Harbor Development Project Kinbidhoo, Thaa Atoll

Amin Construction Pvt Ltd

Environmental Impact Assessment Report

Harbor development project Kinbidhoo, Thaa Atoll

January 2012 c

Declaration of the Project Proponent and commitment letter

Re: EIA report for proposed harbor development at Thaa Kinbidhoo

As the proponent of the proposed project We guarantee that We have read the report and to the best of Our knowledge all non-technical information provided here are accurate and complete. Also We hereby confirm Our commitment to finance and implement all mitigation measures and the monitoring program as specified in the report

Signature:

Name:

Designation:

Date:

Declaration of the Consultant

I certify that statements made in this Environment Impact Assessment Report Harbor Development project at Kinbidhoo, Thaa Atoll, to best of my knowledge are true, complete and correct.

Name: Hussein Zahir

Consultant Registration Number: 04-07

Table of Content

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 3 a) Purpose of the Report and Need for the EIA ...... 3 b) Structure of the Report ...... 3 2. PROJECT SETTING ...... 4 a) Environment Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives ...... 4 b) Third National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP III) ...... 5 c) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) ...... 6 d) Protected Areas and Sensitive Areas ...... 8 e) Cutting down, uprooting, digging out and export of trees and palms from one island to another ...... 8 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...... 10 a) Project Proponent ...... 10 b) The Project ...... 10 c) Need for the Project ...... 10 d) Location and Extent of Site Boundaries ...... 11 e) Construction Phase and Schedule for Implementation ...... 12 f) Major Inputs ...... 14 i) Mobilization and material unloading ...... 14 ii) Workforce ...... 14 iii) Heavy machinery and power generation ...... 14 g) Construction methods ...... 15 i) Demolition works ...... 15 ii) Excavation method ...... 15 iii) Construction of wharf and harbor protection structure ...... 15 h) Major Outputs ...... 16 i) Harbor design ...... 16 ii) Dredge material ...... 16 iii) Risks Associated with the Project ...... 16 4. Methodology ...... 17 5. Public Consultation ...... 20 a) Institutional Arrangements ...... 20 b) Community consultations and stakeholder meetings ...... 20

c) Consultation with MHE ...... 21 d) Outcome of the consultation meetings ...... 22 6. Existing Environment ...... 23 a) General Setting ...... 23 b) Geographical location and general setting of Th. Kinbidhoo ...... 24 c) Climate and Oceanography ...... 24 i) Wind climate ...... 24 ii) Rainfall ...... 26 iii) Tide ...... 27 iv) Wave ...... 31 d) Beach Environment ...... 35 e) Marine Surveys ...... 38 i) Sea grass ...... 39 ii) Coral community ...... 39 iii) Reef fish community ...... 40 iv) Seawater quality ...... 41 f) Hazard vulnerability, area vulnerable to flooding and storm surges ...... 42 g) Social Environment ...... 45 h) Terrestrial Environment ...... 46 i) Built Environment ...... 46 7. Environmental Impacts ...... 48 a) Limitation and uncertainty of impact prediction ...... 49 b) Construction Impacts ...... 49 i) Schedule, logistics and loading and unloading construction materials ...... 50 ii) Construction materials and solid waste ...... 50 iii) Impacts due to construction methods ...... 51 iv) Impact on vegetation ...... 52 v) Coastal structures ...... 52 vi) Social impacts, noise and air pollution ...... 52 vii) Effects on Groundwater Quality ...... 53 c) Operational Impacts ...... 53 d) Impact Analysis ...... 54 8. Mitigation Plan ...... 57 9. Alternatives ...... 61 a) Breakwater types ...... 61

b) Quay wall ...... 61 c) The no project scenario ...... 61 10. Monitoring and Reporting ...... 63 11. Conclusions ...... 65 12. Appendices ...... 66

List of Tables

Table 1 Construction schedule for Kinbidhoo harbor development project ...... 13 Table 2 Four seasons experienced in the Maldives ...... 25 Table 3 Principle tidal constituents (Defant 1961) ...... 28 Table 4 Classification of tides ...... 29 Table 5 Amplitude of the tidal constituents determined by harmonic analysis of the tide 30 Table 6 Seasonal wind and wave climate around southern atolls of Maldives ...... 32 Table 7 Seawater quality parameters tested and their results at the sampling locations at Kinbidhoo. (Data analysis was carried out using portable water test probe Hanna Multi- probe water test kit. Values are means and standard deviation of means. n=5 for each location) ...... 42 Table 8 Impact prediction categorized…………………………………………………………48 Table 9 Leopold matrix for Kinbidhoo harbor expansion project ...... 55 Table 10 Mitigation measures proposed for the harbor restoration works at Kinbidhoo . 58 Table 11 Monitoring program and cost for individual parameter ...... 64

List of Figures

Figure 1 Existing location of the harbor and possible sediment plume projection associated with dredging works ...... 11 Figure 2 Location beach profiles an GPS coornidates…………………………………….….18 Figure 3 Reef survey and water sampling locations and GPS coordinates ...... 19 Figure 4 Geographic location of Maldives in Indian Ocean ...... 23 Figure 5 Geographic location of Kolhumadulu Atoll in the Maldives chain of Atoll (a) Map of Kolhumadhu atoll showing locatio n of Kinbidhooo (b) Satellite image of Kinbidhoo (C)…………………………………………………………………………………………………….24 Figure 6 Summary wind data indicating the wind speed, direction and percentage of occurrence of wind from different directions for the four seasons (wind data between 1995 to 2010 –Kadhoo wind data set) ...... 26 Figure 7 Eight year (1994-2001) climatology of rainfall for all the stations of Maldives ... 27 Figure 8 Comparison of the measured and predicted tide for the wave gauge 13...... 28 Figure 9 Tide showing the mixed nature. For simplicity only January 2010 is shown here ...... 31 Figure 10 Spectral analysis of the tidal constituents ...... 31 Figure 11 Wave height and period distribution in the southern parts of the Maldives .... 34 Figure 12 Assumed wave climated of the reef systen ...... 35

iii

Figure 13 Shoreline view from the T jetty looking westwards. Image on the left during high tide and image on the right during low tide……………………………………………..36 Figure 14 Eastern shoreline viewed from the T jetty (left), southern side of the island observed with severe erosion (right) ...... 36 Figure 15 Sea wall area at the eastern side of the island ...... 37 Figure 16 Beach profile 1………………………………………………………………………….37 Figure 17 Beach profile 2………………………………………………………………………….37 Figure 18 Beach profile 3………………………………………………………………………….38 Figure 19 Beach profile 4……………………………………………………………………….…38 Figure 20 Sea grass observed near the harbor area, sea grass bed is observed almost up to the low tide line area. Many patches of brown filamentous algae was observed at the area...... 39 Figure 21 Benthic substrate recorded at reef monitoring site in Kinbidhoo ...... 40 Figure 22 Live coral composition at the reef survey site in Kinbidhoo…………………..…40 Figure 23 Tsunami hazard zones, category 5 is the highest risk zone while category 1 is the lowest (figure derived from UNDP report Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives Nov, 2006…………………………………………………………………………………………………..42 Figure 24 Track of severe storms affecting Maldives during 1877-2004 ...... 43 Figure 25 Cyclone Hazard Zoning (figure derived from UNDP report on Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives November 2006) ...... 44 Figure 26 Surge hazard zones (figure derived from UNDP report on Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives November 2006)………………………………………………………………….. . 44 Figure 27 Population structure of Kinbidhoo ...... 45 Figure 28 General condition of T jetty at Kinbidhoo…………………………………………..44 Figure 29 View of jetty head area during low tide...... 47

List of Appendices

Appendix 1 Terms of Reference (TOR)

Appendix 2 Site Plan, Breakwater and quay wall design Appendix 3 Bathymetry and shoreline map Appendix 4 List of people met Appendix 5 References Appendix 6 CVs

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is to fulfill the regulatory requirements under the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives prior to the proposed harbor development at Kinbidhoo in Thaa Atoll. 2. Project proponent of the proposed harbor development project is Ministry of Housing and Environment. The contractor for the project is Amin Construction Pvt Ltd. 3. Kinbidhoo is located in Thaa atoll, approximately 228km from Male’. It is one of the 13 inhabitant islands in the atoll. Nearest inhabited island is Th. Veymandoo which is located 3.89km north east of Kinbidhoo. In terms of geographic coordinates, it is located at 2° 10' N and 73° 3' E. Nearest island is Kudakinbidhoo, approximately 0.54km south west of Kinbidhoo. 4. The proposed development project involves construction of a harbor facility at Th. Kinbidhoo. This project is being undertaken as part of the National Harbor Construction Project conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Environment. The harbor facility will be located at the north western side of the island approximately 10m off the shoreline at north eastern side and 50m off shore line at the south western side starting from existing “T” jetty. The entrance to the harbour will be located at the northern side. The quay wall will be constructed with “L” section concrete sheet pile, while breakwaters will be rock boulders. The harbor basin will be deepened to -3MSL. 5. Part of the existing T jetty will be demolished using excavators. The demolished material will be used for back filling of harbor side quay area. The demolition works will be done prior to excavation of the proposed basin. 6. The proposed harbor is 152.5m long and 76.2m wide. Breakwater segment will be constructed at the northern side of the harbor with a total length of 185m, while the exposed side of existing T jetty (excluding the part cut to make way for entrance to deep lagoon) will have a revetment structure. The side quay walls will have a length of 61m. The total quay wall length of the harbor is 274.5m. 7. An entrance will be cut to deep lagoon from the northern side of the harbor with length 140 and width 24m. The design depth of entrance and harbor basin is -3MSL. 8. Dredge material removed from the harbor basin and entrance (entrance to deep lagoon) will be disposed at either side of the harbor (eastern and western side) and harbor front area. Approximately 33,000m3 of dredge material will be removed during the maintenance and harbor dredging works. All dredged material generated will be used to reclaim land at the harbor front and side quay areas. 9. Major outcome of the consultation meetings is issue of opening at the western side and maintenance dredging at the existing entrance to deep lagoon. - CID requested for EIA consultant to propose mitigation for the issue

- Maintenance dredging at existing entrance is not included in the EIA or project scope. Although this maybe the case environmental impact due to maintenance dredging to be included in the report 10. Existing environment was examined to identify significant environmental components that would be affected and to establish a baseline condition of the site. Available and relevant literature on environmental impacts associated with similar projects was evaluated to identify possible impacts. Oceanographic data and information on local hydrodynamics were qualitatively assessed to determine the current pattern around the island which was based on monsoonal wind patterns, wind generated waves, tidal flushing, geographic setting, the topography of the lagoon and shape of the shoreline. 11. Mitigation measures have been provided for impacts associated with the project related works that have been categorized as minor to moderate. Impact mitigation measures and monitoring is carried out to compare predicted and actual impacts occurring from project activities to determine the efficiency of the mitigation measures. 12. With due consideration to main environmental components identified and the magnitude of impacts on these components from the proposed developments, the consultant concludes that the project components and designs are feasible and appropriate mitigation measures are given to correct and minimize unfavorable environmental consequences. Furthermore, the public and community consultation responses were in favor of the project due to the socio-economic benefits foreseen to the community from a functional harbor.

1. INTRODUCTION

The proposed project involves harbor development works at Th. Kinbidhoo. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Environment; while the contractor for the project is Amin Construction Pvt Ltd. The design of the harbor was formulated by MHE in consultation with the island community.

a) Purpose of the Report and Need for the EIA This EIA covers the environmental reporting requirements in preparation for harbor development project as stipulated by the environmental regulations of Maldives. Coastal developments such as harbors that are likely to have significant impacts on the environment are required to submit an EIA or IEE report by Environmental Act of Maldives. Article 5 (a) of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives (Law No. 4/93) provides for an impact assessment study to be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before implementation of any activity that may have a significant impact on the environment. The Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation of Maldives (EIA Regulations, MEEW, 2007) provides a list of development proposals requiring environmental impact assessment reports which are outlined in Schedule D of the regulation where EIAs are mandatory for harbor development projects.

Therefore, in accordance with the above requirements and procedures to follow under the EIA regulations, a scoping meeting to discuss the development proposal and determine the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the EIA report was held between the Client (Ministry of Housing and Environment, MHE), LaMer Group Pvt Ltd as the EIA Consultant, representative of contractor (Amin Construction Pvt Ltd) and representatives from Environment Protection Agency (EPA) on 18th October 2011. This report provides the results of the field work carried out on Kinbidhoo in December 2011 and associated public and community consultations that followed based on the TOR approved by EPA.

b) Structure of the Report The structure of this report follows the Terms of Reference (TOR) discussed in the presence of the developer, the EIA consultant, representative from MHE and representatives of EPA. Upon submission of a draft TOR by the EIA consultant it was approved by the EPA on 14th December 2011, based on discussions between the consultant, the client and other stakeholders. The approved Terms of Reference (TOR) for this report is attached in Appendix 1 of this document.

2. PROJECT SETTING

The project conforms to the requirements of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of the Maldives, Law no. 4/93. The EIA has been undertaken in accordance with the EIA Regulation (MEEW, 2007) of the Maldives by a registered consultant. Furthermore, the EIA adheres to the principles underlined in the regulations, action plans, programs and policies of the following Government Ministries.

 Ministry of Housing and Environment  Ministry of Home Affairs

a) Environment Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives The Articles of the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act (Law No. 4/93) addresses the following aspects of environmental management:

 Guidelines and advice on environmental protection shall be provided by the concerned government authorities.  Formulating policies, rules and regulations for protection and conservation of the environment in areas that do not already have a designated government authority already carrying out such functions shall be carried out by MEEW (now known as MHE).  Identifying and registering protected areas and natural reserves and drawing up of rules and regulations for their protection and preservation.  An EIA shall be submitted to MHTE (now MHE) before implementing any developing project that may have a potential impact on the environment.  Projects that have any undesirable impact on the environment can be terminated without compensation.  Disposal of waste, oil, poisonous substances and other harmful substances within the territory of the Maldives is prohibited. Waste shall be disposed only in the areas designated for the purpose by the government.  Hazardous / Toxic or Nuclear Wastes shall not be disposed anywhere within the territory of the country. Permission should be obtained for any trans‐boundary movement of such wastes through the territory of Maldives.  The Penalty for Breaking the Law and Damaging the Environment are specified.  The Government of Maldives reserves the right to claim compensation for all damages that are caused by activities that are detrimental to the environment.

The proposed harbor development project at Kinbidhoo will fully abide by the Environmental Protection and Preservation Act. Disposal of oil, chemicals and other hazardous materials will

be strictly controlled and managed. Such materials will not be disposed at inappropriate locations in the local or the regional vicinity, but will be transported to a designated waste disposal site, in Thaa Atoll or any other government approved disposal site. In any event, hazardous wastes such as oils and chemicals which are not allowed disposal at site will be transported to Thilafushi for appropriate disposal.

b) Third National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP III) The Third National Environment Action Plan (NEAP III) of Maldives sets out the agenda for environmental protection and management in the Maldives for the period of 2009 – 2013. This plan targets to achieve six major measurable environmental results that matter to the people of the Maldives, through a set of ten principles and thirty goals.

Under the NEAP III, the following principles shall be adhered to in environment protection and environmental management.

1. Environmental protection is the responsibility of every individual 2. Achieve results 3. Promote and practise sustainable development 4. Ensure local democracy 5. Inter-sectoral co-ordination and co-operation 6. Informed decision making 7. Precaution first 8. Continuous learning and improvement 9. Right to information and participation 10. Environmental protection complements development

Targeted results to be achieved and the goals set to achieve these results are:

 Resilient Islands:  Protection of critical infrastructure and human settlements,  Increased resilience of coral reef systems to climate change,  Reduced climate-change related risks to human health, fisheries and food production and the tourism sector  Preparedness for natural disasters and mitigation of such disasters.

 Rich Ecosystems:  Improved scientific knowledge and better access to information for biodiversity conservation,

 Improvement of institutional and legislative systems to enable biodiversity conservation,  Protection and restoration of coral reefs, vegetation, terrestrial ecosystems and islands and wetlands and mangrove ecosystems  Control of invasive species

 Healthy Communities:  Proper solid waste and hazardous waste management,  Safe use of and disposal of chemicals and clean air

 Safe Water:  Provision of safe drinking water,  Protection of groundwater and the seas  Operationalize wastewater treatment to maintain resilience of water resources and coral reef biodiversity in the face of climate hazards

 Environmental Stewardship:  Efficient Environmental Administration,  Effective environmental legislation,  Strengthened Environmental Impact Assessments and capacity to plan and manage environmental education and public awareness programmes,  Environmental research  Environmental information

 Carbon Neutral Nation:  Country wide awareness on what being Carbon neutral means and the importance and advantages of becoming carbon neutral,  Advance Energy Security  Establish an Efficient Transport Network

NEAP III provides the basis for environmental planning, budgeting, performance measurement, and accountability.

c) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) Biological diversity on a whole refers to the total variety of life on earth; inclusive of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Earths’ ecosystems are made up from the linkage of biodiversity at various levels and provide the supplies and services crucial for human well being. Past, present

and future generations have been, are and will be dependent on these systems remaining healthy and robust, thus ensuring the need and significance of conservation of these systems.

UNEP initiated work on the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) to address the need of conservation of these resources on a global scale. CBD was opened for signature on 5 June 1992 and Maldives became a signatory on 12th June 1992, followed by ratification on the 28th of October 1992. One of the most important obligations on signing CBD was the development of a National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan. Work on formulation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of the Maldives (NBSAP) commenced in 1996.

The objective of NBSAP was to “achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization of biological resources in the Maldives” by integration of biodiversity conservation into all areas of national planning, policy development and administration (MHAHE, 2002). The goals of NBSAP are:

1. Conserve biological diversity and sustainably utilize biological resources 2. Build capacity for biological diversity conservation through a strong governance framework and improved knowledge and understanding 3. Foster community participation, ownership and support for biodiversity conservation

These goals are achieved through the following objectives and actions:

 Integration of biodiversity conservation into the national development process, by formulation and adoption of suitable development planning procedures, land use plans and strengthening of the EIA process  Adoption of policies and management systems for sustainable use of resources, by development of consistent and appropriate national and sectoral policies and better management practices  Establishment of measures for in-situ and ex-situ conservation by means of protected areas, suitable quarantine facilities, strengthened coral reef conservation measures and mechanisms for protecting wetlands and mangrove areas  Management of threats and threatening processes by actions taken at the national and international levels  Adoption of economic incentives via establishment of various methods to value biodiversity  Improvement of knowledge and understanding and increased awareness by means of various research activities and awareness raising programmes aimed at all levels of society (grassroots to policy level)  Strengthening legal and institutional frameworks and developing human resources by reviewing existing laws and regulations, strengthening enforcement and implementation capability, capacity building and effective communication and coordination

 Building financial capacity through annual government budget contributions, conservation funds and international funding donors  Increasing community participation via development of co-management partnerships and skills development, empowerment and mobilization of local communities  Implementation of NBSAP will be lead by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Housing and Environment with active participation from relevant agencies

d) Protected Areas and Sensitive Areas Under Article 4 of the Environment Protection and Preservation Act, the Ministry of Environment (now MHE) is vested with the responsibility of identifying and designating protected areas and natural reserves and drawing up of rules and regulations for their protection and preservation. At present there are no rules and regulations made available to the public on designation and protection of habitats and heritage areas.

e) Cutting down, uprooting, digging out and export of trees and palms from one island to another Pursuant to law number 4/93 (Environment Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives), the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water (now MHE) has passed a by-law with the purpose of educating developers on the importance of trees. This includes best management practices for maintaining trees and provides standards for preservation of trees in the Maldives and set down rules and regulations to be adhered to prior to commencing of felling, uprooting, digging up and exporting of trees and palms from one island to another in Maldives.

The by-law states that the cutting down, uprooting, digging up and exports of trees and palms from one island to another can only be done if it is absolutely necessary and there is no other alternative.

It further states that for every tree or palm removed in the Maldives two more should be planted and grown on the island. The by-law prohibits the removal of the following tree types:

 The coastal vegetation growing around the islands extending to about 15 meters into the island are protected by this by-law;  All the trees and palms growing in mangrove and wetlands spreading to 15 meters of land area is protected under this by-law;  All the trees that are in a designated protected area;  Trees that are being protected by the Government in order to protect species of animal/organisms that live in such trees;  Trees/palms that are unusual in structure

The proposed harbor will be located at the lagoon area at a minimum offset of 50m, therefore no impact is envisaged on shoreline vegetation from main harbor development or harbor front road. The existing T jetty area is observed with few coconut palms and Sea hibiscus trees. Since part of T jetty will be incorporated in to the harbor project boundary; few coconut palms will be removed and replanted elsewhere.

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

a) Project Proponent Project proponent of the proposed harbor construction project is Ministry of Housing and Environment (MHE). The contractor for the harbor development works is Amin Construction Pvt Ltd.

b) The Project The proposed development project involves construction of a harbor facility at Th. Kinbidhoo. This project is being undertaken as part of the National Harbor Construction Project conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Environment. The harbor facility will be located at the north western side of the island approximately 10m off the shoreline at north eastern side and 50m off shore line at the south western side starting from the existing “T” jetty. The entrance to the harbor will be located at the northern side. The quay wall will be constructed with “L” section concrete sheet pile, while breakwaters will be rock boulders. The harbor basin will be deepened to -3MSL. The total length of quay wall (concrete sheet piles) constructed as part of harbor development is 274.5 m. A breakwater segment (armour rocks) will be constructed at the harbor area of length 185 m.

c) Need for the Project At present access to Kinbidhoo is by a T jetty constructed near the northern tip area of the island. An entrance is cut to the deep lagoon and excavated path made to T jetty area. During rough spells of SW monsoon the current and wind wave condition makes it very difficult to use the T jetty area. The island council office stated that very recently one trade vessel was damaged due to wind wave condition; the vessel struck the walls of T jetty and sustained major damages. The council also stated that due to bad weather and wave condition existing T jetty is badly damaged. At present only part of the T jetty is used for accessing the island.

Therefore due to difficulties faced by the community, safe access is vital. The community also stated that due issues with access to the island, travelling to other islands by domestic ferry system is also affected.

d) Location and Extent of Site Boundaries Kinbidhoo is located in Thaa atoll, approximately 228km from Male’. It is one of the 13 inhabited islands in the atoll. Nearest inhabited island is Th. Veymandoo which is located 3.89km north east of Kinbidhoo. In terms of geographic coordinates, it is located at 2° 10' N and 73° 3' E. Nearest island is Kudakinbidhoo, approximately 0.54km south west of Kinbidhoo.

The proposed project involves harbor development at the north western side of the island and cutting an entrance to deep lagoon at the northern side of the harbor. Sediment plume is envisaged to be directed northwards due to this current pattern either side of the island (Figure 1). The drogue tracks recorded at either side of the island (east and west) showed that the current flow is from south to north probably generated due to the swell waves received at the southern side and set up created at the outer atoll reef flat area. The current is observed moving along the east and west side and converging at the deep lagoon northern side of the island. Current speed is observed to be decreasing afterwards. According to locals; all the waste dumped on the southern side waste disposal area is observed to be transported with the current to northern side deep lagoon area in front of the island.

Indirect impact area Direct physical impact area

Figure 1 Proposed location of the harbor and possible sediment plume projection associated with dredging works

e) Construction Phase and Schedule for Implementation The harbor construction stage at Kinbidhoo is estimated to last 9 months. Below are the major sub components of the restoration works. Table 1 provides the expected work program and work schedule for the project.

 Mobilization, material unloading  Setting out and survey  Dredging of harbor basin and reclamation  Dredging of channel and reclamation  Shipment of boulders and other materials to site  Construction of breakwater  Construction of revetments  Manufacturing of quay wall structures, transport and shipment from Male’  Placing and laying of quay walls  In-situ casting of pier capping beams  Handing over  Demobilization

Table 1 Construction schedule for Kinbidhoo harbor development project

f) Major Inputs

i) Mobilization and material unloading

All material for the proposed project will be transported to the site on landing crafts and barges. Materials for harbor development works will be unloaded at the existing jetty area and transported to the existing empty area near the T jetty. Temporary construction yard and storage site can be set up in the vicinity of the harbor facility (existing cleared area). Major vegetation clearance will not be required for construction site setting and construction material storage. Site clearance will be carried out using excavators. Large mature trees will be retained in general. Trees that require removal shall be relocated by replanting at harbor front area that is extended as part of the project (coconut palms observed at the existing T jetty structure).

ii) Workforce

The total workforce for the project is estimated at 30-35 workers. All workers will be accommodated in existing residential houses. Food and other facilities will be met by existing facilities on the island. No additional temporary sheds or accommodation units will be constructed. A container based office unit will be located at the project site as the site office. Major concrete works necessary for the construction works (assumed to be only capping beam sections and anchor blocks) will be carried out at the temporary construction yard (western side of the T jetty as proposed by the island council office).

iii) Heavy machinery and power generation

Heavy machinery to be used for the project are excavators (2 units), cranes, wheel loader and trucks (3 units). Excavators will also be used for demolition works (part of existing T jetty), construction of harbor protection walls and entrance channel walls. Power for the project site will be met by the island’s existing power house and portable generator. All fuel for the project will be stored in barrels (diesel for excavators, cranes and trucks).

g) Construction methods i) Demolition works

Part of the existing T jetty will be demolished using excavators. The demolished material will be used for back filling of harbor side quay area. The demolition works will be done prior to excavation of the proposed basin.

ii) Excavation method

The harbor basin area will be dredged and deepened using excavators. Initially interim bonds will be made around the expansion area, after which, excavated material will be transported on land using the bonds. All dredged material will be transported to harbor front area after filling up of barge (where necessary) and unloaded for back filling the harbor front and side quay areas. The finish design depth of the harbor basin and entrance channel will be -3MSL (entrance channel to deep lagoon from harbor).

No blasting will be carried out under the proposed project. In the event hard substrate is encountered alternative means will be used (impact hammer).

iii) Construction of wharf and harbor protection structure

Concrete elements for the quay wall will be caste off site and transported when required. The element toe area will be deepened and leveled. After placing the elements, the toe area will be refilled and tie rods will be used to fix and anchor the L section to anchor slabs. This will be followed by the joining together of quay wall with a capping beam which are caste on site.

The side quay walls will be constructed at the eastern and western side of the harbor, each approximately 61m length. The breakwater will be constructed using armor stones. The breakwater segment at the western side of the entrance will have a length of 185m, while the eastern side will be a revetment structure of length 41.7m. Approximately 20m gap will be kept between the breakwater and the side quay walls at the western, allowing for maximum flushing of basin water.

h) Major Outputs i) Harbor design

The proposed harbor is 152.5m long and 76.2m wide. Breakwater segment will be constructed at the northern side of the harbor with a total length of 185m, while the exposed side of existing T jetty (excluding the part cut to make way for entrance to deep lagoon) will have a revetment structure. The side quay walls will have a length of 61m. The total quay wall length of the harbor is 274.5m (see Appendix 2 for site plan, breakwater and quay wall drawings).

An entrance will be cut to deep lagoon from the northern side of the harbor with length 140m and width 24m. The design depth of entrance and harbor basin is -3MSL. Bathymetry of proposed harbor location is provided in Appendix 3 (bathymetry and shoreline map).

ii) Dredge material

Dredge material removed from the harbor basin and entrance (entrance to deep lagoon) will be disposed at either side of the harbor (eastern and western side) and harbor front area. Approximately 33,000m3 of dredge material will be removed during the maintenance and harbor dredging works. All dredged material generated will be used to reclaim land at the harbor front and side quay areas.

iii) Risks Associated with the Project

Only minor to moderate risks are envisaged due to the proposed project. Since excavators will be used for the dredging works, sedimentation is inevitable and this is an impact that will be unavoidable. But it has to be noted that the reef flat area is approximately 750m away from the proposed harbor area where majority of dredging will be done. The dredging works at the entrance will be done at deep lagoon area therefore sediment plume generated will be minor. Seawater quality deterioration and sedimentation impacts are envisaged. Coastal vegetation clearance is not required for the proposed project; but few coconut palms at the existing T jetty area will be removed. Erosion prone areas at the western and eastern side of the island are not expected to be impacted since the dominant current at the southern side dictates the sediment movement.

4. Methodology

The approach to data collection and compilation of this report includes;

 Consultation and discussion with the design consultants and engineers with regard to design and work methodology that would be used to implement the proposed activities  Examination of proposed project activities,  Examination of the existing environment to identify significant environmental components that would be affected,  Consultation with major stakeholders to exchange information on the project and to follow the procedures required for the report, and  Evaluation of available and relevant literature on environmental impacts associated with similar projects.

Information on existing environment was collected during the field visit to the project site during December 2011. General information on the existing environment was based on available secondary data, such as climatic data for Handhunmathi and Male’ atoll in general (National Meteorological Centre at Hulhule for tide and Kadhdhoo for wind respectively), because no site specific data was available. Due to the general uniformity of the climatic data along Maldives, wind climatic data from Kadhdhoo were considered applicable to the site given the lack of availability of site specific data and also the short time available for the preparation of the report to collect such data.

Nearest tide station is at Hulhule (230km north). Limited tide data is also available from L. Gan for Resort development EIA prepared by LaMer Group Pvt (EIA for City Hotel, Hospitality Institute and Resort Development at Bodufinolhu and Gasfinolhu, August 2011). This information was used for site specific tide related components of the project.

Oceanographic data and information used to determine the current pattern around the island was also based on monsoonal wind patterns, wind generated waves, tidal flushing, geographic setting, the topography of the lagoon and shape of the shoreline.

Beach profiles were taken using a digital level. Initially the beach toe of the island was mapped using precision GPS. Afterwards profile areas were selected based on possible impact areas due to the proposed project. Four profiles were taken to establish as baseline data. All beach profiles are aligned perpendicular to the beach. Location of beach profiles and GPS coordinates are given in Figure 2.

Since the proposed harbor is approximately 750m away from the inner reef flat and separated by a large deep lagoon, qualitative assessment was done at the sea grass area as part of marine surveys. One site (R1) was surveyed east of the existing of entrance as part of baseline data collection in the event maintenance dredging works is later included in the scope of work since

` the community raised the issue of existing entrance (shallow area at the inner mouth area of the entrance). An underwater camera with housing was used to take a series of photo quadrates at the site for assessing reef benthic community; CPCe software was used to analyze the photo quadrates. Snorkeling surveys were done at the sea grass area (Q1 and Q2, either side of the harbor).

Seawater sampling was conducted in-situ at two sites (W1 and W2) using Hanna multi probe water test meter (HI 9828). Location and GPS coordinates for reef survey and water samplings are given in Figure 3.

P1 P2

P1: 200 10’09”N, 73 03’51”E P2: 200 10’07”N, 73 03’46”E P3: 200 10’20”N, 73 04’09”E P4: 200 10’18”N, 73 04’10”E

Figure 2 Location of Beach profiles and GPS coordinates

W2 Q1 W1

R1: 200 10’44”N, 73 04’09”E Q1: 200 10’26”N, 73 04’12”E Q2: 200 10’16”N, 73 03’50”E W1: 200 10’20”N, 73 04’02”E W2: 200 10’29”N, 73 03’59”E

Figure 3 Reef survey and water sampling locations and GPS coordinates

Near current assessment was done using drogues. A drogue was incorporated with a high precision GPS. The drogue tracks were recorded at 30s interval. The line generated was exported to excel using Pathfinder software in ASCII format. Initially distance between two points was calculated and afterwards speed using the logging interval.

5. Public Consultation

As part of the public consultation process for this harbor development project, relevant stakeholders from the public and private sector were consulted and discussions were exchanged on project activities. The need, justifications and approval of the proposed activities from the perspective of relevant institutions were inclusive of this consultative process. The consultative process is based on meetings and discussions with representatives of relevant stakeholders. Perceptions of the community in the vicinity of the proposed project site based on specific focus groups such as island officials, and other relevant key individuals from the island were also included in this consultative process. List of people met in this consultative process is given in Appendix 4.

a) Institutional Arrangements Kinbidhoo is administratively located in Thaa Atoll (South Central Province of Maldives). As with all other atolls of the Maldives, the island community is governed through the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Office of the South Central Region. Day-to-day administrative and management of the island community needs together with routine reporting to relevant ministries or other institutions in Male’ is managed by the Island Councilor and with support from the Island Council Office administrative staff.

Kinbidhoo harbor development project is being carried out under the National Harbor Development Project (Access program). The project is implemented by Construction and Infrastructure Department of Ministry of Housing and Environment. The contractor for the project is Amin Construction Pvt Ltd. A site office will be established at the project area, where information about the project and progress of the project will be available to the community where necessary.

b) Community consultations and stakeholder meetings Consultation meeting at Kinbidhoo was held at the Island Council office on 7th December 2011. Members of the island council, boat owners and boat operators were informed about the process of EIA and the government regulations on Environmental Protection. The council including chief Councilor of Kinbidhoo was also consulted on the design aspects of the harbor and discussions on issues regarding the design was listed.

The council members stated that the design was sent to them by the ministry and was aware of the design components. The council members stated that the opening at the western side of the harbor is too wide. According to the members of the meeting the sediment movement especially the sand bank at the western side of the proposed harbor area moves seasonally and if the

opening is large will spill in to the basin. Therefore the council members and participants of the meeting stated that either the opening should be narrowed or low crested rock line should be run across the opening to minimize flow of sediment inside the basin.

The members of the meeting also inquired whether maintenance dredging of the existing entrance to deep lagoon is included in the scope of work. The EIA consultants informed that this component will be discussed during consultation with MHE.

The EIA consultant inquired about possible location for temporary set up for the contractor. The council members stated that existing open area near the T jetty can be used by the contractor.

The EIA consultants inquired about the ownership of coconut palms at the T jetty area and whether compensation for the coconut palms has been provided. The council members stated that coconut palms at the area belong to the island office and no compensation is required.

The EIA consultants also inquired about existing usage of the T jetty and difficulties faced. The members of the meeting stated that during SW monsoon especially if wind is north westerly or westerly; the T jetty area is very turbid. According to the members of the meeting; one vessel has already been damaged during T jetty usage. Also the council members stated that significant damages were received to the structure over the years and currently only a small portion of the quay area is used; the rest is subsided or submerged.

The members of the meeting also stated that currents around the island is south to northwards to western and eastern side; while all the flotsam garbage is observed converging near the northern side of the island (receiving from western and eastern side).

The EIA consultants also inquired about future land use at harbor area. The council members stated that land use plan is not yet formulated. Although this may be the case, land for ferry terminal has already been demarcated. The council stated that harbor management will be the responsibility of the island council; therefore harbor usage regulations will be formulated.

Overall the island community was in favor of the design of the harbor apart from the width of the western side opening.

c) Consultation with MHE Construction and Infrastructure Department (CID) of MHE was consulted in regards to the harbor development project at Kinbidhoo. CID informed that EIA consultant can propose a low crested obstruction at the opening at western side. But due to budgetary constraints this component may not be carried out.

In regard to maintenance dredging of existing entrance channel to deep lagoon from inter atoll waters; CID stated that this component is not included in the scope of the project.

d) Outcome of the consultation meetings Major outcome of the consultation meetings is issue of opening at the western side and maintenance dredging at the existing entrance to deep lagoon.

 CID requested for EIA consultant to propose mitigation for the issue  Maintenance dredging at existing entrance is not included in the EIA or project scope. Although this maybe the case environmental impact due to maintenance dredging to be included in the report

6. Existing Environment

a) General Setting The Maldives archipelago consists of a double chain of coral atolls, 80 – 120km wide stretching 860km from latitude 7° 6’ 30” N to 0° 41’ 48” S and longitude 72° 32’ 30 E to 73° 45’ 54” E (Ministry of Construction and Public Works, 1999). The double chain of the Maldivian atolls lies on the parallel submarine ridges in the central part of Indian Ocean known as Laccadive-Chagos ridge. The archipelago comprises 25 natural atolls (Naseer, 2004) grouped into 20 administrative units (see Figure 4). The atolls are separated by east-west running deeper channels. The atolls vary in shape from circular and oval to elliptical. The atolls contain 1190 islands, of which only 198 are inhabited. The total reef area of Maldives is 4,493.85km2 while the total land area is 227.45km2 (Naseer, 2004). Approximately 80% of Maldivian land area is less than 1m above mean sea level.

The characteristics of reefs and coral islands of the Maldives vary considerably from north to south. The atolls to the north are broad banks discontinuously fringed by reefs with small coral islands and with numerous patch reefs and faros (the word faros is derived from the Maldivian word “faru”) in the lagoon. To the south the depth of atoll lagoon increases, faros and patch reefs are rare in the lagoon, the continuity of the atoll rim is greater and a large proportion of the perimeter of the atolls is occupied by islands (Woodroffe, 1992). The islands have shallow reef flats on their seaward side, some with shingle ramparts at the seaward limit of the reef flat. The islands and the shingle ramparts owe their origin to the deposition of shingle or coral debris during storms. A number of islands can be found on a single reef. These islands may be separated by shallow passages that run across the reef flat. The width of some of these passages could be less than 100m while some passages are over a few hundred meters wide.

Figure 4 Geographic location of Maldives in Indian Ocean

b) Geographical location and general setting of Th. Kinbidhoo Kinbidhoo is located in Kolhumadulu (Thaa) atoll, 228 km from Male’. Figure 5 shows the geographic location of Kolhumadulu Atoll, location of Kinbidhoo and a satellite image of Kinbidhoo. Nearest inhabited island is Veymandoo (3.89 km on the north eastern side). In terms of geographic coordinates, it is located at 2° 10' N and 73° 3' E. Nearest island is Kudakinbidhoo (uninhabited), approximately 0.54 km south west of Kinbidhoo. The reef system which hosts the island of Kinbidhoo is approximately 24.6 km long and 2.4 km at the widest area while it is 2.0 km wide at Kinbidhoo area.

Figure 5 Geographic location of Kolhumadulu atoll in Maldives chain of atolls (A), Map of Kolhumadulu Atoll showing the location of Kinbidhoo (B) and satellite image of Kinbidhoo (C)

c) Climate and Oceanography i) Wind climate

Wind climate in the Maldives is dominated by the Indian monsoon climate; South West (SW) monsoon and North East (NE) monsoon. The Indian monsoon system is one of the major climate systems of the world, impacting large portions of both Africa and Asia (Overpeck et, al., 1996). The monsoon climate is driven by the atmospheric pressure differences that arise as a result of rapid warming or cooling of the Tibetan Plateau relative to the Indian Ocean (Hastenrath 1991; Fein and Stephens 1987). During the summer of northern hemisphere the Tibetan Plateau warms rapidly relative to the Indian Ocean which results in an atmospheric pressure gradient (Low pressure over Asia and high pressure over the Indian Ocean) between the Asian landmass and the Indian ocean, which drives the prevailing wind from south to westerly directions. The period during which prevailing winds are from south to westerly direction is known as the SW monsoon. In the winter of northern hemisphere the continent cools relative to

the ocean. This reverses the pressure gradient (low pressure over the Indian Ocean high pressure over the Asian landmass) and the prevailing winds become northeasterly. The period during which prevailing winds are from northeasterly directions is known as NE monsoon. The transitions from NE to SW monsoon and vice versa are distinctly different from SW or NE monsoon. During these transition periods the wind becomes more variable.

The SW monsoon lasts between May and September while the NE monsoon lasts between December and February. The period between March and April is the transition period from the NE monsoon to SW monsoon known locally as the Hulhangu Halha, while the transition period from SW monsoon to NE monsoon is known as Iruvai Halha. Iruvai halha lasts from October to November (Table 2). The SW monsoon is generally rough and wetter than the NE monsoon. Storms and gales are infrequent in this part of the world and cyclones do not reach as far south as the Maldivian archipelago (Ministry of Construction and Public Works, 1999).

Table 2 Four seasons experienced in the Maldives

Season Month December NE-Monsoon January February Transition Period 1 March April May June SW-Monsoon July August September Transition Period 2 October November

An analysis of the wind climate was done using the daily averaged wind data for 1995 to 2010 from the nearest Kadhdhoo Meteorological Station as there was a lack of on-site data for wind parameters. In this analysis, wind rose diagrams based on wind speed and direction was produced.

Wind rose plots (see Figure 6) shows that winds from SSW to WNW are dominant wind direction in the SW monsoon. And in NE monsoon, N to ENE is the prevailing wind direction. Rest of the winds throughout the year is roughly scattered (less than 30% of a year).These prevailing wind directions in both easterly and westerly winds are the directions in which the

strongest wind blows. Climatology shows that wind speeds are 5-15 knots during the SW monsoon.

Figure 6 Summary wind data indicating the wind speed, direction and percentage of occurrence of wind from different directions for the four seasons (wind data between 1995 to 2010 –Kadhoo wind data set)

ii) Rainfall

Maldives experiences rainfall throughout the year. However the renowned season for rainfall is the SW monsoon. The monsoon rainfall is brought by the passage of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the country. On average, Maldives receives an annual rainfall of more than 2500 mm a year.

Figure 7 Eight year (1994-2001) climatology of rainfall for all the stations of Maldives

iii) Tide

Tide in the Maldives is characterized by sinusoidal oscillation containing two main cycles per day (semidiurnal tide) combined with a one cycle per day (diurnal tide). The combination of these two tides is referred as a mixed tide. Analyses of tides involve the study of harmonics which represents the period of oscillation of the celestial forcing that give rise to that harmonic. Therefore, harmonic analysis of the tides breaks down the complex tidal oscillations into a collection of simple sinusoids, which can be used to predict the tide at the site of tidal data collection.

The closest tide station is in Male’ Atoll (approximately 228km). While there are no permanent tide stations established in Hadhdhunmathi Atoll some data was collected during the formulation of the EIA for City hotel development at L. Gan (approximately 57km from Kinbidhoo), and this data was used.

The tide was compared with the predicted tide provided by the University of Hawaii as this is a standard used for Maldives. The comparison indicates that the measured tide is very good and can be used for engineering purposes with high confidence. Comparisons of the tides are shown in Figures 8.

0.5

0.3

0.1 Observed ‐0.1 Predicted ‐0.3

Height relative to MSL (m) MSL to relative Height ‐0.5 6/17/2010 0:00 6/18/2010 12:00 6/20/2010 0:00 6/21/2010 12:00 6/23/2010 0:00

Time

Figure 8 Comparison of the measured and predicted tide for the wave gauge 13.

Harmonic analysis of the tide

Tidal motion can be represented as a sum of series of several harmonics which is known as the tidal constituents. Each harmonic has its own frequency of oscillation. The harmonic analysis assumes that the tide and any location comprises of multiple tidal constituents. There are several tidal constituents of these the most significant are formed by the gravitational attraction between the earth, moon and the sun. Table 3 shows the principle tidal constituents and their respective period of occurrences. The subscripts 1 and 2 represent the types diurnal and semi-diurnal respectively. Of these constituents, K1, O1, P1, Q1, M2, N2, S2, and K2 composes a significant part of a tidal signal.

Table 3 Principle tidal constituents (Defant 1961)

Name Constituent Period (solar hr)

Principal lunar M2 12.42

Principal solar S2 12

Larger lunar elliptic N2 12.66

Luni-solar semidiurnal K2 11.97

Larger solar elliptic T2 12.01

Smaller solar elliptic L2 12.19

Lunar elliptic second order 2N2 12.91

Larger lunar evectional ν2 12.63

Smaller lunar evectional λ2 12.22

Variational μ2 12.87

Luni-solar diurnal K1 23.93

Principal lunar diurnal O1 25.82

Principal solar diurnal P1 24.07

Larger lunar elliptic Q1 26.87

Smaller lunar elliptic M1 24.84

Small lunar elliptic J1 23.1

Lunar fortnightly Mf 327.86

Lunar monthly Mm 661.3

Solar semiannual Ssa 2191.43

The constituents K1, O1, M2 and S2 are used to classify the tides into four categories. The following ratio is used for the classification.

+ = +

Table 4 Classification of tides

Ratio (F) Classification

0.00 - 0.25 Semidiurnal tides

0.25 - 1.50 Mixed, dominantly semidiurnal tides

1.50 - 3.00 Mixed, dominantly diurnal tides

> 3.00 Diurnal tides

Table 4 provides how the ratio is used to classify the tide as semidiurnal, diurnal, mixed etc. Harmonic analysis for the islands is carried out using the tide data recorded at the Hulhule

` station which is the nearest as there is no long term tide record for Thaa atoll. The hourly tide data for year 2010 is used in this analysis to cover the spring and neap tides.

Table 5 Amplitude of the tidal constituents determined by harmonic analysis of the tide

Tidal Constituent Period (hr) Amplitude (m)

K2 11.9612 0.0391

S2 11.9970 0.1413

M2 12.4242 0.1813

N2 12.6604 0.035

K1 23.9210 0.1158

P1 24.0675 0.0298

O1 25.8506 0.0437

Q1 26.9009 0.0155

Harmonic analysis indicates that tide observed has a principle lunar semi-diurnal (M2) tide with a period of 12.42 hours, luni solar diurnal (K1) with a period of 23.9210 and a principle solar (S2) tide with a period of 11.9970 hours. Table 5 provides a summary of the tidal constituents and Figure 9 depicts the spectral analysis of the tide data showing these main tidal constituents. The above ratio is used to calculate the characteristics of the tide observed. The ratio obtained is 2.038. According to Table 5, this ratio indicates that the tide observed at these islands and Male atoll is mixed, dominantly diurnal tides. Figure 10 shows the mixed nature of the tide observed. An approximate tidal range obtained at the location is 1.076 m.

Figure 9 Tide showing the mixed nature. For simplicity only January 2010 is shown here

Figure 10 Spectral analysis of the tidal constituents

iv) Wave

The shape and location of Kinbidhoo and the knowledge of the offshore wave climate around the southern atolls of Maldives have been used to predict the general hydrodynamic conditions around the island. DHI (1999) described the general offshore wave conditions in the southern regions of Maldives (Table 6). It was reported that during NE monsoon the oceanic swells that approach the southern atolls of Maldives are generally from east – south. The longer period waves of the wave spectrum are from south – southwest directions while the shorter period waves are mainly from east – northeast directions. During the SW monsoon the waves are

mainly from south. The longer period waves of the wave spectrum are from south – southwest while the shorter period waves are from southeast – south. It is therefore evident that the incident waves in the southern atolls of Maldives are predominantly from a southerly direction.

The local wind generated waves that are directly related to the wind climate in the region varies with the seasonal changes in the wind velocity. DHI (1999) reported that during the NE monsoon the wind is predominantly from NW – NE and the high speed winds are from west. During Hulhangu Halha (Transition Period 1) the wind varies to all directions but the high winds during this period are from west. Southwest monsoon is marked by winds from SE – SW and high speed winds from west. Iruvai Halha (Transition Period 2) also experiences westerly winds. DHI (1999) reported that the high speed wind in the southern atolls of Maldives throughout the year is from west.

Table 6 Seasonal wind and wave climate around southern atolls of Maldives

Waves

Season Month Wind Total Long period Short period

NE-Monsoon December Predominantly from Predominantly Mainly E-NE. NW-NE. High speeds from E-S. High High waves January from W waves from W From S-SW from W

February

Transition March From all directions. Mainly from Mainly from Period 1 Mainly W. High speeds NE-SE April from W SE-S From S-SW

May From SE-SW. Mainly from Mainly S. SE-S. SW-Monsoon June Mainly from SE-SW High speeds from W High waves High waves July From S-SW from W also from W August

September

Transition October Predominantly From SE-W. Period 2 Higher waves November from W As SW-monsoon From S-SW from W High speeds from W

Wave data reported in DHI (1999) shows that the highest waves reaching the southern Atolls of Maldives archipelago are from west direction (Figure 11). Waves of Hs 2.75m with wave periods

(Tp) of 8s and 9s have been recorded from west direction. Swell waves with wave periods greater than 9s prevails from South and Southwest directions. Over 80% of the waves from south and southwest directions are long period swell waves.

The longer period swells (waves with periods between 15 and 21sec) come from SW direction. Over 37% of the waves from SW directions have Tp between 15s and 21s. Out of these very long period swells 19.15% of the waves have Hs of 0.25m, 11.5% have Hs of 0.75m, 4.33% have Hs of 1.25m, 1.38% have Hs of 1.75m and 0.31% have Hs of 2.25m.

DHI (1999) data also shows that 51.22% of the waves from SE direction consist of waves with Tp between 9s and 21s, while 48.78% of the waves have Tp between 3s and 7s. Waves from N, NE, E, NW and W are predominantly shorter period waves (Tp between 3s and 7s). 96.98% of the waves from E direction, 99.6% of the waves from NE direction, 99.36% of waves from N direction, 95.74% of waves from NW direction and 75% of waves from W direction have Tp between 3s and 7s. These data evidently indicates that the local wind generated waves are predominantly confined to northern directions between West and East. The southern directions are predominantly dominated by longer period oceanic swells.

N NE

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10 Percentage of occurance Percentage of occurance 0 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 Wave Period [s] Tp Wave Period [s] Tp

0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m

E SE

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10 Percentage of occurance Percentage of occurance 0 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 Wave Period [s] Tp Wave Period [s] Tp

0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m 0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m 2.25m

S SW

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10 Percentage of occurance Percentage of occurance 0 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 Wave Period [s] Tp Wave Period [s] Tp

0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m 2.25m 2.75m 0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m 2.25m

W NW

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10 Percentage of occurance Percentage of occurance 0 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25 Wave Period [s] Tp Wave Period [s] Tp 0.25m 0.75m 1.25m 1.75m 2.25m 2.75m 0.25m 0.75m 1.25m Figure 11 Wave height and period distribution in the southern parts of the Maldives

Wave condition at Kinbidhoo reef system is dictated by swells, NE and SW monsoonal wind generated waves. Figure 12 shows the assumed wave climate of the reef system hosting Kinbidhoo. Kinbidhoo is located at the southern peripheral reef at Thaa atoll and receives ocean swell waves on the southern side. This swell waves creates a water current that is observed moving north wards parallel to the islands shoreline. The NE monsoon wind generated waves

` are experienced to a lesser extent while the SW monsoon wind waves make the deep lagoon area turbid.

NE monsoonal wind generated waves

Current speed 0.13m/s (drogue tracks)

SW monsoonal wind generated waves

Current speed 0.11m/s (drogue tracks)

Swell waves received from outer atoll side Figure 12 Assumed wave climate of the reef system

d) Beach Environment Almost entire shoreline is observed with erosion from the southern side to northern side. At the eastern side of the island the community has constructed seawall segments to mitigate erosion. The northern side is observed to be with muddy and littered with waste. According to the island community the waste from the waste disposal areas at the south eastern and western side are transported with water current to northern shoreline. The high tide line is inside the vegetation almost throughout the periphery of the island, except for the southern end area where rocky shoreline is observed. The proposed harbor area is observed to be littered with waste and silty. Sea grass meadow is observed just few meters away from the shoreline. The entire northern side of the island is an intertidal flat exposed during low tide.

In order to document the nature of the beach and for possible future monitoring of the beach and shoreline several beach profiles were taken around the island. The locations of these profiles are given in Figure 2. Figures 16 - 19 provide the shapes of profiles. These profiles would give a reference to any future profiles established based on their location given. Beach profiles along with shoreline surveys are important tools for monitoring changes to shoreline especially in small coral islands readily influenced by oceanographic processes. Characteristics of the beach at the north east are shown in Figure 13-15.

Figure 13 Shoreline viewed from the T jetty looking westwards. Image on left during high tide and image of right during low tide

Figure 14 Eastern shoreline viewed from the T jetty (left), southern side of the island observed with severe erosion (right)

Figure 15 Sea wall area at the eastern side of the island

Figure 16 Beach profile 1

Figure 17 Beach profile 2

Figure 18 Beach profile 2

Figure 19 Beach profile 4

e) Marine Surveys In order to assess the condition of the marine environment in and around the harbor qualitative assessment were carried out at the sea grass meadow during the field visit to the site in December 2011. The locations where reef sampling was carried out are given in Figure 3. The island is associated with an extensive reef. Almost all around the island the near-shore environment is dominated by sea grass meadows. The inner reef flat is approximately 750m away from the shoreline and separated by large deep lagoon and intertidal flat. Observations on the condition of the reef during qualitative and quantitative assessment of the reef habitats are provided below.

i) Sea grass

Sea grass meadows are present all around the island. The dominant species of sea grass is Thallasia hemprichii. In the vicinity of the proposed harbor basin the sea grass bed is observed to be very dense. The density of the sea grass community at both sites (Q1 and Q2) were high (almost 100% cover) while live coral cover was less than 1% (Psammacora colonies). At site Q2 large amount of filamentous brown algae was also observed. Several fish species that inhabit the sea grass bed as refuge are seen. Schools of labroids and lethrinids (juveniles) were common.

Figure 20 Sea grass observed near the harbor area, sea grass bed is observed almost up to the low tide line area. Many patches of brown filamentous algae were observed at the area.

ii) Coral community

Coral survey was carried out at the eastern side of the main entrance to deep lagoon. Coral growth in general was moderate at the site. Coral cover at the site was 33% (Figure 21). Abiotic substrate accounted for 60% of the benthic substrate; rubble (12%) and rock (48%). About 3% constituted of others including turf and macroaglae. Coral diversity at the site was poor with only 6 coral genera contributing to the total coral cover (Figure 22). Acroporids dominated the live coral cover accounting for 20%; of which digitate and tabulate life forms contributed 13% and 6.39 % respectively.

Percent cover 20

0 Turf algae Live coral Halimeda DCA Rock Rubble

Figure 21 Benthic substrate recorded at reef monitoring site in Kinbidhoo

Percent cover 20

0 Acropora ACD ACT Echinopora Favites Pavona Poritres Symphyllia

Figure 22 Live coral composition recorded at the reef monitoring site in Kinbidhoo

iii) Reef fish community

Nine families of fishes were recorded during the time of the field survey at site R1. The most abundant group of fishes were of Labridae (43%), Acanthuridae (26%) and followed by Pomacentridae (19%). All the other families (6) each contributed the remaining 12% of the overall fish community as target census groups of the survey.

Commercially important food fishes such as groupers, snappers and emperors were not seen. Groupers as they are a highly targeted group of species are heavily fished throughout the

Maldives. In general, from the information derived from the fish census it can be concluded that the fish population at the survey sites is dominated by herbivorous fishes such as Acanthurids, Pomacentrids and Labrids. Herbivorous fish as a functional group plays a vital role in controlling and maintaining the level of algal growth at the reef. The diversity of fish community also reflects the nature of the bottom substrate.

iv) Seawater quality

The quality of coastal water is not only important for ecological functioning of the organisms living in that environment, but also from health and safety perspective and also aesthetic value. The water quality is generally determined by the level of nutrients it consists. There are several sources that can lead to increased nutrients in coastal waters, e.g. sedimentation and storm water runoff from land. Sediment commonly associated with dredging or excavation as part of harbor construction can lead to release of nutrients within the sediments especially when there is large scale excavation and dredging involved.

The most important nutrients of concern in coastal waters that may cause negative impacts are nitrates and phosphates. In excessive concentrations, these nutrients can lead to rapid growth of phytoplankton that may result in algal blooms. Visual quality of the water is also important; a beach environment is much more attractive when the water is clear and less turbid. Dredging and excavation often carry heavy load of sediments increasing sediment load in the water column causing discoloration of the of the impact area for a prolonged period.

It is noted here that there is no direct source of nutrients input to the coastal waters as a result of the proposed activities but rather a potential release of nutrients associated with dredging or excavation. Therefore the purpose of the assessment of water quality is to establish a baseline for the seawater quality prior to start of the construction related work, taken as a standard to compare with any future water quality assessments. A list of parameters tested and their values for two locations are given in Table 7. All the parameters tested are within the normal range for seawater with no significant difference between the two locations.

Table 7 Seawater quality parameters tested and their results at the sampling locations at Kinbidhoo. (Data analysis was carried out using portable water test probe Hanna Multi-probe water test kit. Values are means and standard deviation of means. n=5 for each location)

Parameters Near Proposed Harbour basin Deep lagoon

Mean Stdev Mean Stdev Temp (oC) 28.35 0.26 28.37 0.01 pH 7.86 0.08 8.68 0.18 DO (mg/l) 1.70 0.03 2.24 0.00 Conductivity (µS/cm) 51042 85.56 52656 52.73 TDS (g/l) 25.5 0.0 26.33 0.03 Salinity ( g/l) 33.4 0.4 34.59 0.04

f) Hazard vulnerability, area vulnerable to flooding and storm surges Hazard vulnerability of Kinbidhoo is assessed based on available literature and field data collection. The report prepared by UNDP on disaster risk assessment of Maldives states that the Kinbidhoo region falls into highest risk category in terms of tsunami risk (Figure 23).

Figure 23 Tsunami hazard zones, category 5 is the highest risk zone while 1 is the lowest (figure derived from UNDP report on Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives November 2006)

Hazardous weather systems, other than general monsoons (heavy rain and strong winds) that affect Maldives are tropical storms (tropical cyclone) and severe local storms (thunderstorms/thunder squalls). Tropical cyclones are extreme weather events with positive and negative consequences. At times, these are very destructive due to associated strong winds (often exceeding 150 kmph), heavy rainfall (often exceeding 30 to 40 cm in 24 hours) and storm tides

(often exceeding 4 to 5 meters). Strong winds can damage structures, houses, communication systems, roads, bridges and vegetation. Heavy rainfall can cause serious flooding. Storm surge is a sudden rise of sea level elevation along the coast caused by cyclonic winds. Sea level also rises twice daily due to astronomical reasons. The combined effect of surge and tide is knows as storm tide. Storm tides can cause catastrophes in low lying areas, flat coast and island territories such as Maldives.

The islands of Maldives are also affected by severe local storms (thunder storms/thunder squalls). Hazards associated with thunderstorms are strong winds (often exceeding 100kmph), heavy rainfall, lightning and hail. They give birth to tornadoes in some regions (other than equatorial regions). In general thunderstorms are more frequent in equatorial regions compared to other areas (Figure 24). Land areas get more thunder storms compared to open ocean areas. However, thunderstorms close to the equator are less violent compared to those of other parts of tropics and extra-tropics. Maldives, being close to the equator, receive frequent thunderstorms but these are less violent. Strong winds generated by severe local storms consequently generate larger wind driven waves, which are hazardous to the islands of the Maldives.

Figure 24 Track of severe storms affecting Maldives during 1877-2004

Kinbidhoo falls into category 2, which is the low scale given in the risk assessment of cyclones or storms (see Figure 25). The major zones affected are the mid and northern parts of the Maldives. During NE monsoon eastern side of the island receives transmitted swell waves coupled with wind waves.

Figure 25 Cyclone Hazard Zoning (figure derived from UNDP report on Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives November 2006)

Bathymetry around Maldives shows that the ocean slope close to the east coast is steep compared to the same on the west coast. This led us to conclude that eastern islands of Maldives are vulnerable to higher surge hazard compared to western islands. Kinbidhoo region falls into zone 3 (moderate risk zone) in the cyclone hazard zoning categories (Figure 26).

Figure 26 Surge Hazard Zones (figure derived from UNDP report on Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives November 2006)

g) Social Environment Kolhumadulu or Thaa atoll consists of 13 inhabited islands and approximately 48 uninhabited islands. The capital island of Thaa atoll is Veymandoo, approximately 3.9 km north-east of Kinbidhoo. Veymandoo is also the nearest inhabited island. In terms of geographic coordinates, Kinbidhoo is located at 2° 10' 4.64” N and 73° 3' 58.86” E. The nearest island is Kudakinbidhoo, which is 0.54 km south west of Kinbidhoo.

The population of Thaa Atoll is 14,717 (source: Ministry of Home Affairs website). Present population of Kinbidhoo is 1,236 while registered population of the island is 1318 (source: Island Fact sheet provide by the Council Office). The population reported in the Census 2006 was 808, with 390 males and 418 females.

Many of the working age population of males are employed as sailors in foreign vessels abroad; approximately 50% of working age is involved in this sector. Approximately 75% of the population resides at the island; from which 5.5% are employed as civil servants. Other economic activities of the island are masonry work, fishing, agricultural farming and retail business.

Registered number of households at the island is 309; from which 162 are used. Total land area demarcated for residential use is 27ha. Electricity is available 24 hours; while rainwater and groundwater is accessible at 157 and 162 households respectively. Septic tanks are installed at 157 households.

Eleven vessels are used for fishing, 3 vessels operate between Kinbidhoo and Male’ transporting cargo and passengers, 2 high speed vessels are used as ferries between Kinbidhoo and Male’ and 2 vessels are used as inter atoll ferries.

600

500

400

300

Population 200

100

0 <18yrs 18‐35yrs 35‐65yrs >65yrs Age categories

Figure 27 Population structure of Kinbidhoo

h) Terrestrial Environment Terrestrial vegetation at the proposed harbor development area is mostly composed of Coconut palms and large mature Sea hibiscus trees. Since the proposed harbor and harbor front road will be located off the shoreline at the lagoon area no major vegetation clearance will be required. Estimated cover of coconut palms at the 20m buffer zone (EPZ) is 80% while Sea Hibiscus is 16% and the rest are Sea lettuce and Iron wood trees.

i) Built Environment The existing T jetty at Kinbidhoo is located at the northern side of the island, accessed by an entrance cut to the deep lagoon and an excavated path made to the T jetty area. The T jetty was constructed of coral rock and plastered with a cement screed.

Figure 28 General condition of the T jetty at Kinbidhoo

Figure 29 View of jetty head area during low tide.

7. Environmental Impacts

Various methods are available to categorize impacts and identify the magnitude and significance of the impact, such as checklists, matrices, expert opinion, modeling etc. Impacts on the environment from various activities of the harbor development work (constructional impacts) and operation of the harbor (operational impacts) have been identified through interviews with the project management team, field data collection surveys and based on past experience in similar development projects. Data collected during field surveys can be used to predict outcomes of various operational and construction activities on the various related environmental components. This data can also be used as a baseline for future monitoring of the environment.

Possible impacts arising from the harbor development and operation works are categorized into reversible and irreversible (permanent) impacts. The impacts identified are also described according to their location, extent (magnitude) and characteristics. Reversible and irreversible impacts are further categorized into intensity of impacts (negligible, minor, moderate and major) for identifying best possible remedial (mitigation measures) actions to be taken. Below (Table 8) are the impact categories:

Table 8 Impact prediction categorized

Impact Reversible/ category Description irreversible Cumulative impacts

Negligible the impact has no significant risk to Reversible no environment either short term or long term

Minor the impact is short term and cause very Reversible no limited risk to the environment

Moderate impacts give rise to some concern, may Reversible May or may not cause long term environmental problems but are likely short term and acceptable

Major impact is long term, large scale Reversible Yes, mitigation environmental risk and measures has to be Irreversible addressed

The concept of the Leopold Matrix (Leopold et. al., 1971) has been used to classify the magnitude and importance of possible impacts which may arise during the constructional and operational stage of the resort. This is one of the best known matrix methodology used for identifying the impact of a project on the environment. It is a two dimensional matrix which

` cross references between the activities which are foreseen to have potential impacts on the environment and the existing conditions (environmental and social) which could be affected.

The matrix has the actions which may cause an impact on the horizontal axis and the environmental conditions which may be impacted on the vertical axis. While the original Leopold matrix lists 100 such actions and 88 environmental conditions, not all are applicable to all projects. Hence the matrix used in the current assessment is a modified matrix customized to this project.

Each action which is significant is marked with a diagonal line from upper right corner to lower left corner of the box. These marked boxes are further evaluated in terms of magnitude of effects on the environmental condition and importance of this impact. Value in upper left hand corner of the block indicates magnitude of interaction and that in the bottom right hand corner of the block indicates importance. All significant actions, their magnitude of impact and importance of impact (which specifies whether the impact is short term or long term) are further described in the text.

Mitigation measures are provided for this impacts which have been classified as significant adverse impacts.

a) Limitation and uncertainty of impact prediction Uncertainty of impact prediction are mainly due to the lack of long term data (shoreline, local currents and wave climate), inherent complexity of ecosystem (reef environment, habitat and terrestrial environment although in a lesser extent) and lack of coordinated monitoring programs with inconsistent methodologies which can be used to predict outcomes or reliability of predictions of previous projects. It has to be noted that since the initial development of the jetty, monitoring of shoreline or reef habitat was not carried out. Therefore changes to the shoreline can only be assessed using old aerials images.

b) Construction Impacts Any development work involving excavation or dredging will have major impacts on reef and lagoon. The impacts of excavation can range from smothering of live coral to death of live coral. Potential direct or indirect impacts on the environment (on land and reef system) from the proposed works are limited to relatively small number of activities, these include:

 Dredging works at the harbor location area, reclamation area, harbor basin and entrance channel

 Impact on lagoon during construction of breakwaters

Since the inter atoll reef flat is approximately 750m away from the project site and separated by deep lagoon; possible impacts are envisaged to be minor since sediment plume dispersal will be limited across the deep lagoon (reduction of current speed at the deep lagoon).

i) Schedule, logistics and loading and unloading construction materials All construction materials will be transported to the site on cargo dhonis and barges and unloaded at the existing T jetty. Material unloaded will be stored at the existing cleared area in front of the T jetty. Initially heavy machinery will be brought to the island and once the dredging component is completed, construction materials will be transported to the island. Impacts arising due to mobilization and unloading of materials include;

 Accidental spillage of construction materials (cement bags, rocks)  Accidental oil spills (used for excavators and other heavy machinery)

Major concrete work will not be carried out at site, all “L” section concrete elements will be caste at Thilafushi or Hulhumale and transported to site. Armor stones will be brought to site once the harbor basin deepening works (maintenance dredging and expansion works) are completed, armor stones will be temporarily stock piled on barges and moored at the T jetty or stockpiled near harbor front area.

ii) Construction materials and solid waste

Transportation of construction materials such as cement, timber, plywood, sheet pile (concrete element), armor rocks and fuel for excavators and trucks to the site has the potential to aesthetically damage the marine environment especially the lagoon areas due to accidental spillage. Quite often construction waste finds their way into the marine environment during the course of their disposal unless necessary measures are taken to avoid this from happening.

Pollution of the lagoon and reef system can be caused by waterborne and windblown debris escaping from the construction site or from transportation vessels such as landing crafts and barges. Waste and residue arising from construction activities such as oil spills and other waste (used wooden moulds) may affect the marine environment. It has to be noted that since the existing basin is to be used for material unloading, any debris blown away or spilled will be contained inside the basin.

All solid waste generated during the construction stage will be sorted and disposed accordingly. All materials that can be burnt (packing material, timber, paper) will be disposed at Kinbidhoo waste disposal sites. The materials that are categorized as hazardous waste such as used oil filters and luboil should be transported to government designated disposal site.

iii) Impacts due to construction methods

Since excavators will be used for the dredging works, sedimentation is inevitable and this is an impact that will be unavoidable. Approximately 33,000m3 of dredge material will be removed during the maintenance and harbor dredging works. All dredged material generated will be used to reclaim land at the harbor front and side quay areas. During this process, sedimentation impacts are inevitable.

Live coral at proposed harbor area is moderate and dominated by acroporids (both digitate and tabulate). Sea grass meadows were present all around the island.

Fine sediments with rapid rate of deposition are detrimental to certain corals especially the tabulate forms of corals. Such sediments blocks the coral polyps from feeding and the lack of nutrition and other physiological stress such as respiration eventually starves and suffocated the corals leading to death. Fine sediments when deposited are often difficult to get rid of even with strong currents.

Major environmental concerns associated with dredging and reclamation works are direct habitat loss, sedimentation and deterioration in water quality. High levels of sedimentation and silt from dredging activities is a major source of reef degradation. The consequences of excessive sedimentation on corals are well known and include:

 direct physical impacts like smothering of corals and other benthic reef organisms,  reduced light penetration, which has a direct effect on photosynthesis and thus the net productivity of corals. It also reduces coral growth, calcification rates and reproduction.  dredged silt may form false bottoms, characterized by shifting unstable sediments  silt suspension may increase nutrient release, leading to eutrophic blooms  silt may act as sink or trap for many pollutants, which are absorbed onto the sediments

iv) Impact on vegetation

The proposed harbor and harbor front road will be located off the shoreline at the lagoon area. Thus no vegetation clearance will be required. Coconut palms removed from the T jetty area will be replanted at harbor front area.

v) Coastal structures

The existing T jetty is constructed using coral rock and cement screed with a single opening on in the jetty wall. The new harbor design is considerably different to the existing jetty design and will be blocked on both the eastern and western side by the main quay wall. However an opening on the western side of the harbor between the end point of quay wall on that side and the break water and the entrance channel which is slightly oriented to the north east direction will allow flushing. Since the basic design changes considerably additional impacts to shoreline due to the proposed project by coastal structures is envisaged to be moderate. Erosion effects are currently being felt on the east, west and southern side of the island, due to the currents around the island and the location of the jetty. It is predicted that the change to the current regime due to the harbor construction will bring about accumulation of sand on the northern side of the island. Monitoring of shoreline should be carried out to mitigate any impact (both predicted and unforeseen) on the shoreline.

vi) Social impacts, noise and air pollution

Operation of heavy machinery and construction related equipment will contribute to noise pollution. Noise pollution during the dredging works will be mainly due to the operation of excavator and trucks. Construction noise at Kinbidhoo will be dictated by the predominant wind direction (SSW to WNW during the SW monsoon and N to ENE in the NE monsoon). As the dredging and reclamation works will be finished first, and with an estimated time of completion within 5 months, this falls in early July 2012 (SW monsoon). Therefore wind direction will be from western quadrant. The infrastructures near harbor area are mostly residential plots. Therefore these areas will be affected by noise. Noise associated with the construction works is unavoidable. There are several measures that can be taken to minimize noise impacts. Dredging may be carried out during low tide; therefore noise level will not be sustained throughout the day. But it has to be noted that dredging has to be carried out during the night hours too (during low tide).

Construction of harbor facility at Kinbidhoo will have positive impacts in terms of easy and safe accessibility and wellbeing of community. At present access to Kinbidhoo is by a T jetty constructed near the northern tip area of the island. An entrance is cut to the deep lagoon and excavated path made to T jetty area. During rough spells of SW monsoon the current and wind wave condition makes it very difficult to use the T jetty area. Construction of a harbor will ensure safe access to the island and ease the difficulties faced by the community due to the lack of a harbor.

vii) Effects on Groundwater Quality

No significant impact is envisaged on groundwater due to the proposed project. However, it should be noted that groundwater would be used for the construction works and construction workforce. The number of workforce and the duration for the construction works is relatively small thus making it insignificant with respect to the overall use of groundwater by the island community. In addition, the island size is relatively large with huge potential for groundwater recharge through annual precipitation.

c) Operational Impacts Since the project is a new construction project, negative impacts in terms of operation impacts are envisaged to be moderate due to the change to the hydrodynamic regime around the island. Mitigation measures for these negative impacts are outlined in Section 8. Although this may be the case, positive impacts are also envisaged.

At present the island community and trade vessels from other islands face lots of difficulties in regard usage of the existing T jetty area, especially during rough weather periods. During rough spells of SW monsoon the current and wind wave condition makes it very difficult to use the T jetty area. Vessels have been damaged while trying to access the T jetty during the rough weather. Construction of a harbor will ensure a safer area for vessels operated by the island community and trade vessels from other islands.

The community raised the issue of sediment movement at the western side which may cause sediment spill in to the basin (due to dominant current pattern at the area). The drogue tracks recorded at the area confirmed the presence a current parallel to the shoreline moving northwards. Therefore accretion at the western side is possible which would lead to sediment spill in to the basin.

d) Impact Analysis Impact analysis was done using the Leopold matrix (Table 9). Magnitude and importance of an impact is given a numerical value from 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 highest. Importance of impact is judged based on existing environment data, methods used and past experience with similar project.

The matrix showed that impacts on seawater quality due to dredging, entrance clearance and disposal of dredged material (backfilling works) is moderate. The impacts associated with seawater quality (due sedimentation by release of fines during excavation or back filling works) has detrimental effect of live coral. Impact on reef fish and birds are low since they are mobile.

Positive impacts due to the project are the overwhelming positive social impacts, in terms of job availability in the construction stage and ease of loading and unloading. Construction of the harbor will ease current difficulties in accessing the island and loading /unloading of materials and goods.

Table 9 Leopold matrix for Kinbidhoo harbor expansion project

Constructional Impacts Operational Activities Dredging Disposal of Vegetation Maintenance Construction Fuel / Solid waste Operation Changes to Easier access dredged clearance dredging of of hazardous generation of heavy hydrodynamic and material entrance breakwaters material machinery regime Increased spillage number of vessels Total 8 5 6 7 4 7 8 9 54 Seawater 9 7 5 7 7 6 6 10 57 13 44 12 Water Ground water 12 55 13 8 3 4 6 4 7 32 Coastal Zone 9 2 2 5 5 5 28 33347 Physical Physical 20 Air Quality 55555 25 3 4 2 3 12 Air Odours 5 2 3 4 14 55 55 4 7 31 Noise 44 44 5 3 24 1 3 1 2 7 Vegetation 1 1 1 3 6 Flora Environmental /Social Condition /Social Condition Environmental 74 2 3 4 20 Sea grasses 11 1 2 2 7 8 3 4 3 5 23 Fish 7 2 2 4 3 18 Biological Biological Fauna

0 Birds

0 8 1 3 4 4 3 5 28 Ecosystems Quality 8 1 2 3 6 4 4 28

8 6 5 5 4 Physical 28 damage to 8 5 4 7 3 reef 27 1 3 4 Area use Recreational 1 2 3 +5 +5 1 +5 +5 +5 +8 34 Employment

Social Social +6 +6 1 +6 +6 +6 +7 38 Social 4 4 4 3 4 5 24 Hazards/safety 5 2 2 4 5 7 25 69 36 4 37 46 23 25 25 29 35 Total 49 27 4 32 40 31 29 33 20 28

8. Mitigation Plan

There are a number of actions that can be taken to minimize the identified impacts. Those that are explored below emerged out of the discussions and consultations during this EIA and from the past experience of the consultant (Table 10). Mitigation measures are selected to reduce or eliminate the severity of any predicted adverse environmental effects and improve the overall environmental performance and acceptability of the project.

Mitigation measures are discussed for the construction and operational stage of the project. During the construction stage it is important to take measures to minimize sedimentation impacts on the reef environment. A construction method that has the least impact on terrestrial or marine environment has to be utilized.

Declaration of the proponent gives the commitment of the proponent for financing and carrying out the proposed mitigation and monitoring plan.

Table 10 Mitigation measures proposed for the harbor restoration works at Kinbidhoo

Impact Institutional Cost Possible Impacts Mitigation measures Location Time frame (Phase) intensity responsibility (MRF)

Littering, accidental disposal and spillage of any construction wastes should be avoided by pre- planning ways of their Reef flat, lagoon and During construction (9 Minor, short MHE/ N/A transportation and disposal. land months) term impact contractor Careful planning of the work activities can also reduce the Littering on terrestrial and amount of waste generated. marine environment During construction of protection walls and break N/A should waters, all construction related Lagoon During construction MHE/ be included waste collected stored at project Minor reef flat (9months) contractor in the project site, and later disposed at atoll cost waste management site or at Thilafushi

Awareness raising of project managers on environmentally friendly practices to minimize negative impacts. Conduct Reef flat and reef During construction (1 Minor, short MHE/ N/A consultation meetings by Island slope lagoon month) term impact contractor Officials advising Damage to reef by loading environmentally sound and unloading works workmanship

Careful planning to reduce time of the unloading process (not to time unloading during Fridays, During construction (1 MHE/ Social Minor N/A when the T jetty area usually is month) contractor crowded). If possible use the deepened area near the mosque (cleared during construction of

mosque for unloading materials. This basin is currently used by the community).

Creation of sand bund around Major, short to N/A no the periphery of the excavation Reef flat reef slope During construction (5 midterm Contractor, MHE additional area to minimize spread of lagoon months) impact cost sediment fines Sedimentation and siltation on the reef and Dredging works of the harbor lagoon due to excavation basin and entrance will be carried N/A may works out during the low tide (which increase the would reduce the amount of fines duration of Reef flat and lagoon During construction Moderate, released into the water column). Contractor, MHE the project, areas (5months) short term. Complete dredging works within in turn the shortest time period as increase cost possible (reduce sustained of machinery sedimentation)

Avoid excavation works beyond the boundary of entrance, set out stakes marking the area for deepening at the entrance area (avoid impact on sea grass and Loss of habitat, damage or Minor to small coral heads at the deep During construction phase death of coral at the Reef flat, lagoon moderate, short Contractor, MHE N / A lagoon) (9 months) entrance area, harbor termed. protection walls Construction of breakwaters done by excavators or cranes loaded on barge and construction work to be done inside basin

Completing the excavation works Construction phase Minor/short within the shortest time frame as MHE/contractor N/A (9months) termed possible

N/A (may increase the cost of heavy Completing the excavation and machinery construction works as soon as Construction phase Minor/short operation Noise pollution Air MHE/contractor possible, avoid work at night (9months) term due to limit whenever possible of operation time (timing the low tide window)

No Reuse demolished debris from additional the T jetty area to construct a low Possible spill of sediment cost since crested rock line to obstruct Harbor basin Construction phase Minor MHE/contractor from western side opening construction sediment movement at the debris will be opening of the harbor used

Avoid felling large mature trees, where ever possible replant coconut palms at harbor front area (removed from the T jetty area and if required at the N/A should temporary set up area). If mature Minor to be Construction phase (1 Impact on vegetation coconut palms or trees are Land moderate/irrev MHE/contractor incorporated month) removed, two trees or palms ersible impact in to project grown elsewhere at the island (as cost stated in regulation for cutting down, uprooting, digging out and export of trees and palms from one island to another).

9. Alternatives

Since the location of the project is decided by consultation with the community, location (harbor basin) will not change. Therefore alternatives are given for breakwater types and quay wall. The shape of the island is triangular; therefore alternative location of harbor will be at either side of the island. The observed current pattern around the island showed that current movement is south to northwards parallel to the shoreline. Therefore if harbor is to be located at either side of the island (eastern or western) long entrance channel will be required; which in turn will be susceptible to sediment flow making the channel shallow.

The dredged material generated will be sufficient only for filling the side quay area and harbor front area therefore alternative disposal location is not discussed.

a) Breakwater types The proposed breakwaters are rock breakwaters. Alternatives can be Gabion breakwaters. Considering both options in terms of environmental impacts no significant change is envisaged.

b) Quay wall The proposed type of quay wall is L section concrete elements. Alternative type of quay is geo- textile bag quay wall or sheet piles.

Considering the options, all three methods are viable, but sheet pile type will require specialized machinery and vibrations caused by driving the piles may have negative impacts. Therefore a proposed quay wall types seems appropriate.

c) The no project scenario If considering the no project scenario, the environmental impacts due to sedimentation and suspension of fine silt in the water column can be avoided. Sediment plume may reach northern side of the reef (very unlikely due to presence of deep lagoon), indirect impacts are possible. Indirect impacts include degradation of water quality, damage to live coral and slower rate of coral growth.

Considering socio-economic impacts due to no development is moderate to major, at present the community faces lots of difficulties due to the absence of a harbor. A no project scenario may have serious social implications due to the current overwhelming difficulties faced by the community when using the existing T jetty especially during the rough weather and the absence

` of a safe mooring area for vessels. Therefore considering the overwhelming social impacts, “no project scenario” is not a feasible option.

10. Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring is the systematic collection of information over a long period of time. It involves the measuring and recording of environmental variables associated with the development impacts. Monitoring is needed to;

 Compare predicted and actual impacts  Test the efficiency of mitigation measures  Obtain information about responses of receptors to impacts  Enforce conditions and standards associated with approvals  Prevent environmental problems resulting from inaccurate predictions  Minimize errors in future assessments and impact predictions  Make future assessments more efficient  Provide ongoing management information  Improve EIA and monitoring process

Impact and mitigation monitoring is carried out to compare predicted and actual impacts occurring from project activities to determine the efficiency of the mitigation measures. This type of monitoring is targeted at assessing human impacts on the natural environment. Impact monitoring is supported by an expectation that at some level anthropogenic impacts become unacceptable and action will be taken to either prevent further impacts or re-mediate affected systems. Mitigation monitoring aims to compare and predicted actual (residual) impacts so that effectiveness of mitigation measures can be determine.

The environmental monitoring proposed here is to determine the effectiveness of the mitigation measures and long term change to the benthic community (especially coral community) and shoreline. The reef survey and beach profile sites established during the field surveys for EIA report preparation will be used for the monitoring program. All monitoring activities will be carried out under the supervision of an environmental monitoring and management consultant. The detail of the monitoring program is given in Table 11.

Table 11 Monitoring program and cost for individual parameter

Parameter Methodology Sampling Estimated cost for Frequency monitoring

Coral and other Established baseline During construction Rate per field survey benthic cover location works and after six USD 100.00 months

Seawater quality Water samples sent to Twice ( during and Rate per test set USD Food and Drug after completion of 100.00 authority for analysis. project) Following parameters are to be tested; salinity, pH, turbidity, suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate

Shoreline Shoreline mapping by During construction Rate per field survey monitoring using high precision phase, every three USD 1000.00 GPS (beach line, months after vegetation line to completion and after identify possible 1 year erosion problems)

Beach profiles at established base line locations

11. Conclusions

The environmental impacts associated with the proposed project are considered moderate. This conclusion is based on the evaluation and various components of the proposed project, implementation methods discussed, finding of the existing environment and environmental components that are likely to be affected. The proposed project at Kinbidhoo is a new construction project, therefore magnitude and severity of impacts on reef and coastal habitats are regarded as moderate and additional lagoon and reef habitats will have direct physical impacts. The main components of work that will have environmental impacts are dredging (which is expected to generate 33000m3 of material).

During the meetings with IDC and Island Council, all members of the meeting were in consent to the construction project. The new design or functional design of the harbor is based on MHE’s new third generation fishery harbor concept. The new design assigns zones of harbor for various uses, which is very much needed.

The impacts identified in the report (water quality impacts and impacts of reef) can be minimized with the mitigation measures and environmental monitoring and this would ensure that unfavorable outcome of the design and modification to the harbor are identified early on so that appropriate remedial actions can be taken.

Severe erosion is observed at the southern, western and eastern side of the island. This erosion might be exaggerated due to the harbor development therefore it is essential to conduct shoreline monitoring works to ensure unforeseen impacts are minimized and identified beforehand.

In conclusion, with due consideration given to environmental components associated with the project, based on the findings during the field visit and evaluation of the secondary data the consultant concludes that the project components and designs are feasible. Appropriate mitigation measures are also discussed to correct and minimize potential unfavorable environmental consequences. Furthermore the public and community consultation responses were in favor of the project due to the socio-economic benefits associated with the project.

12. Appendices

Appendix 1 Terms of Reference (TOR)

Appendix 2 Site Plan, Breakwater and quay wall design

Appendix 3 Bathymetry and shoreline map

Appendix 4 List of People met

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Pescares Italia Srl (2001). Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Regional Port Development Project in the Maldives. Prepared for Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

Segal, B. and Castro, C.B. (2001). A Proposed Method for Coral Cover Assessment: A case study in Abrolhos, Brazil. Bulletin of Marine Science 69 (2): 487-496.

Shore Protection Manual, (1994) US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.

UNDP (2006). Developing a Disaster Risk Profile for Maldives. Volume 1: Main Report.

Veron, JEN (John Edward Norwood) (2000). Corals of the World

Woodroffe, C.D. (1992). Morphology and evolution of reef islands in the Maldives. Proc 7th Int Coral Reef Symp. 2: 1217 – 1226.

Appendix 6 CVs

CURRICULUM VITAE

1. POSITION: Environmental Specialist/EIA Consultant

2. NAME OF FIRM: LaMer Group

3. NAME: Hussain Zahir

4. DATE OF BIRTH: 10th February 1966

5. NATIONALITY: Maldives

6. EDUCATION: Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) in Coral Reef Ecology University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom 2006

Marine Biology B.Sc. (Hon) University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom 1993-1996

7. MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

8. OTHER TRAINING: 1988. Marine Science Institute, University of Philippines Certificate of completion of training course on Scleractinian Coral Taxonomy

1989. Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok. Thailand Certificate of Completion of training Course on Coral Taxonomy, Ecology and Management

1998 Okinawa International Centre, Okinawa, Japan Certificate of participation on training course on Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coral Reefs

1999 Korean Research and Development Institute, Seoul, South Korea Certificate of Completion of the Training Course on marine coastal zone conservation and management

1990. Department of Marine Sciences. Chulalongkorn University. Bangkok. Thailand Workshop on Taxonomy of Soft Bottom Invertebrates (ASEAN- Australian Coastal Living Resources Project)

1991. Mc Master University, Hamilton, Ontario. Canada. Training on Boring Sponges of Coral reefs in Maldives

1996 Turtle Specialist Group, Convention on the Conservation

of Migratory Species of Wild Animal (CMS) and government of India. Bhubaneshwar, India Workshop and Strategic Planning Session for the Conservation of Sea Turtles of the Northern Indian Ocean

1999. United Nations Environment Program. Environment for South Asia and Pacific, organized by SACEP and Ministry of Home Affairs, Housing and Environment. National Training for State of the Environment and Data Collection and Reporting

9. COUNTRIES OF WORK EXPERIENCE:

10. LANGUAGE AND DEGREE OF PROFICIENCY: Dhivehi -Mother Tongue English -Proficient

11. EMPLOYMENT RECORD: Nov 2007- Present Senior Reef Ecologist Marine Research centre, Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources Male’, Maldives.

Feb 2006- October 2007 Reef biologist Marine Research centre, Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources Male’, Maldives.

July 2001- January 2006 Senior Research Officer Marine Research centre, Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources Male’, Maldives.

June 2000 to Present Marine Biologist/ Director (Part Time) Land and Marine Environmental Resource Group of Pte Ltd

July 1996 to July 2001 Research Officer Marine Research Centre , Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources

1988 to 1992 Biological Aid Marine Research Centre , Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources

1986 to 1988 Marine Research Centre , Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources Trainee

12. DETAILED TASKS WORK UNDERTAKEN THAT BEST ILLUSTRATES ASSIGNED: CAPABILITY TO HANDLE TASKS:

Marine Research Centre, National coordinator of Global Coral Reef Monitoring Ministry of Agriculture and Network Marine Resources Responsibilities: Including Implementation and management of the programme activities in the country through the GCRMN Regional Node for south Asian Region in Srilanka. Current programme of activities include, establishing and monitoring of coral reefs to assess the recovery processes after the 1998 Bleaching and to monitor the temporal changes to the reef system. Responsibilities also include coordination and implementation of socioeconomic monitoring at designated pilot sites to asses the livelihood and their dependence on coral reef resources. Coordinating the establishment national reef database to share information at national, regional, and global level is also part of the program of activities.

Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) Programme Responsibilities: include implementation and management of the identified projects/ Studies funded by CORDIO. Currently involved biophysical studies designed to understand the reef recovery processes after a severe disturbance in coral reefs

Catalogue of Common Coral Reef of Maldives, 1996 Year: 1996 Location: Maldives.

Task Undertaken Independent Consultant Initial Environmental Evaluation, Tsunami Emergency Assistance Project, Maldives Year: 2006 Location: Ha. Filladhoo, HDH. Nolhivaranfaru, Sh. Maroshi, N. Maafaru, DH. Meedhoo, M. Kolhufushi and Th. Madifushi, Maldives Client: ADB Project features: Rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures (electricity)due to the tsunami of December 2004 in the Maldives financed by ADB under Tsunami Emergency Assistance project Positions held: Domestic Environmental Specialist Responsibilities: Initial Environmental Evaluation for the Repair and Reconstruction of Diesel powered generator housed in the above 7 island communities. Environmental issues specific of diesel power generation in the local and national context were addressed following ADB environmental guidelines. I

Initial Environmental Evaluation, Tsunami Emergency Assistance Project, Maldives Year: 2005 Location: Ugoofaaru, Manadhoo , Dhidhdhoo, Maldives Client: ADB Project features: Rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures (harbours)due to the tsunami of December 2004 in the Maldives financed by ADB under Tsunami Emergency Assistance project Positions held: Domestic Environmental Specialist Responsibilities: Initial Environmental Evaluation of the project sites; Ugoofaaru, Manadhoo and Dhidhdhoo for the tsunami

emergency assistance project: TA-0001 (MLD). Specific Task include rapid environmental assessment of the project sites, prepare environmental evaluations based on filed data and community Consultants, predict environmental impacts and propose an environmental monitoring plan for the project activities.

Marine Biodiversity assessment, Faafu atoll, Maldives, Year: 2003 Location: Faafu atoll, Maldives Client: ADB Project features: Identification of potential biodiversity hotspots (sites/species) as part of identifying priority areas for an MCPA planning project funded by ADB. Project involves assessment of socioeconomic and biophysical assessment of the short listed sites identified for the project. Positions held: Biodiversity Environmental Specialist Responsibilities: Marine Biodiversity assessment Faafu atoll Maldives. ADB regional technical assistance for coastal and Marine resource management and poverty reduction in south Asia. (ADB RETA 5974). A project implemented by Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources. Assignment involves detail preparation of marine biodiversity and Coastal management issues with special reference to grouper fishery and resource management.

Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the Development of Fish Processing Plant at Ha. Huvahandhoo, Maldives, Year: 2002 Location: Maldives Client: Jausa Fishery Links Project features: Construction of a tuna processing plant Positions held: Marine Biologist Responsibilities: The EIA report involves collection and assessment of baseline and secondary environmental data both at the marine and terrestrial environment of the project site. It also involved a risk assessment and evaluation report. An environmental management plan was also developed as part of the EIA.

Task Undertaken as an Replacement of wastewater collection, septic tanks and employee o f Land and disposal systems in Ga.Villingili, Ga.Dhaandhoo, Marine Environmental Gdh.Gahdhoo Resource Group Pte Ltd Year: 2007-Ongoing Location: Ga.Villingili, Ga.Dhaandhoo, Gdh.Gahdhoo Client: American Red Cross Project features: Design and construction of wastewater disposal systems in the specific islands Positions held: EIA Specialist Responsibilities: Environmental Impact Assessment research and analysis. Preparation and submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

Environmental Impact Assessment for Reethi Rah Resort Redevelopment Year: 2005 Location: Reethi Rah Resort Client: Kersner International, Hotel Group Resort development at Reethi Rah Resort Positions held: Marine Biologist Responsibilities: The EIA involves collection and assessment of baseline and secondary environmental data and marine and terrestrial environment of the project site. This is one of the largest reclamation project for resort development and assessment of impact of dredging and reclamation on the coastal marine habitats was a major component of this study

Environmental Impact Assessment Report for Villa Hakatha at Thilafushi, Male Atoll Year: 2001 Location: Male Atoll Client: Villa Hakatha,Maldives Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The EIA report involves collection and assessment of baseline and secondary environmental data both at the marine and terrestrial environment of the project site. It also involved a risk assessment evaluation report. An environmental management plan was also developed as part of this EIA.

Development at Baa. Landaagiraavaru, Maldives Year: 2000 Location: Baa. Landaagiraavaru, Maldives Client: Club mediterranee Project features: Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The EIA involved collection of Oceanographic data, Study of the beach environment, Vegetation, reef quality and reef water quality. The study examined the impacts of the island and mitigation measures where appropriate. The study also forms the baseline data for future monitoring of the environmental changes due to the resort development

Environmental state for the proposed channel dredging & associated Barrier Island at Sun Island Resort. Year: 2000 Location: Sun Island Resort, Maldives Client: Tekton Design Associates Pvt. Ltd Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The Study involved assessment of the potential environmental impact on the coastal shoreline of the island and on to the reef environment within close proximity of the proposed project site.

Tasks undertaken as an Environmental Statement for the Proposed Redevelopment employee of Riyan Design of Reethi Rah Resort and Management Pte Ltd Year: 2000 Location: Reethi Rah Resort Client: Reethi Rah Resort Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: This Study Involved assessment of the existing

status of the islands environment and identification of potential environmental impact areas related to the proposed redevelopment plans. Formulation of an environmental monitoring plan that would enable the client to record the environmental changes that may be related to anthropogenic activities or natural.

Environmental Statement for the Proposed Redevelopment of Reethi Rah Resort Year: 2000 Location: Reethi Rah Resort Client: Reethi Rah Resort Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: This Study Involved assessment of the existing status of the islands environment and identification of potential environmental impact areas related to the proposed redevelopment plans. Formulation of an environmental monitoring plan that would enable the client to record the environmental changes that may be related to anthropogenic activities or natural.

Proposed Beach Nourishment at M. Medhufushi. An assessment of Environmental Design Parameters Year: 2000 Location: M.Medhufushi Client: Vaaly Brothers Pte.Ltd Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The study involved examination of the beach characteristic Including the sediment properties, beach profiles. Identification of a borrow site by Comparing the borrow sediment characteristics of the borrow site and the native beach sand.

Environmental Evaluation of Small-bore Sewer System (SBS) in Lh. Hinnavaru and K. Gulhi Year:1999 Location: Lh. Hinnavaru and K. Gulhi Client: Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority Project features: The Study Involved ground water/ Seawater analysis of sewage pollution; reef surveys hydro graphic /oceanographic surveys and survey of the slopes of the sewage lines. Positions held: Project Environmental Analyst

Assessment of Oil Contamination in Male’ Groundwater from Vehicle Garages and Petrol Stations. Year:1999 Location: Male’, Maldives Client: Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority Positions held: Project Environmental Analyst Responsibilities: The study involved Ground water analysis of oil contamination and assessment of general working conditions and practices in the vehicle garages and petrol stations in male’.

Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Beach Protection Works at Nika Island Resort Year:1999

Location: Male’, Maldives Client: Nika Island Resort Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The project involves assessment of physical environmental condition such as the wave, current sediment characteristics, bathymetry at the project site (Nika Island Resort). Assessment of the status of the reef at the project site and an evaluation of the possible impacts on the reef and the physical environment as a result of the proposed beach protection work.

Environmental Monitoring of F. Filitheyo Resort Development Year:1999 Location: F.Filitheyo Client: AAA Trading Company Pvt.Ltd Positions held: Project Biologist

Environmental Monitoring of M. Medhufushi Resort Development Year:1999 Location: M. Medhufushi, Maldives Client: Vaally Brothers Pte Ltd Position Held: Project biologist

Environmental Monitoring of Lh. Kanuhuraa, Maldives Year:1999 Location: Lh. Kanuhuraa Client: SIMDI Hotel Management Pte Ltd Positions held: Project Biologist

Environmental Monitoring of R. Meedhupparu Resort Development Year:1999 Location: R. Meedhupparu Client: Cowrie Investment Pvt Ltd, Maldives Positions held: Project Biologist Responsibilities: The Monitoring programmes involved periodic measurements of the beach profiles around the islands, reef quality surveys, ground water/ seawater analysis and environmental auditing

Tasks Under Taken as a Environmental impact Assessment for the F. Filitheyo Freelance Consultant Resort Development Year:1998 Location: F.Filitheyo Client: AAA & Trading Company, Maldives Positions held: Project Biologist

Environmental Impact Assessment for Lh. Madhiriguraidhoo Resort Development Year:1997 Location: Lh. Madhiriguraidhoo Client: Guardian Agency Pte Ltd Positions held: Marine Biologist

Environmental Impact Assessment for B. Fonimagoodhoo Resort Development Year:1997 Location: B. Fonimagoodhoo, Maldives Client: Thasmeen Ali, M. Sheeraazeege, Maldives Positions held: Marine Biologist

Environmental Impact Assessment for M. Hakuraahuraa Resort Development Year:1997 Location: M. Hakuraahuraa Client: Fantasea Pte Ltd, Maldives Project features: Positions held: Marine Biologist Responsibilities: The EIA studies Involved collection of oceanographic data studies of the beach environment, vegetation, reef quality and ground water / Seawater quality. These studies examined the impacts of the development on the island and mitigation measures where appropriate. The studies also form the baseline data for the future monitoring of the environmental changes due to the resort development

13. Certification:

I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, this CV correctly describes myself, my qualifications, and my experience. I understand that any wilful misstatement described herein may lead to my disqualification or dismissal, if engaged.

Date: 7 May 2008 [Signature of staff member or authorized representative of the staff] Day/Month/Year

Full name of staff member Hussain Zahir Full name of authorized representative:

Shahaama Abdul Sattar

Personal Information

Date of birth: 30 September 1980

Address: G. Helengeli Aage, Apt 2 B Rahdhebai Magu Male’ Republic of Maldives Contact No: + 960 7904985 (m) Email: [email protected] (LaMer Pvt Ltd) [email protected]

Work Address: Currently working independently

Education

Graduate and Postgraduate

Aug 2004 - Jun 2006 Master of Science in Fisheries Biology and Fisheries Management University of Bergen Department of Biology Postbox 7800 N-5020 Bergen, Norway

Feb 1999 - Dec 2001 Bachelor of Science The Flinders University of South Australia GPO Box 2100 Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Secondary

Apr 1997 – Jul 1998 G.C.E A’Level (London) Kolej Damansara Utama Damansara Jaya Selangor, Malaysia

Jan 1994 – Dec 1996 G.C.E O’Level (London) Aminiya School Male’, Republic of Maldives Work experience

Feb 2002 Volunteer work at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Work involved helping researchers with catching seals and removing tracking devices from the seals.

Dec 2001 – Feb 2002‏‏ Work experience at the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre Work involved dealing with sea urchins, mainly cleaning their tanks, doing dissections on sea urchins and helping researchers with different aspects of the research.

May 2008 Participated in the Biodiversity Valuation survey of Baa Atoll Maldives carried out by AEC project and IUCN

Employment Record May 2011 - Present Consultant, Darwin Reef Fish Project Marine Research Centre, Maldives / Marine Conservation Society, UK - Consultant to the Darwin Reef Fish Project (4 year joint collaboration between MRC and MCS, UK), which assesses the various reef fisheries (grouper, aquarium and food fisheries) of the Maldives and aims to establish management plans for these fisheries. Provision of technical support and assistance to the project staff and MRC in implementing the project and formulation of the management plans.

June 2011 – Present LaMer Pvt Ltd - Work part time in report writing for the various Environmental Impact Assessment projects conducted by the group.

July 2011 – Present BOBLME Sharks Working Group Coordinator, Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project - Coordinator for the Sharks WG of BOBLME project, and work with the focal points in the member countries, to assist in the formulation and implementation of their National Plans of Action for Sharks.

June 2002 – May 2011 Fisheries Biologist (At time of resignation) Marine Research Centre Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture Male’, Republic of Maldives

Line of work at MRC included:  Conduct field surveys to monitor the reef fishery and fish species behaviour  Compilation and analyses of the reef fisheries data, in particular the grouper and food fishery data  Write reports and regular reviews on the status of fisheries including recommendations for management.  Focal point for the IUCN funded project on identification of reef fish spawning aggregations in the Maldives through fishermen interviews (2007)  Secretariat – Indian Ocean Cetacean Symposium 2009  Project Partner for Maldives for the Darwin Initiative Coral Reef Fish Project, Maldives  MRC Focal point for the Atoll Ecosystem Conservation Programme, Ministry of Housing and Environment (2009 – 2011)

2 Workshops/Seminars Participated

15-21 March 2003 - Training Workshop on the Implementation of Multilateral Agreements in the Conservation of Biodiversity with special focus on Marine Biodiversity. Kushiro, Japan

14-16 November 2006 – Sixth William R. and Lenore Mote International Symposium – Life history in Fisheries Ecology and Management. Sarasota, Florida

03-05 March 2008 – Olhugiri and Dhigalihaa Protected Areas Management Planning Workshop. Eydhafushi, Maldives

11 March 2008 – Applying the Ecosystem Approach to managing Atoll Ecosystems in the Maldives. Hulhule Island Hotel, Maldives

24-26 March 2008 – Regional Consultation on Preparation of Management Plans for Shark Fisheries. Beruwela, Sri Lanka

17-19 June 2008 – Workshop on Assessment and Management of the Offshore Resources of South and Southeast Asia. Bangkok, Thailand

22-23 March 2009 – BOBP-IGO National Workshop on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance in Marine Fisheries. Male’, Maldives

18 – 20 July 2009 – Indian Ocean Cetacean Symposium 2009. Paradise Island Resort and Spa, Maldives.

09-11 August 2009 – Second Regional Consultation on Preparation of Management Plans for Shark Fisheries. Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives

24-25 February 2010 – BOBLME Project – National Inception Workshop, Male’, Maldives

2-3 June 2010 – BOBP-IGO Technical Advisory Committee – 5th Meeting, Male’, Maldives

13-14 September 2010 – BOBLME Fisheries Assessment Working Group – 1st Meeting, Bangkok, Thailand

14-16 December 2010 – EWS-WWF 2nd Marine Conservation Forum for the Gulf Region In partnership with the Pew Environment Group – Local Actions for Global Challenges, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

18-19 January 2011 – Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project – Workshop on the Status of Marine Managed Areas in the Bay of Bengal, Penang, Malaysia

5-7 July 2011 –Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project – First meeting of the BOBLME Sharks Working Group, Male’, Maldives

7-8 September 2011 – Workshop to formulate the Grouper Fisheries Management Plan, DRFP/MRC, Male’, Maldives

3 15-17 September 2011 – SEAFDEC Special Meeting on Sharks Information Collection in Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Thailand

Publications

Sattar, S. A., Amir, H. and Adam, M. S. (2011) Reef fish tagging programme – Baa Atoll Pilot project (in press)

Sattar, S. A., Andréfouët, S., Ahsan, M., Adam, M. S., Anderson, R. C. and Scott, L (2011) Status of the Coral Reef Fishery in an Atoll under tourism development: the case of Central Maldives (in press)

Saleem, M., Sattar, S. A. (2009) Study on post-tsunami restoration and conservation projects in Maldives, Prepared for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Tamelander, J., Sattar, S., Campbell, S., Hoon, V., Arthur, R., Patterson E. J.K., Satapoomin, U., Chandi, M., Rajasuriya, A. and Samoilys, M. (2009) Reef fish spawning aggregation in the Bay of Bengal: Awareness and Occurrence, Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008, Session 22

Sattar, S. A., Jørgensen, C., Fiksen, Ø. (2008) Fisheries Induced Evolution of Energy and Sex Allocation. Bulletin of Marine Science, 83(1): 235-250

Sattar, S. A. (2008) Review of the Reef fishery of the Maldives, Marine Research Centre, Male’, Maldives. 62 pp

Sattar, S. A. and M. S. Adam (2005) Review of the Grouper fishery of the Maldives with additional notes on the Faafu Atoll fishery. Marine Research Centre, Male’, Maldives. 54 pp

Referees

Dr. Mohamed Shiham Adam, PhD Marine Research Centre Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources Male’, Republic of Maldives Tel. No: +960 331 3681 Email: [email protected]

Associate Professor Øyvind Fiksen, PhD Department of Biology, University of Bergen Postbox 7800 N-5020 Bergen, Norway Tel. No: +47 5558 4624 Email: [email protected]

4 Christian Jørgensen, PhD Department of Biology, University of Bergen Postbox 7800 N-5020 Bergen, Norway Tel. No: +47 5558 4618 Email: [email protected]

Dr. Charles Anderson [email protected] [email protected]

MA.DHUNBUGE, • SAIMAA GOALHI, • MALE', • 20245, • REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES PHONE +960 3326148 • E-MAIL [email protected]

MARIYAM ZARANA RASHEED

PERSONAL DETAILS

NAME: MARIYAM ZARANA RASHEED SEX: Female DATE OF BIRTH: 03 May 1981 NATIONALITY: Maldivian (Maldives) ID CARD NO. : A 064700 PASSPORT NO.: G 0300450 PERMANENT ADDRESS: Ma. Dhunbuge, Saimaa Goalhi, Male’, 20245, Republic of Maldives. CURRENT ADDRESS: Ma. Kosheege, Kudhiraiymaa Goalhi, Male’, 20199, Republic of Maldives. TEL: +9607750254 EMAIL: [email protected]

EDUCATION

MASTERS DEGREE - January 2010 till present – Completed and awaiting for results Master of Science (Environmental Science) by full research University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

HONOURS DEGREE - April 2009 Bachelor of Science Honours (Biological Sciences) University of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa

BACHELORS DEGREE - April 2008 Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences) University of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa

HIGHER SECONDARY - June 2000 General Certificate of Education, Advanced Level University of London, United Kingdom / Science Education Centre, Male’, Republic of Maldives

ENGLISH LANGUAGE - December 1999 First Certificate in English University of London, United Kingdom / Science Education Centre, Male’, Republic of Maldives

HONOURS AND AWARDS

 Merit Certificate For outstanding performance during 2008 in Biology/Ecology Research Project

 Poster Award Honorable mention at the 51st IAVS Conference - Frontiers of vegetation science: an evolutionary angle - 07 to 12 September 2008 - Stellenbosch, South Africa. Title : Host specificity and bird dispersal in the parasitic mistletoe Tapinanthus natalitius (Loranthaceae). (Author: Desale Okubamichael. - Co-authors: D. Ward, M. Griffiths- Ward, M.Z. Rasheed, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, South Africa)

 Merit Certificate For outstandingly good work during 2006 in Education Studies 224

WORK EXPERIENCE

May 2010 to April 2011 Research Assistant Institute of Biological Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Work Profile: The main responsibilities of the research assistant (RA) to Associate Professor Dr. Rozainah Mohamed Zakaria, include providing intellectual and physical assistance on the research projects on coastal protection and rehabilitation; mangrove biodiversity and ecology; and assess climate change impacts on mangrove ecosystems of west Malaysia.

January 2008 to Dec 2008 Demonstrator School of Biological and Conservation Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Work Profile: As a demonstrator, first year students at under graduate level was assisted and supervised during practical sessions at various field sites and laboratory. Demonstrators work with the supervision and explicit guidelines from the lecturers to ensure that the students gain maximum subject knowledge during practical session. Marking and assessing the academic reports presented by the students was also part of the job.

July 2001 to December 2004 Clinical Assistant Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Male’, Republic of Maldives Work Profile: Major responsibilities include assisting doctors at the Out Patient Department and casualty consultations with translation and minor clinical procedures.

February 1998 to May 1998 Clinical Assistant ADK Hospital, Male’, Republic of Maldives Work Profile: Assist doctors at the Out Patient Department with translation and minor clinical procedures.

Part Time Work Experience

June 2004 to December 2005 Tutor Kieveni Tuiton Center, Male’, Republic of Maldives Work Profile: Teach Biological Science to grade 8 and 9 students.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 Participated in the Klang Island Expedition, 2010. Organized by the University of Malaya and the Mangrove Research Centre in Carey Island – Malaysia to assess biodiversity and ecology of the mangrove forests of Klang Islands.

 Poster presentation at the 51st IAVS Conference - Frontiers of vegetation science: an evolutionary angle - 07 to 12 September 2008 - Stellenbosch, South Africa. Title: Host specificity and bird dispersal in the parasitic mistletoe Tapinanthus natalitius (Loranthaceae). (Author: Desale Okubamichael. - Co-authors: D. Ward, M. Griffiths- Ward, M.Z. Rasheed, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, South Africa)

PUBLICATIONS

 Okubamichael, D. Y., Rasheed, M. Z., Griffiths, M. E. & Ward, D. (2010). Avian consumption and seed germination of the hemiparasitic mistletoe Agelanthus natalitius (Loranthaceae) Journal of Ornithology, 1-7.

LANGUAGES

English (fluent spoken and written) and Dhivehi (Mother Language - fluent spoken and written)

INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES

Gardening, Traveling and Hiking.

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