Academic Articles -- ޢިލްމީ ލިޔުންތަކުގެ ޖަމާ
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Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed agriculture project in Funadhoo, Gaafu Alifu Atoll(2017-09) Musthafa, Amir; Wahhab, Mahfooz Abdul; Adam, RashihuThe proposed project is to undertake an Agricultural Project located in the island of Funadhoo in North Huvadhoo Atoll at 0°33’42.85” N and 73°31’33.83”E. The nearest airport is Koodoo airport approximately 20km north of Funadhoo. This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has been prepared in order to meet the requirements of Clause 5 of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of the Maldives to assess the impacts of the proposed Agriculture Project in GA. Funadhoo. The main components of the project include: creating accessibility to the island, Vegetation clearance, setting up utilities, harvesting local produce, and livestock farming. Currently, about 90% of fruits and vegetables are imported from overseas to the Maldives. The majority of this food are transported to the tourist resorts and a major portion of the remainder is used by the people of Male’, Hulhumale’, Villingili and nearby islands. The quality of the fruits and vegetables which reaches the atolls is therefore, compromised and not adequate for the population in terms of quality and volume. Therefore, there has always been great need to improve on this condition. As such, one of the main objectives of this project is to meet the needs of the local communities. Interms of harvesting and growth, based on the available land, the growing area will be allocated in a manner which has minimal effects on the natural habitat and trees to effect minimum interruption. One hectare will be designed with net houses to grow most vegetables, such as cucumber, chili, tomato, capsicum and sweet melon. In addition to that, availability of affordable fruits and vegetables to the local communities in Huvadhoo Atoll will be a priority. Goods will be produced using locally available fertilizers in order to promote healthy vegetables and fruits. Another eight hectares will be used for open growing such as coconut trees, banana, papaya, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. A two hectare area will be allocated for facility development as well as maintaining livestock. This will help to maintain a naturally fertile land and make fresh meat available in the local area. A 30kVA gensets will be established at the project site in the powerhouse, along with Two 5kVA gensets. A 10 ton RO plant will be placed in the island along with a 6 ton plant for back up. 3 septic tank systems will be put in place as sewerage system. A rainwater collection system for building roofs would be built to subsidize and support the water production facility. A micro sprinkler system will be laid along the farm for irrigation purposes. Disease control and quarantine facilities will be in place. The project is expected to be completed in 12 months. Regarding existing environment, there are no declared environmentally sensitive areas on Funadhoo island. 9 different types of vegetation species were found on Funadho during the survey. Majority of the mature trees in the island were Screw pines, typical coastal vegetation and coconut palms. It is expected that about 30 to 40 percentage of vegetation will be removed as part of the works. However, coastal vegetation will not be removed and a 20m buffer area will be maintained. The island undergoes erosion on the eastern oceanward side, although a substantial beach could be found on the western atollward side. Groundwater quality of the island was surprisingly poor, with large number of coliforms. Eastern lagoon was covered with seagrass beds, while the seagrass beds were present only near the coast on the Western side. It was observed that the Eastern lagoon was shallower compared to the Western side, having less than 1m at low tide. The results of the surveys show that 49.9% of the western reef was composed of rock with only 1.6% live corals, and limited number of target fish were observed. The legal framework for the project includes existing policy are regulation with respect to any development sensitive to the environment such as the EIA regulation, regulation on cutting and uprooting trees, Environment protection and preservation act, regulation on coral mining, waste management regulation, dredging and reclamation regulation, etc. In addition to these, there are agriculture specific regulation and guidelines, such as the Agriculture policy, general regulation for food establishment, etc. One of the most important set of guidelines with respect to the project is the Maldives Good Agriculture Standards, which has been recently formulated. While it is not mandatory to conform to the standards currently, the study strongly emphasises on its importance and recommends its incorporation to the project. Impact evaluation is undertaken by standard accepted methods. General impacts from development in uninhabited islands exists for the development such as those including vegetation removal and marine dredging, which has been noted among the more important ones. General mobilisation and setup impacts are also there, in addition to establishing and operating utilities in the island. Waste management in a secluded island such as this is important. More specific impacts occur due to handling and using chemicals and fertilizers, animal and pest control, and harvesting procedures. Mitigation measures are given for each impact. Vegetation removal is unavoidable. However, it is recommended to transplant larger trees as much as possible, and to utilise green waste as compost for the facility. Marine dredging impacts are likewise unavoidable. But the harbour is designed in such a way as to minimise the long term impacts. With regards to agricultural practices, it is strongly recommended to follow the Maldives Good Agricultural Practices. Alternatives for the project includes assessment of the no project option as per usual where the need for the project is discussed at length. It is concluded that the no project option is not viable at this stage. Other alternatives such as those for the project site, harbour area, water source, sewage options, and energy source has been discussed. The project has proposed the most simple and commonly used sources and it is recommended to proceed with these for the time being, while the harbour has been designed in the most environment friendly manner possible. Stakeholder consultations were carried out with different government authorities in addition to respective councils. The councils were generally supportive of the project. However, they all unanimously stated that they recommend more involvement of the island communities in development such as these. The government authorities expressed concern with respect to projects such as these and the agricultural industry of the Maldives in general. Monitoring program has been proposed as per usual. It is recommended to carry out annual monitoring even after the construction works have been completed. Important monitoring parameters include groundwater monitoring, marine water, marine life, shoreline, product water, general health and safety at site, etc. One of the key points with regards to impacts is, the scale/magnitude of works will be much less compared to other types of development which takes place in uninhabited islands such as airport developments or more typically, resort developments. The operation stage of the project will also be much more environment friendly than other developments. However, the main area of concern with regards to operation is apart from general good practices in maintenance and waste management, the use of fertilizers and chemicals. This can be regulated if it is ensured that the operation is in compliance with MGAP. In fact, the entire operation can be made sustainable once the operation fully conforms to the guidelines as provided by MGAP. Considering these factors and the great socio economic benefits the project will bring to the regional community, the project can be regarded to be environment friendly on a long term basis. With proper operating procedures as outlined in MGAP, mitigation measures as given in this study, and subsequent monitoring, it is recommended for the project to proceed as proposed.Item Environmental impact assessment for road development Male’ Izzudheen magu(2017-04) މެހެފޫޒް އަބުދުލް ވައްހާބު; Wahhab, Mahfooz Abdul; މަރިޔަމް ސުޖާއަތު; Shujaa-ath, Mariyam1. The purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed development of Izzudheen Magu and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; 2. Izzudheen Magu is one of the key access roads to Male’ Industrial Village area and also shall be a major route within the ring road plan of the city. Therefore it is very important to develop this road by asphalting and developing drainage system as heavy machinery will be travelling on this road. The drainage systems are critical to control the flooding which occurs on this road almost every time there is a heavy rainfall. 3. A full baseline of water quality was established at the proposed development area as it is anticipated to impact negatively on the groundwater quality. In addition to this, it was found that 18 Sea Hibiscus tress and 3 Coconut Palm would need to be removed from the project area; 4. Additionally, this study also involved identification of alternative options in place of the proposed development. The considered options were no project scenario and use of concrete paving instead of asphalt, both of which are economically less feasible. 5. The construction works of the proposed development presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal to Thilafushi; 6. Potential groundwater contamination from chemical spills and oil spills and vegetation clearance are the most significant environmental impacts associated with the project; 7. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly developed road will improve traffic flow of the area, increase water infiltration during heavy rainfall and reduce flooding as well as improve landscape integrity of the area; 8. Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Water quality monitoring will be done according to the proposed monitoring schedule.Item Environmental impact assessment for road development in Male’ Izzudheen magu(2017-04-01) Wahhab, Mahfooz Abdul; Shujaa-ath, Mariyam1.The purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed development of Izzudheen Magu and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; 2. Izzudheen Magu is one of the key access roads to Male’ Industrial Village area and also shall be a major route within the ring road plan of the city. Therefore it is very important to develop this road by asphalting and developing drainage system as heavy machinery will be travelling on this road. The drainage systems are critical to control the flooding which occurs on this road almost every time there is a heavy rainfall. 3. A full baseline of water quality was established at the proposed development area as it is anticipated to impact negatively on the groundwater quality. In addition to this, it was found that 18 Sea Hibiscus tress and 3 Coconut Palm would need to be removed from the project area; 4. Additionally, this study also involved identification of alternative options in place of the proposed development. The considered options were no project scenario and use of concrete paving instead of asphalt, both of which are economically less feasible. 5. The construction works of the proposed development presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal to Thilafushi; 6. Potential groundwater contamination from chemical spills and oil spills and vegetation clearance are the most significant environmental impacts associated with the project; 7. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly developed road will improve traffic flow of the area, increase water infiltration during heavy rainfall and reduce flooding as well as improve landscape integrity of the area; 8. Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Water quality monitoring will be done according to the proposed monitoring schedule.Item Environmental impact assessment for establishment of sewer network at Aa. Ukulhas(2018-01) Wahhab, Mahfooz Abdul; Adam, Ibrahim RashihuThe purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the establishment of a sewer network in AA.Ukulhas and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; Existing sewer situation at the aforementioned island are not proper and are subject to cause ground water contamination. In this sewer establishment project, sewer facilities are proposed to be constructed at a location whereby public nuisance could be minimised along with little disturbance to the natural setting of the proposed locations of sewer facility and allied pump stations for the network. All the components of the sewer network will be constructed according to EPA specification complying to both MEE and EPA regulations; Additionally, this study also involved identification of several alternative locations for laying the outfall and selecting the most ideal location based on thorough study of the current patterns, proximity to the public recreational beaches and ease of design effectiveness. The preferred locations were selected based on best met design criteria of EPA and environmental options; The construction works of sewer network presented in this report are not expected to adversely impact the environment if the mitigation measures mentioned in the report are followed. The most important mitigation measures are daily maintenance of machinery, following chemical handling procedures, waste segregation and storage in closed labelled containers until disposal to Thilafushi and most importantly following the EPA guidelines for operation of sewer system; Potential groundwater contamination from damages to sewer network, potential impacts to marine life from discharge of sewerage from the outfall, excavation and dewatering are the most significant environmental impacts associated with the project. Therefore, it is extremely important to follow the proposed mitigation measure, relevant guidelines and regulations and the operation and maintenance manual of the sewer system during the operational phase. Overall, the proposed project is expected to bring in positive outcomes. It is expected that the newly established sewer network will ensure safe sanitation services to islandާ community in addition to greatly reducing further disturbance and contamination of the ground water and surrounding environment; and Monitoring is essential to ensure that environmental thresholds are not exceeded and mitigation measures proposed are working. Ground water and marine water quality monitoring will be done according to the proposed monitoring schedule.Item Environmental impact assessment for development of indoor sports complex, Hulhumale', Kaafu atoll(2017-12) Wahhab, Mahfooz AbdulThe purpose of this EIA is to critically analyse and assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed development of a sports complex at Hulhumale and expose the solutions and preferred alternatives as well as mitigation measures to minimize any negative impacts whilst trying to derive the maximum positive impacts from the project; Hulhumale is an island reclaimed in 2002 for the purpose of relieving the population congestion in Male’. During the first phase a total area of 188 Ha were reclaimed. And in 2004 the first population started living in Hulhumale’. Since then the population of the island had been growing rapidly, now with a population size greater than 65,000. In early 2015 an additional 244 Ha were reclaimed under phase II of the project with the intention of accommodating two thirds of Maldives population in Hulhumale’ with a targeted population size of 240,000. Therefore, it is understood that in order to increase the social well-being of such a huge population, proper social ventures which would cater for the youths are important on this island. A full baseline of groundwater quality was established at the proposed development area as it is anticipated to impact negatively on the groundwater quality. In addition to this, noise level and traffic flow of the area were surveyed. Additionally, this study also involved identification of alternative options in place of the proposed development. The considered options were no project scenario and moving project location, both of which are economically less feasible. Dewatering is the most significant negative impact which would arise due to the project as it is proposed to build a community swimming pool. Additionally, during the operational phase, it is anticipated that poor maintenance of the pool will cause the impacts of highest significance. The socioeconomic benefits during the operations far outweigh the negative impacts. It is expected that the proposed development will provide recreation facilities to the youth, indirectly minimising the social problems faced by the youngsters today. Moreover, the proposed project will also open many job opportunities, especially to the unskilled workers.