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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 : first addendum : for the development of resort development project on Gaakoshibee Island, Shaviyani Atoll(2010-03) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to assess the potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures for the proposed changes to the resort development concept plan of Gaakoshibee. This document has been produced with reference to the original Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed resort and the EIA for developing a reef entrance near the island. 2. The primary rationale for the proposed alterations is to adjust the development plan from the observed shortcomings of the initial plan. The purpose of the proposed coastal protection measures is to control the predicted severe erosion in selected areas and to protect the investments (jetties and restaurants) going into these areas. 3. The study area for the purposes of this addendum is the Gaakoshibee Island and its immediate reef environment. Social impacts are not considered in this assessment as the general impacts of resort development have been addressed in the initial EIA. 4. The baseline conditions of the island are largely based on the original EIA documents. Additional information on some major changes to the environment is provided where appropriate. 5. The main developments proposed for the island include erosion prevention measures, wave energy reduction measures and changes to the locations of some buildings and jetties. Detailed description of the changes are provided in the next section. 6. This report covers the new changes proposed for the concept, its potential negative and positive impacts on the environment, potential mitigation measures required to minimize or manage these impacts and a detailed monitoring program. 7. This report is produced in accordance to the technical guidelines and EIA regulations prepared by the Environment Protection Authority. The principal approval for the changes to the concept was provided by the Ministry of Tourism on 22 February 2010 subjected to the EIA addendum approval (See Appendix A). This report is submitted to fulfill this requirement. 8. The Terms of Reference (ToR) for this project was issued after scoping meeting held at Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 23 May 2010. The ToR is attached in Appendix L.Item Item Environmental audit for registration of desalination plant at Vilamendhoo Resort, Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives(2011-04) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements of Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority guidelines to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the registration the utility services. The project involves auditing of the existing desalination plant in Vilamendhoo Resort and Spa. Desalination system involves two plants with capacity 200 m3 per day each and two water storage tanks with a capacity of 710 m3. The seawater intake is located on the southern side of the island with a length of 170 m from the desalination plant house. The brine discharge point is located on the northern side of the island at a distance of 130 m from the desalination plant house. The structural integrity of the facilities is considered good. Noise levels are perceived as high for a mixed residential and industrial zone although it must be taken into account that space is limited and location of staff areas near plant house is inevitable. The environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels and impact on marine environment due to brine discharge. There are indirect impacts associated with consumption of energy for desalination. Power generation has the potential to degrade air quality and contributes to global warming. In addition, fuel handling related to power generation is a potential risk for ground water and soil contamination from fuel spills and leaks. Noise measurements taken during the field visit conforms to international standards while marine water quality tests show normal conditions although there are limitations in the parameters tested due to unavailability of tests at National Health Laboratory. Marine life needs to be further monitored at the brine discharge location to ascertain whether there is a long term impact from discharge of brine. Visual observation identifies no notable damage to existing vegetation around the desalination plant house and no indication of any fuel spills or leaks around the area. Groundwater quality tests that could be conducted shows that the groundwater is in good condition. Mitigation measures that are in place to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the operation of the facility include appropriate distance of brine and seawater pipes from shoreline and installation of sound attenuators to reduce the noise levels from the plant house. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, proper pipelines are established and fuel storage is in bunded areas. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Enviornment impact assessment for the proposed harbor development project in Noomara island, Shavaiyani Atoll(2011-12-01) CDE ConsultingExecutive Summary This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed harbour extension project in Noomara Island, Shaviyani Atoll. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Housing and Environment and the project contractor is MT Højgaard, Denmark. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting. Introduction and Key Features of the Project Project Background Noomaraa Island is considered one of the most difficult islands to access in Maldives due to the lack of a reef flat; it‟s location on the eastern rim; and the presence of year round wave activity around the island. In the SW monsoon, for most part of the year, the northern side is inaccessible. During the NE monsoon the southern side receives more wave activity and hence is not easily accessible. Hence, the island uses alternative sides of the island depending on the season. This island in many ways resemble the access difficulties faced in the northern islands in Maldives like Fokaidhoo, Feevah, and Nolhivaramu Island and to some extended the Fuvahmulah Island. Due to the absence of a safe harbour the island has not been able to develop its fishing industry. The island is mainly agricultural but they have also had problems exporting the produce to Male‟ or other islands due to connectivity. This is again linked to poor accessibility to the island. Moreover, there is significant safety risk involved in accessing the island during peak periods of SW and NE monsoon. This aspect becomes critical when emergency evacuations are required due to the absence of good health facilities. There has been an attempt to create an access channel on the NE side of the island during the 1990s. However, the locals report that this site presently experiences strong off shore current activity and due the absence of breakwaters, it is difficult to access for most part of the NE monsoon. For these reasons the Government has been considering building access facilities or a harbour on the island since 2004. After years in the Government harbour projects pipeline funding for the Noomaraa harbour was approved in 2011. Project Objectives Providing safe access to the island Developing a safe harbour for the commercial and passenger vessels. Facilitate the expansion of the economic sectors, particularly the agricultural industry, fishing industry and transport sector. EIA for the proposed harbour project in Noomaraa Island, Shaviyani Atoll Project Scope The main components of the project are: Dredging harbour and reef entrance Land reclamation or backfilling Construction of harbour protection and sea wall infrastructure Project Scope and work methodology a) Harbour basin dredging and shore protection This component mainly involves dredging a 5,200 sq m harbour basin and reef entrance at a depth of 3.0 m MSL and construction of associated coastal protection measures. The harbour will be protected using armour rock breakwaters. The shoreline of reclaimed areas will be protected by a revetment. A quay wall will be developed along the existing shoreline. The work methodology involves the use of excavators mounted on barge and sand beds to excavate the basin and cranes mounted on sand beds to place the armour rocks. Construction of the quay wall will be undertaken in Thilafushi Island and armour rocks will be imported from India. b) Land reclamation or backfilling This component mainly involves disposing the dredge waste by reclaiming an area next to harbour up to 3,800 m2 to an elevation of 1.4 m MSL using the dredge waste. The remaining dredge waste will be placed in pile on a designated site on the island to be used by the locals in the future. Project Schedule and Life Span Mobilisation for the project will begin after the EIA is approved. It is anticipated that the completion of the whole project will take approximately 8-10 months. Conformance to Laws and Regulations of Maldives and International Conventions The key laws and regulations of the Maldives to which the proposal is applicable are: Environmental Protection Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2007, Fisheries Act of the Maldives Tourism Act and RegulationsItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed harbour extension project in Ukhulas, North Ari Atoll(2011-08) CDE ConsultingThis Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socioeconomic and natural impacts of the proposed harbour extension project in Ukulhas Island, North Ari Atoll. The project is proposed by Ministry of Housing and Environment (MHE) and the project contractor is MT Højgaard, Denmark. The EIA consultant is CDE Consulting. This EIA has been developed based on the Term of Reference (ToR) issued by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 7 July 2011. This document is submitted by the proponent to EPA to fulfil the requirements for an IEE under Article 5 of the Environment Protection and Preservation Act (4/93). The EIA Regulations 2007 have been used as the basis for developing this document. The main components of the project are: − Dredging harbour extension area − Land reclamation − Construction of harbour protection and sea wall infrastructure Ukulhas is the one of the main fishing islands of North Ari Atoll. Due to the size of the fishing fleet in Ukulhas, the island has had major problems with providing safe anchorage to fishing vessels and expanding the fishing industry. The congestion within the harbour is also making it difficult for passenger vessels to access the island. Harbour expansion has been identified as priority for island development, particularly to facilitate passenger access. A harbour redevelopment project was undertaken in 2010 through a tsunami reconstruction project funded by an international agency. However, due to budget limitations the project had to be divided into two phases. The first phase involved the maintenance dredging and upgrading of quay wall and breakwater. The first phase was completed earlier this year. Funding for the second phase of the project has been secured by the Government and the second phase in now ready for implementation. The second phase mainly involves extending the harbour, as originally planned in 2010.Item Initial environment examination report for the oil storage facility in Ihavandhippolhu, Haa Alifu Atoll, Maldives(2011-03) CDE ConsultingThis Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is an evaluation of the potential environmental, socio-economic and natural impacts of the proposed crude and refined oil storage project at Ihavandhippolhu. The project is proposed by State Trading Organization Plc (STO). The main components of the project include reclamation of a 50 Ha island, development of a crude oil hub terminal on the reclaimed land and the operation of the terminal. Maldives is strategically located from north to south between latitudes 7.07’N and 0.43’S. Thus, the Maldives Archipelago has been identified as an optimal location for a crude and refined oil storage project. Maldives is located central to crude oil shipping routes originating from North and East Africa, as well as routes doubling the Cape of Good Hope. Given the strategic location of Maldives and reputation of STO in import storage and distribution of fuel in Maldives, STO is looking into taking advantage of extensive maritime traffic through the channel between Sri Lanka and Maldives. STO therefore is using this opportunity to check the viability to develop an oil storage facility in Ihavandhiopplhu. The EIA is being developed as per the EIA regulation (2007) of the Maldives and the Terms of Reference that was developed by the consultant (CDE Consulting). The EIA is well represented as per the TOR and respective chapters describing the environment and potential impacts and mitigation measures are discussed in the consecutive chapters and most importantly all these work have being discussed with all the key stakeholders before submission and their views on the project is also being depicted in this EIA.Item Environmental audit for registration of desalination plant at Royal Island Resort & Spa, Baa Atoll(2011-04) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements of Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority guidelines to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the registration of the desalination plant. The project involves environmental auditing of the existing desalination plant in Royal Island Resort and Spa for registration of the desalination plant. Desalination system involves three plants with a total capacity of 330 m3 per day and one water storage tank with a capacity of 1100 tonnes. The seawater intake is located on the north‐northeast point of the island with a length of 150 m from the desalination plant house. The brine discharge point is located at the south‐southwest point of the island at a distance of 170 m from the desalination plant house. The structural integrity of the facilities is considered good. Noise levels are perceived as high for a mixed residential and industrial zone although it must be taken into account that space is limited and location of staff areas near plant house is inevitable. The environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels and impact on marine environment due to brine discharge. There are indirect impacts associated with consumption of energy for desalination. Power generation has the potential to degrade air quality and contributes to global warming. In addition, fuel handling related to power generation is a potential risk for ground water and soil contamination from fuel spills and leaks. Noise measurements taken during the field visit conforms to international standards while marine water quality tests show normal conditions. However, live coral cover in the brine discharge area was found to be low although brine discharge cannot be concluded as the cause for low level of coral cover. Visual observation identifies no notable damage to existing vegetation around the desalination plant house and no indication of any fuel spills or leaks around the area. Groundwater quality tests that could be conducted shows that the groundwater is in good condition. Mitigation measures that are in place to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the operation of the facility include appropriate distance of brine and sweater pipes from shoreline and installation of sound attenuators to reduce the noise levels from the plant house. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, proper pipelines are established and fuel storage is in bunded areas. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Item