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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 multi-storey building at H. Del Rio Malé City, Maldives(2015-10) SandcaysThis report discusses the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out for the proposed 11-storey building including an underground basement at H. Del Rio, Malé. The project is proposed by the land owner, Mohamed Shafiu of H. Del Rio. EIA is required for buildings with basements or foundations that are laid below 1.8m from the ground, as per the EIA Regulations of the Maldives and all amendments to it up to date. The main objective of the EIA is to identify potential impacts of excavation, construction of foundation and dewatering and consider mitigation measures that may be adopted. In addition, the EIA would also consider other construction phase and operational phase activities such as waste management, energy and water supply although they are not directly related to the scope of the EIA. Demolition of the existing single storey building has been completed, and demolition impacts have not been covered in the EIA in detail. The project is to commence as soon as the EIA is approved and the duration of the project will not be more than 24 months. Substructure works, which is considered to be the most sensitive component (socially and environmentally), is expected to be completed within two months. The critical elements of excavation and dewatering are expected to be completed within three to four weeks. Therefore, the project has a critical impact timeframe of less than 2 months. Environmental assessment for building construction in Malé City was enforced following incidents of cracks in neighbouring buildings and vibration and noise-related inconveniences which occurred when deep piling was undertaken for the construction of the 15-storey building in Athireege-aage. Based on this incident, deep piling is considered unsuitable for congested Malé. Therefore, the most commonly adopted method of raft foundation will be adopted in the construction of the proposed multi-storey building at H. Del Rio. This method distributes the load from a structure over a large area, minimizing the pressure on the base. This method of foundation is ideal for loose soils with low bearing capacity. However, since the soil of Malé with well-compacted heterogeneous material provides very good base for such foundations, there would be minimal disruption to adjoining structures. Since Del Rio is on the original land of Malé close to the original shoreline, therefore, the foundation will be the on the original seabed and the same conditions would prevail. The area is also of compact nature as this is close to the rim reef of the island and material is well compacted. The proposed depth of the foundation for H. Del Rio is at about 2.8m below the existing ground level or road level. This depth, which is greater than that of a typical building, is due to the basement. The basement space is proposed as office space in the initial design, however, may be used as parking space for the building in future. Parking is becoming an important requirement due to the parking difficulties in Malé. The main concern in excavating to this depth is the safety of the adjacent structures, most of which are old and do not have a proper sub-structure. Therefore, appropriate protection measures have been considered during the excavation, dewatering and foundation works. It is usual practice to provide a retention structure to prevent the foundation of other buildings from collapsing during excavation and the same methodology is proposed for this project. For dewatering, the current practice is for Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) to install a purpose built catchpit connecting to the main sewerage network and for the Contractor to pump effluent from the dewatering process into this catchpit using multiple pumps at designated locations. Since dewatering is required throughout the process of laying the foundation, it will be continuous and irrespective of tide. In fact, tidal influence on the groundwater table has been seen to be very little or negligible in most of the larger islands. Heavy machineries that will be used in the construction include excavator and lorry for demolition and excavation including demolition and excavation waste disposal and concrete machine and large crane for concrete works on top floors. During excavation, excavators and lorries will work inside Del Rio plot except for some minor works on the roadside. Soil that is well segregated and free from debris and contaminants will be used in backfilling. Demolition has been completed quite some time ago and is not within the scope of this EIA. The plot is empty and grass has grown at the back of the plot indicating that the plot has been vacant for quite some time. Cement dust during concrete works is expected to be less of an issue compared to demolition dust and dust during sanding of walls. All these dust-prone activities is expected to be carried out with caution to minimize dust levels in the area. During concrete works, concrete machine and mobile telescopic crane will work from the road and appropriate road blocks, safety and traffic diversion measures will be implemented according to the requirements/recommendations of Malé City Council and Traffic Police. Safety measures within and outside the premises will be ensured during demolition of existing building until the end of construction phase. The project location is congested with mainly single storey buildings and a few multi-storey buildings of less than 5 storeys. The previous building in Del Rio is a single storey residential building with a normal roof. There is a multi-storey building on the south of Del Rio, at the corner of the road. There are a couple of 6-storey buildings on the south of Del Rio but not adjacent to Del Rio. The rest are mainly single-storey houses and a few 2-3 storey buildings. There are a couple of 5 or more storey buildings in front of Del Rio. There is hardly any vegetation in the area except for a mango tree on the west of the plot and a couple of Burmese rosewood (ofi eley) on the road side southwards. Due to the congested nature of Malé and the area surrounding the project site, the condition of neighbouring houses were considered including condition of the structures, condition of groundwater (if groundwater is used) and living conditions to some extent. It has been identified that most of the buildings are old, single-storey or two-storey buildings and have several cracks due to ageing and settlement (mainly on the ground floor in high rise buildings) but could not have been subjected to vibration impacts in the past. There is little or no structural damage in the existing multi-storey buildings. Traffic in the area was considered important and was assessed to be similar to other areas of Malé. Traffic and pedestrian numbers increases in the evening after 1600hrs because people are usually out during the evening to cool off, especially for use of recreational facilities near Del Rio. The roads in the vicinity of the project area are one-way roads making traffic diversions during the construction phase easier. All parking spaces are nearly full throughout the day mostly with parked motor cycles. Private cars are becoming increasingly common in Malé today, therefore, getting parking space on the road is also becoming increasingly difficult. In terms of living conditions in the vicinity of the project site, most of the houses have congested living conditions except for some multi-storey buildings. Groundwater is still quite commonly used in households for washing, flushing and other non-potable uses. Noise levels in the area are much higher than expected and average noise levels during day time as well as night time surpasses acceptable international standards for residential areas. There are also constant noise sources in the vicinity such as the STELCO powerhouse which add to the background noise levels of the area. The primary objective of the development is to enhance the income of the plot owner while improving quality of housing provided in Malé and improve living conditions in Malé. The living environment in Malé is in grave condition with building after building without any space except public spaces and roads. Most of the single storey houses and some of the multistorey buildings have congested living spaces. With a population density of 18,000persons/square kilometer of land area, and thousands of vehicles, Malé needs vertical growth and with increasing land value multi-storey buildings with adequate parking spaces in the building is an important aspect of development in Malé. The overall environmental and social impacts of the projects have been assessed and impacts are considered to be low magnitude and of minor significance. The negative environmental and social impacts of the development are also mainly short-term while the positive socioeconomic impacts of the project are long-term. Therefore, the overall impact of the proposed projects is greatly positive resulting mainly from improved living spaces and economic benefits, both direct and indirect. There would also be direct and indirect employment opportunities in the planning/design phase, construction phase as well as operational phase of the project. The socio-economic benefits of the project can be considered to outweigh the negative impacts of the project. The main potential impact of the project is possible damage to neighbouring structures due to vibration and weakness to substructure caused by soil movement due to deep excavation and dewatering. Disturbances to neighbours is an inevitable impact that will have to be minimized by taking appropriate measures to minimize nuisances such as noise and controlling dust and taking safety precautions. The construction staff needs to know about the importance of minimizing noise and dust and neighbours shall be made aware of the nature of works and potential disturbances. A grievance redress mechanism would have to be in place and made known to neighbours. Such a mechanism has been proposed in the report. Protection to neighbouring structures is an aspect that needs to be carefully looked at. Details of such protection are discussed in the report. Boundary walls of neigbouring structures would have to be protected prior to excavation. Impacts due to dewatering may be felt on adjacent buildings as well as neighbouring wells. Impacts of excavation and dewatering include loosening of subsoil and reduction in bearing capacity of the soil. This would generally occur in loose soil but not in compact sandy soil, as found in the project site, which is part of the original island of Malé. Sand particles have irregular shapes and sizes, therefore, it is well locked in place giving it a good load bearing capacity. Since the excavation is not too deep (about 3m from the ground surface), excavation would not have major impacts on the adjoining structures/buildings. The drawdown caused by dewatering on the water table is not expected to cause any loosening of subsoil in the area, since dewatering occurs at a shallow depth from the water table. However, the superficial groundwater lens will become saline due to drawdown. The current practice of using several small pumps instead of small number of large pumps minimizes such drawdown and there would be minimal impact on neighbours’ use of groundwater. However, this has to be monitored for the adjoining wells and provisions made to compensate for any drawdown effects. There is a mango tree on the west of the plot, which may be adversely affected due to salinization of the water lens. Appropriate mitigation of the impact by watering the tree regularly during the course of the dewatering works has been recommended. Atmospheric pollution due to concrete mixing works on site, cutting tiles, grinding and sanding of walls and timber works are of concern. Often only interior walls undergo smoothing by sanding and this process occurs within confined space. Carpentry works on site would be limited. Yet, it is often the case in Malé that interior finishing works are undertaken at night and with current regulations allowing noisy operations until midnight, there are certain disturbances that has to be minimized, especially given that the project happens in a residential area. In addition to foundation protection measures, the main mitigation measures for the proposed project would be to design for maximum natural ventilation and light, design for optimal efficiency of building while minimizing on losses such as excess concrete as in some of the recent buildings, minimizing and taking care in dusty operations, taking heed of noise during school hours and prayer times as well as night time and keeping the work areas safe and clean. The overall impacts of the proposed project are largely positive with some minor negative impacts. Yet, environmental monitoring has been proposed in order to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed impact management and mitigation measures. The proposed monitoring programme considers engineering inspection during foundation works, groundwater quality changes and availability during dewatering, dust and noise during construction, complaints/grievances, waste management measures including removal of excavated sand and demolition debris, measures to minimize falling of objects/materials during demolition, provision of personal protective equipment and so on. In conclusion, it appears justified from a socio-economic and environmental point of view, to carry out the proposed project.Item Environmental impact assessment : proposed 14 storey building construction in G. Hudhukoka, Male'(2018-01) Musthafa, AmirThis report is based on the proposed 14 storey building construction at the residence, G. Hudhukoka in the capital city, Male’. The proponent is Mohamed Hassan Fulhu. The proponent has appointed the contractor, Caution Construction Pvt. Ltd. to undertake the construction works and project management including overseeing the EIA process. An Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary for the works outlined in this report as they fall under ‘Jadhuvalu R’ of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2012 of the Maldives. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirements, the report would further assist the proponent and important stakeholders to make decisions based on favourable environmental conditions with the main focus on sustainability. The project also adheres to several other rules and regulations in the Maldives and has obtained permit from the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure for the project to proceed. The area the project is proposed to be undertaken is a moderately built area in central areas of Male’. There is no natural terrestrial environment at site. The existing environment therefore was focussed on the regional climate of Male’, and the traffic distribution, and noise pollution in the area. The project area endures heavy traffic. This is further exasperated due to limited space on the roads, resulting in frequent traffic jams. A general exterior overview of the existing structures in the area was also observed. It was found that most of the buildings in the area were old structures and maybe prone to some damages. A more detailed assessment was undertaken in 2013, and there is no major difference visually in the past 4-5 years. Serious structural defects are expected to be at a minimum, especially considering the standard foundation protection methods. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using frameworks found in literature. Since the development is undertaken in a moderately built area, the results indicate that the proposed project has neutral impact. However, there are some significant impacts on the environment during the construction phase of the project and these needs to be mitigated to avoid any significant damage to the environment. Significance of the impacts and mitigation measures have been provided based on previous similar projects undertaken in Male’ and based on literature. A cause for concern regarding this project is the impact it will have on neighbours residing in this area. As such, several short-term impacts are envisaged including air pollution, noise pollution, aesthetic impacts, traffic issues and safety concerns. As there are numerous high storey building projects being undertaken in Male’, there is no particular long term impact associated with this project, albeit an increase in cumulative impacts. The main reason an EIA was required for the project was due to the height of the building, which consequently results in a large population living in the same ecological footprint. The notable impacts that do occur can be easily mitigated to minimise and/or completely nullify them. Mitigation measure proposed includes creating awareness among the construction staff and neighbours regarding the scope of the project. Other measures include taking protective measures to ensure people residing and utilising the vicinity will not have to endure the impacts during the construction stage. Foundation protection measures are recommended and are provided as part of the project to prevent impact on neighbouring structures in addition to a 1m offset from the adjacent building. Dewatering procedure also needs to be undertaken with care, details of which are given in the report. Care should also be taken to prevent any damage to the road and disruption to traffic during transport of machinery and equipment. Alternatives, including the no project option and alternatives for some project components are also discussed. No project option is not viable, as construction is taking place in the owners only currently available land. Regarding construction methodology, a few alternatives are recommended. Regarding the design, there are recommendations to make the development greener. These include interior landscaping to incorporate plants, use of green walls, use of LED lights, rooftop solar panels, etc. An environmental monitoring program is provided at the end of the report, which provides details on the parameters to monitor on site, and the frequency in which it needs to be done. Monitoring can be undertaken successfully by incorporating environmental monitoring in building maintenance setup. Estimated costs for the monitoring works are provided. Implementation of the program is essential for the sustainable development of the project. In conclusion, it is discussed the impact such major housing projects have for the increasing population density in Male’, and how it can be prevented at a policy level. However, as is the case for all similar projects, taking this project as a standalone development project in an already heavily built island city, it can be concluded that no significant long-term impacts are predicted, none that the island community is not yet enduring. It is thus recommended that given the positive socio economic impacts from the project far outweighs localised negative impacts, it is advisable to allow the project to proceed as proposed.