Thuraakunu Island Development Committee Environmental Impact Assessment Study Thuraakunu Harbour Construction Thuraakunu, Ha Alif Atol Area2 Mooring January 2008 Land and Marine Environmental Resources Group Private Limited Thuraakunu Island Development Committee Environmental Impact Assessment Study Thuraakunu Harbour Construction Thuraakunu, Ha Alif Atol January 2008 Land and Marine Environmental Resources Group Private Limited Environmental Impact Assessment Report Thuraakunu Harbour, Ha.Alif Atoll Declaration of the Consultant I certify that statements made in this Environmental Impact Assessment study are true, complete and correct. Hussein Zahir EIA Consultant (Reg. no. EIA 04/07) Date: 23-01-08 Environmental Impact Assessment Report Thuraakunu Harbour, Ha.Alif Atoll Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction............................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of the Report and Need for the EIA ..........................................................1 1.2 Structure of the Report............................................................................................2 2 Project setting............................................................................................3 2.1 Environment Protection and Preservation Act of Maldives ...................................3 2.2 Second National Environmental Action Plan (1999)..............................................4 2.2.1 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan..............................................5 2.2.2 Protected Areas and Sensitive Areas ...............................................................5 2.3 Cutting down, uprooting, digging out and export of trees and palms from one island to another............................................................................................................6 2.4 Guidelines for land Use Planning ...........................................................................6 3 Project description.....................................................................................8 3.1 Project Proponent....................................................................................................8 3.2 The Project..............................................................................................................8 3.3 Need for the project ................................................................................................8 3.4 Location and extent of site boundaries ...................................................................9 3.5 Construction phase and schedule for implementation ..........................................10 3.6 Major Inputs..........................................................................................................12 3.6.1 Mobilization and material downloading ........................................................12 3.6.2 Workforce ......................................................................................................12 3.6.3 Heavy machinery Power generation ..............................................................12 3.6.4 Construction methods ....................................................................................12 3.6.5 Excavation method.........................................................................................12 3.6.6 Construction of wharfs and harbour protection structures.............................13 3.7 Major Outputs .......................................................................................................13 3.7.1 Harbour design...............................................................................................13 3.7.2 Dredged material............................................................................................13 3.8 Risk associated with the project............................................................................14 4 Methodology............................................................................................ 15 5 Public consultation.................................................................................. 17 5.1 Institutional arrangements.....................................................................................17 5.2 Community Consultations / Stakeholder Meetings ..............................................18 6 Existing Environment ............................................................................. 19 6.1 General Setting......................................................................................................19 6.2 Geographic location and general setting of Thuraakunu ......................................20 6.3 Climatology...........................................................................................................21 6.3.1 Rain and Temperature....................................................................................21 6.3.2 Wind Climate and Oceanography.................................................................22 6.3.2.1 Tide .............................................................................................................25 6.3.2.2 Waves..........................................................................................................27 i Environmental Impact Assessment Report Thuraakunu Harbour, Ha.Alif Atoll 6.3.2.3 Current ........................................................................................................28 6.4 Beach Environment...............................................................................................31 6.5 Marine surveys......................................................................................................37 6.5.1. Coral community ..........................................................................................38 6.5.2. Reef fish community.....................................................................................41 6.5.3 Seawater quality.............................................................................................43 6.6 Hazard Vulnerability, area vulnerable to flooding and storm surge.....................45 6.7 Social Environment...............................................................................................49 7 Environmental Impacts........................................................................... 51 7.1 Impact Identification.............................................................................................51 7.2 Limitation or uncertainty of impact prediction.....................................................52 7.3 Construction Impacts ............................................................................................52 7.3.1 Schedule, logistics and loading and unloading construction materials..........53 7.3.2 Construction materials and solid waste..........................................................53 7.3.3 Impacts due to construction methods.............................................................54 7.3.4 Impact on vegetation......................................................................................55 7.3.5 Coastal structures...........................................................................................55 7.3.6 Social impacts, noise and air pollution ..........................................................56 7.3.7 Effects on Groundwater Quality ....................................................................56 7.4 Operational Impacts..............................................................................................57 7.4.1 Impact to hydrodynamic patterns...................................................................57 7.4.2 Social impacts ................................................................................................59 7.4.1 Wastewater Disposal or littering of harbour..................................................59 8 Mitigation Plan........................................................................................62 9 Alternatives ..............................................................................................66 9.1 Location ................................................................................................................66 9.2 Excavation method................................................................................................66 9.3 The no project scenario.........................................................................................67 10. Monitoring and Reporting....................................................................67 11 Conclusion.............................................................................................. 70 List of figures Figure 1 Site boundaries, showing the direct impact area ..............................................10 Figure 2 Location of Maldives in the western Indian Ocean..........................................20 Figure 3 Geographic location of Thuraakunu.................................................................21 Figure 4 Mean climatic data for from 1992 to 2001......................................................22 Figure 5 Wind speed and direction distribution at Hanimaadhoo at various seasons. ...24 Figure 6 Percent of wind occurrences and number of days with a particular wind speed. .........................................................................................................................................24 Figure 7 Percent of wind occurrences