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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 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.Item Environment impact assessment report for the development of an mariculture project in Lh. Gaaerifaru(2016) ReefTAC MaldivesThis Environmental Impact Assessment report outlines the findings of our environmental studies for breeding, larval production and mariculture of Plectropomus areolatus (Pisces: Serranidae: Epinephelinae) on Lh. Gaaerifaru. The island has been leased to Ocean Quartiers Properties Pvt. Ltd by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. The project aims at establishing a high nutritional value of reef fish for both local consumption and resort supply, and for export as well. And establishing the setup based on the local conditions provided. It also aims at gaining knowledge transferable to other similar projects in the Maldives. The Study Area contains detailed maps of the site plan and the boundaries, along with the justification of the site. Scope of work includes the descriptions of the proposed project. Reclamation works, estimated to be over within 3 months, will commence once the setup is confirmed. The works of the sea cage will start along with the reclamation works and is estimated to take about 3 months to finish. The Grow out tanks, office, laboratory and packaging facility works will take place after. And this is estimated to finish within a 4 month period. The jetty and the Shore protection work will start once the reclamation project starts and is estimated to take 3 months to finish the works. The scope of work also points out the inputs and outputs during constructional and operational phase. Furthermore, focuses on the type of species and types to be cultured. This includes the taxonomy and morphology, biology and ecology, spawning aggregations, sex-associated colour differences, environmental ranges, known geographical distribution, conservation status, history and the process of aquaculture of Plectropomus areolatus. Continued furthermore on the cages and tanks, the location the size details along with the phases for various purposes are explained. The acquisition, Brood Stock spawning, artificial spawning, rearing of the larvae, grow out, feeding, waste removal methods, and disease control and health management of the juveniles of the targeted species are thoroughly explained in this chapter. Even though the targeted species is Plectropomus areolatus, further compatible candidate species are mentioned as well. The justification and methodology for jetty construction is explained, along with the duration estimated for the task. Reclamation plans for the site are given, with the location and size of the burrow areas on a detailed map of the site. Justification for the locations chosen, the methodology of this process and quantity of sand needed for the phase, its duration and labor works estimated is included as well. Power supply and oil storage for the whole project is explained along with the amount of solar power required to operate the whole facility and the location best to install the solar panels. Solar power will be used as a backup, only if the diesel power generators are shut off or in case of maintenance or system failure. The transportation method and volume of diesel required are explained. Solid waste and sewage waste disposal methods are explained thoroughly with the overall scheme for the waste management plan. The project management chapter points out the approximate area for the reclamation of land. More on the sea cages grow out tanks for the egg-rearing, larval-rearing and juvenile rearing are mentioned. Furthermore, the build of coastal structures to prevent the migration of the pumped sand along the shore are explained. The jetty, solar power house, office, laboratory, packaging facility and water storage is looked upon briefly. Seawater inlet and outlet explains the uses of seawater for stocking and rearing seeds, larvae and juvenile fishes in tanks. The location of where the channel should be dredged, its reasons are explained along with the schedule of work which contains three phases. The site preparation and mobilization phase, the constructional phase, and the operational phase to be continued till the end of the lease period. Description of the environment focuses on the climate, bathymetry of the site, the marine environment, and the hazard vulnerabilities. The climate includes the temperature, rainfall and humidity of the climate. It also includes the wind, waves and current. The bathymetry gives out a detailed map of the site area showing the areas and depths of the all-around reef system. The marine environment explains the methodology and results of the fish, substrate and coral survey transects with the aid of pie and bar charts. The seawater quality is also included in the marine environment, with the location map and the geo-coordinates of locations the water samples were collected. Finally, the hazard vulnerability states the effects caused in case of a tsunami generated in the Indian Ocean. The chapter of potential impacts on the natural environment and mitigation measures includes the identification of the impacts discussed between the EIA team and the proponent, and the mitigation measures identified. The mitigation measures include the existing environmental concerns, the impacts on the natural environment during the constructional phase, and the impacts during the operational phase. The project alternatives discuss with the advantages, disadvantages and the recommendations for alternatives. These alternatives include the no project option, alternative types of species, alternative methods of culture, alternative location for the jetty, and the alternative energy required. The various types of environmental monitoring, measuring and recording of environmental, social and economic variables associated with the development impacts are explained in the monitoring plan. The monitoring program is represented in a table containing the details of the different three phases, methods, estimated cost and other information. The statements and the main concerns are looked upon under the stakeholder consultation which includes Inter-Agency coordination and public/NGO participation members. Three meetings were held to discuss these concerns and ideas which include the scoping meeting, the island council meeting, and a meeting held with Marine Research Center.Item Environmental impact assessment for the proposed deep sea dredging to reclaim and develop 3 resort islands in North Male’ Atoll lagoon(2016-08) Musthafa, AmirThis report is the EIA undertaken for the Proposed deep sea dredging to reclaim and develop 3 resort islands in North Male’ Atoll lagoon (4o40’28.8”N 73o32’02.2”E - 4o40’18.4”N 73o32’24.6”E). The EIA for the 3 Resort island reclamation and development have been approved by the Ministry of Tourism on 26th May 2016. This EIA only studies the proposed borrow area for the deep sea dredging and the conditions and impacts of dredging from this area. An Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary for the works outlined in this report as they fall under the ‘Jadhuvalu R’ of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2012 of the Maldives. This report would further conform to the Dredging and Reclamation regulation. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirements, the report would further assist the proponent and important stakeholders to make decisions in an environmentally sound manner. Although this is for a tourism development, since the borrow area is not within an area dedicated for tourism activities, an approval from the EPA was necessary. Potential borrow areas in the northern areas of North Male’ Atoll close to the project area was investigated. The dredging location chosen is about 5 km west of the Project site. The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using frameworks found on literature and the results indicate that the proposed project has minimum negative impact and have an overall net positive outcome. The approved EIA discusses both lagoon dredging using a Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD), and deep sea lagoon dredging using a Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) The main environmental positive impacts due to opting for TSHD is that there will be virtually no impact on the house reef of the project site due to the dredging activities. Furthermore, the proposed borrow area is not even remotely close to any site designated as a sensitive area or protected area by the EPA. There are some locations that are used by Divers close to the borrow area. However, the dredging location is still over 500m away from these locations. Dredging activities will no doubt increase sedimentation impacts in the area, and diving at these 3-4 locations during the dredging activities will not be pleasant. However, lasting impacts are not envisaged based on other similar projects undertaken recently. There are no known popular bait fishing grounds near the borrow area. There are no additional impacts due to reclamation as there is no change in scope with regards to this component from the approved EIA. Important stakeholders for the project include Helengeli Island Resort, Gaafaru council, Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. The main reservations by the stakeholders is the fact that sand is borrowed from area perceived to be close the respective stakeholders property. Moreover, they expressed their concerns on the impact of dredging works on the fisheries and tourism of the North Atoll. Gaafaru council did note that they did not have much concerns with regards to the project due to the proximity of Gaafaru with respect to the borrow area, and due the presence of deep sea in-between. The stakeholders were informed of the previous islands reclaimed under the same project and how the impacts were minimal. Alternative borrow area options are not viable as the sand search campaign concluded that there are no other significant sand depots within close proximity to the project area. However, another sand deposit 11.5km from the project site was investigated. It is envisaged that this area can barely the supply of sand required. Importing sand from abroad will be very costly and will have further negative impacts at the reclaim site and is not regarded as a realistic alternative. It is recommended to continue to monitor the impacts of the proposed project by regular monitoring of marine water quality and marine environment. The monitoring plan proposed in the approved EIA is slightly modified to include more monitoring locations, near borrow area. A two stage monitoring plan is given, which recommends monitoring during dredging activities, and a monitoring trip straight after completion of dredging.. Undertaking the monitoring, along with the mitigation measures is necessary to ensure the sustainable development of the project with minimum harm to the environment. It is thus recommended that since the project has major socio-economic benefits and environmental benefits as detailed in the initial EIA and summarised in this report, to allow the project to proceed as proposed. Moreover, since the proposed borrow area is at a considerable distance from any sensitive area, and since the initial EIA has been approved, and also considering the fact that the sand search campaign resulted in only 1 location within reasonable distance from the project to obtain sufficient volumes of sand, there is no viable reason to postpone or cancel the project due to this change. However, mitigation measures should be in place and continuous monitoring should be undertaken.