Maldives threatens to sink beneath rising tide of waste

Maldives rubbish island The low-lying coral islands of the Maldives scarcely rise more than 2m above sea level - except in one place: the "rubbish island" of Thilafushi, where 15m-high mounds of garbage are heaped in a once-pristine lagoon.

The tropical archipelago attracts more than 1m tourists each year, drawn by its natural beauty and marine life. But behind its pristine image lie a growing range of pressing environmental problems.

Sewage from the densely populated capital Male is dumped untreated 200m offshore and currents often bring it straight back. All its water comes from a single desalination plant which broke down in 2014, forcing it to rely on neighbouring countries to fly in emergency supplies. And Thilafushi, which lies close to Male and is where much of the country's raw waste ends up, is a growing environmental blight that successive governments have failed to tackle.

"Thilafushi is an environmental hazard and it has been ruining the brand name of the Maldives," says Ahmed Adeeb, tourism minister. "If we want to protect our environment, this is the first thing we have to handle."

On the island, hundreds of migrant workers labour without safety equipment to process and burn mountains of trash, which includes batteries, asbestos and untreated medical waste.

With plastic bottles, bags, food cans and other detritus floating from its shores into the Indian Ocean, and plumes of smoke rising from smouldering mounds of rubbish, Thilafushi demonstrates the price of rising prosperity and population growth in this tiny developing nation.

Construction of reclaimed land, itself filled in with garbage, began on Thilafushi in 1992 as the Maldives' tourism industry rapidly expanded. Since then the island has been the final destination for waste from many of the country's 105 tourist resorts as well as Male. The amount dumped has reached at least 500 tons per day, and with tourist arrivals continuing to rise there is little prospect of garbage volumes declining.

The country's GDP more than doubled to $3.4bn in the decade to 2014, with 10 per cent growth projected for this year. This has come largely on the back of the tourism industry, which accounts for 30 per cent of GDP.

But garbage from the site has started to wash up at nearby resorts and dive sites, adding to the sense of urgency over resolving environmental issues.

President Abdulla Yameen's government plans to invite bids for an initial contract for separation of waste next month, to be followed by a second phase involving bioenergy generation.

However, environmentalists are sceptical. "The government says it's going to do something about it, but they're been trying for 20 years and it's getting worse," says Maeed Zahir, founder of Ecocare, a Maldivian environmental group. "Thilafushi has an impact on the whole ecosystem."

Campaigners are pinning their hopes on a deal signed in March with Dubai Ports World to develop a port on Thilafushi. Unless the problem is solved, the port - which will be designated a free-trade zone as part of efforts to diversify the economy - could be affected by smoke and fumes.

The last attempt to overhaul Thilafushi came during the tenure of President Mohamed Nasheed, who became the Maldives' first democratically elected leader in 2008. He won international attention for campaigning on the threat to the Maldives from climate change, notably by holding an underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. He also signed a contract with Tatva Renewable Energy, an Indian company, to recycle and recover energy from trash.

However, Mr Nasheed was ousted in 2012 and is in jail on controversial terrorism charges, and the new government scrapped his waste management deal last year.

As political turmoil continues, with Mr Nasheed's jailing last month prompting fresh waves of anti-government protests, there are questions over whether the politicians have the capacity to develop a long-term environmental strategy.

The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.

Jason Kruse, general manager at Kurumba, says the resort's environmental measures have proved a hit with guests, who can tour the recycling facilities. "It is also helping with the cultural shift - our Maldivian team members are going back home to their local islands and saying 'You know what, we can do this better,'" he says.

Shamau Shareef, a member of Male's city council, says the city is anxious to follow suit. "They are a good example, but here we don't have the facilities or the resources," he says. "We are constantly asking the government to help us find a way."

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation