Malé, Maldives – Local news Avas on Saturday reports that the leak at the oil spill at Rasfannu beach in the capital city Malé is a deliberate attack according to Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
Rasfannu beach located in Malé was closed for the public on Thursday after an unidentified oil spill covered the Rasfannu beach area.
Speaking to local news Avas, the Director General of EPA Ibrahim Naeem stated that the oil was deliberately poured into the ocean, outside the coastal protection seawall. He further said that the engine oil has lodged into the seawall.
Naeem said that the authorities are currently attempting to clean up the spill using sorbent materials and will replace the damaged sand on the beach.
The EPA Director assured that expensive environmental damage has not occurred in the Rasfannu area.
The Rasfannu beach is an artificial beach developed in 2016 by Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) for approximately MVR 40 million.
