Thilafushi lagoon becomes landfill; garbage spills out into sea
Under the project, two incinerator plants with a capacity to dispose of 250 tonnes of waste per day per plant will be set up at Thilafushi.
By
Aminath Shifleen
Thilafushi lagoon has been filled with garbage and some of the waste has started spilling out into the open sea.
Images released by WAMCO on Wednesday show that the Thilafushi lagoon is a landfill, filled with various types of garbage. The waste is being dragged out to sea due to weather conditions, the company said.
According to WAMCO:
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Garbage dumped into the sea by boats
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Garbage dumped in the sea from some sites in the island
"The lagoon is not like this all the time. For now, the garbage has accumulated at one place due to currents around the island," said a WAMCO official.
He added that the garbage is being cleaned up now. The company also asked sea-commuters to be cautious as these debris could be dragged away into the sea.
About 500-700 tonnes of waste is dumped in Thilafushi every day. Since the entire area is being polluted by the garbage dumped at the site, the government has initiated a mega project to put an end to the increasing waste problem. Thus:
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The Greater Male Waste to Energy Project was launched at a cost of $304 million (MVR 4.7 billion)
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Under the project, two incinerator plants with a capacity to dispose of 250 tonnes of waste per day per plant will be set up at Thilafushi; with which a total capacity of 500 tonnes of waste can be disposed of in a day
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A special plant will be set up to process the construction garbage
The government had earlier said that the project would be completed by 2024. By the time the project is completed, Thilafushi will be completely transformed and progress will be made in waste management with the help of eco-friendly and state-of-the-art technology, according to the government.
