Malé, Maldives — Ministry of Environment of Maldives held a virtual session today with senior officials from Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) to discuss about the waste management in the country.
This session was attended by Minister of Environment Climate Change and Technology, Aminath Shauna, senior officials from MATI and other senior officials from the Ministry as well as relevant Waste Management projects. It mainly focused on the current and planned policies, regulations and programs that are related to the waste management of Maldives.
All 20 atolls of the island nation are currently distributed to seven zones, with a specific waste management project for each.
Zone 1 consists of Haa Alif Atoll, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Shaviyani Atoll, which encompasses 41 inhabited islands and seven resorts in the region. According to current plans, two projects have been allocated for the zone, being the OFID Waste Management Project and a project to estbalish 15 Island Waste Management Centers (IWMC).
Zone 2 consists of Noonu Atoll, Raa Atoll, Baa Atoll, Lhaviyani Atoll, 45 inhabited islands and over 45 resorts situated in the area. Only one project is assigned to this zone, which is the Maldives Clean Environment Project (MCEP), where a Waste and Resource Management Centre (WRMC) will be established with the availability of equipment and vehicles. Bio-treatment of organic waste and Waste Autoclaves for selected health facilities are also included in the project.
Zone 3 consists of Kaafu Atoll, Alif Atoll, Alif Dhaalu, Atoll and Vaavu Atoll, which comprises of 32 inhabited islands. The zone also includes the three areas of the Greater Malé Region as as well as more than 70 resorts and over 60 guesthouses. This zone has the Greater Malé Environmental Improvement And Waste Management Project (GMEIWMP) allocated for it, which consists of two phases. Phase one of GMEIWMP consists of improvement to waste management in the area such as improved outer island waste management. Phase two includes of dumpsite remediation and institutional capacity and spreading awareness in the community.
Zones 4 and 5 consists of the same project as Zone 2, however the MCEP in Zones 4 and 5 includes of establishing 14 new MRMC’s, upgrading existing 14 MRMC’s, Waste Autoclaves for selected health facilities and many more. Zones 4 and 5 has five atolls; Meemu, Faafu, Dhaalu, Thaa and Laamu, 43 inhabited islands and 15 resorts.
The project for Zones 6 and 7 is Small Scale Waste to Energy Project to further protect the environment. These zones consist of Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, Fuvahmulah City and Addu City.
Over the past few months the public has raised much concern over the management of waste within the islands and the country as a whole, expressing fear that the naturally formed beauty of the Maldives may cease to exist as an eventual byproduct of the inaction concerning the issue.
