Academic Articles -- ޢިލްމީ ލިޔުންތަކުގެ ޖަމާ
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item Environmental impact assessment for development of a city hotel at Hanimaadhoo, H.Dh. Atoll(2014-05) Riyaz, Mahmood; Zuhair, MohamedThis is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for Island Expert Pvt. Ltd to develop and operate a three star City Hotel on the north western part of Hanimaadhoo Island located in North East of H.Dh Atoll. The proposed project includes development of 41 guest rooms and necessary infrastructure to establish and operate the city hotel. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Tourism (MoT) for granting permission for the project. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. The total cost of the proposed project is approximately 6 million USD. The project will be developed within 18 months. The project will create a relatively large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities throughout for the people of Hanimaadhoo Island and particularly to the islands on the northern part of the Maldives. Therefore the project will significantly contribute to the economic growth, particularly tourism sector, and other relevant socio-economic activities This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in Hanimaadhoo Island. This report also presents an assessment of the ongoing work at the land plot allocated for Hanimaadhoo city hotel development following a report by Hanimaadhoo council during the EIA scoping meeting that the developer has already started construction and site clearance work prior to EIA approval. Major findings of this report are based on information gathered during the field inspection of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives. The proposed project activity will take place on the north western part of Hanimaadhoo Island. The island of Hanimaadhoo is a North-south oriented island located at the Eastern rim of H.Dh Atoll. The reef system hosting Hanimaadhoo Island is an elongated shape reef, which has a length of 6.9 km and width of 1.6km. The reef flat is wider at the western side and the island occupies the eastern half of the reef. The island of Hanimaadhoo is an inhabited island with a population of 1200 people is approximately 6.5km long and 40-700m wide and the with increases towards north. Hanimaadhoo is located at latitude 6.7536o and longitude 73.1737o in North H.Dh Atoll (Figure 1). It is approximately 288 km from the capital Male’. H.Dh Hanimaadhoo is a fairly big island having approximately 155ha with thick vegetation mostly consisting of coconut palms and woody trees. The southern part of the island has been developed as a domestic airport, which was recently converted to an International Airport. Almost 50% of the land area on the southern parts occupies airport territories, hence, vegetation clearance and alteration was greatly seen. The settlement of the island is found on the mid-northern parts and is mainly concentrated on the western areas and extending towards north. Main vegetation within the area allocated for city hotel development is fairly intact with coconut palms, funa, dhigaa, hirundhu and small amounts of nika and dhonkeyo as the main cover within the area, which makes up over 50% of the vegetation cover. Most of the vegetation found on the site is fairly young with magoo, uni as well as funa, hirundhu and dhigga. The cover of young vegetation found on the site exceeds 20%. Other types of vegetation that are sparsely distributed on the site include kaani, boashi, kashikeyo, dhonkeyo, and midhili are found in a very small content. It was observed that the vegetation of the site has been greatly altered or to a great extent used by the local communities probably for collection of fire wood, wood and timber as well as for undertaking agriculture in small areas. The reef on the NW side of Hanimaadhoo is characterized by a large reef flat having approximately 50-70m in the width and a very large lagoon having approximately 290-310m in the width. The average depth of the reef flat is about 1m and the lagoon is about 1.5m. The reef crest is found at a depth of about 2-2.5m. The reef slope is observed to be slanted with the upper portion having the most live coral, while the lower portion (below 10-15m) are mostly covered with dead corals, sand and aged rocks. The live coral cover was generally low except for the upper reef slope where the live coral percentage estimated was 12%. The reef flat and the reef crest had 4% and 6% live coral cover respectively. Based on the ground water analysis ground water of Hanimaadhoo city hotel development site is safe to use for all purposes. At present drinking water is transported from Kulhudhuffushi and supplemented by the rainwater catchments. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in Hanimaadhoo Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. The report has identified and described in detail possible change that would occur to the existing condition of the environment caused during the construction phase and have suggested appropriate mitigation measures for each and every impact identified in the report. Vegetation clearance has been identified as the most significant negative environmental impact that could be associated with the vegetation clearance. Liquid, solid and other forms of wastes and particularly hazardous waste generated during the construction and operational phase has also been identified as significant impact associated with the project and appropriate mitigation measures are suggested for each and every waste related impact identified in the study. The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some modifications for city hotel layout and landscaping. Also the report found, based on the similar project activities elsewhere in the Maldives, the island and the reef will recover from the expected impacts rapidly and will re-establish a new ecological balance soon. However the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring the environmental changes associated with the development and make necessary adjustment to the activities of the project based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. The report has identified the following beneficial effects form city hotel development in Hanimaadhoo: Increased direct employment and training opportunities; Improvements in environmental quality of the island; Stimulation of local economy, cultivation and small business opportunities within the nearby island communities; and Increased government revenue and increased GDP. The report found no evidence that the city hotel development in Hanimaadhoo requires or involves any of the following environmental or socio-economic impacts. loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; resettling of local communities; removing or destroying cultural properties; contravening national government of the Republic of Maldives, or island community policies, regulations, criteria, customs or aspirations concerning environment, economy, employment, cultural traditions or life styles. On the basis this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of the planned city hotel development in Hanimaadhoo Island will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for resort development in K. Kuda Bandos, North Malé Atoll(2014-06) Riyaz, Mahmood; Zuhair, Mohamed; Shakir, IbrahimIn mid-2005 and early 2000 the government leased large number of uninhabited islands for development of picnic islands for a relatively low rent. Those picnic island were developed and most of them are used as exclusive high end tourist resort, but the revenue generated for the government from those islands are very low due to low land rent. Therefore in order to generate more revenue to the Government the cabinet during the MDP Government decided to eliminate all picnic island and allocated them for resort developments. This decision was enforced in 2012. In this respect if the picnic island is within 700m radius of an existing resort the government offered the island to the resort if they are willing to pay the acquisition cost of the island, which is about 6 million US$ per hectares. Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd, paid the acquisition cost of Kuda Bandos Island and decided to convert the island to a mixed local and foreign tourist resort retaining the local picnic concept, and established Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd which is a joint venture company with 10% share of the Government of Maldives. This is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for Malahini Holdings Pvt. Ltd to develop and operate a resort for mixed local and foreign tourist in K. Kuda Bandos Island located in North Central part of Malé Atoll. Kuda Bandos development project involves development and operation of 90 rooms, two and half-three star resort, with all the necessary facilities and amnesties. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Tourism (MoT) for granting permission for the project. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. The total cost of the proposed project is approximately 13.5 million USD. The project will be developed within 18 months. The project will create a relatively large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities for the Maldives. Therefore the project will significantly contribute to the economic growth, particularly tourism sector, and other relevant socioeconomic activities. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in Kuda Bandos Island. Major findings of this report are based on information gathered during the field inspection of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives. The proposed project activity will take place on Kuda Bandos Island, an uninhabited island lies in an N-S oriented triangular shape reef on the central part of North Malé Atoll. The island is situated on the southern end of Kuda Bandos Falhu. Vegetated area of Kuda Bandos is approximately 3.27 hectares and island area is approximately 3.9 hectares. Total area of the reef where Kuda Bandos Island is situated is approximately 11.3 hectares and the total area of the reef flat is 5.8 hectares. After the proposed development the total built-up area of the island will be 7,450 m2 which is about 18% of the total land area of the island. Kuda Bandos Island has thick and healthy vegetation all around and inside the island. The canopy of the island is generally high all around the island except for the northern and western sides where a well-established vegetation mostly consisting of mature Funa, Dhigga, Magoo, Kuredhi, young Ruh, Boakashikeyo and Uni. In general, it can be estimated that the vegetation constituent of the island can be divided into around 50-55% Ruh, 20-25% trees such as Dhigga, Funa, Kaani, Uni, Magoo and Boakashikeyo and 15-20% comprising of introduced vegetation used for landscaping such as Saima, Kandholhu, Farudhaa Bageechaa, Croyton and others. Kuda Bandos is formed within its own coral reef system inside the atoll. The coral reef is triangular in shape and the island is found in the middle of the triangle in an egg-shape. This coral reef system has a perimeter of approximately 1.3km measuring from the outer reef edge. Kuda Bandos coral reef covers an area of approximately 7 hectares including the reef slope and the reef-flat. The general reef condition can be regarded as fairly good with increasing live coral cover of 12% on average and diversity towards the northern side of the reef. The lagoon system of Kuda Bandos has an average depth of 1 – 1.2m during high tide periods. It is a relatively small lagoon which is only found from north-east to the eastern side of the island having an approximate area of 8,745m2. The lagoon found on the north-west, west and south-western sides of the island are saturated with beach areas hence, very narrow areas of the lagoon were visible at the time of the assessments. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in Kuda Bandos Island. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. The report has identified and described in detail possible change that would occur to the existing condition of the environment caused during the construction phase and have suggested appropriate mitigation measures for each and every impact identified in the report. Vegetation clearance has been identified as the most significant negative environmental impact that could be associated with the proposed development. Liquid, solid and other forms of wastes and particularly hazardous waste generated during the construction and operational phase has also been identified as significant impact associated with the project and appropriate mitigation measures are suggested for each and every waste related impact identified in the study. The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some modifications to the proposed layout based on the considerations given to the maximum land use and preserve the existing trees and minimise vegetation clearance which will have more impacts on the island. The report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring the environmental changes associated with the development and make necessary adjustment to the activities of the project based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. As part of the assigned tasks of EIA a list of stakeholders were provided in the TOR to undertake extensive stakeholder consolation during the EIA preparation process. This is because some concerns were raised by the media, soon after the Government’s decision to convert Kuda Bandos to a resort, stating that the island will be closed for local picnics after the development. The issue was discussed with the stakeholders and the truth about the misconception was cleared during the consultation. All the stakeholders except Malé City Council welcomed the proposed development. Malé City Council is on the opinion that Kuda Bandos is the only remaining island near Malé for the picnickers from Malé City and it is the only place where people of this congested city can go and take a breath of fresh air. Therefore they are in the opinion that resort development in Kuda Bandos should not go ahead and the island should be left as it is only for the picnickers from Malé despite the fact that the island will still be accessible for local picnickers after the proposed resort development. The following improvements for the facilities for picnickers and camping site in Kuda Bandos was suggested by the stakeholders during the discussions. 1. Increase the number of public toilets and improve the quality and maintenance 2. Provision of feeding rooms for babies 3. Increase the number of showerheads and properly maintain the water network 4. Increase the number of life guards and first aid facilities 5. Increase the number of guest rooms allocated for the Maldivians 6. Properly demark the picnic and tourist areas with appropriate signage The report has identified the following beneficial effects form resort development in Kuda Bandos: Establishment of local tourism opportunities mixed with international tourism Establishment of readily available picnic facilities and other amenities such BBQ pits, dining areas etc. Increased direct employment and training opportunities; Better guardianship of the terrestrial and marine resources of Kuda Bandos Island; Improvements in environmental quality of the island; Stimulation of local economy, cultivation and small business opportunities within the nearby island communities; and Increased government revenue and increased GDP. The report found no evidence that the resort development in Kuda Bandos requires or involves any of the following environmental or socio-economic impacts. loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; resettling of local communities; removing or destroying cultural properties; contravening national government of the Republic of Maldives, or island community policies, regulations, criteria, customs or aspirations concerning environment, economy, employment, cultural traditions or life styles. On the basis of this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of the proposed resort development in Kuda Bandos will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for extension of Kooddoo Domestic Airport and development of a city hotel Kooddoo, GA. Atoll(2013-12) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, Mahmood1. The domestic airport of Kooddoo was built during 2011 and was officially opened in 2011. This 1,200 m long airstrip in the north eastern side of the Ga Atoll serving the emerging high-end resorts have become one of the busiest and most important domestic airports in the south. It is normal to have 7-8 flights per day with mostly tourist passengers arriving and departing. Also relatively large volume local passengers make use of the route for transferring to the islands in the south or simply commuting on business trips. It was also noticed that guests with reputable business credentials were requesting to resort operators to allow their own air-craft (jet) to fly Kooddoo direct rather than having inconvenient and long layover times at Hulhule Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. 2. In order to address this need the Ministry of Tourism (previously Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture) engaged with the Maldives Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport and Communication in a development project to extend the airstrip and also to upgrade and modernize the airport to provide services to international standards. Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd, a reputable property developer in the region, won the airport development contract through competitive bidding tendered by the Ministry of Tourism. The negotiated contract agreement included development of a 50-room city hotel on Kooddoo and also development of Ga. Maamutaa as an upper-class tourist resort. Under the same agreement the Kooddoo airport will also be managed by Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd, who now has an Aerodrome Certificate to run the airport under their name 3. Following the new Regulation on Reclamation and Dredging of Islands Lagoon and Reefs a permit for dredging and reclamation work was obtained before the scoping of the project took place. As such all paper works, including the dredging and reclamation permit was submitted for the Scoping Meeting held at EPA and was attended by stakeholders. 4. The scope of this development project is to reclaim about 260 m long and 150 m wide area from both ends of the island to extend the runway to 1,800 m, to dredge and create 500 m long entrance channel from the western corner of the reef connected to a harbour basin with access walkway jetty. The scope also includes the complete development works of the 50-room city hotel including upgrading of airport services and equipment following the expansion airport capacity. The most significant development activity with regards environmental change is the dredging of western side, reclamation of the both ends and development 25 over-water bungalows on the shallow lagoon on the western side. 5. Existing environmental conditions have been revised using the comprehensive set of baseline data gathered for the airport development project in 2011 but supplemented by additional field data gathered during the visit made in late November 2013. These have been used to assess and evaluate the environmental impacts from development activities. For activities with potential to cause significant impacts, appropriate and practical mitigation measures have been proposed. 6. Since management of Kooddoo airport is now under Keong Hong Construction Pte Ltd the plan is to upgrade and expand the utility services (production of water, generation of electrify and overhauling of sewerage system) to meet the additional requirements of the proposed city hotel. As such the developer plans to add on to the existing structures and arrangements as much as possible to cut down development costs and improve efficiency. 7. The developer pans to increase current water production capacity of 150 cubic meters per day to 450 cubic meters per day. This would involve installing and commissioning of 2 x 150 cubic meters day capacity RO plants. Electricity generation will be increased from its current capacity of 250kVA to 3110 kVA by adding 2x800 kVA units and 2x630 kVA units. The current septic sewerage system will be overhauled to modern Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant with a capacity to treat 200 cubic meters of sewage water per day The outflow water will have negligible amount of coliforms and so will be used for watering the plants and landscaping work. 8. Installation and commissioning of electricity generation and water production system will be done as per guidelines of the Maldives Energy Authority and Environmental Protection Agency respectively. Similarly, to ensure safety, drilling of boreholes for source water for RO plant and construction of 150,000 liters of fuel storage, and 20,000 liters of petrol will be stored in bunded areas. Environmental issues arising from these developments have been identified and practical mitigation measures have been proposed. It has been recommend that water production system and power generation system should be registered with the authorities before the its full commissioning. 9. Reclamation works and extension of runway will take place whilst the airport is in operation. In order to avoid disruption of flight schedules it is advised the developer/contractor provide method statements, including details on plans and schedule of activities that should be agreed in consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority. Coordination should be maintained at all times between the Air-traffic control tower and developer/contractor. Fortunately since the developer and airport management is the same company it is envisaged that there should not be any problems for this coordination. 10. The estimated volume of material recovered from dredging /excavation works is around 70,000 cubic meters. However, the estimated volume required for reclamation is estimated at 120,000 cubic meters. Alternative borrow areas have been identified to make up for this short fall. The issues were discussed at the Scoping Meeting and it was agreed that area on the south eastern side where the reef-flat is widest may be identified as a potential borrow area. Climate condition and orientation of the Kooddoo reef is such that lagoon often times becomes rough, thus prohibitive safe entry. As such hard structures (breakwaters) have been proposed for the channel and the harbor basin. 11. The proposed reclamation work on either end of the island extends close to the reef edge, creating the possibility of blocking the water exchange from the eastern and western side. It was noted that this may cause disruption of the established longshore drifts flow around the island creating areas of pockets of erosion and accretion. Since it will be difficult to predict such changes, appropriate environmental monitoring have been proposed. The developer/operator is encouraged to follow the monitoring programme and report to the authorities on a regular basis. Environmental monitoring allows detecting environmental change so that appropriate remedial action may be taken or addressed in a timely manner. 12. A Leopold Matrix has been used to classify the magnitude and importance of possible impacts which may arise during the constructional and operational phase of the project. Leopold Matrix is the most widely used methodology for identifying the impact of a project on the environment. It is a two dimensional matrix which cross references between the activities which are foreseen to have potential impacts on the environment and the existing conditions (environmental and social) which could be affected. It was concluded that the short term minor to moderate impacts as identified above outweigh the medium to long term socio-economic benefits to the region, to the tourism sector and to the country in general. 13. Since the Kooddoo Island is going to have three distinct business entities, namely Kooddoo Fisheries Maldives Ltd, Kooddoo Airport, and the Kooddoo City Hotel, the EIA report includes, an officially approved boundary demarcations in Annex 3.Item Environmental impact assessment for resort development in K. Kodhipparu, North Male Atoll(2014-04) Riyaz, Mahmood; Zuhair, MohamedThis is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out for Kodhipparu Investment Pvt. Ltd to develop and operate a three star resort development in Kodhipparu Island located in North Malé Atoll. The proposed project includes development of 108 guest rooms and necessary infrastructure to establish and operate the resort in Kodhipparu Island. The EIA was prepared as fulfilment of the requirement by the Ministry Tourism (MoT) for granting permission for the project. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of development projects is a requirement by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (EPPA) (law 4/93) of the Government of the Republic of Maldives. The total cost of the proposed project is approximately 15 million USD. The project will be developed within 18 months. The project will create a relatively large number of direct and indirect employment opportunities throughout the country. Therefore the project will significantly contribute to the economic growth, particularly tourism sector, and other relevant socio-economic activities This report has been prepared in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations published by the Ministry of Environment and Energy 2012 and covers both negative and positive environmental and socio-economic impact arising from the proposed project in Kodhipparu Island. Major findings of this report are based on information gathered during the field inspection of both the existing environment and possible effects of the project activities, through extensive literature review and experiences gained from similar projects elsewhere in the Maldives. The proposed project activity will take place in Kodhipparu Island (man-made island by accumulating sand through use of coastal structures and reclamation). The island lies on an irregular shape reef, with a deep lagoon at the center. Kodhipparu Island is located on the eastern end of the E-W oriented Kodhipparu Falhu on the southwestern side of North Malé Atoll. Kodhipparu being located on the southwester rim of the atoll it is exposed to high energy oceanic swells during the southwest monsoon and refracted, reflected and regenerated indirect fetch waves during the northeasterly monsoon. Due to the exposure of Kodhipparu reef to the direct oceanic waves during southwest monsoon the calmest area within the Falhu is on the eastern end. Hence Mr.Ali Fulhu who started constructing the island was aware that the eastern end of the reef is the most stable area with the least energy within Kodhipparu Falhu. The fact that Kodhipparu Island being a man-made island it does not have a proper soil layer with humus content. Most of the existing plant species are very young and introduced by the workers in order to stabilize the cay and hold sediments. Most of the vegetation consists of very basic salt and spray tolerant coastal plants, dominated mainly with, Scaevola sp. Tournafortia sp. Pemphis sp. and some coastal shrubs. Recently planted beach hibiscus, coconut trees, and Thespesia sp exist at the central part of the island. Love birds and parrots are being introduced and reared at the island in cages. Shorebirds and seabirds were known to visit the island. Two species of reptiles were observed, these were the mourning gecko (Lapidodactylus lugubris) and the garden lizard (Calotes versicolor). The overall reef of Kodhipparu reef is not in a good condition. Generally the live coral cover does not exceed 10% in any part of the surveyed area and consists of coral mainly branching and table corals. Percentage of dead coral was found to be very high 30-75% in most areas, particularly on the northern and northwestern side. The water in Kodhipparu is highly saline and not usable for washing or gardening. At present fresh water on the island is transported from Malé and supplemented by the rainwater catchments. During the preparation of the EIA report an impact matrix, which is a standard tool for identifying the possible impacts of project activities, has been created for proposed development project in Kodhipparu. The activities carried out during the construction and post-construction or operational phases are arrayed against a selection of environmental factors that may be affected directly or indirectly as a result of project activities. The report has identified and described in detail possible change that would occur to the existing condition of the environment caused during the construction phase and have suggested appropriate mitigation measures for each and every impact identified in the report. Sedimentation and increase in suspended sediment level in the water, has been identified as the most significant negative environmental impact that could be associated with the entrance clearance. Liquid, solid and other forms of wastes and particularly hazardous waste generated during the construction and operational phase has also been identified as significant impact associated with the project and appropriate mitigation measures are suggested for each and every waste related impact identified in the study. The study has evaluated alternative options for some components of the project and has suggested some modifications for resort layout and landscaping. Also the report found, based on the similar project activities elsewhere in the Maldives, the island and the reef will recover from the expected impacts rapidly and will re-establish a new ecological balance soon. However the report has come-up with an extensive monitoring programme that will keep on monitoring the environmental changes associated with the development and make necessary adjustment to the activities of the project based on the findings of various measured environmental parameters suggested in the monitoring plan. The report has identified the following beneficial effects form resort development in Kodhipparu: Increased direct employment and training opportunities; Better guardianship of the terrestrial and marine resources of Kodhipparu Island; Improvements in environmental quality of the island; Stimulation of local economy, cultivation and small business opportunities within the nearby island communities; and Increased government revenue and increased GDP. The report found no evidence that the resort development in Kodhipparu requires or involves any of the following environmental or socio-economic impacts. loss of unique habitat or wilderness areas; resettling of local communities; removing or destroying cultural properties; contravening national government of the Republic of Maldives, or island community policies, regulations, criteria, customs or aspirations concerning environment, economy, employment, cultural traditions or life styles. On the basis this environmental impact assessment study and the impact mitigation measures proposed in the report will be duly implemented and recommendations are given due consideration, it is concluded that the benefits of the planned development in Kodhipparu Island will substantially outweigh its imposition on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for beach nourishment and maintenance dredging of access channels and harbour in Thulhaagiri Island(2014-01) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, Mahmood1. Thulhaagiri is a small round island in the central North Malé Atoll. Located just north of Bandos Island resort, the island may be considered one of the oldest resorts in the Maldives, now operating for over 25 years. Currently in full operation, the resort has 52 beach bungalows and 34 over-water bungalows equipped with modern facilities and amenities. The current management of the resort is Angiri Resorts and Management Operation Pvt Ltd, which have been operating the resort for close to 15 years. 2. Owing to its somewhat isolated location in the centre of a large atoll basin, the island is exposed to wind driven waves from eastern and western side of the reef. Consequently the operators have been using two sides of the island for entry into the reef. During the SW monsoons season when winds are blowing from west the eastern entry is used and during north NE Monsoon when the winds are blowing from East and northwest the entry on the western side is used. 3. The inner reef flat used as a harbour sheltered by the well-developed reef crest. The area is shallow, but over time the reef flat becomes shallower due to deposition of sand. In order to maintain the depth at safer levels for the speedboats and vessels, a small pump is used to dredge the areas that get shallower. This has been the practice the resort operators. 4. The objective of the proposed project is to undertake maintenance dredging of the channels on the eastern and western side of the island and to deepen the reef flat area that is being used as harbour. And finally it is proposed to make use of the dredged sand to nourish the receding beaches on the north eastern side of the island. 5. The project activity is justified since these regular pumping and deepening of the channels and reef flat is inconvenient and hinders the smooth operation of the resort. During bad weather entry into the Thulhaagiri is dangerous and risky. There is also a need to rebuild the lost beach on the north-eastern side of the island, now felt necessary by the operators to maintain Thulhaagiri’s market position. 6. Following the recently established regulation on dredging and reclamation of the islands and lagoons, a permit was first obtained for the proposed reclamation and dredging followed by the scoping of the environmental impact assessment of these activities. This EIA is follows the Terms of Reference developed and agreed at the scoping meeting. 7. Dredging will be carried out by using a dredger mounted on a flat-top shallow-draft barge. A temporary sand bed may be constructed on the excavations area. Sand required for the construction of the bed will be obtained by excavation from the adjacent shallow areas. 8. Excavated material deposited on the barge will be transported and deposited on the beach identified for extending where it will be sieved. The coarse material will be deposited first for filling and extending the area followed the finer material on top. Temporary measures will be taken to avoid the sediment washing into the lagoon. Nourished beach will then be levelled using excavators, loaders or manually by the labourers. 9. It has been proposed that timing of this activity should be restricted to February and March, which is the transition period from northeast to southwest monsoon. Wind frequency and magnitude during the period is on the lower side. 10. The total time taken for this activity is estimated at 30 days following approval (or issuing of decision note) following successful evaluation of this report. The key mitigation measures other then timing is that limit dredging activity at lower or slack tide as much as possible. 11. The proponent has provided a commitment letter confirming accepting and confirming their responsibility on mitigation measures suggested in the report and environmental compliance during this undertaking of the proposed activities.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed agriculture project on Dhandhoo, Baa. Atoll(2013-03) Adam, M. Shiham; Riyaz, MahmoodBaa Atoll Hanifaru was leased in 2008 to Mr. Mohamed Shareef of Maafannu Sunny Coast to develop agricultural activities. Following Environmental Regulation, an EIA Screening Form was submitted to EPA during early 2009. However, after elapse of some considerable period, the erstwhile Ministry of Housing and Environment declared Hanifaru Bay (lagoon) as a protected site under environmental law. Later Hanifaru was also declared as a protected site. In order compensate for this unexpected ‘taking away’ of Hanifaru, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, in consultation with Mr. Mohamed Shareef, arranged an alternative island – Baa Dhandhoo. The proposal under consideration is to develop Baa Atoll Dhandhoo as an agricultural island along with three other minor functions. The primary business model is based on production of high quality agricultural products. The island would also be a facility providing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services. To complement this function a small nursery of about 4,000 sq feet is proposed to grow indigenous medicinal plants that are becoming rare/extinct. Finally a small visitor centre is proposed which would allow visitors to learn about the activities on the island. Two main approaches − the AutoPot and hydroponics systems − are proposed for the production of rock-melon, cucumber, capsicum, chillies, lettuce, tomatoes etc. The growth system is completely contained either in the grow pots or in water medium. The main development feature of the island is 6 x 4,000 sq feet green houses to set up the AutoPot and hydroponics system. The green houses will be imported and assembled at site. Similarly the AutoPot system will be imported and assembled at site. The hydroponics system will be constructed locally from the imported material. Construction of the buildings will be kept to a minimum; staff accommodation, kitchen / dining facilities will be constructed to accommodate no more than 15 people for the agricultural works. Treatment rooms for CAM treatments will be built on the northern side of the island. A small stilt-jetty is constructed on the western side of the island. A complete list of the buildings is given in the layout plan. The island would be self-contained, and so water production and power generation will take place on the island. An RO plant of 10 cubic meters / day capacity is proposed with intake from the lagoon. To supplement the water production rainwater will be harvested from every possible roof on the island. A 25kW diesel power generator will installed for producing electricity. Storage of diesel on the island will be minimal transporting the required amounts from the nearby islands. The baseline environmental conditions were assessed using standard methods. Significant erosion was observed on the north-western and northern side of the island while accretion was evident on the western side. There appears to be a directional shift of the island to west. However, observation of such magnitude of movement has entirely due to seasonal erosion and accretions have been observed in some islands of Baa Atoll. No interventions for mitigating erosion were proposed at this stage. Biannual monitoring of shoreline was proposed to determine the seasonal dynamics of the island beach. No hard structures are proposed at this stage. A Leopold Matrix was used to determine the scale and extent of the impacts. The short-term environmental impact from this development project would to the island ecosystem from clearance of vegetation. About 60-80 palms may have to remove and/or relocated for the development work that will be replaced accordingly. Loss of top-soil, and shade and the clearance may affect the vegetation around the periphery. It is recommended that clearance take place only where necessary. Septic tanks systems have been proposed for disposing human waste and pose no long-term negative environmental impact considering the small number of people expected to be based on the island. It is recommended that non-biodegradables should be regularly removed from the island for disposal in to another island with arrangement made with the Council. Biodegradable waste from the plant material will be left to appropriately degrade on the island, thereby contributing nutrients pool of the island ecosystem. The Atoll Council and the resorts were consulted regarding the project and their views were considered. There was full support of the Council and no issues were highlighted. There were also no issues raised from the resorts except they wished see only minimal landscape Impacts during the operation phase are considered to be negligible. Overall the impact from the Project will be positive – demonstration of effective economic and sustainable use of uninhabited small islands inducing encouragement for climatesmart type agriculture.