Environment - ތިމާވެށި
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Item Environmental management plan for the proposed sewage treatment plant in Maayaafushi Tourist Resort, Alif Alif Atoll, Maldives(2014-09) SandcaysThis EMP will identify key aspects of environmental management of the proposed Sewage Treatment Plant to be installed at Maayaafushi Tourist Resort, Alif Alif atoll with emphasis on how to manage environmental impacts and take necessary measures to minimize any impacts that may arise during the construction phase and operational phase of the project. The report will further provide a monitoring plan which can be implemented during and after completion of the proposed development works. The EMP was compiled based on qualitative and quantitative data collected from Maayaafushi during the site inspections and assessments carried out on 4th of June 2014. It has to be noted, the limitation on collecting and compiling the data on a very short period due to logistical and other issues such as unavailability of long-term base line data has made the consultants to restrict the management plan on data collected recently from the field, personal judgments and experiences gained from similar projects. Similarly, long term data on some aspects such as meteorology and climate were collected from secondary sources through previously published reports. This EMP report has been compiled in accordance with EIA Regulations 2012, which is enforced by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the Maldives. It was initially believed that the proposed project would involve the installation of an outfall for the disposal of treated sewage including an emergency outfall as required by EPA. However, during the scoping meeting the Proponent identified that there would be no additional discharge pipeline but the existing pipeline would be used. Therefore, it was decided by EPA during the Scoping Meeting that this project does not require an EIA and an Environmental Management Plan would suffice. This EMP is prepared in accordance with the guidelines given in the EIA Regulations of the Maldives. The principal environmental institution that implements the EIA process in the country is the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, the Ministry of Environment and Energy provides policy guidance and directions while Atoll Councils and Island Councils also provide approvals before projects are implemented.Item Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed pipe manufacturing plant Gulhifalhu Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2013-07) SandcaysThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study under the proposed establishment of a pipe manufacturing plant at Gulhifalhu, Kaafu Atoll. The project is proposed by MWSC Pvt. Ltd. The project involves manufacturing PVC and PE pipes in a small plant on Gulhifalhu. This would require establishing a power plant, RO plant and operational building at the MWSC site in Gulhifalhu. Feed water intake will be done via a borehole on the North West side of the project site. For this project, a PVC dry-blend (ready-made mixture) will be imported in large bags. This will then be sent to an extrusion line where the mixture will be heated to appropriate limits and moulded into pipes of required dimensions. A cooling system comprising of water will be used after the moulding process. As the process is done in a closed system, there will not be emission of any gases into the atmosphere during the entire process except for water vapour from the cooling system. Additionally, scrap materials from the manufacturing process will be re-used in the extrusion line leading to extremely small amount of waste being generated from the entire manufacturing process. However, there will be emission of carbon dioxide and similar gases from burning fuels in the power plant along with brine discharged into to the lagoon from the RO plant. Alternatives have been identified in the project document. Of these alternatives, the recommended alternative would be using eco-friendly power generation methods such as solar power cells and OTEC technologies. The proposed project is done on an artificial island away from any inhabited island and devoid of any terrestrial flora and fauna. Additionally there are no significant marine habitats close to the project site either. There are no significant impacts on the environment from the proposed project. However, there will be a major positive socio-economic impact from the project due to increased job opportunities and economic gain for the proponent. Since there were no significant environmental impacts identified for the proposed project, mitigation measure were general construction phase guidelines such as dust control measures and waste management plans. A monitoring program has been proposed for the project to assess and examine changes to the environment, if any in the long run.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed integrated water resource management project AA. Ukulhas(2013-09) SandcaysThis report discusses the findings of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment carried out for the proposed Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) project in Ukulhas, Alif Alifu Atoll. The project is proposed by Ministry of Environment and Energy. The project is targeted at providing potable water to the community through a water supply scheme based on rainwater harvesting supplemented by desalination during the dry period. This kind of scheme has not been previously introduced to the Maldives and is considered a unique project for the Maldives. One of the primary objectives of the project is climate adaptation and mitigation of impacts of climate on basic human needs such as water supply. The project is undertaken with support from the EU/Aus.AID funded Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF) managed by the World Bank. At present Ukulhas does not have a piped water supply system and groundwater is used unanimously for all purposes with the exception of bottled water and rainwater for drinking. Several efforts have been made in the past including the construction of public rainwater tanks with public tapbays, which was later replaced by household rainwater tanks of 2500l at each household for easier access but with some compromise on water quality. Rainwater, however, could not be depended upon during long, dry periods during the northeast monsoon. With changing climatic patterns worldwide, rainwater can rarely be depended upon. With lack of space for appropriate rainwater collection facilities combined with groundwater contamination and salinisation has been seen to cause various health and environmental problems including water-borne diseases. The dependence on groundwater and untreated rainwater is often a cause for concern. Therefore, an integrated water supply system that incorporates maximum rainwater harvesting supplemented by desalination and sustainable groundwater management is an immediate need for the people of Ukulhas, which has a population of over 1,000 people in mid-2013. It shall be noted that sustainable groundwater management is not within the scope of this project or the EIA report, although it is considered an integral part of any IWRM project in the Maldives. The proposed water supply scheme is designed for maximal use of rainwater supplemented by desalinated water for an average demand of 70 litres per person per day and a minimum of 20 litres per person per day for cooking and drinking during emergencies and extreme climatic conditions, as recommended in the Guidelines for IWRM Projects. The proposed scheme consists of rainwater collection from public roofs to a number of storage tanks, treatment works including desalination and chlorination and final distribution to households. Project Engineers have come up with various scenarios using different combinations of harvested water and RO water for supply. Among the scenarios, harvested water from public building roofs along with RO plant has been found to be the best option. As per the prevailing requirements by EPA, a minimum of 25% supply has to be from rainwater harvesting. It has been worked out that optimum supply of water is 25 lpcd which balances both the need of the people and follows the standard. 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 easy access to safe water supply, improvements to groundwater quality and resulting reduction in water-borne and water-related diseases and improved health of the population. The socio-economic benefits of the project may be considered to outweigh the negative impacts of the project. The main negative impact of the project is the diesel-based power system and resultant emissions, which has minor to moderate negative cumulative impacts. However, since rainwater is the primary source and desalination is supplementary to the proposed rainwater system, the power requirement is expected to be much lower than depending on RO desalination technology alone. There are a few negative impacts of the project including the minor impacts of landuse. The impact of brine discharge is also considered minor or negligible especially due to the fact that there is no coral cover in the proposed brine discharge location and good mixing will occur due to currents in the area. Since the pipeline is a pressure system, the pipes will be laid above the water table and no dewatering will be required. Hence, no effect on the groundwater lens. Other minor negative impacts include excavation to lay the water distribution network and brine discharge pipe. It has also been seen that recharge is also not much of a use if pumps are used to draw water from the groundwater aquifer, which leads to rapid salinization of the water lens during the dry period. Recharge of groundwater lens also occurs over a large surface due to rainfall. If we consider the sustainable yield estimated for Ukulhas, it can be seen that no amount of recharge will help to overcome the problems related to salinization due to increasing use of pumps. In fact, the Maldives receives well over 2000mm of rainfall, which would be more than sufficient to recharge the aquifer. Yet, the aquifer, similar to a rainwater tank, has its maximum capacity limits and cannot overgrow the impact imposed by high rates of abstraction. Therefore, only sustainable rates of pumping can ensure sustainable management of the aquifer. It has been observed from studies carried out for Malé that freshwater exists in pockets. Where the drawn down effect is high, due to the size of pumps and rate of pumping, there is a tendency for the water lens to become more saline at the location where the drawdown is greater. This draw down or lowering of the water table at the point of abstraction, sometimes referred to as the “coning effect” for the freshwater lens, can only be avoided with the use of appropriate technology such as skimming wells and infiltration galleries. The main mitigation measure for the proposed project would be to identify maximum public roof areas for rainwater collection and measures to minimize drawdown on the aquifer including the introduction of skimming wells by improving existing wells and enhancing water conservation techniques. Awareness on water conservation and sustainable groundwater management is key to sustainable water supply schemes, therefore, increasing awareness is considered an important mitigation measure. Mitigation measures have also been identified for the proposed reverse osmosis process including the use of solar desalination technology, however, this is not a must due to the small size of the project although it is desirable. Also, the use of lagoon intake wells instead of sea intakes or deep boreholes are important measures to mitigate the high energy costs related to the desalination component. It is inevitable that there would be some negative environmental impacts. However, these are minor compared to the positive effects of the proposed system. Yet, monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed system 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 water supply system. Monitoring is specifically focussed on water quality, to include feedwater, collected rainwater, groundwater, product water at designated locations and seawater at brine discharge location (upstream and downstream). Reef or marine ecological monitoring has not been considered under the project. In conclusion, it appears justified from a technical and environmental point of view, to carry out the proposed project to install and operate a piped water supply scheme using rainwater supplemented by desalinated water.