Greater Male Waste to Energy Project (RRP MLD 51077-003) Environmental Impact Assessment Document Stage: Draft Project Number: 51077-003 March 2020 MLD: Greater Malé Waste-to-Energy Project – Waste to Energy Plant PART A Prepared by Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Maldives for the Asian Development Bank. CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Background 1 B. Purpose and Scope of the EIA 3 C. Stage of the project preparation 4 D. EIA Preparation and Implementation 4 E. Methodology 5 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 6 A. Project Components 12 B. Environmental Considerations in Project Design 25 C. Project Layout Arrangement 34 D. Bottom Ash Reuse and Disposal 35 E. Construction Schedule 36 III. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 36 F. ADB Safeguard Policy Statement 36 G. National Environmental Impact Assessment Law and Regulation 37 H. Issuance of Environmental Decision Statement under the National EIA Law 39 I. Applicable Environmental Standards 40 J. Other Relevant National Laws and Regulations 45 K. Applicable International Environmental Agreements 52 IV. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES 52 A. No Project Option 52 B. Alternative Options for the Management of Waste 53 C. Alternative Incineration Technologies 55 D. Alternatives on Discharge Locations for WTE Cooling Water 60 E. Alternatives on Intake Location for WTE Cooling Water 76 V. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 77 A. Geology and Topography 77 B. Reclaimed Land for the Development of the WTE plant 78 C. Terrestrial Environment 79 D. Coastal Environment 102 E. Biological Environment 115 F. Protected Areas and Critical Habitats 137 G. Socio-Economic Conditions 140 H. Additional Baseline Data Gathering. 147 VI. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 148 A. Overview of Anticipated Impacts and Mitigation Measures 148 B. Impacts Due to Location of Project 149 C. Impacts Due to Physical Integrity of the Site 149 D. Impacts Due to Design of Project 149 E. Impacts on Marine Protected Areas 156 F. Impacts on Groundwater and the Terrestrial Environment 158 Greater Male Waste to Energy Project (RRP MLD 51077-003) G. Impacts on Avifauna 158 H. Impacts on Critical Habitats 158 I. Impacts on Socio-Cultural Resources 159 J. Impacts During Construction Phase 159 K. Impacts during Operational Phase 167 VII. INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, CONSULTATION AND PARTICIPATION 233 A. Follow-On Consultation Activities and Focus Group Discussions 240 B. Future Consultation Activities 252 C. Information Disclosure 253 VIII. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 254 A. First Tier (DBO Contractor) 254 B. Second Tier (PMU/MOE) 254 C. Third Tier (Judiciary) 254 IX. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 256 A. Objectives 256 B. Institutional Arrangement 257 C. Environmental Management Plan 261 D. Environmental Monitoring Plan 296 E. Reporting 303 F. Cost of EMP Implementation 303 G. Future Review and Revision of Documents 304 X. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 305 XI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 308 XII. REFERENCES 309 APPENDIXES 1. Rapid Environmental Assessment Checklist 2. Compliance Matrix for the Maldives EPA EIA TOR 3. Gaps Analysis between ADB SPS and Maldives EPPA 4. Environmental Audit of Existing Facility 5. Final Report Market Sounding on Reuse of IBA and CWD 6. Fly Ash Management Plan 7. Consolidated Report of Marine Surveys 8. Cooling Water Temperature Dispersion Modeling Report 9. Report on Baseline Ambient Noise Level Measurements 10. Results of Laboratory Analyses – Groundwater 11. Results of Laboratory Analyses – Marine Water 12. Critical Habitat Analysis 13. Socio-economic Baseline Survey Summary 14. AUSTAL2000 Air Dispersion Modeling Report 15. AERMOD Modeling Report 16. Report on GHG Emission 17. Consolidated Minutes of Stakeholders Consultations 18. Terms of Reference of Project Management, Design and Supervision Consultant 19. Terms of Reference of External Environmental Expert 20. QEMR Template 21. Guidance Notes on Invasive Alien Species (by Maldives MOE) CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 21 November 2019) Currency Unit = Rufiyaa (Rf) Rf1.00 = $0.065 $1.00 = Rf15.350 ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank APC air pollution control APCS air pollution control system BPEO best practicable environmental option CEMS continuous emission monitoring system CFD computational fluid dynamics CCTV closed circuit TV DBO design-build-operate DCS distributed control system EIA environmental impact assessment EID European Industrial Directives EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESA ecologically sensitive areas EHS environmental health and safety EMOP environmental monitoring plan EMP environmental management plan EPPA Environmental Protection and Preservation Act of 1993 GOM Government of Maldives GRM grievance redress mechanism MCR maximum continuous rating MOE Ministry of Environment MOF Ministry of Finance MMS Maldives Meteorological Service MNPI Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure MPA marine protected areas MWSC Malé Water and Sewerage Company NAPA National Action Program of Action NBS National Bureau of Statistic NCV net calorific value NEAP3 Third National Environment Action Plan NWMP National Waste Management Policy O&M operation and maintenance PMU project management unit RWMF Regional Waste Management Facility SNCR selective non-catalytic reduction STELCO State Electric Company SWM solid waste management TIZ Thilafushi Industrial Zone TOR terms of reference USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency WAMCO Waste Management Corporation Greater Male Waste to Energy Project (RRP MLD 51077-003) NOTE In this report, "$" refers to United States dollar. This environmental impact assessment report is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section on ADB’s website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. 10 774 34 4 924 2022 1 2 3 28 2018 1 2 3 3 1 2 4 3 3 5 40 2 33.05 4.93 2020 5 1 500 20 1 2 ، ވަށާގެން ކުނިތައް ބޭރުނުވާނެހެން ބަންދު ކުރުމާއި މިތަން ރީޕްރޮފައިލްކޮށް މަތީގައި ވެލިފަށަލަޔެއްލައިގެން ެވެމުރުކ ުދްނަބ 100 3 150 2012 1 3 2 2 250 6 5 4 15 ، ގާކުޑިއެވެ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. Background The Greater Malé capital region and its outer islands (project area) suffer from severe environmental pollution and deteriorating livability because of inadequate collection and haphazard disposal of solid waste. The project area covers 35 inhabited islands within the following atolls (island chains): the North Ari Atoll (Alifu Alifu Atoll), South Ari Atoll (Alifu Dhaalu Atoll), Vaavu Atoll and Malé’ Atoll (Kaafu Atoll), which includes the capital city of Malé. The total population within the project area is approximately 295,000 (53% of Maldives total population).1 Lack of a sustainable system to manage the 836 tons per day (tpd) of solid waste generated in the project area (2019) results in waste spillage into the ocean, and open dumping and burning of garbage at the 30-year old 10-hectare dumpsite on Thilafushi Island which has no pollution control measures creating a public health and an environmental hazard.2 Plumes of smoke visible from the capital Malé, the international airport and nearby resorts compromise air quality and pose nuisance to residents and tourists, while leachate and plastics contaminate the surrounding marine environment. This poses a critical threat to tourism and fisheries, both of which rely heavily on the country’s pristine environment and are cornerstones to Maldives’ economy.3 Support to the government’s efforts to strengthen solid waste management (SWM) services in the project area included financing under the GMEIWMP, approved in 2018, to improve the upstream segment of the SWM chain including collection, containerized transfer, and institutional capacity and public awareness for sustainable SWM service delivery.4 The ongoing project is also assisting the government in treating and recovering construction and demolition waste and implementing temporary measures, such as bailing of municipal solid waste, as adequate interim solution to stop open dumping and burning on Thilafushi until a modern solid waste treatment and disposal facility will be operational. The project is under implementation and expected to be completed by 2023. The project is aligned with the following impact: promote waste as a valuable resource for income generation (Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023). 5The outcome will be disaster- and climate- resilient solid waste treatment and disposal services improved in the Greater Malé region and its outer islands. The project will have two outputs. Output 1: Disaster- and climate-resilient regional waste management facility developed. This will include (i) a 500 tpd WTE plant with 20-year O&M contract, including two treatment lines of 250 tpd each, energy recovery of 8 megawatt capacity (surplus electricity) and air pollution 1 Government of Maldives, National Bureau of Statistics – Ministry of Finance and United Nations Population Fund. 2018. Maldives Population Projections 2014-2054. Malé. 2 Breakdown of solid waste by type: construction and demolition = 530 tpd (68%), household = 149 tpd (19%), resort = 48 tpd (6%), commercial = 27 tpd (3%), airport = 9.3 tpd (1.2%), industrial = 6 tpd (0.8%), market