Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. Chapter 3 Existing Environment 3.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the existing environment at the project site. It shall include the physico-chemical, ecosystem, land use, human environment, road network and traffic assessment prior to construction of the proposed project. The purpose of describing the existing environmental setting is to establish baseline data which is an important pre-requisite for the environmental impact assessment study and future project monitoring. Information on the existing environment will later be utilised for assessing the degree of impact from the development of the project towards the environment which will be discussed in Chapter 4 of this EIA study. 3.2 PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT 3.2.1 Topography From the topographical map of 1:50,000, Series L7030, Sheet 3954, Edition 2-PPNM, the Project site is located at a relatively flat land along the Straits of Melaka shoreline. Refer Figure 3.2.1, showing topography map, series L7030, Sheet 3954. The average ground level of shoreline along the Straits of Melaka is 0.52m amsl1. Based on topography survey, the topography of Project site range between 1.75 – 3.03 m. Refer Figure 3.2.2 showing the Spot Level Survey Map. 1 Average Mean Sea Level Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-1 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. The Project site has been partially cleared to make way for car park area, while the remaining area is covered with grass, shrubs and some woody trees. Plate 3.2.1 to Plate 3.2.4 show the existing view of the project site. Plate 3.2.1: View of the North side of the site Plate 3.2.2: View from East side of the Site Plate 3.2.3: View of the Project site currently Plate 3.2.4: View of the Project site currently Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-2 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. 3.2.2 Geology and Soil The proposed project site is located on a reclaimed area. The soil at the proposed site is mainly sea sand and accompanying materials that has bee used previously to reclaim the site. The surrounding soil is from isolated continental basin deposits of late tertiary age. It is mainly consists of shale, conglomerate, sandstone and minor coal seams. The soil comprises clay, mudstone, siltstone, pylitte, slate and hornfels. Figure 3.2.3 shows the general geological classification of project site. 3.2.3 Meteorology 3.2.3.1 Sources of Data The meteorological data are collected from the Melaka Meteorological Station located at latitude 02° 16' N, longitude 102° 15' E; 8.5m above MSL. This station has been chosen due its proximity to the project and its records of 60 years. The climatological data obtained is considered to be representative of the project site and will be referred in this assessment of the existing climatic environment. The meteorological data namely temperature, relative humidity and rainfall for this study are based on records from 1951 to 2010, whilst the wind data are based on records from 1975 to 2010. In general, the characteristic features of the climate of Malaysia are uniform temperature, high humidity and copious rainfall and they arise mainly from the maritime exposure of the country. Winds are generally light especially over land. 3.2.3.2 Rainfall The average annual rainfall amount for the period of 1951 to 2010 was 2014.0 mm. The highest annual rainfall amount was recorded at 2683.8 mm in 1952. Figure 3.2.4 shows the average monthly rainfall and rain days recorded for the 60 years period. January was the driest month with an average rainfall of 88.0 mm whilst November was the wettest month with an average rainfall of 233.2 mm. The average annual rain days for the year 1951 to 2010 were 175 days. The highest average rain days was recorded in November whilst the lowest average rain days were recorded in January and February. Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-3 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. 3.2.3.3 Temperature The 24 hours mean temperature recorded from 1951 to 2010 showed that the average annual 24 hours mean temperature was 26.8 °C. Figure 3.2.5 shows the average monthly 24 hours mean temperature for the period from 1951 to 2010. The average monthly 24-hour mean temperature varies between 26.1° C and 27.4° C. The highest and lowest monthly averaged 24 hours mean temperatures were recorded in May and December respectively. Figure 3.2.4: Average Monthly Rainfall and Rain Days (1951-2010) Figure 3.2.5: Average Monthly 24 hours Mean Temperature (1951-2010) Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-4 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. 3.2.3.4 Relative Humidity The average annual 24 hours mean relative humidity recorded from 1951 to 2010 was 83.4%. Figure 3.2.6 shows the 24 hours mean monthly humidity averaged over the years 1951-2010. The highest humidity was recorded during the month of November (85.9%), whilst the lowest relative humidity was recorded in February (74.3%). Figure 3.2.6: Average Monthly 24 hours Mean Relative Humidity (1951-2010) 3.2.3.5 Wind Speed and Direction Wind observation at Melaka for the period of 1975 to 2010 are summarised in the annual wind rose as shown in Figure 3.2.7 The prevailing winds were from northeast (27.3%) followed by north (13.3 %). Wind direction from both northwest and southeast were the least frequent (4.1% each).The magnitudes throughout the year ranged from 0.3-7.9 m/s. Calm period was recorded at approximately 20% of the time. The monthly mean surface wind speed recorded from the year 1966 to 2010 ranges from 1.2 m/s to 2.7 m/s. Meanwhile the average annual mean surface wind speed recorded for the same period is 1.7 m/s. Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-5 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. Figure 3.2.7: Annual Wind Rose Summary 3.2.4 Hydrology234 The nearest river to the project site is Sungai Melaka. The Sungai Melaka is located along the western boundary at 1.5km far from the site while the Straits of Melaka is along the southern boundary at immediate distance. The Sungai Melaka is originating from the intersection of Sungai Batang Tampin and Sungai Batang Melaka at Kampung Gadek. The approximate length of Sungai Melaka is 40km from the beginning until the end of Straits of Melaka. There are four (4) major tributaries of Sungai Melaka, namely Sungai Putat, Sungai Cheng, Sungai Durian Tunggal and Sungai Alor Gajah. At km 28.0 of Sungai Melaka, 2 Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/359411/Strait-of-Malacca 3 Source: http://www.youpublisher.com 4 Source: http://rrmelaka.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post_4374.html Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd Page C3-6 CK/EV503/5164/13 Environmental Impact Assessment for Proposed Development of Commercial and Condotel (32 Storey) on Chapter 3 Existing Environment PN1479 Lot 850, Kawasan Bandar XXXIX, Daerah Melaka Tengah, Melaka. there is a water dam of Syarikat Air Melaka. Besides that, three (3) main waste traps are being installed at Panglima Awang Bridge, Taman Rumpun Bahagia bridge and Pantai Peringgit Bridge to trap and control the wastes in the river. 3.2.5 Water Quality In order to characterise the existing water quality of water bodies surrounding the 2.0517 acres Project site, water quality data were collected. Collection of the data involved sampling of marine waters during the period between high and low tide. Sampling locations were selected to obtain the baseline data to represent the natural water quality within and surrounding the area prior to the commencement of any construction works on site and future development of the surrounding area. 3.2.5.1 Existing Surface Water Quality Sampling Locations Existing water samples were taken and analysed to provide better understanding of the current water quality prior to the project development and for impact assessment to determine the appropriate control measures. In view of dry drain surrounding the project site, three (3) marine monitoring locations were obtained at the sea covering the west, east and midsection of the project site, 3.2.5.2 Existing Marine Water Quality Sampling Location Marine water samples were taken and tested to provide a better understanding of the existing water quality prior to the commencement of development. The baseline sampling locations are illustrated at Figure 3.2.8 and described in Table 3.2.2. Sampling was carried out on 16 August 2013. Table 3.2.2: Locations of Surface Water Quality Sampling Stations Approximate Coordinates Location Description Latitude Longitude W1 To the west of Project site 2º10’50.13” N 102º15’21.3” E W2 Midsection - Between W1 and W3 2º10’51.4” N 102º15’17.8” E W3 To the east of Project site 2º10’53.1” N 102º15’14.7” E 3.2.5.3 Methodology Marine water samples were collected in bottles containing preservatives (Table 3.2.3) before being sent to an accredited laboratory.