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Item Environmental impact assessment for the reconstruction of a harbour in Maabaidhoo Island, Laamu Atoll, Maldives(2013-09) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of a social and environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. upon request from Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. The project involves reconstruction of a harbour at the island of Maabaidhoo in, Laamu Atoll. This project is initiated by the government of Maldives as part of its national programme to provide safe harbours to each and every inhabited island in Maldives. Presently, the lack of an appropriate harbour is not only the biggest obstacles faced by the islanders, but the reason why the economic growth of the island is not expanding and diversified. Lack of an appropriate harbour has many development obstacles for islands and similarly, Maabaidhoo is also faced with similar dilemma. At present, the islanders depend on favourable weather conditions to get on and off the island. In rough weather, getting in and out of the island is difficult. In south west monsoon, due to lack of an breakwater make the harbour difficult to use and moore the boats. The proposed project is therefore geared towards developing a third generation harbour on the western side of the island at the existing foot print of the harbour. This harbour is expected to ease many of the challenges faced by the islanders, especially for the vessel owners, as safe mooring will be guaranteed. An environmental assessment was undertaken for this project and the findings are reported in this EIA. This EIA has been prepared to assess the environmental impacts of this proposed harbour reconstruction project. As this is a redevelopment project, significant negative impacts on the marine environment will not be felt through habited modification and direct destruction of the marine environment. Similarly, the coral reef will also be not directly and indirectly impacted from this project. At the same time, the socio-economic impacts of the project will be significantly felt on a very larger group, and not necessarily the islanders only. In such projects, environmental damage cannot be avoided and hence the goal should be to undertake the works in the most least damaging manner. As some area of the marine and coastal environment will be affected, careful implementation of mitigation measures and adopting methods which minimizes damage will be key for this project. Most of these measures are best practice guidelines and protocols that does not require a lot of money to implement. Stakeholder consultations were held with various groups, including the island council and the client in order to incorporate the socio-economic components in the project. Stakeholders, most importantly the island community represented by the Island council was the most significant as they have the maximum knowledge and experience from the daily difficulties faced due to lack of a harbour. The redevelopment of the harbour at Maabaidhoo will have some environmental impacts to the island, most of which will be felt on the coastal and the marine environment. The island had been facing erosion since the existing harbour was developed in early 90s. However, natural erosion of the island has been affected to the southern. The biggest threat to islands when a harbour is developed is the disruption it causes to the natural movement of the beach. The social impacts of this project will be significant and will benefit the community as well as the region. The development of a harbour in Maabaidhoo is expected to increase the annual visitor numbers significantly which will have numerous environmental impacts. Therefore, it is justifiable to undertake this project.Item Item Environmental audit for registration of desalination plant at Mirihi Island Resort, South Ari Atoll(2011-05) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements of Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority guidelines to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the registration of the desalination plant. The project involves environmental auditing of the existing desalination plant in Mirihi Island Resort for registration of the desalination plant. Desalination system involves one desalination plant with a total capacity of 100 tonnes per day and two water storage tanks with a capacity of 180 tonnes and 88 tonnes approximately. The seawater intake is located on the southeastern side of the island with a length of 12 m from the shoreline. The brine discharge point is located at the western side of the island at a distance of 5.8 m from the shoreline. The structural integrity of the facilities is considered good. Noise levels are perceived as high for a mixed residential and industrial zone although it must be taken into account that space is limited and location of staff areas near plant house is inevitable. The environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels and impact on marine environment due to brine discharge. There are indirect impacts associated with consumption of energy for desalination. Power generation has the potential to degrade air quality and contributes to global warming. In addition, fuel handling related to power generation is a potential risk for ground water and soil contamination from fuel spills and leaks. Noise measurements taken during the field visit conforms to international standards while marine water quality tests show normal conditions. However, live coral cover in the brine discharge area was found to relatively low compared to the ambient environment, which cannot be concluded as the cause for low level of coral cover. Visual observation identifies no notable damage to existing vegetation around the desalination plant house and no indication of any fuel spills or leaks around the area. Groundwater quality tests conducted is interpreted as a false result as the available conditions and data does not correlate with resultant due to some sort of analysis error. Mitigation measures that are in place to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the operation of the facility include appropriate distance of brine and sweater pipes from shoreline and installation of sound attenuators to reduce the noise levels from the plant house. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, proper pipelines are established and fuel storage is in bunded areas. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Environmental audit for registration of the existing desalination plant at Kaafu Funadhoo Isalnd, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2011-10) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the registration of the desalination plant at Kaafu Funadhoo. The project involves auditing of the existing desalination plant in Kaafu Funadhoo. Desalination system involves one (01) plant with a total capacity of 50 m3 per day. There is one (01) water storage tank with the capacity of 500 metric tons. The seawater intake is located on the South West (SW) of the island with a length of approximately 145 m from the shoreline. The brine discharge point is located West South West (WSW) side if the island extending a length of approximately 0.1 m from the shoreline and into the lagoon region. The facility is under operation from the year 2002. The environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels, impingement and entrainment of marine organisms during seawater intake, impact on marine environment due to brine discharge, waste management hazards related to chemicals handling and disposal and beneficial impact of preserving the groundwater. There are indirect impacts associated with consumption of energy for desalination. Power generation has the potential to degrade air quality and contributes to global warming. In addition, fuel handling related to power generation is a potential risk for ground water and soil contamination from fuel spills and leaks. A number of mitigation measures are already in place. Facility is located considerably the best spot accounting to the lack of land and space. Desalination plant house building is elevated above ground level and attenuated to reduce noise level. Seawater intake and brine discharge are appropriately located from shoreline. Seawater intake is appropriately designed with a copper foot valve at the uptake end. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, proper pipelines are established and fuel storage is in bunded areas. The desalination system is in compliance with Desalination Regulation of Maldives. Source water is from the deep sea. Sedimentation tank is appropriately sized and located. The desalination plant house is located to minimize aesthetic impact. Capacity of desalination system exceeds the demand for water. Brine discharge is at appropriate, location marine assessment indicates no or less proliferation of biodiversity that needs further investigating. Desalination plant house includes channel ways for drainage and is kept clean and tidy with clear pathways. Chemicals are organized with proper labeling. Operation manuals are available and easily accessible. The structural integrity of the facilities is considered good. Environmental management plan is provided particularly for desalination units, product water quality, fire prevention, chemicals handling and waste management. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Environmental audit for registration of the existing powerhouse and desalination plant at Vilu Reef Beach And Spa Resort, South Nilandhe Atoll(2011-05) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the registration of the desalination plant at Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort, Dhaalu atoll, Maldives. The project involves the existing powerhouse and the desalination plant in Vilu Reef. The power generation system involves a powerhouse building that houses four diesel fired generator sets with total capacity of 2815 KVA and a fuel storage facility with total capacity of 103,155 litres. Desalination system involves three plants with a total capacity of 991 m3 per day and three water storage tanks. The structural integrity of the facilities is considered good. The main environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels and other emissions, potential risk for groundwater and soil contamination due to fuel spills and leaks, damages to vegetation due to heat and smoke generated from the power house, potential impact on the marine environment due to brine discharge from the desalination process. Marine water quality tests identify no increase in salinity due to discharge of brine. Noise levels are perceived as high for a mixed residential and industrial zone although it must be taken into account that space is limited and location of staff areas near powerhouse is inevitable. Visual observation identifies no notable damage to existing vegetation around the powerhouse building and no indication of any fuel spills around the powerhouse area. Also there is no significant vegetation in and around the vicinity of powerhouse. Groundwater quality tests are insufficient to draw conclusions. Product water quality shows inadequate level of disinfection and needs to be investigated further. Mitigation measures that are in place to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the operation of the two facilities include planting of trees in high noise areas and improved maintenance of generator sets. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, fuel storage facilities are bunded to contain any spills and proper pipelines are established for safe fuel transfers. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of powerhouse and desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Environmental impact assessment report for the proposed housereef protection measures Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo, North Ari Atoll, Maldives(2011-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed immediate measures for the protection of South-West corner of the Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo, located at eastern rim of the North Ari Atoll. In addition to immediate measures, long term monitoring, planning and mitigation has also been incorporated into the project. Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo is 300 m long and 280 wide with a total land area at 55,626 m2 covered with common vegetation found in Maldives. The total built up area is recorded at 7,060 m2 (12.7% of total land area). The house reef of Ellaidhoo is considered to be one of the famous and attractive dive spots in Maldives. The island is one of the first resorts in the Maldives and has several coastal developments including offshore breakwaters, seawalls, jetties and water bungalows. There is no beach around the island except south west corner of the island and small isolated patches of beach. The beach formation at south-west corner of the island is severely transformed into tombolos and salients due to the several coastal structures present, including the harbour being located on this side. Consequently, almost every bit of sand on the beaches of Ellaidhoo has accreted in this area over the years, especially during the Northeast monsoon of each year, which is the peak tourist season, resulting in the loss of sand from the island beach system through openings in the offshore breakwater made of cement/concrete and coral rubble. Almost every diver complains about the heavy down pour of sand from this area, which happens to be the area in which the Dive School is located. They say it is like a raining of snowing with sand down there. Therefore, the Dive School, has been hoping for a solution to this growing concern and it is in a dire situation needing an immediate solution along with a long term management strategy. The proposed project is targeted to improve this serious situation. The proposed project involves two basic steps: first to remove or recycle the sand that has accumulated in the area over the past several years and then to correct the tombolo/salient formation and outflow of sand into reef flat at seaward side of the existing segmented offshore breakwaters at south-west corner of the island. Since a lot of sand has been deposited and the rate of accretion is high, manual removal of sand would not be useful. A machine-based approach is necessary and two such approaches have been proposed: one is to use sand pump and the other is to use an excavator to pump or move (recycle) the sand to another location. The sand pump is preferable given that the resort is operational resort and closing the area would not be possible as the area is the primary public area of the resort. If an excavator were to be used, the sand moving has to be done at night without disturbing the guests, which would be quite challenging. Therefore, the primary option is to use a sand pump in the location to recycle the sand. Although improving the offshore breakwaters in the area to minimize tombolo formation is the next step it is not any less important than the first step of moving the sand. For this, it is proposed to cut off sections of some of the longer breakwater barricades to improve flow and completely cut off the tombolos. However, this may mean that the sand will flow further towards the harbour area where sand will accumulate and find its way onto the reef again through the long breakwater in the harbour. Therefore, it would be necessary to ensure that sand removed from this area is recycled in such a way that the sand does not accrete only in this area. Therefore, retention structures such as headlands or groynes would be required in areas where the recycled sand would be placed. This will form the third most important component of the project. An estimated volume of about 4,500m3 of sand will be removed from the tombolos formed in the lee of the breakwaters at south-west corner of the island which will be used to nourish the eroded shoreline around the island, as the sand is part of the sand budget moving around the island. In order to create stable beaches in nourished areas, it may be necessary to remove the existing seawalls which tend to wash away the sand with the reflection of waves off its surface. The reef top just behind the offshore breakwaters is found not healthy with sand spits, rubbles and dead corals. However, the reef slope or edge of the reef is found with rich composition of fish communities and live corals. In the south west reef zone surveyed indicated with 30% of rubbles, 18% of dead corals and 14% sand cover. Live corals including Acropora digigate and Acropora Tabulae are at 9% and 13% respectively. At south east zone more than 40% found with dead corals and 28% of coral algae with 16% of live coral cover indicate the reef top is not healthy. At eastern zone the reef was found with 66% dead corals along with 18% coral algae. At north east reef zone 39% dead corals along with 34% of live corals were found including digitates and tabulae corals. Compared to reef areas surveyed south east reef zone found healthier compared to other sites. Sand cover is highest at south-west and south zone of the reef. The tombolo/salient formation and resultant sand flow onto the reef at south-west corner as discussed is the main issue that has been highlighted and also indicated by aerial photography and the results of the surveys. In order to carry out an in-depth examination of the situation of sand cover at seaward side of existing offshore breakwaters at south-west corner, an open dive was made by a certified diver in the EIA survey team along with a diver from Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo. Approximately 18m deep dive to reef slope behind the breakwaters / jetty at south west corner of the island was made during data collection. 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. Given that the project has major socio-economic and more importantly environmental benefits, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed. Environmental monitoring recommended for the project includes the monitoring of the shorelines and beach at project site before, during and after the proposed improvements and continuous monitoring of the shoreline and long shore as well as offshore currents around the island and bathymetry in the area. Annual monitoring reports have to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency during the monitoring period.Item Environmental impact assessment : proposed reclamation and coastal protection at SH. Komandoo(2011-04) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed reclamation and coastal protection in Komandoo in Shaviyani Atoll. The primary objective of the project is to protect the island coastline, improve the coastal environment and at the same time increase land area to the greatest possible extent thereby addressing the current land shortage issues experienced by the island community. Komandoo is the smallest in size of about 9 hectares but the second most populated island in Shaviyani Atoll with a current population of about 1,800 people. As part of the coastal improvements under the project, the existing small harbour on the eastern side will be shifted offshore from its current location providing harbour front area and increasing the space for boat building and maintenance and other industrial activities. The east harbour re-development works include construction of jetty quaywall, breakwater, revetment and land reclamation to shift the harbour further out of the existing east shoreline of the island. This east harbour, however, fosters limited use in the northeast monsoon and complements the recently developed harbour on the south of the island. There are two options proposed for the coastal protection for the area from the north east to the northwest of the island. One option is to have the beach reclaimed to nearly the edge of the reef and protected by a revetment and the other option is to have breakwater segments in this area and set back the beach from the breakwaters to allow the formation of some length of beach after reclamation. During consultations with the community a unanimous decision was made by some community members in a meeting with the newly elected council members to have beach in at least one part of the island. As such the area on the west or southwest and southeast near the new harbour of the island has been discussed with preference given to the location on the west or southwest of the island. It was believed that the sand dredged from the redevelopment harbour on the east side will not be sufficient to cover area that has been proposed for reclamation. In order to cater for this the lagoon and channel to the south of the island was surveyed and investigated for the location of possible sand borrowing spot. It was found that due to the existing natural hydrodynamics around the island the sand seems to be safely dredged from this south location as continuous sand deposition from natural process of wave action exist in this area. Furthermore, the reef in this area seems to relatively dormant from the previous harbour constructions activities near this area. Hence, minimal adverse environment impacts are expected in considering this location as potential borrow area. The observations made around the island in the context of the extent of damage to the protection structures that currently exist, it was concluded that there impact of the waves and the elevation of the water levels seems to be sever and higher respectively on the south west side of the island. Hence, the suggested height of 1.4m for the breakwater in the south west area seems to be inadequate as the water levels seems to be elevated and caused breaching of the existing protection walls and resulted in extensive damage. These existing elevated water levels can be attributed to the atoll geomorphology and sea bed levels near and offshore surrounding areas. Another observation from the severity of the damage to the existing revetment suggests that material used for the coastal protection works for the new developments have to be more thoroughly addressed. The proposed geotextile bag construction does seem to be adequate at least in this area to able to combat the impact of the wave and current induced forces on any protection structure place in this location. Furthermore, some of the senior citizens on the island expressed a lot of apprehension towards the proposed use of geotextile containers/bags for the breakwaters and revetments of the island. The overall design seems to be appropriate, however, in terms of the structures and proposed dredge sand extraction zones, there are some areas around the island where the current proposed design needs to be modified and these are set out in the alternatives recommended. The beach areas especially on the north side of the island has fair bit of pollution in the lagoon due to dumping of island waste in this area and a solution needs to be provided for the management of the solid waste on the island. In addition, the reclamation activities in the project cover some of the sea out falls placed on the island and recommendations are made for the extension of these pipelines. Another aspect to be considered is the possibilities of flooding during rainy season due to the proposed reclamation encompassing nearly the entire existing beach line. Suggestions are made to improve drainage for the island after the reclamation activity is completed. Substantial raw data is available from research actives carried out on the surrounding lagoon of Komandoo Island and these are suggested to be used as baseline information for establishing environmental monitoring activities for the island. It is thus advised to use drogue studies and water quality studies of the island lagoon be carried out at least for two years from the time of commencement of the project. It is suggested that the monitoring programme will encompass the socio economic impacts including positive and negative responses of the recipient community towards the different aspects of the project during and post project implementation. The Environment Protection Agency is to be furnished with annual monitoring reports for the set monitoring period. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using appropriate matrices and the results indicated that the proposed project has net positive impacts. Given that the project has several socio-economic benefits and few negative environmental impacts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed. The recommended alternatives are also considered appropriate given the need to protect the island from the ever present threat of damage to coastal structures and the need for additional land. In fact, the environmental impacts of the project are relatively mild in considering the net socio-economic benefits and the existing and cumulative impacts on the environment.Item Environmental audit for registration of desalination plant at Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort Kaafu Atoll, Maldives(2011-03) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this Environmental Audit report is to fulfill the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the registration of the desalination plant at Olhuveli Resort and Spa, Kaafu atoll, Maldives. The project involves the existing powerhouse and the desalination plant in Olhuveli Beach and Spa Resort. The power generation system involves a powerhouse building that houses four diesel fired generator sets with total capacity of 4585 KVA and a fuel storage facility with total capacity of 240,000 litres. Desalination system involves three plants with a total capacity of 450 m3 per day and two water storage tanks. The structural integrity of the facilities are considered good. Noise levels are perceived as high for a mixed residential and industrial zone although it must be taken into account that space is limited and location of staff areas near powerhouse is inevitable. The main environmental impacts associated with this project include, increased noise levels and other emissions, potential risk for ground water and soil contamination due to fuel spills and leaks, damages to vegetation due to heat and smoke generated from the power house, potential impact on the marine environment due to brine discharge from the desalination process. Visual observation identifies no notable damage to existing vegetation around the powerhouse building and no indication of any fuel spills around the powerhouse area. Marine water quality tests identify no significant contamination. Groundwater quality tests are insufficient to draw conclusions. Mitigation measures that are in place to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the operation of the two facilities include planting of trees in high noise areas and improved maintenance of generator sets. In order to protect the environment from potential fuel spills, fuel storage facilities are bunded to contain any spills and proper pipelines are established for safe fuel transfers. A monitoring plan is proposed to observe any changes taking place due to the operation of powerhouse and desalination plant. In the event that monitoring indicates that any environmental quality is deteriorating to unacceptable levels, the proponent will correct operation procedures that are contributing to the problem and/or undertake necessary engineering installations.Item Initial environmental examination (IEE) for beach nourishment : Soneva Gili Resort and Spa, North Malé Atoll(2010-09-01) SandcaysThis report addresses the environmental concerns of the proposed beach nourishment in Soneva Gili Resort and Spa. The primary objective of the project is to recover eroded beach by pumping sand from already excavated areas nearshore. The project encompasses sand pumping using a six or 8 inch sand pump mounted on a barge. The borrow sites for the proposed beach nourishment will be in the western side lagoon. The beach on the eastern side is severely eroded. The beach on Soneva Gili has been maintained through regular beach nourishment. However, this activity has been stopped by the Tourism Ministry recently as beach nourishment is an activity that requires environmental clearance as per the EIA Regulations of the Maldives. Due to the importance attached with beach as beach is one of the main elements of the tourism product of the Maldives, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to allow temporary clearance for beach nourishment followed by a detailed assessment of shore protection measures. This Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) has been carried out in order to get temporary clearance for a one-time nourishment of the beaches of Soneva Gili. A detailed environmental assessment will be undertaken as soon as possible to ensure compliance as well as to manage the island beaches in a manner in which it has the least impact on the physical and biological environment of the island and requires least interventions. Sand pumping from nearshore locations has the potential to aggravate erosion as the borrow pits can become sediment sinks over a considerable period of time. If borrow areas are too close to the shore, the impact on the island shoreline and the erosion of the nourished beaches would be quite rapid. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the borrow areas as far as possible from the beach. The other possible impact would be the growth hindered patch corals within the lagoon. However, there are no coral patches within the lagoon which may be affected by the proposed beach nourishment activity. Given that biological resources are not directly affected, aesthetic concerns are of importance in the proposed project. Therefore, in order to maintain the aesthetic value of the beach and enhance the socio-economic benefits of the proposed project, it is important that immediate beach nourishment is undertaken. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that all environmental concerns of future shore protection or beach enhancement activities are clearly established so as to minimize environmental impacts of such activities.Item Environment impact assessment for the proposed land clearing and tree relocation project in Fulhadhoo island, Baa atoll(2018-02) CDE ConsultantThe purpose of this document is to fulfil the requirements to get necessary environmental clearance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out the proposed land clearing and tree relocation project at Fulhadhoo Island, Baa Atoll. The proponent of the project is B.Fulhadhoo Island Council. This EIA also serves as a document to be submitted to Ministry of Tourism (MoT) to transport trees from Fulhadhoo to Bolidhuffaru Reef reclamation project. An EIA has already been approved for Bolidhuffaru Resort project. However, the report excludes landscaping components, as the vegetation source islands were not identified at the time. The original EIA recommended preparing EIA Addendums when the vegetation source islands were identified. MoT now accepts reports submitted to EPA (and Decision Notes) if the project boundaries span multiple agency jurisdictions. Hence this report and Decision Note will be submitted to MoT to seek construction approval for landscaping. Fulhadhoo Island is in need for land clearing to create an access road to the western end of the island. The island council requires removing the vegetation within the road foot print but has been unable to do so due to the need for heavy equipment. The landscaping contractors for Bolidhuffaru Resort development project approached the Island Council with an offer to clear the required land in return for the opportunity to transport the trees to Bolidhuffaru for transplantation. The aim of the project from proponent’s perspective are to create the planned ring road around the island and assist in better access to the western sand spit for the booming guest houses on the island. From the contractor’s perspective the aim is to acquire a portion of the native landscaping plants required to landscape Bolidhuffaru Resort. The project has three main components: (i) Vegetation removal; (ii) transplantation, and (iii) demobilization and clean-up. Vegetation removal involves mobilization and site setup, identifying and marking areas to be cleared, and vegetation uprooting and backfilling.Transplantation involves site preparation at receiving site, transporting trees, transplantation and maintenance . The final component is demobilizing equipment and cleaning up the sites. The proposed site for land clearance is located on the undeveloped western part of Fulhadhoo island. The vegetation in this part of the island is modified with forestry areas. The proposed site (road) for vegetation removal contains both forestry areas and natural vegetation zones. The proposed dredging site has been dredged before and is currently used as a basin. The site is predominantly made up of coral sand and does not contain any live coral colonies. All project designs are in conformance to most of the laws and regulations of the Maldives, and relevant international conventions that Maldives is party to. The key laws and regulations applicable to this project are: Environmental Protection and Preservation Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012, Tourism Related Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2015, Waste Management Regulation, Regulation on Cutting Down and Uprooting Trees, and Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. The project at present is non-compliant to some of the clauses in Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. Due to the geography of the island, the proposed borrow site falls within 500 m of the reef edge, same as most of the dredging works done on the island so far. A section of the site falls within 50 m of shoreline but it has to be noted that there is an existing basin within this distance. Project will require special consideration and approval from EPA on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. EPA has the authority to provide approval in exceptional circumstances. Additional approvals are required from EPA for land clearing and dredging and reclamation before commencement of project activities. The most significant impact of this project is the impact on terrestrial biodiversity. It is anticipated that approximately 245-260 trees and plants, including 135-150 palms may need to be removed from Fulhadhoo during land clearing. All trees that are useable for replanting will be transferred to Bolidhuffaru resort and replanted. Impacts will also be felt on marine biodiversity due dredging and associated direct removal of marine flora and fauna, turbidity and sedimentation; contamination of marine and ground water and soil due to accidental spillage/leakage of fuel and waste; salinization of ground water due to use of dredged sand for backfilling and risks to the health of construction workers. There will also be positive impacts on the island community due to improved access to the western beach of the island and subsequent improvement in guesthouse businesses, and in the form of employment and business opportunities. Mitigation measures have been proposed to minimise anticipated impacts. These include replanting two trees for every tree removed from the island at designated areas in Fulhadhoo Island, storing the vegetation removed in a nursery, making reusable green waste available for the community, and restricting excavator movement within predefined routes. This report has evaluated alternative options for the most significant anticipated impacts. The options evaluated include the ‘No project’ option, alternative locations for borrow sites, alternative tree relocation sites, and alternative green waste disposal options. Since land clearing for road development is a necessity for the island and the disadvantages of not using the opportunity to transplant the trees are higher than the advantages it presents for the Island Council, it is recommended to proceed with the project with the mitigation measures proposed in this report. Consultations were carried out with members of Fulhadhoo Island Council. Island community of Fulhadhoo, Baa Atoll Council, Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment and Energy, project contractor, and Bolidhuffaru Resort Developer. Fulhadhoo Island Council and Fulhadhoo public were very welcoming of the project as it is believed that the project will benefit the entire community. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for this project is designed to produce a framework for anticipated impacts, including practicable and achievable performance requirements and systems for monitoring, reporting and implementing corrective actions. In addition, it will also provide evidence of compliance to legislation, policies, guidelines and requirements of relevant authorities. Monitoring plan is designed to assess any changes to the physical environment as a result of the project activities. Environmental monitoring cost of pre-construction stage (if required) is approximately MVR 35,000. Monthly environmental monitoring cost during the construction phase is MVR 25,000. The main conclusion of this report is to move forward with the proposed development on grounds of high socio-economic benefits. Environmental and socio-economic risks associated with the project are expected to be significantly reduced if the mitigation measures and monitoring programme presented in the report are properly implemented within the framework of the environmental management plan.