Also, to minimize fuel and water consumption, it is proposed to install energy and water efficient technology including faucets. The costs of these would be included in the project. Environmental monitoring has also been incorporated into the project. Arrangements for monitoring during constructional and operational phase will be considered immediately upon EIA approval. Monitoring will be undertaken according to the monitoring programme recommended in this report. Recommended monitoring for the project includes the monitoring of shoreline at predetermined and bench-marked tide levels, beach profiles and drogues at locations given in the EIA report, marine water quality at the location of the intake, brine discharge, sea outfall and a control location, air and groundwater at a location close to the powerhouse and desalination plant and a control location and quality of product water at 3 specified locations including product water tank. Fuel and water production data and clean energy initiatives may also be incorporated. Annual monitoring reports have to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency over the monitoring period and shall include fuel and water consumption data and greenhouse gas emission calculations. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate matrices and the results indicated that the proposed project has net positive impact. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits although there would be some negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed development of new superior rooms at Club Med Kanifinolhu(2013-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed 18 rooms on the northern end of Club Med Kanifinolhu, North Malé Atoll. The 18 rooms will be developed as 9 single units comprising each of 2 rooms. The northern end has a large expanse of land formed behind a seawall/revetment in the area. The rooms are to be built in this area, which has had a few coconut palms and an iron wood tree. This area is the only available land for development of rooms at Kanifinolhu resort. Therefore, to take advantage of the recently introduced 30% built-up area for resorts, Club Med Kanifinolhu is proposing to utilize this land to create rooms targeted for emerging middle markets. The area will be landscaped with the few mature coconut palms that have been removed from the site, additional young palms grown in the island’s nursery and transplanting about 16 more coconut palms from other potential development sites such as housing projects in local islands. In order to meet additional power requirements by the proposed rooms, 2 generator sets are currently being upgraded from 800kVA to 910kVA. For water supply, it has been estimated that about 15800litres will be required for the rooms and the existing RO plant would be able to handle this additional requirement. Sewage and wastewater will be connected to the existing sewerage network by gravity lines. Existing wastewater treatment plant is capable of handling these 18 rooms as well as potential future expansion. Project alternatives have been considered and as has been mentioned earlier, the best alternative is to construct the rooms as proposed. Water villas on the southeastern side may be a potential alternative with disadvantages over cost. Minimizing the number of villas is not an option and the most number of rooms possible is desirable to the Proponent. The main negative environmental impact from the proposed project considered by EPA as well as others (in the Scoping Meeting) is the potential risk of erosion and subsequent structural damage. However, it has been observed from a study of the historic satellite images provided by Google that the sand behind the revetment/seawall at the northern end is quite stable. Therefore, no risks are envisaged. There will be no significant negative impact during the proposed modification of the seawall or retaining wall on the northern end. Sedimentation will be very low and easily dispersed due to high currents in the area. In fact, the proposed modifications will further enhance the protection afforded by the structure and minimize erosion and would be more aesthetically appealing. The other negative impact will be the removal of coconut palms for clearing land for development, however, there are a few and they will be transplanted on the island, preferably at the same area with young coconut trees planted in Kanifinolhu nursery. Other impacts include possible noise disturbance to guests during the construction phase. They will be managed by the Management during the course of the project as usual. Additional rooms will add cumulatively to the emissions and effluents disposed to the environment including brine from desalination, treated wastewater from wastewater treatment and carbon emissions from power generation as well as solid waste. The cumulative impact from additional emissions is considered to be low. Increased awareness together with the use of energy and water efficient gadgets in the new rooms would help to minimize such impacts. Use of solar water heaters and other renewable energy options have already been considered within the scope of the project. The main socio-economic impact of the project is increasing bed capacity and subsequent public/government revenue. There will also be several employment opportunities and indirect economic ventures as a result of the project. In terms of their significance, all of the above impacts are considered to be minor to negligible. There are no direct or indirect impacts on the reef or other ecologically significant areas. Club Med Kanifinolhu has an ongoing environmental monitoring programme incorporating coastal hydrodynamics and marine water quality under the coastal modifications project undertaken in 2012. Therefore, additional monitoring requirements imposed by this project would cover air quality, RO Plant feed water and product water quality. These have been incorporated into this EIA and an overall monitoring programme for the island recommended. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits and few minor negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed reclamation of runway extension Gan International Airport Addu City, Maldives(2013-01) SandcaysThis report discusses the findings of a social and environmental impact study under the proposed runway extension at Gan International Airport, Gan, Addu City. The project is proposed by Addu International Airport Pvt. Ltd. The project is targeted at extending the runway by reclamation of land from the surrounding lagoon so that larger aircrafts can be accommodated. The dredged area will be utilized for sea plane operations in the near future. Coastal protection of the reclaimed area as well as the dredge area for seaplane operations will form an integral part of the project. At present large aircrafts A320 and Boeing 777 can only do an emergency landing and regular operations is not possible. With the increasing demand for large international carriers the runway needs to be extended. The airport not only caters for Addu City but is the international hub in the south of the Maldives catering for a large local population and an ever increasing tourist population in Addu City, Fuah Mulah and Huvadhoo Atolls. Therefore, the proposed runway extension is an immediate need for Gan International Airport. In addition, resort and other economic developments in the southern atolls will increase the demand for seaplane operations and this demand is very strong at present. Therefore, adequate areas need to be identified for seaplane operations. Shallow lagoon areas which can be easily protected from waves is most suitable and the proposed dredge areas on the southern lagoon of Gan are the only potential areas for seaplane operations and their future expansion. Alternatives have been identified in the project document. These include alternatives for the runway extension as well as dredge areas. The runway has been proposed to be extended to 350m initially with the possibility of further expansion in the future. The proposed area for extension is the western end of the runway between Gan and Feydhoo. Two dredge areas were identified as the southwest lagoon area and the southeast lagoon areas. These two options are being currently studied by comparing costs of dredging against operational costs. In terms of their social and environmental impact, both options are equally suitable. Further options were identified during the EIA process including the scoping meeting. One important option identified by the environmental consultants was extending the runway more to the eastern end than the west in order to minimize the impact on the flow between Gan and Feydhoo. This option has been favoured by the Consultants initially. However, taking into consideration the greater negative impacts on the marine environment from the option, the consultants chose to recommend the alternative of reclaiming the entire area between Feydhoo and Gan and to not extend the runway to the eastern side. This option may have additional dredging costs, however, the costs of protecting the reclaimed area is expected to counter balance the increased costs of dredging. In addition, the onshore and offshore protection proposed under the project together with a groyne system for Feydhoo and other affected areas, proposed as mitigation measures, will help to minimize the impacts on longshore transport. Therefore, this option may be favoured. Environmental impacts were assessed for both the construction and operation phase of the project. Most of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as positive resulting mainly from improved transportation, increased economic activities in the southern atolls of the Maldives, direct and indirect employment opportunities, increase in related business ventures, and so on. The main negative environmental impact of the project is identified to be the changes in hydrodynamics between Feydhoo and Gan and the resulting impacts on the southern, especially southeastern shoreline of Feydhoo. The Proponent is willing to undertake monitoring and if necessary computer modelling to identify mitigation measures and undertake such measures at their cost. There are also few negative impacts of the project relating to changes in landuse as a result of the project. The main impact relating to landuse would be further developments on the southeast corner of Feydhoo, which is the only area of Feydhoo with nice sandy beach. Land owners in the area may be affected. However, industrial developments could take place in the area. The main mitigation measure for the proposed project would be the provision of shore protection to the southeast beach on Feydhoo. The City Council raised concern that this area is even at present under threat of erosion during storms and that they have been considering shore protection measures for this side. Therefore, it would be ideal if such shore protection can be incorporated as mitigation measures under the proposed runway extension project. Secondly, there will be the well-known impact of sedimentation from dredging and reclamation and mitigation measures that shall be implemented. These include provision of bunds and control of dredge water flow in to the environment. Methods of sediment control have been discussed in the report in detail. Use of silt screens where relevant has been identified as an important measure. It is recommended to ensure that sedimentation is kept to a minimal as such use of cutter suction dredger has been recommended. It is inevitable that there would be some negative environmental impacts. However, most of the impacts of the proposed project are minor compared to the positive socio-economic benefits of the proposed system. Yet, monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed project would be necessary. Therefore, a monitoring component has been suggested which takes in to consideration, the most important elements that require regular checks. This monitoring component will be adhered to and will allow the assessment of changes due to construction and implementation of the proposed extension of the runway. Monitoring is specifically focussed on water quality, mainly turbidity and total suspended solids during the construction phase. Changes in the hydrodynamics of the project area as well as impacts on the reef or marine ecological are of importance. In conclusion, it appears justified from a technical and environmental point of view, to carry out the proposed project to extend the runway of Gan International Airport to the west. However, there are alternative that may be more suitable and shall be considered with caution and after understanding the costs and discussions with relevant government authorities.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed coastal modifications Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa(2013-10) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed first phase of the coastal modifications including installation of groynes and sand pumping for beach nourishment on the western end of Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa, Meemu Atoll. This project has been previously approved and due to delays in implementation, the project is further scrutinized including changes to the proposed shore protection structures and new EIA. Hakuraa Huraa, like several other resorts and inhabited islands across the Maldives, is subjected erosion and coastal protection structures have been constructed. These mainly include the groynes and seawall structures on the eastern side as well as temporary sandbag groynes and revetments on severely eroding areas on the proposed western end of the island. The southern side and the eastern and western ends are prone to severe erosion while the northern side has always had accretion. There had never been any beach nourishment despite having a groyne field on the southern side. Therefore, the effectiveness of the groyne field on the southern side has not been known. The southern side with a long stretch of shallow reef flat faces the atoll rim. Therefore, this side is constantly subjected to the swell-induced crossshore movement of sediment. Hence, groyne field on the southern side may not be effective. However, on the eastern and western ends of the island, there is a strong longshore current and groynes are expected to be quite suitable for these two ends of the island. Hence, a groyne field is proposed for the western side, which is being considered as a first phase of the shore protection project. The groynes will be constructed using rock boulders with a core enclosed by geotextile. A small volume of about 500tons of rock boulders is estimated for the proposed groyne field. In addition, the groyne field and part of the southeastern shoreline will be filled with sand pumped from a location on the southern side where there is ample sand. The location will be about 150m from the island’s shoreline, which is the most practicable distance for sand pumping using most of the sand pumps currently available in the Maldives. A sand pump is most suited due to its small size and dredgers would not be feasible due to the small volume, which is 5,500m3 of sand. The second phase will be implemented based on the success of the first phase and would most probably replicate the groyne field proposed in this phase. However, the second phase components are not considered within the scope of this EIA report. Sand pumping is necessary in order to fill eroded areas even if structural protection is provided. In most cases, regular beach nourishment by pumping sand would be required. However, in the proposed project, what is proposed is a one-off pumping and additional pumping requirements will be established based on findings of follow-up monitoring so that regular beach nourishment for the proposed area will be considered within the scope of the EIA for the second phase. The negative impacts to environment due to the construction of groynes and beach nourishment is mainly during the construction phase which include impacts due to mobilisation, construction noise and machinery movement. However, these are considered to be minor negative given the prevailing environmental conditions at Hakuraa Huraa. The negative impacts of sand pumping for both borrow and fill areas include loss of habitats for some bottom dwelling organisms in the nearshore environment (mud feeding, filter feeding and juvenile fish etc). However, this is not a significant ecosystem in the Maldives, especially in Hakuraa Huraa, where the reef extent is very large and the biodiversity of nearshore ecosystem is low. Therefore, the impact significance is almost negligible. Also, the impact from sedimentation and sediment re-suspension is low due to good flow of currents in the area. There will be no sedimentation impact on the reef. The positive impacts of shore protection and beach nourishment will be that it will help to protect coastal vegetation as well as coastal properties and other amenities, particularly on the south-western corner as well as the northwestern corner, where the coffee shop is under threat of erosion. There will also be socio-economic impacts including tax revenue and short-term employment. The overall environmental impacts of the project assessed using appropriate matrices, professional experience/judgement and the results of continuous environmental monitoring over the past few years indicated that the proposed project is expected to have net positive impacts compared to a few negative environmental impacts. There will be no irreplaceable damage to any of the environmental components. The resort has a comprehensive environmental monitoring plan in place and monitoring recommended under the proposed project will form an integral part of the current practice. Given that the project has several advantages or benefits compared to a few minor negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental impact assessment for the dredging of a seaplane strip at Dh. Kudahuvadhoo airport(Dhaalu Airport Holdings, 2018-12) SandcaysDhaalu Airport Holdings Pvt. Ltd. proposes to develop its seaplane operations as part of the Domestic Airport which has been recently opened after reclaiming 62.81hectares of land from the southern lagoon of Kudahuvadhoo, Dhaalu Atoll. The seaplane runway is a 60m x1000m and the taxiway is 30mx450m rectangular strips of lagoon dredged in the shallow area between Kudahuvadhoo and recently reclaimed airstrip. A seaplane terminal is also proposed to be developed. Kudahuvadhoo Island is located on the southern side of Dh. Atoll on geographic coordinates of 72.893716 longitude and 2.671707 latitudes having a land area of 71.2Hectares. The proposed seaplane facility at Dhaalu Airport will be subject to the key legal instruments including Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (No. 4/93), Civil Aviation Act (No. 2/2001) of Maldives. Thus, it must satisfy the EIA process according to the EIA Regulations and get approval as well as conform to the Dredging and Reclamation Regulation as well as civil aviation standards and safety measures. The construction work involves the main activities to be carried out including dredging and reclamation, shore protection measures, levelling of the land, development of paved roads, terminal building, pontoon jetties and other related infrastructure. All utilities including water, sewerage, waste management, fuel services and electricity are currently in place and additional facilities would not be required. The main activity that will be involved with the development of this project in the marine environment is dredging of the shallow lagoon and disposal of dredge material at the project site. The proposed dredging takes place between already reclaimed areas devoid of any coral. Therefore, there would be negligible or few minor negative impacts on the reef areas of Kudahuvadhoo. However, there would be possible shoaling of dredged areas and water quality deterioration in the proposed seaplane taxiway and part of the seaplane runway due to stagnation. Aircraft operation will cause noise pollution due to aircraft or its components, during various phases of a flight: on the ground while parked such as auxiliary power units; while taxiing; on run-up from propeller and jet exhaust during take-off; underneath and lateral to departure and arrival paths; over-flying while en-route or during landing time. However, as discussed in the airport EIA, noise sensitive places such as schools and hospitals are already at considerable distance and future developments would also take this into consideration. Owing to the intermittent nature of aircraft noise due to low traffic, it is not considered to be of significance even with the addition of the seaplane operations.A detailed environmental monitoring programme has been included in the EIA for Airport development, which is sufficient to cover the proposed operations. Therefore, the programme has been revised and included in this EIA. The overall environmental impacts of the project assessed using appropriate matrices, professional experience/judgement and the results obtained on existing situation of Kudahuvadhoo indicated that the proposed project has net positive impact compared to a few (mostly cumulative) negative environmental impacts. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits although there would be some negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.