EPA imposes MVR275k fine for illegal vegetation removal
The island’s leaseholder is former MP Hassan Adil.
21 Nov 2019, 9:00 AM
The Environment Protection Agency has imposed a fine of MVR275,000 (US$17,800) on the leaseholder of Mendhoo island in Laamu atoll over the clearance of vegetation to build a road.
Coconut palms and other trees were removed from a 4,822 square meter area on the island’s northwest corner in violation of an environmental impact assessment report approved in November 2018, the EPA said on Thursday.
The uninhabited island was leased to Hassan Adil, from Seenu Maradhoo Asraaruge, for agricultural purposes. Adil, a former lawmaker, was fined pursuant to the 1993 environment protection law and the 2012 regulations on EIA reports. He was ordered on Wednesday to pay the fine within 30 days.
According to an Environment Impact Assessment for the agro-farming project on Mendhoo, an estimated 1,199 palm trees would be removed from the island. “Due to the small size of the island, majority of the island vegetation is needed to be cleared and impact of that will be significant,” the EIA report stated.
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