Tag: waste management

Piles of garbage left on Malé streets

Piles of garbage have been left to rot on the streets of Malé days after a housing ministry organized waste disposal program ended.

The housing ministry on June 14 announced it will pick up trash from households between 4pm and 10pm on June 15. The program was announced ahead of the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Officials said households must register to get trash cleared out.

Five days later, several houses are continuing to leave trash on Malé’s narrow and congested streets.

Housing minister Dr Mohamed Muizz has accused the opposition of deliberately thrashing the streets of Malé. On June 18, the first day of Ramadan, Muizz said the waste disposal program was over and said that the opposition has been “throwing out garbage in different areas” of the city to hinder government efforts to “keep Malé clean.”

On the same day, the housing ministry released a statement saying it had cleared trash from some 430 registered households on June 15.

“We regret to inform that the ministry will not be throwing out any of the trash being thrown out on the streets from now on.”

However, the ministry on Friday said some 50 staff had helped clear 68 truckloads of “illegal garbage.”

Malé City’s deputy mayor Shifa Mohamed said the housing ministry’s waste disposal program was poorly planned.

“First they say they will throw out the trash a day before they start the program. Two days later, they say not anymore. That is not how people’s behavior works.”

Not everyone is up-to-date on the ministry’s latest announcements, she said. “Some people took out trash they have been keeping inside their homes for more than 8 years.”

The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has meanwhile announced that it will fine the households that have left garbage on the streets after June 15.

“Throwing out trash in this manner, is illegal under the waste management regulations enforced by the EPA,” read the statement.

Article 11 of the waste management regulation prohibit waste disposal on streets and parks.

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180 waste bins donated by China handed over to HDC

The environment ministry has handed over 180 out of 200 waste bins donated by the Chinese government to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) for use in Hulhumalé.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the HDC office today, environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim urged residents of Hulhumalé to make use of the bins and keep the beaches and roads of the reclaimed island clean.

The waste bins were handed to HDC under the ministry’s ‘Saafu Raajje’ waste management campaign.

HDC managing director Mohamed Siman said the state-owned company’s goal was to develop Hulhumalé as a “green city.”

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Are efforts to keep Malé City clean going to waste?

Sunday (November 16) will mark 100 days since Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan disappeared. As friends and family continue to hope for his safe return, some of Rilwan’s best work will be re-published as a reminder of his talents and dedication to his profession.

This article was originally published on May 20, 2014. Since publication, the Tatva renewable waste management deal has been terminated by the government.

Malé City Mayor Mohamed Shihab – elected during the recent council elections – has quickly learned that keeping the streets of the Maldives’ capital clean will be be no easy task.

Dealing with the waste management issue of one of the world’s most densely packed islands is no small feat, he explains, with local politics furthering cluttering the issue.

However, keeping the streets free from litter is just the tip of the rubbish pile explains Shihab, revealing the difficulties the council continues to face in finding a sustainable way to manage the capital’s waste.

“As we increase our efforts to clean Malé, the amount of garbage dumped on to the street is also increasing,” said Shihab.

The purpose of cleaning Malé’s streets and providing public dustbins – for which 260 people are now employed – is not to collect household waste, but to clean up litter, the Mayor tells Minivan News.

It is important to cultivate a habit of keeping the streets clean and using trash bins in the community, he said, suggesting that the implementation of laws was also required to address the issue.

Regulation

The waste management regulation which came into partial force on February 5 imposes an MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering and a fine between MVR10,000 (US$ 648.5) and MVR100,000 (US$6,485) if any authority in charge of public spaces fails to provide dustbins.

The regulations also require boat owners to place dustbins on sea vessels, imposing a maximum fine of MVR100 million (US$6.5 million) on boats that dump waste into the ocean.

Speaking to Minivan News, Ahmed Murthaza – assistant director at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – said that no one had yet been fined under the regulation.

The main focus of the EPA up to now has been to create awareness and to advise offenders to correct their actions, although he warned that the agency would start imposing the fines beginning on World Environment Day (5 June 2014).

The EPA will be working with councils and the Environmental Police Unit in implementing the regulation – all of whom are authorised to issues fines.

Waste management

Mayor Shihab has suggested a long term solution for the issue would be the door to door collection of household waste.

“This is is how it is done everywhere around the world. And in all countries, they charge a fee for the service.”

“So in the future the council will be collecting and disposing the garbage. This will be discussed. Even now each house is spending money, 100 or 200 rufiyaa, monthly for this purpose.”

Most households in Malé currently employ garbage collectors – usually migrant workers – who carry the garbage on their bicycles or private pick-up trucks. This garbage is then carried dumped on a barge in the island’s south-west harbor, which then transports it to the landfill ‘garbage island’ of Thilafushi.

This arrangement, however, was intended to be a temporary one initiated in 2013 after garbage piled up in Malé’s two primary waste yards following damage to the collection vehicles.

While the industrial junk yard is once again in use today, the household waste yard remains abandoned as its foundation structure is damaged to a point that it would be harmful for the environment to utilise the place without funding from a reluctant Finance Ministry, explained Shihab

According to the council, the current arrangement will remain in place during the Islamic month of Ramadan – beginning on June 30 – when the household waste produced can be expected to double.

According to shipping industry sources, an estimated 15- 20 percent increase in imported goods is expected during Ramadan.

Environment Ministry data from 2007 put daily food waste produced in Malé at approximately 25 tonnes, while 2012 statistics indicated that 89,797 tonnes of domestic waste was dumped on Thilafushi annually.

“Dumping waste on to the barge was a temporary measure, but this operation will continue in Ramadan with more barges. Instead of keeping a huge pile of waste in Malé, we will work to transport it as soon as possible,”  explained councillor Shamau Shareef.

Tatva solution

For the council, the immediate hope for a solution to Malé waste management is in India-based Tatva Global Renewable Energy.

The Tatva agreement has faced delays after the government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed renegotiated the agreement signed by his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed in 2011.

The new agreement, which will not include collection of garbage from household in its first phase, now requires the final approval of the Finance Ministry to begin operations.

Under the Tatva agreement, the council’s equipment – including trucks and excavators – has to be to handed over to Tatva in working condition. However, as the council’s equipment has been damaged for over a year, funds are needed for repairs before the handover.

“Our concern is that the government is spending MVR7 million [monthly] to rent this equipment, such as excavators, landing craft, and the barge. This money belongs to the people,” said Shihab.

Suggesting that the council could get the same results for just MVR2-3million, he said that the ministry had repeatedly ignored requests for repair funds.

The existing arrangement must be replaced with permanent and sustainable solution, said the mayor, noting that the smell alone from the garbage barge was becoming unpleasant for people living in the vicinity.

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China gifts 200 waste bins to environment ministry

The Chinese government today gifted 200 waste bins worth MVR500,000 (US$32,425) to the Maldivian government, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Deputy Head of Commission at the Chinese Embassy in Maldives, Mr Liu Ching signed the contract on behalf of the Chinese government, while Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Ali Amir signed for the Maldives.

Mr Liu highlighted the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe for the many tourists visiting the Maldives – of which around a third now come from China.

Malé City Council introduced litter bins to the capital for the first time this year, placing 200 around the city as part of new waste management regulations which impose a MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering.

Liu today said that he was keen to sustain the relationship between the two nations, whose bilateral ties have been expanding rapidly over the past two years.

As well as a steady stream of grant aid, the Chinese and Maldivian governments have penned deals regarding military aid and the development of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

As well as urging the Maldives to become part of its New Silk Road initiative, the Chinese government has promised to “favorably consider” financing the ambitious Malé-Hulhulé bridge project.

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Addu Council to prioritise dealing with waste management issue in 2015

Addu City Council has announced that they will be prioritising a waste management programme when drafting the budget for 2015.

The council stated that there is an even higher need for this at present due to the development of guest house tourism in the city.

Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodiq also reflected on the importance of increasing public awareness on waste management, local media reports.

The council stated that the waste management system they intend to introduce will facilitate the conversion of recycling and the production of fertilisers through the burning of waste.

The council had previously discussed conducting a waste management program in Addu with the assistance of the Ministry of Environment.

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Authorities perservere in efforts to create a litter free Malé

As authorities continue efforts to eradicate littering from the capital city Malé, the council has today revealed the scale of the problem.

Statistics released by Malé City Council showed the litter collected on the streets of Malé on a single day amounted to nearly one ton’s worth.

Among the waste collected was 18,499 empty bottles of water, 1,868 bottles of soft drinks, 4,198 juice packets, 8,740 soda cans, and 8,384 empty cigarette packs.

“I would like to call upon those living in Malé to keep the streets clean,” said Director General at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ahmed Naeem.

“It’s not just your homes you should clean for Ramadan. Malé is a small, congested island with a large number of inhabitants. Every one needs to do their bit to keep the island more habitable.”

Naeem stated that the amount of waste observed on streets has increased tremendously with the approach of Ramadan, during which household waste is expected to double.

Earlier in June, the council displayed a day’s litter collected from Malé’s streets – amounting to 1,600 large garbage bags – in an attempt to raise awareness of the issue.

“We are doing all this in the hope that seeing the amount of waste they are producing, the people of Malé will become more responsible and stop such actions,” said Malé City Mayor Mohamed Shihab.

Responsibility

Meanwhile, some locals continue to complain that, while the dustbins placed around Malé for public use are often “difficult” to use.

“Have you even gone near one of those bins? There’s rotting food and fish guts in there. It’s gross. I would much rather toss my soda can near the side of the street then go up to one of those bins,” 18-year-old Hawwah Nashwa opined.

Waheeda Ali, meanwhile, said that the dustbins are “always full that it is not worth the effort to walk a few blocks to find one”.

Mayor Shihab noted that the dustbins are meant for the disposal of waste produced while on the streets, like candy wrappers, soda cans, and so on, and not for household waste.

“People should not be disposing household waste in these bins. It is labelled clearly and people need to be more responsible. Household waste is to be disposed in the barge we have in the harbour for the purpose,” Shihab responded.

Another individual complained about there not being sufficient dustbins in the streets.

“You have to walk a dozen blocks to find one of those. No one is going to go to the trouble, not after a culture of littering has already set in to people’s mindsets,” said Jailam Ali.

“If the council can’t afford to place more dustbins, maybe they should make it mandatory for shops to place dustbins out on the streets near their establishments,” she added.

Mayor Shihab responded to these comments by explaining that too many dustbins has been seen to result in issues with the disposal of household waste.

Referring to this larger issue, Shihab stated that while the council is ready for implementation, the agreement with Tatva Global Renewable Energy remained on hold due to the Finance Ministry’s failure to sign the final approval.

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad was not responding to calls at the time of press.

Fines for littering

Meanwhile, the EPA began imposing fines on those who litter on the streets of Malé City earlier this month – in accordance with new waste management regulations.

The regulation – which came into partial effect on February 5 – imposes an MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering and a fine between MVR10,000 (US$648.5) and MVR100,000 (US$6,485) if any authority in charge of public spaces fails to provide dustbins.

EPA Director General Ibrahim Naeem stated that so far the fine is only being levied against those who litter on streets of the capital. In addition to EPA staff, the police’s Environmental Protection Unit and the council itself are mandated to issue fines.

“We will begin implementing the other fines, and littering fines in other islands, when the councils and other relevant bodies become ready for enforcement. So far, it only applies in Malé,” he said.

Police media confirmed that they had begun implementation of the regulation, but were unable to provide statistics.

While not providing figures either, Naeem assured that many fines have been issued so far, and that positive effects can be seen in areas of Malé, especially around the local markets in Maafannu.

Naeem added that currently most of the fines have been levied against shops and vendors, instead of individuals.

“It’s far easier to fine shops who leave their garbage outside their shops than it is to catch an individual in the act of littering. But that is where we aim to go. We aim to reach the level where a person can be fined for throwing a tissue or cigarette butt on the street,” he continued.

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Local councils should be empowered to tackle the waste problem: Bluepeace

Local environmental NGO Bluepeace has said that environmental issues, in particular waste management, cannot be tackled without empowering local authorities and the provision of technical expertise and funding.

Speaking to Minivan News about the organisation’s most recent endeavor – empowering local councils to manage waste locally -Executive Director of Bluepeace Ali Rilwan said the councils should have dedicated municipal workers and facilities in order to effectively manage waste.

“It cannot be achieved by a ministry located in Malé. There should be well trained technical personnel at the councils such as environment officers and fisheries officers,” said Rilwan.

Stating that the biggest obstacle to waste management at the moment is a lack of commitment from relevant authorities, Rilwan said that some projects – such as a World Bank scheme in the north – are slowly progressing.

In order to provide the councils with knowledge and technical assistance to establish integrated solid waste management programmes, Bluepeace has published a ‘Waste Management Handbook’.

According to the group, this book – published with assistance from the World Bank – consists of proven concepts and recommends the ideal ways to manage waste locally with minimum environmental damage.

The five focal areas addressed are waste-management plans, ordinances of the government and councils, enforcement mechanisms, easy disposal of waste, and the awareness and participation of the general public.

“It includes methods of waste reduction, reusing, recycling, composting. It covers the whole solid waste management regime at a local level, including how to measure and conduct research,” explained Rilwan.

2000 free copies of the book will be distributed to councils and libraries around the country following its launch as the Hulhudhuffaaru Island Environment Day event.

To increase public engagement in dealing with environmental issues, Bluepeace organised a public discussion on waste, an island clean-up program with Hulhudhuffaaru School students, and the planting of trees and coconut palms around the island.

To further engage the public and assist councils, Bluepeace will be conducting closely managed workshops regarding the implementation of the plans contained in the book and will provide assistance in areas such as placing waste bins.

A pilot workshop is to be carried out in Hulhudhuffaaru, Rasgetheemu, and Angolhitheemu islands and – based on its success – will be expanded to other islands.

“Even without a workshop, this is written in very simple Dhivehi language, and it is very detailed so that anyone can understand,” said Rilwan.

He noted that having a reference book would help in preventing practices damaging to the environment, noting that Bluepeace has come across islands where people have trie to reclaim land by dumping harmful waste into the lagoon, believing it to be an environmentally friendly method.

“This book is focused on managing waste at a local level, but it should be complemented with action at a national level. For instance, we imposed a very high duty on plastic products, but people are importing raw materials and producing plastic here. So this policy is not working and we don’t have any standard for the plastic used here.”

While toxic waste such as batteries should be destroyed in a specific way, Rilwan said that these things cannot be carried out locally and need to be done at a national level. He also said that currently no research or policies for waste management exists in the Maldives.

“Even if the law forbids littering, if there are no bins people will litter,” he said, referring to the new waste management regulation which came into partial force on February 5.

To acquire necessary facilities for managing waste, the Bluepeace handbook suggests collecting a small fee from each household, establishing an island waste management fund, making money from selling waste and organic compost, and charging businesses for using the local system.

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Are efforts to keep Malé City clean going to waste?

“As we increase our efforts to clean Malé, the amount of garbage dumped on to the street is also increasing,” said Mayor Mohamed Shihab.

The purpose of cleaning Malé’s streets and providing public dustbins – for which 260 people are now employed – is not to collect household waste, but to clean up litter, the Mayor tells Minivan News.

It is important to cultivate a habit of keeping the streets clean and using trash bins in the community, he said, suggesting that the implementation of laws was also required to address the issue.

However, keeping the streets free from litter is just the tip of the rubbish pile explains Shihab, revealing the difficulties the council continues to face in finding a sustainable way to manage the capital’s waste.

Regulation

The waste management regulation which came into partial force on February 5 imposes an MVR100 (US$6.5) fine for littering and a fine between MVR10,000 (US$ 648.5) and MVR100,000 (US$6,485) if any authority in charge of public spaces fails to provide dustbins.

The regulations also require boat owners to place dustbins on sea vessels, imposing a maximum fine of MVR100 million (US$6.5 million) on boats that dump waste into the ocean.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Ahmed Murthaza – assistant director at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – said that no one had yet been fined under the regulation.

The main focus of the EPA up to now has been to create awareness and to advise offenders to correct their actions, although he warned that the agency would start imposing the fines beginning on World Environment Day (5 June 2014).

The EPA will be working with councils and the Environmental Police Unit in implementing the regulation – all of whom are authorised to issues fines.

Waste management

Mayor Shihab has suggested a long term solution for the issue would be the door to door collection of household waste.

“This is is how it is done everywhere around the world. And in all countries, they charge a fee for the service.”

“So in the future the council will be collecting and disposing the garbage. This will be discussed. Even now each house is spending money, 100 or 200 rufiyaa, monthly for this purpose.”

Most households in Malé currently employ garbage collectors – usually migrant workers – who carry the garbage on their bicycles or private pick-up trucks. This garbage is then carried dumped on a barge in the island’s south-west harbor, which then transports it to the landfill ‘garbage island’ of Thilafushi.

This arrangement, however, was intended to be a temporary one initiated in 2013 after garbage piled up in Malé’s two primary waste yards following damage to the collection vehicles.

While the industrial junk yard is once again in use today, the household waste yard remains abandoned as its foundation structure is damaged to a point that it would be harmful for the environment to utilise the place without funding from a reluctant Finance Ministry, explained Shihab

According to the council, the current arrangement will remain in place during the Islamic month of Ramadan – beginning on June 30 – when the household waste produced can be expected to double.

According to shipping industry sources, an estimated 15- 20 percent increase in imported goods is expected during Ramadan.

Environment Ministry data from 2007 put daily food waste produced in Malé at approximately 25 tonnes, while 2012 statistics indicated that 89,797 tonnes of domestic waste was dumped on Thilafushi annually.

“Dumping waste on to the barge was a temporary measure, but this operation will continue in Ramadan with more barges. Instead of keeping a huge pile of waste in Malé, we will work to transport it as soon as possible,”  explained councillor Shamau Shareef.

Tatva solution

For the council, the immediate hope for a solution to Malé waste management is in India-based Tatva Global Renewable Energy.

The Tatva agreement has faced delays after the government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed renegotiated the agreement signed by his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed in 2011.

The new agreement, which will not include collection of garbage from household in its first phase, now requires the final approval of the Finance Ministry to begin operations.

Under the Tatva agreement, the council’s equipment – including trucks and excavators – has to be to handed over to Tatva in working condition. However, as the council’s equipment has been damaged for over a year, funds are needed for repairs before the handover.

“Our concern is that the government is spending MVR7 million [monthly] to rent this equipment, such as excavators, landing craft, and the barge. This money belongs to the people,” said Shihab.

Suggesting that the council could get the same results for just MVR2-3million, he said that the ministry had repeatedly ignored requests for repair funds.

The existing arrangement must be replaced with permanent and sustainable solution, said the mayor, noting that the smell alone from the garbage barge was becoming unpleasant for people living in the vicinity.

Minivan News was unable to obtain a comment from Ministry of Finance at the time of press.

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Government calls for Environmental Impact Assessment for new waste yard in Malé

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure is seeking parties to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) to construct a waste yard on the south of Malé, local media have reported.

The Ministry will hold an information session on Thursday (May 8) for interested parties, who will be asked to submit the financial and technical proposals before 11:00 a.m. on 15 May, Housing Ministry said in an announcement on Monday.

In an effort to alleviate the long overdue waste management issue in the capital, the government is seeking to reclaim the lagoon area opposite Maafannu Stadium.

Waste is now collected on a barge docked near the Vilimalé ferry terminal, a temporary arrangement made after the City Council’s failure to empty the waste grounds in a timely manner, local media report.

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