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Item First addendum : EIA for proposed coastal protection works in Th. Kandoodhoo(2017-08) މުޙައްމަދު ޒުހައިރު; Zuhair, MohamedThis is the First Addendum to the project’s approved main EIA, which has been prepared for obtaining permit and environmental clearance for additional works to be carried out as part of the proposed coastal protection works in Th. Kandoodhoo island including excavation of 10,484m3 fill material, backfilling works on 320m long eastern shoreline, development of a 15m long geo-bag arm to protect the northern tip of the revetment and extension of a 35m long area between the proposed revetment and existing harbor. The Proponent of the project is Ministry of Environment and Energy and the contractor of the project is SAS e Senok JV Pvt. Ltd. It is a legal requirement under the Amended EIA Regulation 2012 EIAs/Addendums for projects that are believed to generate negative environmental impacts. This Addendum has been prepared as per the approved Terms of Reference (TOR) on 10 August 2017. The scope of this Addendum is to address the existing environmental condition of the proposed project areas and surrounding environment, identify potential environmental impacts, and 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. A detailed environmental assessment was undertaken as part of the main EIA and marine and coastal environmental assessments relevant for the proposed project have been used as the baseline environmental condition along with some recent observations in this Addendum. The major environmental impact is believed to occur from excavation of fill material from the burrow site including sedimentation within the surrounding environment, direct destruction of some of the lagoon habitats as well as increased turbidity in seawater due to sedimentation. Impacts from other activities such as backfilling and geo-structures development have been identified to be minimal. Careful planning and scheduling of the proposed activities to coincide with calm days and low tide operations has been proposed as the main mitigation measures in addition to regular monitoring of the various aspects of the environment. Although there some environmental impacts from the proposed additional works, 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 the environmental monitoring programme. Also, with the long-term need to maintain the coastal protection of the project area, the proposed additional works has been considered an important requirement for the overall project.Item Environmental impact assessment proposed 14-storey building with basement at Ma. Alidhooge Male’(2017-08) މުޙައްމަދު ޒުހައިރު; Zuhair, Mohamed; އިބްރާހިމް ޝާކިރު; Shakir, IbrahimApollo Holdings Pvt. Ltd., proposes to develop a 14-Storey Building with Basement at Ma. Alidhooge found on Shaheed Kudanevi Thuthu Manik Hingun, Male’ for mixed use and residential purpose. The total area of the plot is 6,531.9 sqft. The development footprint will be 5,274.42sq.ft. An open space of 525.49sq.ft will be left within the plot. The project is expected to be completed in 1.8 years. ii. The site will be excavated to a depth of 3m to lay the foundations and develop the basement area which will have a floor height of 2.3m. The entire boundary will be sheet piled to depths of 3.5 - 4m with corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety and protection measure while preparing the site ready for construction. A raft foundation has been proposed for the building. iii. Once completed, the building will have 13 residential floors with 2 bedroom, 3+1 bedroom and 4+1 bedroom apartments, ground floor for commercial use including shops and a mini mart and basement with car and motorcycle parking, storage, M&E room, chamber, admin, security room. A total of 36 x 2 bedroom, 24 x 3+1 bedroom and 2 x 4+1 bedroom unit will be developed for residential use. The rooftop on the 14th floor will have a play area, swimming pool, gym and a private garden area. It is estimated that around 300 persons can be accommodated in the residential units of the building. iv. The EIA has been prepared as per the EIA Regulations 2012 developed directly under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act and identifies that development of such buildings exceeding 31m in height and with basements or over 10 storeys with greater than 5ft foundation require an EIA to be undertaken and approved by EPA before commencement of construction. v. In addition to Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, EIA Regulations, the project has to comply with Dewatering Regulation, Waste Management Regulation, Male’ Planning Regulation, Land Act as well as comply with Maldives National Building Code recommendations. area, assessments have been undertaken including ambient noise levels, traffic volume and movement, groundwater quality, soil and vegetation, physical condition of the surrounding buildings and roads as well as social assessments in the neighbourhood. vii. The proposed development will take place in the central part of Male’ City, Machchangoalhi District. The plot is within Block Number 194. The land plot is located at 4°10'33.51"N and 73°30'31.73"E. The proposed development area will be 5,274.42sq.ft of the 6,531.90sq.ft total plot area. The main connectivity to Alidhooge will be from Shaheed Kudanevi Thuthu Manik Hingun, which is a oneway road from east to west connected to Chandhanee Magu. viii. Noise levels recorded from the sites were Site 1 51dB (10:00hrs), 65dB (18:00hrs) and 60dB (21:00hrs), Site 2 56dB (10:00hrs), 69dB (18:00hrs) and 64dB (21:00hrs), Site 3 50dB (10:00hrs), 67dB (18:00hrs) and 61dB (21:00hrs), Site 4 49dB (10:00hrs), 59dB (18:00hrs) and 62dB (21:00hrs) and Site 5 48dB (10:00hrs), 63dB (18:00hrs) and 57dB (21:00hrs). Based on noise level records, 18:00hrs, which coincided with schools afternoon session finish period was recorded to have the highest noise levels on all sites except for Site 4 where highest noise level occurred at 21:00hrs. The highest noise levels were recorded from Chandhanee Magu, which is a main road in Male’ City where there is greater traffic movement most of the time. ix. The traffic volume was assessed to be generally high especially on Chandhanee Magu which is a main road in Male’ City. The highest traffic on both roads were recorded at 18:00hrs time period. This is mainly because the three school on Chandhanee Magu, Iskandhar School, Aminiya School and Arabiyya School finish their afternoon sessions at this time slot. The highest traffic volume at this period was from motorcycles having 1,942 on Chandhanee Magu and 773 on Shaheed Kudanevi Thuthu Hingun. All other traffic types including cars, pickups and lorries were recorded to be very low as such vehicles are not allowed during school rush hours. Pedestrian movement at this time was also observed to be extremely high. good and free from contamination and pollution. The faecal colifirm levels were at 0 and salinity levels were at 0.650/00. xi. There is no vegetation present in the proposed plot hence, vegetation assessment was not undertaken. xii. The neighbourhood of block 194 as well as nearby blocks (195 and 196) has a number of multistorey buildings, most of which are believed to be used for residential purpose except for the ground floor of these buildings where it is used for commercial purpose such as shops. However, on the adjancent of Alidhooge plot, only one multistorey is found, which is located on the eastern side at Shimaagu. The buildings is currently under construction and 6 sheets have been completed out of 10 sheets. Other plots on the adjacent of Alidhooge at Gurumful on the northern side has 2 storey building and Anbaraa on the western side has a single storey building. The structure of Shimaagu is 2 - 3 years old. The buildings at Gurumful is less than 5 years old. xiii. The condition of these roads are observed to be good. No cracks or physical damages were found. xiv. There are some concerning environmental impacts from the proposed project, such as excavation, dewatering, construction activities, operation of construction machinery, construction waste generating environmental impacts such as noise, dust and pollution are believed to occur. Social impacts such as traffic congestion, disturbance to nearby residents have been predicted as well as health problems as a result of dust have been identified. During operation period of the project, domestic waste and traffic are believed to increase. xv. As part of the proposed project, a number of mitigation measures have been proposed in the EIA Report including using corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety measure for protecting the excavated area for foundation, dewatering will be undertaken upon approval from EPA, while preparing the site ready for construction, measures such as installation of safety and dust protection nets, appropriate signage will be placed to make aware people on the development. Important considerations with regards to mitigating environmental impacts include closing the boundary of the project area, placing dust nets around the building, regularly transporting construction waste and avoiding material transport during peak traffic hours as well as designating proper time periods for construction works have been identified. xvi. Although the project has short-term environmental impacts from the proposed development, the project has more social and economic benefits, which is believed to tremendously contribute to the need for residential and commercial space in Male’, create some employment opportunities and contribute to the local economy in Male’ in the long-term. xvii. Although during construction of the project, negative environmental impacts from construction activities have been envisaged, with appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures, these impacts will be reduced to a considerable level. Also, with positive socio-economic outlook of the project and considering the need for additional space in Male’, it is concluded that the project is an important development.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed water production and distribution facility at Hanimaadhoo, Haa Dhaal Atoll, Maldives(2016-11) Zuhair, Mohamed; Abdul Fathah, Mariyam Shujaa-ath; Shareef, Mohamed1. The purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the development of the proposed water production and distribution facility at HDh. Hanimaadhoo and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; 2. Currently, rainwater is widely used in all houses as cooking water and groundwater is used for various other domestic uses. Almost all houses have a rainwater storage tank. Bottled water is now mainly used as drinking water. Nevertheless, the groundwater lens in the islands of Maldives is depleted and highly saline due to over use and polluted in some areas and not fit for use for domestic purposes. Even though rainwater is widely used, it is not a reliable source as rainwater cannot be collected during dry season. Therefore, it is understood that Hanimaadhoo is in dire need of a clean water facility; 3. In the proposed facility the water production system is designed for 15 years whereas the distribution system for 35 years; 4. Proposed project involves installation of an RO plant with a capacity of 100 tonnes per day with three independent drains. Seawater intake is proposed from two bore wells 13 m deep at a site near the desalination plant. In addition to the bore wells, the facility will also incorporate rain water collected from public roofs, hence this is an integrated water resource management facility. Project also includes laying of distribution pipeline to existing household and a fire hydrant system; 5. A full baseline of groundwater quality, seawater quality, vegetation clearance and marine environment was established. It was found that the vegetation need to be cleared from the pump station location. Marine environment study showed that living substrata and fish count at the proposed outfall location was low due to dynamic oceanographic conditions that exist on the eastern side of the island with waves, swells and heavy currents which prevents settlement of new corals. Additionally, it is a high mixing zone; 6. The construction works of new powerhouses presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal; 7. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly established water production and distribution facility will ensure water security to the population of Hanimaadhoo in addition to greatly reducing health impacts associated with the use of polluted water; and 8. Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Water quality and marine environment monitoring shall be done as per to the proposed monitoring schedule.Item Environmental impact assessment : Tower C of Amin Avenue, Hulhumale’(2016-01) Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimThis Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report has been prepared for the development of Tower C, which is the third block to be developed as part of the 3 mixed-use residential and commercial complexes of Amin Avenue to be developed in Hulhumale’ by Amin Construction Pvt. Ltd.. The proposed Tower C development will be undertaken in a separate 14 storey building in the land plot N2-23 in Neighborhood 2. Upon completion of Tower C, the complex will have 72 apartments. The Ground and First Floors of the complex will be developed for commercial plots, parking lots and access ways, similar to Tower A and B. This EIA is prepared as per the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 16 December 2015. It is a legal requirement under the Amended EIA Regulation to prepare and approve EIAs for commercial, economic and development projects enlisted in Schedule D. Environmental clearance is obtained through approval of the EIA and issuance of EIA Decision Statement from EPA. The Tower C of Amin Avenue will be developed in Neighborhood 2 of Hulhumale’ in the land plot N2-23, which is located at 4°12'49.14"N / 73°32'25.66"E. The total land area of N2- 23 is 19,779ft2. The plot is located on the southern side of the proposed park located in the central parts of Hulhumale’. In order to understand existing environmental conditions of the proposed Tower C plot, assessments have been undertaken including noise levels, traffic flow and volume, ecological and structural assessments, groundwater and soil assessments. As Tower C is located within the overall Amin Avenue development boundary, comparison of some of the data collected for the EIA for Towers A and B with EIA for Tower C has been undertaken. Similar to the previous assessments, the highest noise levels recorded were from the northern side of the land plot having 76dB and 78dB. However, readings for the same locations during the previous assessment showed 69dB and 67dB, hence there is an increase in the noise levels of the surrounding environment. This is primarily attributed to the ongoing construction works at Towers A and B as well as other nearby sites. The average noise levels recorded on the southern sides were also increased from 62dB (previous) to 66dB (new) and from 61dB (previous) to 68dB (new). The increased noise levels on the southern side were also attributed to the ongoing construction activities for the development of Towers A and B. Generally, the traffic volume was observed to have decreased from the previous survey. This is probably due to the time where the data was collected and the period in which the data was collected where it was school holidays, hence there is a general reduction in the traffic volume of the surrounding environment. However, volume of pickups and trucks has increased from 7 to 8 and from 5 to 6 in the recent survey. There is no vegetation found within the plot allocated for Tower C development. Hence, there are no issues with vegetation clearance as part of the proposed development. A soil pit was dug within the land plot allocated for Tower C development, which indicate that generally there are no soil layers. The soil profiles show that up to the water level, only reclaimed sand exists. As there is no vegetation found within the site, the topsoil also does not have any humus content. A groundwater analysis was carried out for the Tower C location from MWSC laboratories, which indicated that the groundwater found within the site contains average levels of nitrates having 20.5mg/l. Phosphate levels found were 0.05mg/l and sulphide levels were less than 5 miccrograms/l. The salinity level was only 0.44ppt. However, high levels of dissolved solids having 451mg/l and turbidity level of 4.52NTU was found in the groundwater. Also, high levels of faecal coliforms having 308CFU were found from the groundwater at the site. Currently some social housing units and flats are found within the vicinity of the project sites which are observed to be quite new and in good condition. No physical damages have been observed from these buildings. These buildings are found on the eastern side of the Tower C plot and the overall development area. Condition of the roads around the proposed project site is observed to be in good condition. No cracks or physical damages are observed on the roads. The environmental impacts that may be associated with the proposed project are predicted and assumed in the EIA Report. These environmental impacts are divided into construction phase and operation phase environmental impacts. Most of the construction phase environmental impacts are believed to occur from excavation, dewatering, construction activities, operation of construction machinery and vehicles and construction waste disposal. The main environmental impacts believed to occur during operation phase of the project include household waste and increased traffic within and around areas. As part of the proposed project, a number of mitigation measures have been proposed in the EIA Report including using corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety measure for protecting the excavated area for foundation, dewatering will be undertaken in opens spaces in Hulhumale to reduce loss of ground water, while preparing the site ready for construction, measures such as installation of safety and dust protection nets, appropriate signage will be placed to make aware people on the development. Also, important mitigation measures that will be implemented include complete elimination of waste disposal during construction and operation stages of the development into the project boundaries as well as promotion of a greener lifestyle have identified important aspects of the proposed development. The overall environmental performance will be monitored by an environmental monitoring framework that will be implemented as part of the proposed development of Tower C of Amin Avenue. Although during construction of the project, negative environmental impacts from construction activities have been envisaged, with appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures, these impacts will be reduced to a considerable level. Also, with positive socio-economic outlook of the project and considering the overall importance of such a development in Hulhumale’ to alleviate housing stress, it is concluded that the project should go ahead as planned.Item Environmental impact assessment proposed mixed use residential complexes in Hulhumale’ hiyaa vehi project(2017-10) Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, Ibrahimi) AMIN Construction Pvt. Ltd. proposes to develop 3 Real Estate Complexes for mixeduse residential and commercial purposes in Hulhumale’ known as Hiyaa Vehi Project. The project will be undertaken in 3 land plots (C2-1; C2-2; C2-3) located on Moonimaa Magu and Reethigas Magu. The complex in each land plot will comprise of two residential blocks with a common ground and first floor. The first block (Block A) in each complex will be 13-storey and the second block (Block B) will be 14-storey. The land area of the plots are C2-1 (25,487.52ft2 / 2,367.87m2), C2-2 (27,543.31ft2 / 2,558.86m2) and C2-3 (27,282.07ft2 / 2,534.59m2). Each complex will be developed in a floor area of 14,962ft2 (1,390m2) and the remaining areas will be left as open space. ii) Upon completion of the proposed project, Block A will have 62 apartments and Block B will have 72 apartments in each complex. Hence the total residential use units will be 402 in the three complexes. The Ground Floor and First Floors of the three complexes will be developed as commercial, parking and access ways. A total of 33 car parking slots and over 500 motorcycle parking slots together with some commercial units will be developed in each complex in ground and first floors. iii) The sites will be excavated to a depth of 2.5m to lay the foundations. The entire boundary will be shored with corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety measure while preparing the site ready for construction. The buildings will be developed separately. Each building will rest on a raft foundation. MWSC and STELCO utility services based in Hulhumale’ will be used for all construction and operation purposes. Dewatering will be primarily done on the open areas nearby, hence, no groundwater will be lost from the proposed development. Excavated material will be transported to designated areas in Hulhumale’ 2. iv) The EIA has been prepared as per the EIA Regulations 2012 developed directly under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act and identifies that development of such buildings exceeding 31m in height and over 10 storeys with greater than 5ft foundation require an EIA to be undertaken and approved by EPA before commencement of construction. Terms of Reference for the EIA was approved by 19 September 2017. v) In addition to Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, EIA Regulations, the project has to comply with Dewatering Regulation, Waste Management Regulation, Hulhumale’ Planning and Building Construction Regulation: Neighborhood 2 and 3, Land Act as well as comply with Maldives National Building Code recommendations. vi) In order to understand existing environmental conditions of the proposed project area, assessments have been undertaken including ambient noise levels, traffic volume and movement, groundwater quality, soil and vegetation, physical condition of the roads. vii) The proposed project will be undertaken in 3 land plots C2-1; C2-2; C2-3. C2-1 is located at 4°13'16.84"N / 73°32'26.01"E. C2-2 is located at 4°13'14.65"N / 73°32'25.79"E and C2-3 is located at 4°13'12.57"N / 73°32'25.59"E. All land plots are located on Moonimaa Magu and Reethigas Magu. viii) The highest noise level was recorded at Site 1 located on the southern side of the project site having 51dB. This is relatively low noise levels compared to other areas due to low traffic and minimal activities that are currently happening in the area. Occasional traffic found on the southern side of the project area raises noise level to a certain degree. Site 2 which is located in the middle of the plots had lesser noise (45dB) as no major activities are happening in the area. Site 3 located on the northern side of the plots had slightly increased noise (49dB) which is attributed to some temporary work happening in the plots. Site 4 located on the western side had the lowest level (43dB) as there are no major activities currently happening in the area. ix) The highest traffic along the road recorded was from motorcycles having 28 during the hourly period. The second highest traffic volume is from cars, mainly taxis having an hourly movement of 12 at the time of the assessment. Some movement of trucks and lorries were seen mainly coming and going out of construction sites. x) The general condition of the soil indicates that upper layers of the soil profile contains medium to dense coral sand with varying depths of loose sand below 2m. Groundwater is found at a depth of 1.4m. xi) The groundwater condition at the site is normal with no peculiar condition of parameters tested, except that some 1 MPN/100ml of Faecal Coliform counts have been recorded from C2-1. However, this is not a serious level. All other sites had 0 Coliform Counts. xii) There are no vegetation found inside the project boundary. However, some mixed mature vegetation are found by the roadside which is out of the proposed project boundary. Hence, there is no requirement for removing these vegetation and there will be no major impacts on these vegetation. xiii) There are currently no buildings adjacent to the proposed plot or the immediate surrounding area, however, some buildings similar to the proposed project is planned to be undertaken within the vicinity. C2-4, which is the southern plot (not part of the project) is getting ready for construction. Also, about 75m southwest of the proposed project, a site is getting ready for construction. xiv) The road condition by the project site namely Reethigas Magu and Moonima Magu are in good condition. No damages and cracks have been observed. xv) The environmental impacts that may be associated with the proposed project are predicted and assumed in the EIA Report. These environmental impacts are divided into construction phase and operation phase environmental impacts. Most of the construction phase environmental impacts are believed to occur from excavation, dewatering, construction activities, operation of construction machinery and vehicles and construction waste disposal. The main environmental impacts believed to occur during operation phase of the project include domestic waste and increased traffic within and around areas. xvi) With appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures as well as conformity to all the legal and regulatory requirements as outlined in the EIA Report, the project is believed to control or minimize most of the environmental and social impacts both during construction and operation phases of the development. Important considerations with regards to mitigating environmental impacts include closing the boundary of the project area, placing safety and dust nets around the building, regularly transporting construction waste and avoiding material transport during peak traffic hours as well as designating proper time periods for construction works have been identified. xvii) Unlike short-term environmental impacts from the proposed development, it has longterm beneficial social and economic impacts, which is believed to tremendously contribute to the overall socio-economic development of Hulhumale’ that can be sustained for over longer periods. xviii) Although during construction of the project, negative environmental impacts from construction activities have been envisaged, with appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures, these impacts will be reduced to a considerable level. Also, with positive socio-economic outlook of the project and considering the overall importance of such a development in Hulhumale’ to alleviate social housing stress, it is concluded that the project is an important project that can be implemented for the benefit of social and economic development.Item Environmental impact assessment : proposed development of 15- storey building with basement at H. Dhoovehi Male’(2017-05) މުޙައްމަދު ޒުހެއިރު; Zuhair, Mohamed; އިބްރާހިމް ޝާކިރު; Shakir, Ibrahimi. The proposed 15 storey building at H. Dhoovehi will be developed by AMIN Construction Pvt. Ltd. Once completed, the basement area will have water tanks with storage area, the ground floor will be a private car park, generator room, water meter room, security room, waste collection, loading area; first and second floors will be a restaurant; third to thirteenth floor will be residential, fourteenth floor will be a suite. At the top level will be a rooftop mezzanine. The total area of the plot is 290m2. ii. The site will be excavated to a depth of 3.35m to lay the foundations and develop the basement area having 167sqm in floor area, which is 57% of the total plot area. The basement area will have 2 x 18cbm water tanks and a large storage area. The entire boundary will be sheet piled to depths of 5m with corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety measure while preparing the site ready for construction. iii. The building will rest on a pile raft foundation. A total of 79 micropiles (200- 300mm diameter) will be driven into the ground to depths ranging from 1 – 3.6m through boreholes done in 2 regions within the plot. The region 1 will have 31 such micropiles and region 2 will have 48 micropiles. The project requires 1,160m3 of soil to be excavated and 783m3 of groundwater to be dewatered to lay the foundation of the building. The project is scheduled to be completed in 18 months. iv. The EIA has been prepared as per the EIA Regulations 2012 developed directly under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act and identifies that development of such buildings exceeding 31m in height and with basements or over 10 storeys with greater than 5ft foundation require an EIA to be undertaken and approved by EPA before commencement of construction. v. In addition to Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, EIA Regulations, the project has to comply with Dewatering Regulation, Waste Management Regulation, Male’ Planning Regulation, Land Act as well as comply with Maldives National Building Code recommendations. vi. In order to understand existing environmental conditions of the proposed project area, assessments have been undertaken including ambient noise levels, traffic volume and movement, groundwater quality, soil and vegetation, physical condition of the surrounding buildings and roads. vii. The proposed development will take place in the eastern part of Male’, Henveiru District on the north-eastern side of Block Number 9. Dhoovehi is located at the corner of Boduthakurufaanu Magu and Burevi Magu at 4°10'22.63"N and 73°31'3.39"E. The main connectivity will be from Boduthakurufaanu Magu. The block is located quite close to the Artificial Beach, proposed bridge and the open park space of Block Number 10. viii. Noise levels recorded from the sites were Site 1 47dB (day) and 56dB (night), Site 2 51dB (day) and 59dB (night), Site 3 49dB (day) and 57dB (night) and Site 4 42dB (day) and 47dB (night). Night time noise levels at all sites were found to be slightly increased than day time. This is mainly due to increased traffic in the area at the time of assessment at night. ix. The traffic volume was assessed to be quite high especially on Baduthakurufaanu Magu for both day and night times. The highest traffic volume was observed to be from motorcycle having 288 during day time and 420 during night time on Baduthakurufaanu Magu. On Burevi Magu number of cycles were greatly reduced having 56 during day time and 94 during night time. The volume of cars on Boduthakurufaanu Magu was observed to be 90 during day time and 121 during night time. On Burevi Magu number of cars were observed to be 22 during day time and 35 during night time. x. The results of the groundwater analysis show that the groundwater of the area is free from contamination. As the plot is located quite close to the sea, the results show some levels of salinity having 1.230/00. xi. There is no vegetation present in the proposed plot hence, vegetation assessment was not undertaken. xii. On the western adjacent side of the plot, there are three buildings having 4 storey, 2 storey and 7 storey all of which belong to Noofaru house. Only the 7 storey building is found on Burevi Magu while others are inside of Noofaru house. On the southern adjacent side, a two storey storage and a labour building is found belonging to Sea Side house. No other adjacent buildings are found by the plot. On the western side of Noofaru house on Burevi Magu, a 5 storey building belonging to Rumania house and 10 storey building belonging to Sheereen Villa is found. All buildings are observed to be in good condition and no physical damages were identified. All buildings are believed to be 5 -7 years old. xiii. Dhoovehi plot is found on the corner of Boduthakurufaanu Magu and Burevi Magu, hence these two roads are found by the plot. Boduthakurufaanu Magu is the main road found around Male’. The condition of these roads are observed to be good. No cracks or physical damages were found. xiv. There are no significant environmental impacts from the proposed project, however, some of the environmental impacts from development activities such as excavation, dewatering, construction activities, operation of construction machinery, construction waste generating environmental impacts such as noise, dust and pollution are believed to occur. Social impacts such as traffic congestion, disturbance to nearby residents have been predicted as well as health problems as a result of dust have been identified. During operation period of the project, domestic waste and traffic are believed to increase. xv. As part of the proposed project, a number of mitigation measures have been proposed in the EIA Report including using corrugated sheets supported by iron beams as a safety measure for protecting the excavated area for foundation, dewatering will be undertaken upon approval from EPA, while preparing the site ready for construction, measures such as installation of safety and dust protection nets, appropriate signage will be placed to make aware people on the development. Also, important mitigation measures that will be implemented include complete elimination of waste disposal during construction and operation stages of the development into the project boundaries. xvi. Although the project has short-term environmental impacts from the proposed development, the project has more social and economic benefits, which is believed to tremendously contribute to the need for residential and commercial space in Male’, create some employment opportunities and contribute to the local economy in Male’ in the long-term. xvii. Although during construction of the project, negative environmental impacts from construction activities have been envisaged, with appropriate environmental management and mitigation measures, these impacts will be reduced to a considerable level. Also, with positive socio-economic outlook of the project and considering the overall importance of housing in Male’, it is concluded that the project is an important development.Item Environmental impact assessment proposed MEQ boatyard development project Himmafushi Island, K. Atoll(2017-11) Zuhair, Mohamedi. The proponent of the project, MEQ Boatyard Pvt. Ltd. proposes to develop a full fledge boatyard with all facilities at the existing boatyard found in Himmafushi Island, Kaafu Atoll. The existing boatyard has been leasedާby Himmafushi Island Council to MEQ Boatyard Pvt. Ltd. for a period of 25 years in 2016. ii. The scope of the project is to reclaim existing waterway having 1.1ha from fill material obtained from the lagoon, develop support infrastructures such as boat building factory, workshops, slipway, and boat lifting facility, staff accommodation and office building and develop support services including powerhouse, RO plant, compressor room, fuel and water storages. iii. Under the Maldives Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Law No. 4/93) and EIA Regulation 2012, the proposed boatyard development project requires an EIA to be carried out and approved from EPA prior to commencement of work. The report presents major findings of the EIA report. iv. This EIA is prepared as per the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 3 August 2017. v. The scope of this EIA is to assess the existing environmental condition of the project site in Himmafushi 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 due to the project on a regular basis. vi. The proposed boatyard is located on the south-western side of Himmafushi Island at 4°18'27.71"N / 73°34'4.95"E. The southern part of the island has been allocated for light industrial developments as per the land use plan of the island. The existing land area of the boatyard is 230,000ft2. vii. Himmafushi island is an inhabited island with a population of over 1,700 having an area of 42ha found in a relatively large reef having an approximate length of 4.3km located on the eastern periphery of North Male’ Atoll. About 21ha of land has been reclaimed in 2016 making the total land area of the island 63ha. Two other islands are found within the same reef. They are Paradise Island Resort located at 2.2km south and Gili Lankanfushi Resort located 1km south of Himmafushi island. viii. There are two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) vicinity of the project location. Thamburudhoo Thila MPA is located close to the project site at distance of 1.8km NE and Lankan Thila MPA is located 4.2km SW. There are two Sensitive Sites (SSs) within the vicinity of the project site too, they are Huraagandu SS located at a distance of 4.1km north and Okebe Thila SS located at a distance of 6km SW. ix. Two locations from the reef was assessed to understand existing condition. The coral reef assessments indicate that out of the two sites, the highest live coral cover recorded was from Reef 1 located on the western outer reef having a live coral cover of 8%. The main live coral cover type consisted of Porites and other massive coral varieties. Impacts of coral bleaching of 2016 is evident from the reef. Reef 2 site located on the inner reef on the western side had only 1% live coral cover and predominantly covered with dead coral, rubble and sand. Since an access channel and other areas have been previously dredged close to Reef 2 site, large number of corals were observed to be dead. x. A detailed lagoon bathymetry was undertaken from the proposed project area in order to understand the average depths of the lagoon in relation to MSL. The depth of the existing waterway ranges between -3.6m to -0.4m MSL. The existing waterway will be reclaimed as part of the project. The lagoon outside of the waterway boundary has depths ranging -4m and deeper into the existing deep inner lagoon having -6m MSL. xi. Currents recorded from the lagoon by the project site were relatively low having 0.13m/s (Drogue 1) and 0.08m/s (Drogue 2). Relatively low current flow in the area is believed to be due to presence of an outer reef that reduces incoming currents into the inner deep lagoon area. xii. Impact analysis indicates that most of the environmental impacts occur during construction are of short-term and during operation are of long-term in nature. Impacts such as dredging and land reclamation proposed as part of the project have moderate impacts. Since there is no major requirement for site clearance, its impacts have been identified to be negligible. Although some machinery will be used during construction, their impacts have been identified to be minor mostly related to noise and dust during operations. During operation phase, most of the impacts have been identified to be moderate including activities related to boatyard operations as well as impacts related to solid waste and hazardous waste. A notable social impact has been identified to be moderate due to health risks associated with the operations including contact with dust, chemicals and hazardous substances. xiii. Environmental mitigation measures have been identified for all environmental impacts that may be generated as part of the proposed project. Additionally Boatyard Management Best Practices outline key measures for protecting environment and human health from the project. xiv. Although there are a number of environmental impacts from the proposed development, most of these 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 and economic outlook of the project and considering the overall need of the project to region, it is concluded that the project could be undertaken.Item Environmental impact assessment proposed beach and swimming area development Himmafushi Island, Male’ Atoll(2016-06) Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimThe Secretariat of the Himmafushi Council (Himmafushi Island Council), Male’ Atoll proposes to develop a beach having 220m on the northern side of the island and a swimming are within the lagoon on the northern side. The swimming are will be developed after removing seagrass found within the lagoon from an area having 1,300sqm. It is expected that a total of 3,252cbm of material will be obtained from the removal of seagrass. The seagrass content will be removed before the material will be used on the proposed beach. The proposed beach will be developed having an average width of 10m and a height of 1.4m above MSL. Two methods of material excavation will be used during the project implementation. Initially removal of seagrass will be undertaken by use of excavator and sand from the area will be obtained by using a sand pump. Under the Maldives Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Law No. 4/93) and EIA Regulation 2012, the proposed beach and swimming area development project requires an EIA to be carried out. The report presents major findings of the EIA report. This EIA is prepared as per the Terms of Reference (TOR) approved by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 20 March 2016. Baseline environmental condition of the proposed project site as well as socio-economic environment was conducted for which the environmental impacts and mitigation measures as well as project alternatives are presented. It was found that there is a great need from the community for developing the beach and swimming area on the island, which is recognized as an important community need. The assessments carried out on the biophysical environment on the northern side of the island indicate that the coral reefs within the project boundary had very little live coral cover and limited reef fish abundance and diversity. The depth of the project area ranges from -0.4m MSL in the nearshore areas to -0.8m MSL at the proposed burrow site. The current flow was from east to west reaching to speeds of 0.14m/s and 0.18m/s. The area in close proximity to the project has known surf points. Most of the lagoon environment was covered with seagrass Thalassia hemprichii. There are two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within close proximity of the project location. Thamburudhoo Thila MPA is located close to the project site at distance of 1.2km NE and Lankan Thila MPA is located 5km SW. There are two Sensitive Sites (SSs) within the vicinity of the project site, they are Huraagandu SS located at a distance of 4.3km north and Okebe Thila SS located at a distance of 7.4km SW. Key environmental impacts from the proposed project will be from sedimentation to the reef areas on the northern and NW sides, changes in the hydrodynamics of the burrow area and nearshore lagoon on northern side of the island as well as potential changes to the northern shoreline of the island and these impacts can be reduced by implementing various environmental management and mitigation measures such as undertaking excavation, sand pumping and beach nourishment operations coinciding with low tide and on calm days to reduce spread of sedimentation as well as undertaking the operations in the quickest possible timeframe to reduce impact exposure period. Although there are some environmental impacts from the proposed project, most of these impacts can be reduced and mitigated by use of appropriate methodology and timing. The effectiveness of these methodologies can be documented by implementing a comprehensive monitoring programme. Also, with positive socio-economic outlook of the project and the community needs for the project, it is concluded that the project should go ahead as planned.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed water production and distribution facility at Milandhoo, Shaviyani Atoll, Maldives(2016-12) Zuhair, Mohamed; Abdul Fathah, Mariyam Shujaa-ath; Shareef, Mohamed1. The purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the development of the proposed water production and distribution facility at Sh. Milandhoo and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; 2. Currently, rainwater is widely used in all houses as cooking water and groundwater is used for various other domestic uses. Almost all houses have a rainwater storage tank. Bottled water is now mainly used as drinking water. Nevertheless, the groundwater lens in the islands of Maldives is depleted and highly saline due to over use and polluted in some areas and not fit for use for domestic purposes. Even though rainwater is widely used, it is not a reliable source as rainwater cannot be collected during dry season. Therefore, it is understood that residents of Milandhoo are in urgent need of a clean water facility; 3. In the proposed facility the water production system is designed for 15 years whereas the distribution system for 35 years; 4. Proposed project involves installation of an RO plant with a capacity of 65 tonnes per day with three independent drains. Seawater intake is proposed from two bore wells 30 m deep at a site near the desalination plant. In addition to the bore wells, the facility will also incorporate rain water collected from public roofs, hence this is an integrated water resource management facility. Project also includes laying of distribution pipeline to existing household and a fire hydrant system; 5. A full baseline of groundwater quality, seawater quality, vegetation clearance and marine environment was established. Marine environment study showed that living substrata and fish count at the proposed outfall location was low; 6. The construction works of new RO plant presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal; 7. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly established water production and distribution facility will ensure water security to the population of Milandhoo in addition to greatly reducing health impacts associated with the use of polluted water; and 8. Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Water quality and marine environment monitoring shall be done as per the proposed monitoring schedule.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed water production and distribution facility at Hoarafushi, Haa Alif Atoll, Maldives(2016-11) Zuhair, Mohamed; Abdul Fathah, Mariyam Shujaa-ath; Shareef, Mohamed1. The purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the development of the proposed water production and distribution facility at HA. Hoarafushi and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; 2. Currently, rainwater is widely used in all houses as cooking water and groundwater is used for various other domestic uses. Almost all houses have a rainwater storage tank. Bottled water is now mainly used as drinking water. Nevertheless, the groundwater lens in the islands of Maldives is depleted and highly saline due to over use and polluted in some areas and not fit for use for domestic purposes. Even though rainwater is widely used, it is not a reliable source as rainwater cannot be collected during dry season. Therefore, it is understood that residents of Hoarafushi are in dire need of a clean water facility; 3. In the proposed facility the water production system is designed for 15 years whereas the distribution system for 35 years; 4. Proposed project involves installation of an RO plant with a capacity of 80 tonnes per day with three independent drains. Seawater intake is proposed from two bore wells 13 m deep at a site near the desalination plant. In addition to the bore wells, the facility will also incorporate rain water collected from public roofs, hence this is an integrated water resource management facility. Project also includes laying of distribution pipeline to existing household and a fire hydrant system; 5. A full baseline of groundwater quality, seawater quality, vegetation clearance and marine environment was established. Marine environment study showed that living substrata and fish count at the proposed outfall location was low; 6. The construction works of new powerhouses presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal; 7. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly established water production and distribution facility will ensure water security to the population of Hoarafushi in addition to greatly reducing health impacts associated with the use of polluted water; and 8. Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Water quality and marine environment monitoring shall be done as per to the proposed monitoring schedule.