Parliament extends deadline for water, sewerage projects to 2027

Parliament has passed a bill extending the deadline for establishing water and sewerage systems in all inhabited islands of the Maldives to 2027.

The amendment to the Water and Sewerage Act, first tabled by the government on 22 July, was approved on Monday with 61 votes in favour and seven votes against from members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The Environment Committee, which reviewed the bill, submitted its report without major changes.

Under the existing law, passed in August 2020 during the previous MDP administration, the Ministry of Environment was required to establish adequate water and sewerage systems in all inhabited islands within five years. That deadline expired on Tuesday.

The new amendment extends the completion target by two years and five months, setting the new deadline in 2027. It also removes a provision in Article 8(f) that required the Ministry to establish water analysis laboratories to ensure the safety of public water supplies.

The bill also introduces new penalty provisions:

These amendments will take effect immediately upon parliamentary approval.

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had pledged in 2018 to provide water and sewerage systems to all inhabited islands by 2023. While several agreements for projects were signed, some initiatives stalled and the target was not met. The previous government cited the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the causes for delays.