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Item Environmental impact assessment for the relocation of feul tanks at MWSC compound, Male’ City(2016-02) Land and Marine Environmental Resources GroupBackground The non-technical summary outlines the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed relocation of existing fuel tanks of the Male’ Water and Sewerage Company Pvt Ltd. The proponent of the proposed project is Male’ Water and Sewerage Company Pvt Ltd. The total estimated cost of this project is MVR 1,000,000.00 The proposed project involves relocation of the existing fuel tanks of the Male’ Water and Sewerage Company Pvt Ltd which is as per recommendation by the MNDF, following the fire incident which occurred at the facility in 2015. Key impacts, mitigation measures and alternatives Impacts on the environment from various activities of the construction work and during the operation of the facility 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 development projects. Mitigation measures have also been identified for impacts which are irreversible in nature. Impact analysis was done using the Leopold matrix. Impact analysis showed that impact due to the project was due to possible accidental spillage and leakage during the construction phase and operational phase. However, this impact was envisaged to be minor to moderate during both phases and reasons for this are discussed in Section 9. Mitigation measures are discussed in the report for potential impacts, including mitigation in the event of accidental spillage/leakage and consequent groundwater contamination. Measures include careful handling and daily inspection of fuel lines/bund wall for detection of leakage. Given the scope of the project and the need, the “do-nothing” option or no project scenario is the only alternative available for the project. If this is chosen the fuel tanks would remain at the existing location, which has been identified as one which is not feasible or ideal technically or safety-wise. Furthermore, the existing location does not confirm to regulation regarding fuel handling and storage. Hence the no-project scenario is considered not feasible and thus the project will be continued. Furthermore, with due consideration to the project need, which is urgent and environmental impacts, which have been found to be minor, the Consultant feels that the project is feasible and that appropriate mitigation measures have been considered to further minimize impact on the environment.Item Environmental impact assessment for development of a new power house at G.Dh. Thinadhoo(2016-04) Abdul Wahhab, Mahfooz; Jaleel, Mohamed Ibrahim; Shareef, AliThe proposed project aims to provide sustainable electricity supply for G.Dh Thinadhoo by the development of a new powerhouse within the existing FENAKA premises. The project is essentially required because the existing powerhouse was burned down to the extent it can no longer be used due to an accidental fire. The new powerhouse will be constructed using pre-fabricated sheets and blocks. The generators in the temporary facility will be transferred to the new powerhouse and connected to the grid. The new powerhouse is essential as the noise and smoke disturbance from the generators is high. However with the development of new powerhouse it is expected that the noise and smoke disturbance will be reduced greatly. The negative impacts during the construction will be loss of vegetation and risk of groundwater contamination. During operation also there is risk of groundwater contamination. However with proper daily maintenance and following proper chemical handling procedures the risks can be minimized. The positive impacts from the project will be very high as Fenaka Corporation would be able to provide electricity sustainably to Thinadhoo.Item Environmental impact assessment for development of a new power house at G.Dh. Nadella(2016-04) Abdul Wahhab, Mahfooz; Jaleel, Mohamed Ibrahim; Shareef, AliThe proposed project aims to provide sustainable electricity supply for G.Dh Nadella by the development of a new powerhouse. The project is essentially required because the existing powerhouse is not in accordance with current standards and is in the middle of the residential area. The project involves the construction of a new powerhouse away from the residential area and the transfer of existing generators to new powerhouse. The relocation of powerhouse is essential as the noise and smoke disturbance from the generators to the community is high. However with the development of new powerhouse it is expected that the noise and smoke disturbance will be reduced greatly. The negative impacts during the construction will be loss of vegetation and risk of groundwater contamination. During operation also there is risk of groundwater contamination. However with proper daily maintenance and following proper chemical handling procedures the risks can be minimized. The positive impacts from the project will be very high as Fenaka Corporation would be able to provide electricity sustainably to Nadella with negligible disturbance to community.Item Environmental impact assessment for development of a new power house at B. Hithaadhoo(2016-04) Abdul Wahhab, Mahfooz; Jameel, Mohamed Ibrahim; Shareef, AliThe proposed project aims to provide sustainable electricity supply for B. Hithaadhoo by the development of a new powerhouse. The project is essentially required because the existing powerhouse is not in accordance with current standards and is in the middle of the residential area. The project involves the construction of a new powerhouse away from the residential area and the transfer of existing generators to new powerhouse. The relocation of powerhouse is essential as the noise and smoke disturbance from the generators to the community is high. However with the development of new powerhouse it is expected that the noise and smoke disturbance will be reduced greatly. The negative impacts during the construction will be loss of vegetation and risk of groundwater contamination. During operation also there is risk of groundwater contamination. However with proper daily maintenance and following proper chemical handling procedures the risks can be minimized. The positive impacts from the project will be very high as Fenaka Corporation would be able to provide electricity sustainably to Hithaadhoo with negligible disturbance to community.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed poultry farm development project at N. Ehdhufarumairah(2016-08) Water SolutionsThis report discusses the findings of a social and environmental impact study undertaken by Water Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at the request of Ocean Quartier Properties Pvt Ltd. This EIA report covers layer chicken poultry farm development project at Ehdhufarumairah, Noonu Atoll. Ehdhufarumairah is located on the eastern side of Noonu Atoll. This island is leased to Ocean Quartier Properties Pvt Ltd by Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Ocean Quartier Properties Pvt Ltd is the proponent of this project. Ocean Quartier Properties Pvt Ltd had acquired knowledge and information about commercial layer chicken poultry and officials of the company had travelled to Srilanka and Thailand and visited different layer chicken poultry farms projects to gain more experience and information on different poultry businesses which could be development in islands of Maldives. The project is proposed in Ehdhufarumairah. The vision is to establish layer chicken farm in Ehdhufarumairah which ensure commercial and environmental sustainability of producing chicken eggs locally. The main aim of this poultry farm project is to lessen import of chicken eggs to meet the local demand. Work is planned for sustainable layer chicken poultry farming ensuring the use of environment friendly technology. Under this project, sea cucumber feed materials will be made using the organic waste on the island and provide sea cucumber farms in the region. The proposed layer chicken poultry would be developed by importing layer type chicks from Srilanka from CP Farm, rearing chicken in the island in cages till it is old enough to lay eggs when they are 21 weeks olds. The poultry farm would be automated as to manage the feeding operations to the layer chickens, collection of eggs from the cage houses and removal of manure from the cages houses as waste material. The project will develop the necessary infrastructure in the area of power, water, sewage and wastewater to make the proposed poultry project sustainable. The project also involves developing accommodation and living areas for the researchers and famers on the island. The EIA was undertaken to assess the environmental and social impacts of this project. Based on the assessment, it has been identified that the major impacts of the project will be felt on the terrestrial environment during the construction stage. Ehdhufarumairah is not a large uninhabited island that could develop a large poultry farm. The development on the island will have impacts on marine environment from construction of jetty and outfalls. During the operational stage, environmental concerns are much less and are associated with energy, water, and waste and wastewater management. The mitigation measures are provided in the report with alternatives. It is vital to conduct the activities, during both construction and operational stage, in line with mitigation measures emphasized in the report. Socio-economic impacts of the proposed project will be creation of job opportunities in the atoll and development of the poultry industry in the country. This project will create enormous economic opportunities both in the construction and operational stage through creation of both short-term and permanent jobs and business opportunities especially for the locals at Velidhoo and Manadhoo. This project will introduce and promote the development of layer chicken poultry for the production chicken eggs on commercial scale enabling Maldives to provide additional avenue for employment and income generation. Towards the end of the report, a monitoring programme has been suggested which covers components of terrestrial, coastal and marine environment. It is important to follow this monitoring programme not only to comply with the regulation but also to ensure that the impacts are measures in realistic terms.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed police academy development project, Addu City, Maldives(2016-09) SandcaysThis report provides the finding of an Environmental Impact Assessment carried out for the proposed Police Academy in Addu City. The project is proposed by Maldives Police Service. The proposed project involves the development of a Police Academy/Institute for Security and Law Enforcement in Addu City. An 83,680m2 area in Rujjehere on the south of Hithadhoo Regional Port has been allocated for the proposed development. This includes a 35,000m2 area proposed to be reclaimed since the area is narrow and does not provide sufficient space. The reclamation is on the shallow reef flat on the west of the plot facing the rim reef of Addu Atoll. The reclamation will be undertaken by borrowing sand from the lagoon on the western side where the lagoon depth is about 1.5 to 2m on average. A 15 to 20m wide channel will be dredged for dredger entry and for use as entrance channel by vessels used by the proposed Police Academy. The area (approximately 46,000m2) will be dredged to a depth of no more than 4m from MSL. The dredged sand will be directly pumped to the site, as recommended by relevant stakeholders. The proposed project will have several support facilities including power, water, sewerage, jetty, staff, students and visitor accommodation and storage facilities developed on the project site since the area is remotely located away from Hithadhoo. These will be established on the project site during the construction phase. Under the project, the building footprint areas would be cleared of vegetation and the coconut palms and some trees removed from the cleared areas would be transplanted in the reclaimed area. The bush areas in proposed building sites has already been cleared. An area is designated for waste management and waste will be collected, managed and sent to landfill according to the requirements of the Waste Regulation. A 10-ton desalination plant will be installed initially until water supply is made available to the project area by the service provider, FENAKA. This plant will become a back-up plant once FENAKA provides the services. The sewerage system established at the project site will comprise of a gravity system that will collect sewage and wastewater from all areas into an 85kl/day treatment plant and a pumping station from where treated wastewater effluent will be disposed of at the eastern reef by an ocean outfall. The powerhouse at the facility will cater for the energy needs of the facility. A 500kVA genset will be installed to meet the needs. Fuel for powerhouse and other requirements such as vehicles will be stored in underground tanks at site. The fuel system will be developed according to the requirements of the Fuel Regulations enforced by the Maldives National Defense Force. The baseline environmental conditions were assessed using standard methods. The project areas including clearance areas and dredge and fill areas have been studied. In addition, the project site’s vegetation, vegetation line and shorelines have been mapped. It has been estimated from the vegetation surveys that a total of 88 coconut palms and 33 other mature trees would need to be cleared, but some of it can be preserved if the buildings are appropriately designed/setout. The proposed jetty area has adequate depths for jetty installation and leads to the proposed borrow area, which will be used for mooring vessels. Environmental impacts were identified and assessed for both construction phase and operational phase of the project. Some of the environmental impacts of the project have been identified as positive resulting mainly from improved security and law enforcement services in the country, increased economic activities in Addu City, direct and indirect employment opportunities, and increased business opportunities. The main negative environmental impacts of the project are identified to be the changes to the terrestrial ecosystem from clearance of vegetation, impacts on longshore sediment transport on the western side due to reclamation and shore protection and impact on the marine environment from dredging and jetty installation works. Given the large degree of impacts on longshore transport due to the projecting reclamation area with the long jetty at the Hithadhoo Regional Port, the proposed jetty would not have impacts on longshore sediment transport. However, it shall be designed for minimal impact. Since the dredge area proposed with the EIA application was at over 300m from the shore, the dredge area has been later revised to suit a shorter jetty while minimizing on a wider borrow area. The jetty has been kept at about 100m so that the dredged basin is at necessary distance from beach as recommended in the Dredging and Reclamation Regulation. As an important mitigation measure to minimize sedimentation during filling, it is recommended to enclose the fill areas with jumbo bags or the rock boulder revetment prior to filling the area or as filling progresses. Other mitigation measures for the proposed project would be that clearance take place only where necessary and coconut palms are transplanted on the reclaimed area and other available spaces. It is also required to plant two trees for every mature tree or coconut tree cut down. Septic tank systems have been proposed for disposing human waste during the construction phase and pose no long-term negative environmental impact considering the small number of people expected to be based on the site. These will be decommissioned once the sewerage system is built and operational. The activities proposed in the project comply with environmental laws and regulations of the Maldives. These have been outlined in the report. Alternatives have been identified in the project document. These include alternative reclamation location on the eastern side, thereby minimizing largely on the shore protection on the western side and providing more space at less overall cost of dredging, reclamation and shore protection. This alternative is recommended, however, shall be considered in light of potential issues. The other option is to modify the shape of the proposed fill area so as to minimize any negative impact on longshore sediment transport. Also, changes to the fill area shape based on recommendations of EPA during the Scoping Meeting, changes to reclamation area and filling methodologies based on suggestions from stakeholders. The “nodevelopment” option was also analyzed in light of alternative uses of the project site, no reclamation option and other potential options for the development of the proposed facility. Considering the other potential alternative uses of the area, the closeness to the port does not make it most-suited for tourism development or other recreational development. The area is also quite narrow for residential development but may be more suited for industrial developments. The proposed project has several merits in terms of location and suitability, therefore, the no project option may not be as favourable as the proposed option. Alternatives to water supply, wastewater disposal and electricity have also been considered. The use of groundwater for water supply such as flushing may be appropriate if water skimming technologies or infiltration galleries can be introduced. Wastewater treatment would have negative impacts for the proposed project in terms of use of fuel-based electricity for the treatment process. Therefore, the proposed disposal to sea/ocean is considered appropriate for such a small scale operation. Alternative sources of power have also been looked at and recommend the use of solar (photo-voltaic) technology to the greatest possible extent. It is inevitable that there would be some negative environmental impacts. However, most of the impacts of the proposed project are minor compared to the positive socio-economic benefits of the project. Yet, monitoring for about 3 years from the end of construction phase to ensure the effectiveness of the proposed project would be necessary. Therefore, a monitoring component has been suggested. This monitoring component will be adhered to and will allow the assessment of changes due to construction and implementation of the proposed project. Monitoring is specifically focussed on ground and marine water quality, changes to coastal hydrodynamics, as well as impacts on the reef or marine ecological area of importance. Project performance indices can be added too. In conclusion, it appears justified from a technical and environmental point of view, to carry out the proposed project to develop the proposed Police Academy in Addu City. The recommended alternatives may be considered in the light of improving environmental performance of the proposed project.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed MWSC customer service building development project(2016-10) SandcaysThis report discusses the findings of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out for the proposed 10-storey customer service building of Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC). The project is proposed by the MWSC, the contract for construction phase has been awarded to Amin Construction. This project requires EIA as the building has a basement, under EIA regulations 2012 buildings with basement require EIA clearance. The main objective of the EIA is to identify potential impacts of excavation, construction of foundation and dewatering and consider mitigation measures that can 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. The project is to commence as soon as the EIA is approved and the duration of the project is estimated to be completed by December 2017. 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 80 days. Therefore, the project has a critical impact timeframe of less than 4 months. Currently MWSC does not have dedicated customer service centre, where all services can be attained from one stop. The proposed project ensures such a service base to the customers are provided, thus meeting this existing need of the company. This improved service also means that additional jobs will be created thus contributing positively to the economy. Looking at the existing environment of the site, the site is devoid of any significant flora or fauna. The traffic is considerably high in Ameenee Magu during peak office and school hours and majority of the structures within close radius of the site is structurally sound. The groundwater quality is not very saline when compared to some other parts of Male’. Almost all of the negative impacts envisioned for the project occurs during construction phase and as highlighted previously most of these impacts are associated with substructure works. However, almost all these impacts are minor and can be reduced to negligible levels with the mitigation measures proposed in this report. In this regard, the potential negative impacts associated with this project can be summarised as impacts related to groundwater quality and quantity, impacts on nearby buildings in terms of structural damage, impacts on air quality, impact on ambient noise, impacts on utility services, impacts on traffic and impacts on health and safety. Mitigation measures proposed for the project like minimizing dewatering to the shortest possible time, ensuring proper storage and transport of construction material and waste, restricting noisy activities to day time, undertaking works by experienced operators and supervisors, avoiding closure of roads during peak rush hours and implementing international best practice health and safety standards will help to reduce the influence of most of the envisioned impacts to negligible levels. The EIA report proposes a monitoring program that will help to identify the actual impacts and to identify the effectiveness of the implemented mitigation measures. In this regard monitoring will include, monitoring of groundwater quality, monitoring of dust and noise, visual assessment of nearby buildings and monitoring of traffic condition. The monitoring reports will be submitted to EPA every two months during construction phase and once thereafter to meet the requirements of the EIA regulations. The reports will be submitted in the format specified in the EIA regulations. Overall, this project is a positive project and the negative impacts envisioned are only for the construction phase and all these impacts can be easily mitigated.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed mixed residential building in plot no. D2-3, Hulhumale’ – Rainbow Oceanfront Residence(2016-12) Musthafa, AmirThis report is based on the proposed mixed residential building construction in Plot No. D2- 3, Hulhumale’. 12 storeys in the structure will be allocated for residential purposes. The project is being developed and constructed by Rainbow Construction Pvt. Ltd. They are to undertake the construction works and project management including overseeing the EIA process. An Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary for the works as per the requirements of the signed agreement between Rainbow and Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and due to the fact that the structure exceeds 11 storeys as specified in the EIA regulation ‘Jadhuvalu R’ in the list of type of projects for which EIAs are required. 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 HDC to proceed. HDC is a 100% government entity being given the responsibility to set guidelines and oversee all developments in Hulhumale’. The project is part of larger program by HDC to establish mixed residential buildings in Hulhumale’. Apartments in these buildings can generally be regarded as being targeted towards middle to lower class members of the community. The project will contribute to the grand plan of reducing congestion in Male’ by providing more moderate to high quality housing opportunities in Hulhumale’. By 2019, it is projected that there will be over 1000 such housing units built in Hulhumale’. The existing environment at the project site does not consist of any significant vegetation and the water test result shows normal water quality. The only large vegetation that will still be removed are the roadside Fithuroanu gas. There are no residents living in close proximity to the site and there is no other structure at the site as well. Therefore, the project will not have any significant impact on a significant receptor. During the construction stage, health and safety standards of the workers at site, and waste generation is the only areas of concern. With proper planning and project management, this can be easily mitigated. Waste is the main concern during the operational stage of the project as well. Since this will be developed as a condominium with multiple tenants owning the rights of the building, it has to be ensured that the tenants are held responsible to properly manage the waste in addition to maintaining the building beyond the 2 years the developer is contractually responsible for. Regarding alternatives, there are no viable alternatives available for the project with respect to location. The no project option is also not plausible at this stage and possibilities are outside the scope of this study. Other alternatives including material, foundation type, construction methodology are not necessarily recommended. Recommendations had been made to proceed with the project as planned.An environmental monitoring plan is proposed to be carried out with 2 phases; one for the construction stage, and one for 2 years post construction. Factors to investigate include surveying the amount of waste generation, noise pollution, traffic flow, health and safety at site and water quality. All the impacts as highlighted in the project can be mitigated. The socio-economic benefits to Greater Male’ City from projects such as these is high. It also provides additional housing opportunities, which would contribute to alleviating the housing issues in Male’ City, and therefore mitigating the issues related to congestion. Thus, after consideration of all these perspectives, it is recommended that this project proceed as planned, after incorporating the mitigation measures given in this study with the commitment to implementing the monitoring plan given.Item Addendum to environmental impact assessment for the Male’ west coast re-development project(2016-01) Musthafa, AmirThis is the First Addendum to the approved main EIA prepared for the redevelopment of the Male’ west coast area. The main EIA was approved on 10th September 2015. The proponent of the project is Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. This addendum is based on the proposed transplantation of 70 young coconut palms from K. Kaashidhoo to the on going Male’ West Coast Development project. It is a legal requirement under the Amended EIA Regulation 2012 that EIAs/Addendums be prepared and approved for projects that may generate negative environmental impacts. This Addendum has been prepared as per the approved Terms of Reference (TOR) on 7 December 2015. The scope of this EIA involves studying the existing environmental condition of the proposed project areas and surrounding environment, identifying potential environmental impacts, propose environmental management and mitigation measures to minimize environmental impacts and propose an environmental monitoring plan. The palms are to be uprooted from the site for the proposed construction of jail and from households. This site for jail construction is at the western end of the island and is under the Jurisdiction of Maldives Correctional Services. It is envisaged that the project will have several socio-economic benefits. This includes providing a means of shelter and relaxation to the community in Male’ City, especially in the Maafannu district. Moreover, it would assist in alleviating the burden these large no. of trees had been causing the community in K. Kaashidhoo. From this perspective, the project can be regarded as means to balance the amenities in both communities. The economic benefits to the coconut tree owners from the sale of the coconut palms could also be considered as a direct positive impact. Furthermore, the Kaashidhoo council had committed to plant 2 trees for each palm that has been removed in more strategic locations in the island, where tree plantation is required. Negative impacts include the holes that would be left after the digging. It may become a public nuisance, although the area is seldom used by the community. As a mitigation measure, the holes would be filled with sand available onsite, without the need for dredging. Provisions such as monitoring are proposed to understand the overall impacts of the project over the long term. Therefore, considering the beneficial nature of the project for both communities, and minimum environmental impact that can be easily mitigated, it is proposed to proceed with the project. However, it is recommended to have proper monitoring in place to observe any future impacts that project may result in.Item First addendum to the environment impact assessment prepared for the proposed Hulhule’-Male’ bridge project(2016-01) CDE ConsultingThe purpose of this document is to assess the potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures for the proposed changes to the Hulhulé-Malé Bridge project. This document is an addendum to the original Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared for the Bridge project in November 2015. The proponent of this project is Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure. The main changes to the project includes expansion of the work site in Malé, and the addition two concrete batching to the project work site in Malé. The main rationale for these changes is to speed up the project, and to reduce the project costs. The study area for the purpose of the addendum is the project work site in Male’ and Hulhumale’. The baseline conditions of the site are largely based on the original EIA documents. Additional information on major changes to the environment is provided where appropriate. The proposed developments are generally in conformance to the laws and regulations of the Maldives. The key impacts from the proposed changes are due to site clearance of Male’ worksite and operation of batching plants at Male’ worksite. The clearance of the proposed expanded work site requires removal of hundreds of trees. Trees will be relocated where possible. Impacts from the operation of the batching plants include high noise levels, loss of visual amenity and specific impacts related to the wastewater disposal. Significant impacts on the natural environment include impacts on terrestrial ecology from the site clearance of the expanded worksite. Hundreds of trees may potentially need to be removed or relocated. Further impacts on natural environment include impacts on marine ecology due to disposal of wastewater from the batching plants. Social impacts from the additional components include high noise levels from the operation of batching plants and loss of visual amenity. A number of mitigation measures are proposed for the most significant impacts from the project. These include testing and monitoring of wastewater quality before disposal, limiting hours of batching plants operation to daytime and use of fences or walls to prevent transmission of dusts. Alternatives have been proposed for wastewater disposal methods, waste water dispose location, location of the batching plants and alternative location for Male’ worksite. Options for wastewater disposal methods include direct disposal of wastewater via the existing sewerage network, direct disposal into sea, and reuse of wastewater after passing through a settling tank and after treatment. The last option is identified as the most ecologically preferred option, however, the option may not be feasible due to significantly high cost. This report is prepared in accordance to the technical guidelines and EIA regulations, prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the terms of reference issued by the EPA for this EIA addendum.