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Item Environmental Impact assessment : for the proposed development of heavy load site in Thilafushi(2010-09) Zahid, AhmedThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed reclamation of an area of about 25,300m2 (2.53hectares) to a height of about 1.3m above MSL by dredging a harbour inside the area that is reclaimed. The total volume of sand required for the reclamation is estimated to be about 56,000 cubic metres. In order to get this volume of sand using the proposed borrow area (harbour), it is estimated that the borrow area has to be dredged to about 5m. Otherwise, an additional volume of about 18,000m3 of sand would be required to reclaim the given area. The primary objective of the project is to create a harbour for the several barges, landing crafts and other vessels owned and operated by Heavy Load, to provide safe and adequate access to the facility and to provide space for the different activities carried out on the site as well as to improve the services provided by the facility. The proposed project area is on the southeast corner of Thilafushi, which is the official landfill island for the entire Maldives. Currently, the site has two sand beds on the west and eastern sides, which mark the eastern and western edges of the proposed reclamation area. The exact area is being currently finalised by Thilafushi Corporation Limited (TCL). Once TCL finalises the exact dimensions of Heavy Load Site, dredging and reclamation works will begin. The entire external periphery of the dredge area would be sheet piled prior to dredging and filling works so as to minimize sedimentation. The southern periphery, which faces the sea, would have further protection using rock boulders, which would be installed as a final step. The project is, therefore, expected to take about eight to twelve months. A large proportion of the reef flat on the southeast end of Thilafushi has been dredged to provide access to the different industrial plots of land in the area by large vessels with an entrance channel at the southeast corner of Thilafushi reef. The proposed dredging is similar in size, however, would have less impact on the marine environment in the area. The reef flat in this area is almost completely dead with a few live porites. The reef slope is also mainly dead. Given the currents in the proposed dredge area is slow and generally in a westerly direction, the potential for the sediments to move to the reef flat would be small. However, it should be noted that there is a lack of long term data to support this observation. Therefore, sediment settlement on the reef has to be minimized and the most practicable means to achieve this would be to sheet pile the reclamation area prior to dredging. This would minimize sedimentation while further mitigation measures including silt curtains at the discharge points of the silt passages may be used. However, this would only be necessary if the silt levels reach very high levels.Item Environmental impact assessment : for the removal of seagrass beach replenishment activities in Herathera Island Resort, Addu atoll, Maldives(2010-09) CDE ConsultingThe Herathera Island has been experiencing seaweed overgrowth for a number of years, even before construction began on the island. Similarly, the island does not have a natural beach system which is suitable for a resort product. An attempt was made in 2007 and 2008 to remedy these shortcomings by removing seagrass and undertaking beach replenishment. Unfortunately, the beach replenishment design and implementation was flawed and new seagrass colonies have started to emerge. The island is currently is a worse condition, particularly its beach system. These environmental issues are decreasing the economic value of the tourism product being offered Resort and is reaching a point where the product may be unviable. Immediate action is required to address these issues, thus, a new and improved beach replenishment and seagrass removal programme. The proposed project involves the removal of sea grass colonies and beach replenishment. Details of the proposed project components are outlined below. a) Sea grass removal The primary component of the project is seagrass removal. Seagrass areas covering approximately 200,000 – 250,000 m2 is proposed to be cleared (see Site plan in Appendix B), 100,000 m3 of dredge waste. TwoEIA for the proposed Seagrass Removal and Beach Replenishment Activities in Herathera Island Resort Prepared by: CDE Consultancy Page| ix methods have been proposed for the project: 1) using a sand pump; 2) using an excavator and; 3) soft measures. b) Beach Replenishment Beach replenishment has been considered as part of the project to mitigate the severe erosion on the island. The dredged waste from the sea grass removal activity, after cleaning and sorting, will be used to replenish the a 2900 m beach up to 10 m from the existing shore line. Additional sand will be dredged from borrow areas within the lagoon using sand pumps and excavators. Replenishment will be carried out using a three staged process. The first stage will collect and filter sediments on designated sites. The second stage will transfer the cleaned sediments to severe erosion zones using trucks. The final stage will profile the beach using fine sand. For the direct replenishment, sand will be pumped or transferred via barges to a designated location, where loaders and trucks and move the material.Item Environmental impact assessment : for the development of a 14 Storey Building at H. Filigasdhoshuge, Malé, Maldives(2010-06) Jameel, AhmedMr. Ali Shareef is proposing to build a 14 storey hotel at H. Filigasdhoshuge. This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has been prepared in order to meet the requirements of Clause 5 of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of the Maldives to assess the impacts of proposed development at H. Filigasdhoshuge, Male’. The report has looked at the justifications for undertaking the proposed project components. Alternatives to proposed components or activities in terms of location, design and environmental considerations were suggested. A mitigation plan and monitoring programme before, during and after the works has also been proposed. The project component that has the greatest potential for environmental impact is the foundation component. The foundation type has been considered taking into consideration the noise and vibration impact from the deep pile foundation construction of project which was undertaken in the vicinity to the proposed site at Holiday Inn. The proposed project has proposed a raft foundation where piling technology has been chosen as a mechanism for shoring for the foundation construction process. A geotechnical investigation of the proposed project site was undertaken by the ELS – Amin International Pvt Ltd of Maldives in September 2008. The geotechnical investigation included the borehole investigation and Standard Penetration Tests. The geotechnical investigation revealed that the estimated settlement under the foundation would be less than 50mm which is acceptable for the type of foundation chosen for the building. Since the settlement under the foundation is small and a setback of 1 m has been provided between the plot boundary and the foundation, the ground settlement beyond the limits of the boundary would be too small to induce any significant damage to the neighbouring structures. A survey of the existing structural damage was carried out for all buildings that were located within a radius of 20m from the proposed building. The proposed project is expected to increase the housing units and commercial floor area available in Malé. It is inevitable that there would be some negative environmental impacts, especially when excavation is undertaken. Nevertheless, these negative impacts are not so severe to the extent that the project should not be allowed to take place. As a result, a comprehensive monitoring component has been suggested which takes in to consideration the most important elements that require regular checks. This monitoring component will be adhered and will allow the assessment of long term changes, despite the limited nature of the impact. The most important consideration is the socioeconomic impacts that have been assessed mainly as positive in nature. Not only are they positive, but most importantly would they remain positive for a long term. Therefore, it appears justified from a technical and from an environmental point of view, to carry out the proposed project in light of the existing socio‐economic developments.Item Initial environmental examination for a coral frame project(2010-07) Systems Engineering and Marine ConsultingThe potential environmental impacts of the development of a coral propagation project on the island of H.A. Manafaru are assessed. Manafaru is leased to Beach House Maldives and is operated by the Waldorf Astoria collection of the Hilton group. The assessment exposes 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. Manafaru has very little coral cover after being degraded by the 1998 bleaching event. As it is important to be proactive in reef restoration, the resort management wishes to enhance the value of the island by propagating corals using the coral frame technique. The frames will be installed near the water villas and sparsely on the house reef. Coral fragments will be attached by a marine biologist and will develop into full colonies within a few years. Coral fragments from the house reef will provide a small number of fragments and will heal rapidly. Preference will be given to damaged colonies. 136 frames of 1m2 will be initially deployed, and after the first batch, the existing frames will provide fragments for transplantation. The project will start as soon as approval is granted, and as this is a long term project, it could span several years before completion. The island of Manafaru is located inside the northernmost atoll of the Maldives, and is subject to high winds and warming waters, which may be a cause of low coral survival. As the island is located in the middle of the atoll, the waves reaching its shores are diffraction of swells, and wind waves. As the energy encountered are of second magnitude, and the reef does not form a proper crest, the waves reach the island with less obstruction than most areas. Sand displacement depends on the predominant influence during different monsoons, forming a bulging beach rather than a sand tip.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed harbour development in Velidhoo, Noonu Atoll, Maldives(2011-03) SandcaysThe proposed harbour development project in Noonu Velidhoo is of medium scale project in which the proposed project falls under rehabilitation of an existing harbour, which has been in need of extensive repair and improvement through modification and improved design. Under the proposed project, a 24 m wide entrance will be dredged (modification of an existing entrance) along with deepening of harbour basin. The existing harbour basin from quay wall will be dredged to a width of 76.2 m and a length of 289m. An additional 30m quaywall with associated harbour basin dredging will also be undertaken. The proposed concept has not been discussed with the community so far. Therefore, some of the community views that have been incorporated in this EIA report along with further formal consultations need to be given consideration in finalising the design. However, the community has been waiting for the project for quite some time and the first elected Island Council is under a lot of pressure to initiate the works. Therefore, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed while any further modifications to the proposed design can be finalized in consultation with the relevant stakeholders during the construction phase. Taking this into consideration the environmental impacts have been assessed for the worst case scenario in which the Proponent takes into consideration all demands of the community and provide the final detailed design to the EPA in due course. The recommended alternative proposed in this EIA report has been based on informal community consultations held with some key members of the community. 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 several socio-economic benefits although there would be some negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental assessment on proposed beach nourishment and environmental audit on desalination and power generation activities, Vakarufalhi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll, Maldives(2011-07) SandcaysThis report is on two components including an environmental audit on existing desalination and power generation facilities and environmental impact assessment of proposed beach nourishment in Vakarufalhi Island Resort. The audit addresses the environmental concerns of the existing desalination plant and power generation facilities in Vakarufalhi Island resort. The primary objective of the audit exercise is to renew desalination plant registration. Having an environmental clearance statement is a requirement the registration of desalination plants. There is one seawater desalination plant with daily production capacity 300m3 in which feed water intake and brine concentrate discharge is on the eastern side of the island. The overall performance of the desalination plant in Vakarufalhi Island Resort is adequate and acceptable. The electrical conductivity of product water was found at 50μS/cm and no coliforms were detected from product water. The groundwater quality in terms of salinity was found at 1,700μS/cm (considered as measure of salinity); this shows the aquifer is normal. Total estimated area of proposed beach filling is at 3,140m2 with an estimated volume of sand to be filled at 4,710m3. This estimation is based on the existing beach condition at the time this survey was undertaken. A monitoring program has been outlined at the end of the report which can be implemented for environmental quality improvement and informed decision making. In particular of water quality monitoring and daily log maintenance at plant site. The overall performance of the seawater desalination facility and powerhouse in Vakarufalhi Island Resort is at adequate and acceptable condition. Key aspects of the operations are in compliance to desalination plant registration regulations in Maldives. Noise emissions meet the requirements of Maldives Energy Authority and acceptable standards. The overall environmental impacts of the proposed beach nourishment indicated that there continuous beach nourishment at Vakarufalhi does not have major adverse impacts on the environment as far as current knowledge is concerned. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits and some environmental benefits, it is advisable to allow the project to proceed as proposed. It is also recommended to continue to monitor the impacts of the proposed project by regular monitoring of shorelines, beach profiles and nearshore currents for at least two years and communicate and feed the data into the EIA system in the country.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed concept change in Vagaru, Shaviyani Atoll, Maldives(2011-03) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. upon request from Vagaru holdings Pvt Ltd to assess the impact of the proposed concept change in Vagaru. The project involves bringing some modifications to the original concept for Vagaru. Vagaru island has been under construction since 2006 and over the past 4 to 5 years, the change in the hotel operator has created the need to bring some concept changes in order to align with the new operators requirements. Most of these proposed modifications do not involve any physical alteration of the environment. However, some components of the change do involve physical alteration of the environment. Environmental impacts of the proposed project have been identified as resulting mainly from the construction of the new additional water villas and from the creation of the entrance channel. In view of the assessment, the environmental damage to marine resources have not been considered major from the water villa construction as this area has already sustained a lot of damage over the course of the construction. However, the impact of creating the channel has been considered significant. Mitigation measures for these anticipated impacts have been identified and outlined in the report, including sedimentation control methods and other measures. These mitigation measures will have to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. In this project, it is inevitable that there would be negative environmental impacts. However, these negative impacts are applicable only for some of the proposed changes. Therefore, it appears justified from a technical and from a developmental point of view, to carry out the proposed modification project in light of the existing and future needs of the developer.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed reclamation of 24 hectare at Thimarafushi, Thaa Atoll, Maldives(2011-12) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact assessment undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd for undertaking the propose reclamation of 24 hectares in Thimarafushi island, Thaa Atoll. An area of 240,000 square meters or24 hectares will be reclaimed in order to expand the available land space for Thimarafushi, mostly for housing and industrial activities. This EIA report discusses the findings of the reclamation project. The project is proposed by Ministry of Housing and Environment. The biggest challenge facing Thimarafushi is lack of space and overcrowding. Reclamation is a real need for Thimarafushi as the island is saturated and there are no additional land for housing plots nor industrial activities. The presently reclaimed area, although it is quite huge, most of which cannot be used for domestic use as majority of this land will be allocated to develop an airport and its boundaries. The present population of the island is 2817 and there are 350 households. This is 8 people on average per house. The island needs an additional 400 houses as existing houses are over crowded and too many families having to live in the same house is creating social and health issues. Twenty hectares will be reclaimed from area 1 and approximately 50% of this area would be usable domestic purposes due to airport development restrictions. Further development of Thimarafushi can only be achieved through creating additional land. Reclamation is therefore very much a serious requirement for the people as lack of space is causing many problems. Environmental impacts were assessed and most of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as resulting mainly from the coral reef damage from dredging and reclamation works. Mitigation measures for the negative impacts have been identified and outlined in detail, especially sedimentation control methods. The most important mitigation measure is the use of bund walls in the fill areas. The proposed mitigation measures will have to be followed in order to minimize environmental damage. The measures proposed to minimize or mitigate environmental impacts may be considered to be quite appropriate, thereby minimizing the impact by about 90%. The main negative environmental impact of the proposed project would be sedimentation and destruction of the lagoon and some areas of the reef, which will cause death or partial death of corals. Coastal protection of the reclaimed area 2 will be undertaken in order to protect the shore. The project is mainly driven by the economic gain to the development of Thimarafushi, mainly through benefits achieved from increased land.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed reclamation of Thilafalhu, Thilafushi, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2011-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed reclamation of 167 hectares of land from Thilafalhu lagoon in Thilafushi, Malé Atoll. The project has been contracted to Heavy Load Pvt. Ltd. by the state owned company, Thilafushi Corporation mandated with the development of Thilafushi as an industrial island. The primary objective of the project is to provide space for the growth of light industrial activities, proper port facilities and the development of related institutions. The provision of space for these activities will subsequently help to minimize congestion and pollution problems in the nation’s capital, Malé. As such, the project encompasses dredging and filling of the entire shallow lagoon area in Thilafalhu comprising a 167hectares of land. The filling will be undertaken with necessary coastal protection measures to ensure that the dredged material remains intact and thus objectives are achieved. Thilafushi, due to its official status as the industrial island and due to its closeness to Malé, the capital, is the industrial hub of the Maldives. Thilafushi also has the national landfill where partially segregated waste is burned at low temperatures and the resulting debris is buried to reclaim land. Although land is scarce at Thilafushi, the potential for reclamation to meet the ever increasing demand for industrial land is quite high. The process of reclamation using garbage of all sorts is slow and only one-fifth of the existing Thilafushi has been, fortunately, reclaimed in this way. The rest has been reclaimed due to demand for land at this so-called industrial island located at 15-minutes boat ride from the national capital, where over a third of the nation’s population live and work. Despite its closeness to Malé, which is probably the most congested city in the world, very little attention has been paid (over the last several years of its operation) to the environmental impacts of the landfill at Thilafushi including the health burden due to air pollution caused by open burning of waste. Hence, there is a pressing need to plan and execute the waste management process as well as the industrial land development at Thilafushi in such a way that long term environmental impacts as well as the health burden are minimized and the project is ecologically sustainable and socially-acceptable. For this reason, the recently formed Thilafushi Corporation and Waste Corporation are working together to separate the two very important tasks of waste management and industrial land development, whereby Thilafushi Corporation is focused on industrial land development at Thilafushi while Waste Corporation is focused on waste management. Due to the lack of land for industrial activities in the Greater Malé region, Malé has been subjected to the effects of development related burdens on land such as international port facilities, warehousing, light industrial activities such as vehicle services, printing services and carpentries mixed with an ever growing demand for residential development. Use of large vehicles for the warehousing and distribution of over 70% of all goods imported to the country is increasing the congestion in Malé. While this has been a result of poor planning in the past, it has created a disproportionate demand for land in the capital, inflating land value in Malé. While this may be plausible to land owners in Malé, it is affecting the overall standard and cost of living in Malé as well as the cost of goods and services nationwide. It is also creating a vacuum in the overall development of the country, increasing the burden of disease and creating environmental, social and economic problems of unforeseen magnitude. Therefore, the proposed project will have enormous socio-economic and environmental benefits associated with it in the short to long term while there will be short term economic and environmental impacts associated with the construction or development phase. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate methodologies including data collection through a field survey, consultations, purpose-built checklists and professional judgments. The overall results indicated that the proposed project had a high net positive impact. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits as well as long term health and environmental benefits for the majority of the nation’s population, as discussed earlier, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed. Environmental monitoring recommended for the project includes the monitoring of the shorelines of the newly reclaimed area, water quality and drogue studies around Thilafushi for at least two years from the onset of the proposed project implementation. Monitoring is also expected to cover public views and grievances about the project and future use and development of the reclaimed land and the contribution it makes to the national economy. Annual monitoring reports have to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency over the monitoring period.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed coastal protection of Summer Island (Ziyaaraifushi Island), North Male’ Atoll, Maldives(2011-01) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of an environmental impact assessment undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd for undertaking the coastal protection works at Summer island resort (Ziyaaraifushi). Summer island is currently under operation. For many years, the island has been a victim of chronic erosion. As a result, various coastal protection methods have been used to combat and manage erosion. However, despite these measures, the problem of erosion seems to be taking its toll and the northern part of the island has suffered greatly as a result. Although Summer island has various types of coastal protection structures build around the island, not all of them are functioning and some areas of the coastline are undergoing very serious erosion. Some of the rooms have been completely destroyed and in response, desperate measures have been taken around the island. Roughly 400 meters of emerged breakwater is already constructed on the eastern side of the island from coral rubble, but most of it is now damaged and do not perform the function for which they were designed for. Repairs and realignment of the breakwater is thus required in order to make them properly functional. The coral rubble from which the breakwater has been constructed have failed due to their small size as the exposure of the breakwater to extreme weather do not match their design capacity. Summer island is in desperate need for new, robust and durable coastal protection measures as without them, the island will further fall victim to erosion. This report outlines the details of such measures proposed which includes the rehabilitation of damaged structures, construction of new structures and compensation for erosion through beach replenishment. This EIA is focused on measures aimed at controlling this ongoing and chronic erosion.The proposed project conforms to all prevalent environmental and tourism legislation and thrives to achieve its objectives in the most environmentally friendly manner. 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 resulting mainly from beach replenishment. The main impact from beach replenishment would be that of sedimentation of the lagoon. This impact is considered to be short‐term and cumulative. The other most significant impact will be the permanent alteration of the shore due to the new coastal protection structures proposed. These structures are going to change the shape and size of the beach line permanently.