Tag: task force

Government scales down water relief effort

President Abdulla Yameen’s administration has scaled down water relief efforts today by ending the distribution of bottled water to residents of capital Malé.

“We decided to stop the bottled water distribution because there is no shortage of drinking water at the moment. There is also enough water at corner shops for purchase,” Minister of Defense Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim said at a press conference last night.

The government had set up water distribution centers after a fire at Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) on December 4 gutted the sole desalination plant in Malé, leaving 130,000 people without drinking and running water.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) condemned the government’s decision with party Chairperson Ali Waheed saying that the decision will lead to further hardship and claimed the Maldives is currently seeing its worst days since the 1970s.

A Bangladeshi navy ship, the BNS Samudra Joy, arrived in Malé today with 100 tonnes of bottled water and five reverse osmosis plants, the Foreign Ministry has said.

Meanwhile, custom built panels to replace the damaged panel boards connecting electricity generators and desalination plants at MWSC arrived in Malé from Singapore today.

MWSC has now started releasing water once in the morning and once at night. Water was available for four hours this morning and will be available from 7:30 pm – 12:00 am tonight.

The government has also decided to establish a 20,000 ton ‘strategic reserve’ of water to prevent another crisis, using funds gathered through the US$ 20 million ‘Malé water crisis management fund.’

Nazim, who also heads the water crisis task force, said that funds would mainly be used to recover costs which are not covered by insurance, the construction of the 20,000 ton water reserve and to cover the cost of relief operations. Individuals and corporations who contributed to the relief effort will all be reimbursed, he said.

The fund’s establishment has garnered criticism from the opposition and civil society groups, who have demanded transparency in the fund’s utilization.

In response, Nazim said the fund was set up with “very good intentions.”

“Information about the fund would be released in a very transparent manner. I urge the public to refrain from politicizing the fund.” he added.

Anti-corruption NGO Transparency Maldives has demanded a break down of the US$20 million and said “the decision to seek donations from the public raises questions given that MWSC is a private, profit-making corporation with 80 per cent government shares.”

Private donors have contributed US$5.5million to the fund so far.

Protests demanding free water continued in Malé last night, but were disrupted for the third time by a group of seven young men.

Minivan news observed six to seven young men who were hiding within the protesters jump on a truck and start vandalizing the generator powering the sound system. One attacker lifted up the generator and threw it on the ground.

Police immediately moved in and arrested the attackers. Minivan news saw little to no resistance from the attackers during the arrest.

Several eyewitnesses later told Minivan news that the attackers were praising President Yameen as they waited for a police vehicle to take them to the police head quarters.

“President Yameen is the best thing to have happened to the nation,” one of the attackers was reported as saying.

Another eyewitness told Minivan News that he heard one Special Operations (SO) police officer insulting Former President Mohamed Nasheed while stating those arrested would be released the next day.

A police media official confirmed to minivan news that seven men were arrested last night in relation to the attacks at the protest.

A similar incident occurred on the previous night when three young men attacked the protest armed with box cutters.

On Wednesday, Mirihi Island resort has donated a temporary desalination plant capable of producing 100 tonnes of water to the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

The MNDF has also started distributing disposable cups, plates and cutlery to cafés in Malé.

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Custom built MWSC panels to arrive in the Maldives

A Sri Lankan Air Force flight is currently on its way to the Maldives from Singapore with custom built panels to replace the damaged panel boards connecting electricity generators and desalination plants at the Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC).

The capital Malé was  plunged into crisis on Thursday (December 4) as a fire at MWSC gutted the desalination plant, leaving 130,000 people without running water, leading to the dwindling of bottled drinking water supplies.

Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim said the two boards will arrive in Malé tonight. Of the nine panel boards, five were functional on Monday and MWSC had started releasing water to households in two three-hour periods in the morning and at night.

However, residents living above the second floor of buildings have said they only receive water for a very short period of time. The MWSC has asked individuals to report issues with water leakages and booster pumps to send an SMS to 1050 with the client’s name and water meter number.

Previously, the government rejected an offer by the Indian government to provide technical assistance in fixing the panels, saying it is seeking assistance from countries that are more technologically advanced.

The government has today announced it has received US$ 5.5 (MVR 84 million) for the ‘Malé water crisis management fund.’

The crisis management fund – which has seen donations from several local corporations and foreigners – was set up by the government with an aim of collecting US$ 20 million (MVR 308 million) to repair the damages at the desalination plant and to fund relief efforts.

Notable local businesses such as Champa Group and Universal enterprises donated US$ 100,000 to the fund, while an unnamed Saudi Arabian donor provided US$ 1 million.

Telecomms company Ooredoo donated US$ 75,000 to the fund. Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) and State Trading Organization (STO) have also donated funds.

Anti-corruption NGO Transparency Maldives called on the government to display more transparency in order to avoid “economic and political repercussions stemming from the water crisis”.

In a press statement, the NGO urged the government to provide a breakdown of the estimated US$ 20 million needed to overcome the crisis and how the government intends to spend it.

“Furthermore, the decision to seek donations from the public raises questions given that MWSC ins a private profit-making corporation with 80 percent government shares,” said Transparency Maldives.

An Indian flight is also due to arrive today with 50 tons of water while the INS Deepak supplied 400 tons of water straight to MWSC tanks on top of the 1250 supplied two days ago.

Indian High Commission said today that the water relief operations resumed on the request of the Maldivian government.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) also criticized the fund stating that the government should only demand US$ 20 million after they have decided how it is going to be spent.

“Where is the money going to go to? Why have we not seen a breakdown on how the money is going to be spent? Will this be a new ring in the chain of corruption by the government?” questioned party Vice Chairperson Ali Niyaz.

Former President and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed has also called for an inquiry into the fire, suggesting that the Danish government previously recommended keeping 21 days of water reserves in the capital.

Transparency  Maldives noted that the crisis had demonstrated “the interminable relationship between good governance and citizens’ right to essential human needs,”  and called for greater regulation of state-owned enterprises.

With 130,000 citizens of the capital left without water, the government has said it could take up to two weeks to fully repair the damage. President Abdulla Yameen has said that there could have been no back up plan for a “disaster of this magnitude”.

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Nasheed calls for inquiry into MWSC fire

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has called for an inquiry into the fire at the Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) on Thursday (December 4) that caused the capital’s ongoing water supply crisis.

“We absolutely need an inquiry, an investigation, right now [in order to find out] how this happened,” the opposition leader said at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally in Haa Alif Dhidhoo last night.

The public should be duly informed about the efforts of the ministerial task force formed by President Abdulla Yameen to resolve the crisis and given a date for resumption of water supply services, he added.

The MWSC cut off water supply in Malé after underground cables connecting the switch room and generator caught fire, causing damage to the reverse osmosis plant used to produce desalinated water.

Nasheed said the Danish government had advised MWSC to keep 21-days worth of water supply in reserve after completing a project to provide water to Malé.

The water crisis was caused by President Yameen appointing “thug activists” to the MWSC after dismissing experienced and qualified staff at the company, Nasheed contended.

The MDP government had a plan to deal with similar situations as well as natural disasters, Nasheed said, asserting that the crisis would have been resolved in 24 hours under his administration.

Of the 2 meters of annual rainfall in the capital, Nasheed observed that less than half was collected for use.

He went on to express gratitude to police and military officers for their efforts in assisting residents of the capital as well as the Indian government for promptly responding to pleas for assistance.

Referring to reports of foreigners denied water at collection points, Nasheed called on President Yameen to apologise to expatriates residing in the capital.

President Yameen’s “biggest failure” was his administration’s foreign policy, he continued, which he said should not be biased in favour of any particular country.

Nasheed also repeated his criticism of President Yameen “ruling in absentia” and called on the president to disclose his alleged health problems to the public.

Briefing the press this morning, Defence Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim urged the opposition to refrain from “politicising” the crisis.

The Maldives Police Service has meanwhile launched an investigation into the fire incident at MWSC. Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed has reportedly tasked a special team with the investigation.


Related to this story

Indian aircraft arrives to ease Malé water crisis

Palm trees used by MDP to curse President Yameen, alleges senior government official

Public should be informed about president’s health, says Nasheed

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Dengue task force to hand control to Health Ministry as outbreak calms

The Ministry of Health is expected to once again take the reins of the national response to a dengue fever outbreak linked to the deaths of eight Maldivians this year, after last week handing control of the focus to a task force appointed to bring island management of the disease under a single body.

A spokesperson for the task force, which has attempted to combine the efforts of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), government ministries and NGOs, said the body expected its work to be “wound down” today, with the Ministry of Health once again taking control of efforts after infection rates were said to have fallen.

The task force had initially been budgeted to operate from within the social centre at Maafanu School in Male’ for seven days. However, despite initial optimism that the outbreak – which has been labelled by the government as an “epidemic” – would be under control in this time, doubts arose later during last week about the likelihood of meeting such a deadline.

Speaking to Minivan News today, a media spokesperson for the task force said it once again expected management of the virus outbreak to revert back to the Health Ministry, after having itself overcome a number of difficulties allegedly including collaborating with recently established local councils.

“We are seeing the number of confirmed cases dropping once again and I expect we will be winding up our work today,” the spokesperson added. The spokesperson claimed that Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) was itself now returning to normal operations after adapting several wards and surgeries specifically to coping with dengue during the outbreak.

On Thursday (July 7), several Male’-based hospitals including IGMH said that although they were busy continuing to deal with a significant numbers of patients suspected of contracting the virus, the situation was said to be under “control” by some senior management staff.

Deputy Education Minister Dr Abdulla Nazeer, who has spoken on behalf of the taskforce created by President Mohamed Nasheed to combat the outbreak, said he was “glad to say the situation is under control and we are winding up our work and will transfer it to the Health Ministry.”
During its work the taskforce had identified several factors that contributed to the difficulty of managing dengue outbreaks, he noted.
“Number one is a lack of proper communication between the Health Ministry and local councils,” he said. “The second was that they did not have the capacity to resolve the issues.”
“Councillors on some islands thought it was not in their mandate to follow the requests of the task force,” he added. “The MNDF and local authorities had to intervene, and the councillors realised it was a matter of national safety.”

Government view

In addressing the work undertaken as part of a collaborative approach to disease control , Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair claimed that the initiative’s work in identifying and focusing on regional and island prevention measures would ensure the government was better prepared in the future for similar outbreaks.

“The government’s main focus has remained targeting mosquito breeding grounds, particularly areas such lakes and stagnant water collections,” he said. “However, we have also been working on community focal points where we have focused many types of control measures.”

Zuhair claimed these control measures had been focused specifically on trying to put more emphasis on focusing on island communities to identify possible difficulties with dengue, despite reports from the dengue task force of initial coordination problems in working with the local councillors.

A spokesperson for the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press over its views of the government’s response in dealing with the dengue epidemic” of recent weeks.

Yet over the course of last week DRP Spokerson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef, reiterated his belief to the press that the government had “bungled” their response to trying to control dengue fever. Shareef added that although the DRP welcomed and would cooperate with the government in efforts to try and limit the spread of the virus, he said that authorities had acted too slowly in trying to deal with the outbreak.

“From what we have seen the government is just not doing enough. We don’t believe they have been willfully negligent, but there has been negligence in their approach [to dengue outbreak],” he claimed. “They have not responded fast enough, which could be inexperience on their part. But I think this will be a wake-up call for them to change policy in dealing with these type of situations.”

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