Academic Articles -- ޢިލްމީ ލިޔުންތަކުގެ ޖަމާ
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Item Does bathymetry drive coastal whale shark (rhincodon typus) aggregations?(PeerJ, 2018-06-08) Copping, Joshua P.; Stewart, Bryce D.; McClean, Colin J.; Hancock, James; Rees, RichardBackground. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is known to aggregate in a number of coastal locations globally, however what causes these aggregations to form where they do is largely unknown. This study examines whether bathymetry is an important driver of coastal aggregation locations for R. typus through bathymetry's effect on primary productivity and prey availability. This is a global study taking into account all coastal areas within R. typus' range. Methods. R. typus aggregation locations were identified through an extensive literature review. Global bathymetric data were compared at R. typus aggregation locations and a large random selection of non-aggregation areas. Generalised linear models were used to assess which bathymetric characteristic had the biggest influence on aggregation presence. Results. Aggregation sites were significantly shallower than non-aggregation sites and in closer proximity to deep water (the mesopelagic zone) by two orders of magnitude. Slope at aggregation sites was significantly steeper than non-aggregation sites. These three bathymetric variables were shown to have the biggest association with aggregation sites, with up to 88% of deviation explained by the GLMs. Discussion. The three key bathymetric characteristics similar at the aggregation sites are known to induce upwelling events, increase primary productivity and consequently attract numerous other filter feeding species. The location of aggregation sites in these key areas can be attributed to this increased prey availability, thought to be the main reason R. typus aggregations occur, extensively outlined in the literature. The proximity of aggregations to shallow areas such as reefs could also be an important factor why whale sharks thermoregulate after deep dives to feed. These findings increase our understanding of whale shark behaviour and may help guide the identification and conservation of further aggregation sites.Item Environmental impact assessment for construction and development of water supply system at Dhangethi, Adh. Atoll(2016-12) Land and Marine Environmental Resources GroupThe non-technical summary outlines the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment of the construction and development of a freshwater production and distribution system at ADh. Dhangethi. The proponent of this project is the Ministry of Environment and Energy and total estimated cost of the project is MRF 17 million. To meet the water supply demand and to provide a quality treated water RO desalination with rainwater collection scheme is proposed for the island. The project involves the setup of a RO plant facility with two RO plants each with a capacity of producing 60m3 of freshwater per day One RO plant will be operational at anyone time while the remaining plant will be kept as a backup. Rainwater will be collected from the public buildings which will go through separate treatments before being mixed with RO desalinated water. Key impacts, mitigation measures and alternatives Impacts on the environment from various activities of the project development work (constructional impacts) and operational impacts have been identified through interviews with the Project management team, field data collection and surveys and are also based on past experience of consultant in similar projects. Impacts were analysed for their significance with the aid of a Leopold Matrix. In any development project, major direct impacts to the environment occur mainly during the construction phase. Potential direct or indirect impacts on the environment from the proposed project include: Minor to moderate impacts to the groundwater resource during drilling and construction work Impact on vegetation due to the need to cut down vegetation located at the plot Impact due to air and noise pollution during construction work Impact on marine environment due to discharge of brine Positive impact on social wellbeing and health Mitigation measures are discussed for the activities which would have potential impacts during the construction and operational phase of the project. In general, during the construction stage it is important to use a method of construction which has the least impact on the environment. Specific measures highlighted include following of established guidelines when carrying out excavation works and dewatering and transplantation of Coconut palms around the periphery of the project site. Detailed mitigation measures are discussed in Section 11 of the report. Alternatives have been considered for various components of the project and are given as possible options that may be either more practical or less expensive to the preferred options. The proposed alternatives also have taken into consideration the environmental consequences resulting from these options as compared to the preferred options. The following components of the project have been discussed in providing these alternatives; Location of RO plant facility Source of feedwater for RO plant Brine discharge location The no-project scenario is also considered, which would mean that all environmental impacts due to the project would no longer be an issue. However, this also means that the community would have to continue using only rainwater and groundwater as main freshwater sources. Additionally, it would also mean increased health risks faced by the community due to the use of contaminated water and the loss of potential additional job creation during the operation of the service. The environmental impacts predicted for the project are minor to moderate, hence the benefits of establishing the system, though with a cost to the environment is seen to be far more beneficial than the cancellation of the project, as the health risks faced by the community is not something that should and can be overlooked. Therefore the “no-project” scenario is not a feasible solution and it is recommended that the project be continued, but with the proper implementation of all mitigation measures proposed in the report. Details of the various alternatives considered and the selected alternatives are shown in Section 10 of the report.Item Environmental & social impact assessment for the proposed construction of sewerage system in Maamigilli, Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives(2016-11) Water SolutionsThis EIA report is prepared for the construction of a sewerage system in the island of Maamigilli Alifu Dhaalu Atoll. The project will be implemented by MWSC. The proposed project aims to establish a sewerage system where household wastewater gets collected in to a sewer network and gets discharged into the open ocean via an outfall. Surveys and assessments were done in Maamigilli to identify the best possible option and suitable system including evaluating alternatives to the project. The proposed system will ensure that the groundwater of the island does not get contaminated through improper sanitation systems. It will also ensure that the groundwater and the surrounding marine environment will improve in terms of environmental quality and will ensure pollution from sewage does not occur. These measures are expected to bring multiple positive impacts to the health of the people other than improving the environmental quality. Various alternatives to the proposed system were also studied. One of the options identified include treatment of sewage and the use of vacuum systems. Based on the assessment, these alternatives were assessed to identify their potential application in Maamigilli against the proposed system. Advantages and disadvantages of these options have also been discussed in the report. The island‟s existing sanitation is developed on traditional septic tank system. All the houses have toilet facilities which have onsite septic tanks. The ground water of the island is been used for toilet flushing and for purposes other than drinking. The main portable water is from the private water tanks in individual houses or from the community water plant. Desalination plant is operated in the island by Villa Shipping and Trading Company. The assessment reveals that the project can be implemented without significant impact on the natural environment of the island. The impact area due to the implementation of the project would be the loss of vegetation from the construction of the pump station, excavation and laying of the sewer network and the reef environment due to the construction of the outfall. These impacts would be unavoidable as trees have to be cleared from the site before construction can begin for the pump station. The outfall needs to be properly anchored to hard substrate of the reef. Therefore, the most significant direct impacts are going to be resulting from the loss of flora and fauna from the area where the pump station as well on the marine environment where outfall will be constructed. The Maamigilli Island Council will provide compensation to the owners of the coconut palms or trees that need to be removed from the land allocated for pump stations. The proponent and contractor should avoid any project activity that will directly impact the MPA of Maamigilli. Waste water outfall should be monitored in regular basis to study the impact area. The proponent of the project shall develop necessary plans and implement the mitigation measures in association with relevant agencies to mitigate the predicted impacts. Several alternatives for the proposed project have been identified and they are discussed in detail. For this project, proposed concept is the best option. The current concept is designed after an initial survey by MWSC. Outfall location is proposed after the stakeholder consultation and EIA survey. All activities of the project will be closely monitored by Maamigilli Island Council. A monitoring plan is developed for this project. It is very important to adhere this monitoring program to study whether the projected impacts. In light of this assessment, the proposed project has been found to have more positive than negative impacts, both environmentally and socially. It is crucial for the client to manage the project in consultation and assistance with other stakeholders if the environmental impacts are to be minimized.Item Environmental monitoring for Adaraan Meedhupparu, R. Meedhupparu(2014-03) Systems Engineering and Marine ConsultingThis environmental monitoring reviews the condition of the environment of Meedhupparu after the implementation of the Coastal Works in year 2012. The natural environment is described, assessed and compared to data from previous years. The bathymetry of the west coast was analysed and comparison drawn between the baseline and post work situation. The data accumulated since 2012 on the substrates around Meedhupparu were gathered and compared. Among all the sites rock has always been the primary substrate, (from 66.40 to 77.20%) followed by rubble (from 9.60 to 18.80%) and sand (from 1.20 to 11.60%). Coral was the fourth substrate varying between 4 and 11.60%. The evolution of the coral cover during 2012 to 2014 was assessed in selected zones. Since 2012, the general trend for sites on the west coast was of no change showing almost the same averaged coral cover.Item Environmental impact assessment proposed access channel to arrival jetty Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, South Malé Atoll, Maldives(2011-02) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed dredging of an access channel to the Arrival Jetty of Taj Exotica Resort and Spa located on Emboodhoofinolhu, South Malé Atoll. The primary objective of the project is to provide access to the island at all times. The project involves the excavation of a 30m long, 15m wide channel up to 3m from MSL on the western side between the arrival jetty and the deep lagoon to allow safe access to the island at all tides. The sand that is excavated will be used to replenish areas of the beach on the eastern and north end of the island where beach is easily eroded. The sand that will be placed on the beaches need to be sieved or graded to rid it of broken coral pieces and rubble. The remaining portion of the dredge material would be taken away in a barge and dumped somewhere offshore such as the deep lagoon or the sea. Since the process of sieving yield material that cannot be used for any purpose on the island (as per Tourism Regulations) and also the process involves access to several areas of the beach that would be in use by tourists, the process would require careful planning and supervision. Therefore, feasible alternatives such as creating a sand bank at a naturally shallow area close to the dredge location have been proposed. This is the initially proposed option, which was also discussed in the scoping meeting. However, the Ministry of Tourism has rejected the EIA report requesting the Proponent to “exclude the development of the sand bank from the EIA report and include an alternative way of disposing the dredged material”. The overall negative impacts of the project are mainly short term deterioration of marine water quality, impact on the coral patch at the end of the proposed channel and altered bathymetry in the area. In addition, the nourishment of beaches would directly and indirectly improve the quality of the tourism product that is being offered at least in the short term as no shore protection has been proposed in this project. The project also encompasses several positive impacts including employment opportunities, improved guest transfer and other ventures. Since the project takes place in a resort environment, it would be necessary to ensure that the aesthetics of the resort are not compromised. Therefore, using a sand pump would be more practicable than using an excavator. However, both methods are appropriate. In order to improve the EIA process and to assist in future projects, it would be necessary to undertake monitoring. It has been proposed to undertake monitoring of the shorelines of the island and oceanographic and hydrodynamic conditions (drogue studies) and water quality.Item Environmental impact assessment report : development of Transit Hotel and Marina Finolloss, Baa Atoll(2011-09) Land and Marine Environmental Resources GroupBackground The non-technical summary outlines the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Transit Hotel and a Marina facility on the island of Finolhoss, Baa atoll. This hotel is developed as part of the airport development project in Dharavandhoo, Baa atoll. The Transit Hotel at Finolhoss will be operated by Coastline Hotels and Resorts under Coastline Group of Companies Pvt Ltd. Project Detail Finolhoss will be developed as a luxury hotel, accommodating 200 beds offering a unique and exclusive product. The project will involve construction of 17 land villas (duplex), 32 water villas, and a small marina catering for small to medium sized yachts (8-15m yachts). The water villas would be constructed at the lagoon area from the northwest point of the island, while the land villas are to be built on the northern side of the Island. The marina and support facilities would be constructed at the southern side of the island within the shallow lagoon. Environmental Component of the project As the project is set in a coral reef based island the proposed component of the project are very much related to the surrounding environmental components. These include, the terrestrial vegetation, marine environment which includes reef, near-shore lagoon and intertidal beach. Use of field data collected during the field visit to the site in October 2010 and available secondary data on the said environmental components has been used to assess and evaluate potential environmental impacts that are likely to arise from implementation of the proposed project activities especially in the context of the magnitude and duration of the project components. Key impacts, mitigation measures and alternatives Possible impacts arising from the resort development and operation works are categorized into reversible and permanent (irreversible) impacts. The impacts identified are also described according to their location, extent (magnitude) and characteristics. Reversible and irreversible impacts are further categorized into intensity of impacts (negligible, minor, moderate and major) for identifying best possible remedial (mitigation measures) actions to be taken. In any development project major direct impacts to the environment (either short term or long term) occur mainly during the construction phase. Potential direct or indirect impacts on the environment (on land and reef system) from the proposed works are limited to number of causes. These include: Construction debris blown away by wind or spillage during transportation on to the reef or lagoon (initially material will be unloaded using barge, but after completion of harbor dredging works, the harbor will be used for material unloading), Potential changes to the long shore transport and littoral regime of the island due to the coastal developments (beach creation, backfilling works and harbor deepening works), Possible impacts from excessive sedimentation on the reef by beach creation works and harbor deepening works, as these may alter the local hydrodynamic regime within the system resulting in siltation and increased water turbidity, Direct loss of habitat and disturbance to the lagoon bottom and reef flat area by harbor dredging and piling works at the water bungalow construction areas, Direct loss of habitat and disturbance to the lagoon bottom by footing clearance for piling works for the over water structures, Loss of vegetation due to clearing vegetation for creating space for new constructions, Groundwater contamination by digging trenches or dewatering for placing foundations of building and possible spillage of fuel or other hazardous chemicals. Operation of heavy machinery and construction related equipment will contribute to noise pollution. Noise pollution during the construction works will be mainly due to the operation of excavators, trucks and concrete machines. Air pollution due to the project will be mainly due to operation of heavy machinery like excavators, trucks, concrete machines, power generator, burning of waste and boat operations. Mitigation measures Mitigation measures are discussed for the construction and operational stages of the project. During the construction stage it is important to take measures to minimize generation of construction waste; impacts due to disposal of construction waste may cause significant degradation of terrestrial habitat or groundwater quality or reef health. Method of construction also has to be taken in to account for minimized impact. A construction method that has the least impact on terrestrial or marine environment has to be utilized. Waste generated during the construction phase will be sorted and reused as much as possible (construction debris for construction works as filling, timber for form work). All burnable items will be burnt, rest sorted and sent to local disposal site or Thilafushi (disposal at Thilafushi will be costly due to long distance transportation). Project management staff will be appointed for monitoring waste generation and management of the contractors working on the island. All waste generated at end of each working day will collected and sorted and then sent to the waste management building. All burnable waste (timber flakes, saw dust, paper, and packing material) will be incinerated. Reusable items such as gunny bags, saw dust (for making compost) will be reused as much as possible. Food waste generated at the temporary accommodation and kitchen area will be collected in waste collection bins. Separate bins will be placed for collection of metal tins/glass bottles and plastics. All burnable items will be incinerated; glass bottles crushed, metal tins compacted and sent to local disposal site or disposed at deep sea. During construction stage green waste will be generated from the vegetation clearance works. All major vegetation (large mature trees) removed will be replanted elsewhere to the greatest extent possible. Daily cleaning works will also generate green waste; these would be used for making compost at the nursery. Alternatives Considering the alternatives for the project in terms of location, type of economic activity to be carried out has been decided by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Apart from the type of economic activity and location other aspects that can have alternatives are; Construction method of over water structures Location of over water structures Sewage treatment method Feed water intake method, outfall and brine discharge pipes Beach creation and back filling work Harbor basin deepening method Conclusion Assessment of the project components and their associated impacts have been considered in the context of baseline environmental information collected at the project location as part of this EIA report. It has been the general finding that the project components will bring environmental alterations to the project site if the activities are implemented. Several projects of similar nature have been developed over the past several decades as part of the Maldives tourism industry. No serious environmental damage has been reported or documented due to implementation of these projects. With due consideration given to the fragility of the natural environment, this document has discussed and identified mitigation measures for the potential impacts to the natural environment. The economic benefits from the project are likely to beneficial to the national economy at large.Item Environmental impact assessment report for the beach replenishment project at A.Dh Thundufushi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll, Maldives(2010-03) E-CAD AssociatesOutline of project This EIA report is prepared in accordance with Regulations, 2007 under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Act No. 4/93). The purpose of this EIA is to fulfill the requirement of the Law and to conduct an assessment of possible impacts on ecological, biophysical and human environment arising from proposed development project of beach replenishment in Thundufushi - A.Dh Atoll, Maldives. The project is proposed by Seagull group Private Limited, Maldives. The main construction activities of the proposed project involve obtaining sand using a conventional sand pump and filling the eroded areas on the western side of the island. The construction activities will be completed within 6 months from the start of the construction phase. The project cost is estimated as Rf 2 million. The proposed filling area is 850ft long and 50ft wide. This replenishment is aimed at regaining the lost beach areas from the island within the last few years. No concrete or any other hard material will be used as revetments to retain sand. The main operation of the within the area will be tourist recreation and sun bathing. Location of the project The proposed development project is located in the island of Thundufushi in South Ari (A.Dh) Atoll at 03° 48' 10" N and 72° 43' 40" E. The closest islands to the project location are inhabited islands of A.Dh Mandhoo approximately 8km south. The uninhabited island of Innafushi lies approximately 1.3km North of Thundufushi. Baseline environmental conditions at the project site indicated that the coral cover around the filling area was low (less than 0.5%). The coastal vegetation around the proposed development area was mainly ruh, magoo, hirundhu and dhiggaa, and does not represent any specific conservation value. Need and justification of the project Thundufushi is on the western rim of geographic Alif Atoll with a vast lagoon. The island and beach around the island remained quite stable for the past 20 years. It is until recently the erosion of beach on the western side near the arrival jetty became so grave that parts of the beach front rooms and other infrastructures have started collapsing. This had caused tremendous loss to the resort operators. Loss of beach in front of the rooms on the western side was also associated with guest complains. Therefore, to protect the island environment and the investment replenishing the lost beach is utmost important and urgent. Key impacts Key impacts of the preferred development option of the proposed project are related to a few activities of the project. These include impacts to the lagoon and reef area from sand mining and impacts due to disposal of mined sand at the eroded area. Project will also generate non-biodegradable waste including sand-pump consumables such as waste lub-oils. Negative impacts of the project are found to be insignificant in thus, justified weighed against enviro-economic positive impacts to the island and the business. Long-term ecological impacts of the proposed project can only be assessed through long-term monitoring of the entire island environment in relation to the proposed development. Mitigation measures Mitigation measures were taken by conducting appropriate field surveys and environmental assessment of the reef system. Proposed and alternative locations for obtaining sand were selected to reduce the impacts on the living reef areas of the ecosystem. Only barren sand areas which are rather far-away from the live corals were selected. Most of the sand pumping will be carried out during the low tide and in calm conditions. Any live coral colony that may be growing in the beach fill area will be replanted elsewhere where sedimentation impact will not be felt. Alternative development options Alternative for the proposed development were alternative shore protection measures such as the breakwaters, seawall, groynes and “no development” option. Alternative site for borrowing sand are also analysed for this project. It was found that any shore protection measures without beach replenishment are not viable given the critical nature of the infrastructures near the eroded areas. The alternative burrow area is at distance that would not allow economic operation of sand pumps. Environmental monitoring A comprehensive long term monitoring program was devised for this project. Main parameters to be monitored include beach profiles, water quality, coral cover near the project foot print areas and near-shore hydrodynamics around the island.Item Addendum IV to development of a 190 rooms tourist resort on Lh. Kanifushi(2011-06) Systems Engineering and Marine ConsultingLh.Kanifushi was awarded to be developed as a tourist resort to Mohamed Nasheed. Initially to be developed by One and Half Degree Pvt. Ltd., and an EIA was submitted and approved. In a later development, Kanifushi Investment Pvt. Ltd took over and proposed a number of changes to be brought about in the site plans and submitted a new addendum, addendum III was submitted to get approval to start with the construction. Seamarc was the consultant for the initial EIA as well as the three addenda which were submitted afterwards. A number of issues presented in the different reports are still relevant at present and the bulk of the information is available in the main EIA report. The initial authorization was granted through decision note (88-ES / MIS / 2007/ 41) and the latest changes through decision note (88- DS / NI - KAN / 2010/ 30) which was partly carried out. The present addendum is necessary as Kanifushi Investment Pvt. Ltd. has obtained from the Ministry of Tourism the authorization to build 50 extra rooms in total provided the built up area remains within the regulations. The major differences brought about are listed below: • Change in the water jetty design and building of an additional 30 bungalows. • Additional 20 bungalows on the northern coastline of the island. The present addendum first presents the changes brought about in the design, followed by a discussion on the environmental consequences of these changes. Appropriate mitigation measures are presented together with alternative options. A summary table giving the pros and cons of the changes is given before concluding on the environmental appropriateness of the changes.Item Environmental impact assessment : coastal protection at Paradise Island Resort, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2010-08-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed coastal protection at Paradise Island Resort located on Lankanfinolhu in North Malé Atoll. The primary objective of the project is to protect the coastal infrastructure of Paradise Island Resort and also enhance the natural environmental of Paradise and to improve the services offered to guests thereby minimizing operational and environmental costs. As such the project encompasses the replenishment of approximately 200m of beach at the arrival jetty and swimming pool area on the western side and about 300m of shoreline on the eastern side at the base of the water villas jetty. Paradise Island is surrounded by a large expanse of lagoon or reef flat on the eastern side and similar but not so great expanse of reef flat and lagoon on the western side. The western side beach is, therefore, much more prone to wave attack than the eastern side. The western side is exposed to wind generated waves during the southwest monsoon while the eastern side is exposed to wind generated waves during the northeast monsoon as well as swells during both monsoons. The eastern side reef flat has recently been subjected to anthropogenic changes during the construction of water villas which were destroyed by the tsunami of 2004 as a result of which the erosion of the eastern beaches at the foot of the water villa jetty has been severed. However, the western side beaches have been a victim of wave-induced erosion during the southwest monsoon for as long as the island existed. Therefore, regular beach nourishment by pumping sand from nearshore areas has helped to keep the beaches intact to some extent. Such frequent beach nourishment creates more sediment suspension and resuspension in the water column causing deterioration of the quality of the main product, which is the natural environment. Continuous beach nourishment would also provide little protection to these eroding areas without structural protection. Shore protection measures have, therefore, been evaluated and most practicable option(s) chosen to protect the eroding areas and minimize the frequency of beach nourishment. The proposed coastal protection structure is a breakwater that would be submerged at high tide. Such a breakwater is expected to provide adequate protection from wave induced erosion on both sides, which is the cause for concern at present. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate matrices and the results indicated that the proposed project has a net positive impact. That is, the project has no major adverse impacts on the environment as far as current knowledge is concerned. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits and some environmental benefits, it is advisable to allow the project to proceed as proposed. It is also recommended to continue to monitor the impacts of the proposed project by regular monitoring of shorelines and nearshore currents for at least two years and communicate and feed the data into the EIA system in the country.Item Environmental impact assessment: coastal components of proposed refurbishment Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa, Meemu Atoll, Maldives(2010-06-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed coastal components of the refurbishment planned for 2010 for Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa, Meemu Atoll. The primary objective of the project is to enhance the natural environmental of Hakuraa and to improve the services offered to guests thereby minimizing operational and environmental costs. As such the project encompasses modifications to the existing jetty head to incorporate a fixed seaplane platform that would bring an end to dhoni transfers from existing floating platform, deepening of the existing reef entrance channel so that it can be used by supply and other dhonis saving time and fuel and providing beach on the southside shoreline where there is no beach. Hence, different options for the proposed project, especially the beach enhancement component have been evaluated and the most practicable options not entailing excessive costs have been recommended. Since the resort is already closed for renovation, it may not be possible to get all the proposed activities done in time for reopening. Therefore, the beach enhancement and entrance channel deepening may have to be put off. Hakuraa is surrounded by a large expanse of lagoon. Therefore, only the proposed channel deepening activity is expected to impact the coral reef. The impact on the reef is not considerably large as the reef flat in the area has very low cover of live corals and the live corals on the reef slope is expected to be cleared of sediment within a short period by the current in the area. However, it would be useful to monitor such changes. It has also been recommended to transplant any coral that may be directly impacted and may not recover from the effects of sedimentation. In fact, all proposed activities would have short term sedimentation impacts, with the water quality returning to normal within weeks. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate matrices and the results indicated that the proposed project had net positive impact. That is, the project has no major adverse impacts on the environment as far as current knowledge is concerned. Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits and some environmental benefits, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed. However, alternative analysis for the coastal protection or beach enhancement component indicates that there is a strong argument for added coastal protection. It has, therefore, been recommended to consider headland revetments using geotextile containers in order to retain the sand that has been planned to be added to the southside shore. Other feasible alternatives also have been considered. Environmental monitoring recommended for the project includes the monitoring of the shorelines of Hakuraa and neighbouring island and water quality and drogue studies of the coastal area for three years from the onset of the proposed project implementation. Annual monitoring reports have to be submitted over the monitoring period.