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Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of Island Waste Management Centre at Maabaidhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Island Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Maabaidhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) The contractor for this project is Uni Maldives Private Limited. The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipment to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 89ft by 83ft and will be built at southern tip of the island. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 1.5 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. The island community previously disposed waste at different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. Following the efforts during the mangrove conservation project, all waste is now disposed to the location designated to build the IWMC under this project. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation, loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already most of the vegetation has been cleared. However, prior to construction few of the pioneer species will need to be cleared. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality. During operational stage, the IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The proposed is an aesthetically pleasing site and the visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted. Since the proposed site used to be a wetland, before it was reclaimed from waste, risk of flooding the area during swell tides or torrential rain is high. This may significantly impact the operation of the IWMC. Proper mitigation measures must be taken to reduce the risk of flooding. Overall this is an environmental improvement project.. Through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Alternative locations for IWMC were also considered, however as there are no other apt locations in the island, it is proposed to go ahead with the proposed location, with stringent measures to mitigate flooding in the area. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Maabaidhoo Island council, Maabaidhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Maabaidhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC and to follow the mitigation measures to avoid significant impacts. Stringent mitigation measures must be taken to reduce the risk of flooding at the proposed location. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement an environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.Item Maavah Island waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE ConsultingItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Kunahandhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Kunahandhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipments to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 84ft by 89ft. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 1.5 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. At present, there is no designated site waste disposal. The island community disposes waste at different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of the IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation and loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already most of the vegetation has been cleared. However, prior to construction few of the pioneer species will need to be cleared. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality, especially given the island has low groundwater lens is prone to flooding. The IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted. However, through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. Overall this is an environmental improvement project. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Alternative locations for IWMC were also considered, however as there are no other apt locations in the island, it is proposed to go ahead with the proposed location, since the IWMC will be built with 1ft elevated as a mitigation measure. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Kunahandhoo Island council, Kunahandhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Kunahandhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project, although the newly elected council not fully acquainted with the project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC and to follow the mitigation measures to avoid significant impacts. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement and environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed construction of island waste management centre at Dhanbidhoo, Laamu Atoll(2017-10) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to construct the Waste Management Centre (IWMC) in Dhanbidhoo, Laamu Atoll. The proponent of this project is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The main rationale for the project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in the island so that the waste is disposed and managed properly. The project is intended at constructing an island level waste management centre, with a compost ground and machineries and equipments to collect and to manage the waste. This project forms part of Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development (LECReD), a United Nations joint programme which seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. The proposed project involves the construction of the waste management centre. The IWMC will have a compost pit, waste segregation lots, equipment room, toilet, rainwater tank. This will be implemented as part of this project. The proposed IWMC will measure 98ft by 98ft and it will be developed on the southern tip of the island. The proposed centre will be developed to manage the waste generated in the island and to ensure proper and sustainable disposal of waste. The waste management centre will also composting tools, compacting machineries to manage the waste. A truck of 2 tonnes and bins will be provided for waste collection. The duration of the construction of IWMC will take approximately 3 months. Once constructed, it will be handed over to the council for operation. The location, which has been approved, by EPA and MLSA is approximately 1km from the residential and requires the development of an access road. This will incur additional cost and the distance also makes it impractical to transfer waste on a daily basis. At present, there is no designated site waste disposal. The island community disposes waste at two different locations of the island and the waste is not segregated. All project activities will be in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 and Waste Management Regulations and Maldivian Land Act and Decentralisation Act. The existing condition of the island and the proposed IWMC was assessed for this report. Assessments conducted include groundwater quality assessments, air quality and terrestrial assessments. Baseline noise levels were also recorded at the site. The assessment shows that during construction stage of the IWMC, main impacts will be increased noise level, air quality degradation and loss terrestrial flora and fauna. The proposed location is a vegetated area where already some of the vegetation has been cleared. However, if the allocated site is chosen for the construction of IWMC, an access road will need to be developed which will require more vegetation to be cleared including palm trees. Other impacts during construction stage possible contamination of groundwater and soil due to leakage of chemical and oil. During operational stage, the most significant impacts on the groundwater, greenhouse gas emission and on biodiversity. If the IWMC is poorly constructed including composting pit, likelihood leachate leaking into the ground is high and this may have irreversible impacts on groundwater quality. The IWMC may be receiving waste that cannot be managed at the site if unsupervised, this may result in open burning waste that result in the emission of toxic gases and chemicals which will degrade the air quality and cause GHG emission. Further to this, distance to the IWMC from the residential zone means a longer commute route which will further contribute to GHG emission from transportation. Accumulation and mismanagement of waste also has the tendency to impact the biodiversity in the island whereby certain species are replaced by crows and rats, which will feed on waste stockpiles. The visual amenity of the area will also be disrupted and given that the nearest island in the vicinity will be developed to a resort this poses major issues in the long term. However, through composting and selling recyclable materials the project will also open up business opportunities for the island. In addition, irresponsible dumping and littering around the island may be stopped following the implementation of IWMC and waste management plan. The alternative options were evaluated for the no project option and alternative locations for IWMC. The “No Project” option is deemed infeasible, given the current condition of waste management and disposal in the island. Given the unfeasibility of the proposed site for IWMC due to the long distance for transportation from the residential zone and from the harbour, alternative locations for the IWMC explored. It is recommended that any other location within 200ft from either the northern or southern direction from the residential zone is feasible or building IWMC. This provides a feasible transportation distance from the collection entities also to the harbour where the recyclable materials can be easily traded. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical of the island, ground water quality as these are the key areas that will be impacted from this project. Monitoring costs is estimated at MVR 25,000 – 35,000 per annum. The management plan for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Stakeholder consultations were held with Dhanbidhoo Island council, Dhanbidhoo public, Laamu Atoll Council, Ministry of Environment and Energy, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Authority. Both Dhanbidhoo Island Council and public are in favour of this project, although the newly elected council not fully acquainted with the project. In conclusion, this project has been designed in conformance to the relevant laws and regulations of Maldives. Operational stage impacts are mainly on climate change, groundwater contamination and on biodiversity. Since the proposed location for the IWMC is not practical in terms of transportation of waste and the need to develop an access road which will incur additional cost, it is recommended to consider alternative locations for the IWMC. Overall, the project will have positive impacts to the island community under supervised and effective management of the IWMC. . The EIA recommends to go ahead with the project and to develop the IWMC at a site that will not cause major loss of biodiversity or cause GHG emissions. It is strongly recommended to develop and implement and environmental management plan to maximise the benefits of IWMC and ensure sustainability of operations.Item Isdhoo Island waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE ConsultingItem Mundoo island waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE ConsultingItem Maamendhoo Island waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE ConsultingItem Environment impact assessment for the proposed international airport development project in Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll(2017-11) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the proposed international airport development project on Maafaru Island, Noonu Atoll. The proponent of the project is Regional Airports, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives. Maafaru Island is one of the largest inhabited islands in Noonu Atoll and the airport is being built on the uninhabited southern half of the island. Main rationale of the proposed project is to facilitate the overall development of the region and to cater to the tourist resort transfers to Noonu Atoll. The aim of the airport project is to provide more convenient, safer and faster transportation to Noonu atoll region and boost the socioeconomic development of the region through enhancement of tourism, commerce and trade. Maafaru Island has been leased to separate developers on three occasions. Each of these developers had developed airport master plans and two of them had approved EIAs. The third EIA was being prepared, before developer changed again. Regional Airports have now decided to develop the airport themselves with assistance from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). The project has two main components: (i) site preparation and; (ii) airport construction. Site preparation involves land reclamation, channel dredging, sea grass removal in front of arrival areas, vegetation removal and backfilling. Airport construction involves building a 2200 m runway with all ancillary services, VIP facilities and a transit hotel. The proposed site has been modified due to human activities. The island and its reef system represents a typical inhabited island with modified vegetation for forestry, contaminated groundwater and moderately good reef system. The proposed site has been partially cleared under the original area but 80% of the vegetation is still intact. There is a sand bed on the western side created by the first developers during mobilization. Maafaru Island’s vegetation system is extensive. There are five marshland areas on the island, three of which will be backfilled under this project. One of the marshland areas contains limited mangrove vegetation. The central marshland area has recently connected to open lagoon, allowing juvenile marine life to thrive. The site may be considered a breeding site but no concrete evidence was found in this evaluation to classify the site as a permanent breeding site. The mangrove vegetation area is very small and contain about 10-15 medium to large trees, but 85% of these trees will have to be removed. The island topography is varied and will require extensive backfilling to level the site. The deep lagoon contains some good live coral colonies. The proposed dredging footprint does not contain any live coral colonies but contains an extensive seagrass bed. The island is undergoing erosion on the northern and eastern side but the proposed airport site is generally stable. Significant impacts are expected to arise mainly during the construction phase of the project. These impacts include significant loss of terrestrial biodiversity. Of particular concern is the removal of over 20,000 medium-to-large trees and about 50,000 small trees, removal of mangrove vegetation, and backfilling a recently active marshland with juvenile life. Impacts will also be felt on marine biodiversity due to dredging and reclamation due to associated direct removal, turbidity and sedimentation; potential contamination of marine and ground water and soil due to accidental spillage/leakage of construction materials and waste; increased turbidity and sedimentation of the water column due to coastal activities; changes to coastal hydrodynamics; salinization of ground water due to use of dredged sand for backfilling and risks to the health of construction workers. Major potential impacts from the operations phase include air, water and soil pollution due to emissions from island operations such as power generation, water production and flight operations; noise impacts on the settlement; bird collisions; potential fuel leaks into soil and ground water; impacts from waste accumulation and alteration of faunal species behaviour. Mitigation measures have been proposed to minimise anticipated impacts. These include transplanting trees to recently reclaimed lagoons in Male’ Atoll, bunding dredging and reclamation works to minimise sedimentation and turbidity in the lagoon, reducing salinization and preventing contamination of ground water, relocate or replant mangrove vegetation, reduce social discontent, control coastal erosion and focus on safety of workers and passengers. All mangrove plants need to be relocated to the southernmost wetland or to the nearest point where they can be grown. The trees may not survive and a mangrove planting programme needs to be conducted on the southernmost wetland. Alternative options have been evaluated for the most significant impacts. Among these alternative locations for the proposed airport were considered, including Manadhoo, Dhigurah and Medhufaru. Among these, only Medhufaru has the space to build a 1800 m runway but it has a number of pristine marshlands which may involve higher impacts than Maafaru. Alternative layouts for the airport were also considered but all other options involve significant reclamation, which subsequently will involve high marine environmental impacts. Alternative borrow areas were evaluated, including an option not to dredge the lagoon. It involved excavating the foot print of vegetation removal area and using the material to level the low lying areas. However, since dredging is required, the reuse of dredge waste for reclamation was preferred. Alternatives were also evaluated for shore protection design and material, and dredging technologies. Alternative designs have been recommended for reclaimed areas due to high coastal impacts from current design. Consultations were carried out with members of Noonu Maafaru Island Council. Island community of Maafaru, Noonu Atoll Council, Maldives Civil Aviation Authority, Regional Airports - Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure, and Ministry of Environment and Energy. There is overwhelming support from the community and the Island Council of Maafaru. Key concern raised by the Ministry of Environment and Energy was the loss of coconut forest, and recommended measures to take to mitigate this loss. Maldives Civil Aviation Authority officials pointed out potential aviation hazards resulting from the presence of the islands waste dump in the flight approach path, and advised to relocate this dumpsite. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, it will also provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as well as operational aspects of the airport. Environmental monitoring cost of pre-construction stage (if required) is approximately MVR 167,500. Monthly environmental monitoring cost during the construction phase ranges between MVR 100,500 to MVR 150,000. The estimated annual environmental monitoring cost during operation is MVR 127,000. All project designs are in conformance to most of the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Decentralization Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, Dredging and Reclamation Regulation, and Dewatering Regulation. There are a number of permits to be obtained for the operation of aerodrome. The project at present is non-compliant to some of the clauses in Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, and Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. The removal of mangrove and coastal vegetation poses a challenge to meet the requirements of the Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees and, the requirement for seagrass removal within 50 m of the shoreline make it difficult to remove all seagrass areas identified. Project will require special consideration and approval from EPA on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. EPA has the authority to provide approval in exceptional circumstances. Public has raised questions about why the runway is being located on the island, when there is potential to reclaim land from the lagoon and build the airport, as has been done in other islands. The proponents view on the matter is, that, it is cheaper to build the airport on land and therefore is more likely that the project will get implemented. This issue is explored in the alternatives section. From an environmental perspective, reclamation itself has irreversible damage to the marine life but when compared with significant loss of vegetation, forestry resources, wetland environments and future land for Maafaru Island development, land reclamation with proper mitigation may involve lower long-term impacts than building on the island. Nonetheless, the project’s implementation is dependent on financial viability and the Government has taken the decision based on this aspect. The loss of wetland and large quantities of coconut palms is an irreversible damage from this project. Measures have been proposed soften this impact as described above but residual impacts will remain from the loss of trees. The developer will need to undertake replanting, with 2 trees for every tree permanently lost as a guideline. The scale of the impacts on the wetland is not irreversible at a regional or atoll level. The loss of the mangrove vegetation is insignificant compared to the mangrove vegetation that exists in Noonu Atoll. The number of wetlands in the near vicinity of Maafaru is also quite substantial and will allow for the migratory birds to relocate. The establishment of marshland on Maafaru as a habitat for juveniles is a very recent development and it does not appear that the marine species are using it as a permanent breeding site. The site is also not listed as a sensitive environment owing to the limited presence of sensitive ecosystems. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. Environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the project are expected to be significantly reduced if the mitigation measures and monitoring programme presented in the report are properly implemented within the framework of the environmental management plan.Item Kalaidhoo Island waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE ConsultingItem L. Hithadhoo waste management center environmental management plan(2017-10) CDE Consulting
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