Heavy rainfall causes flooding in Male

Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have caused flooding in various parts of Male, with 136.5 mm of rainfall recorded by the Maldives Meteorological Service (MET).

The continuous rainfall, which began Friday night, led to flooding in several areas of the capital. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) began efforts to drain the floodwaters overnight.

“The MNDF Fire and Rescue Service has installed 16 pumps in five areas of the city,” MNDF announced in a post on X.

These areas include West Park, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Villingili Ferry Terminal, Digicel, and Jelly Pizza.

In addition to deploying pumps, MNDF has provided assistance by placing sandbags to prevent water from entering homes affected by flooding.

Over the past five days, MNDF teams have been responding to flood-related incidents in various parts of the city.

According to MET data, Male recorded the highest rainfall in the past 24 hours, followed by Hulhule (117.4 mm) and B. Dharavandhoo (111.5 mm). The MET has noted that the current rainfall is typical during the monsoon season.

The MET has also issued a white alert for northern parts of the country, forecasting heavy rain and strong winds. The alert, issued at 3 am on Saturday, warns of:

The weather is expected to remain challenging over the weekend, and residents in affected areas are advised to take necessary precautions.