In PHOTO’s : Thilafushi – waste management gone all wrong.

The large amounts of waste created in the capital city of Male’ is carried off and taken to the Island of Thilafushi located west of Male’, which is an artificial land fill created on a shallow lagoon using the dump from Male’. Most of these waste which are not biodegradable in nature have been used to fill the lagoon to reclaim the Island. It was perhaps going well up until recently, in the last few months there has been no proper management mechanism of the waste which is being dumped on to the Island. With loads of garbage coming in daily from the capital as well as from close by Resorts the Island and its surrounding has become so contaminated and toxic. The marine ecosystem is threatened and thus will have effects on the food chain.

Immediate and more urgent measures need to be taken by the concerned authorities to handle the situation in Thilafushi and to establish a more sustainable and effective waste management mechanism for Male’.

Ahmed Shan is a Member of ECOCARE Maldives, an Environment Activist, a Photographer, a Dive Master and a Surveyor at the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) – Maldives.