Malé mayor compares waste situation to 2014 water crisis
Azim said legislative and administrative changes were needed to ensure the council remained informed during emergencies.
Malé Mayor Adam Azim has compared the accumulation of waste across the Greater Malé area following the fire at the Thilafushi Regional Waste Management Facility to the 2014 Malé water crisis.
Speaking at the 10th official general meeting of the fifth-term Malé City Council on Wednesday, Azim said household waste generated in Malé must be collected and disposed of on a daily basis, but alleged that the Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) had failed to fulfil its responsibilities.
He said the same situation was affecting Villimalé and noted that when waste is left on the streets, the City Council is required to remove it.
"This incurs significant expenses from the council's budget. I believe they are doing this intentionally to litter Malé and defame our council," Azim said.
Azim said the government must address the issue and argued that the Malé City Council should have representation on the boards of state-owned utility companies responsible for waste management, water and electricity services.
"In my view, a representative of ours should sit on the board of WAMCO. Our representative should also sit on the board of MWSC and STELCO," he said.
He argued that under the Decentralisation Act, the City Council has responsibilities relating to these services and should therefore be represented on the boards of the state-owned companies providing them.
Azim said legislative and administrative changes were needed to ensure the council remained informed during emergencies.
"Even if it is not a councillor, having a civil service employee representing us on the board is crucial," he said. "These amendments need to be brought to the laws and regulations to handle this properly. The government has no intention to fix this. If they did, the first thing they would have done is brief the public, sitting down with WAMCO and us to explain the current situation."
Referring to plans to transport burnt waste from Thilafushi to the waste management facility in HDh. Kunburudhoo, Azim said waste generated in the Greater Malé area should not be disposed of elsewhere, adding that the proposal would also involve significant costs.
"I believe this is happening due to the failure of WAMCO's management," he said.
Azim and other councillors also said WAMCO should have had a crisis management plan in place to maintain waste collection services following the fire.
"A fire breaking out at the landfill should not mean that waste across the entire city cannot be removed. Immediate alternative arrangements should have been made," Azim said.
He added that the accumulation of waste, at a time when diseases including measles and dengue are circulating in the capital, reflected a failure to manage the situation. Azim said the City Council would continue discussions with WAMCO in an effort to resolve the issue.
