Male flooding: Dirt water damage houses; no way to cook or eat

"There's no way I can cook and eat in this house today. Sewage has leaked from the toilets and the entire house is filled with that dirty water," said a resident of M. Bihuge house in Haveeree Hingun, which was the worst-hit by the heavy rain in Male Saturday morning. 

The heavy rain that hit Male Saturday morning caused flooding in the entire city within a few seconds. In the Westpark area, the worst-hit area, was flooded, and the water level rose up to the knees. There is not a single house in the area that is not affected by flooded water. 

"All the houses here are affected by the water. This is not just the condition of this house," said a resident of a house in Maafannu, Haveeree Hingun.

He recounted how all the wooden furniture, including the cupboards and the beds, had been affected by the water as the water had flooded the house. Some of them were unusable.

"I still can't even use the toilet. The same sewage keeps coming up. On top, the cupboard was flooded with water and it is unusable," he said. 

"There are children in this house. I am worried about the possibility of spreading diseases if sewage is expelled like this."

He says that the water that had risen in the house has almost receded now. All the water will recede when it drains from all the areas.

"There are streams still running in the house. It will take time for the water to recede completely. It's been very difficult since its the fasting month. There's no way I can prepare any food," she said.

Many of those affected by Saturday’s flooding complained that the government was not doing enough to pump out the water even after several hours.

A resident of Maafannu said that he had brought it to the notice of the police when it started raining and flooding. He, however, added that the police had asked him to call MNDF and lodge a complaint.

"When the water started entering the house, I went and told Maafannu Police Station about it. They told me to contact MNDf," he said.

According to people who spoke to Atoll Times, MNDF came to drain the water several hours after the water started entering the houses. They believe that since it floods easily in Maafannu area with heavy rain, the authorities should take action sooner.

"When the water level rose so high, the response was zero. If it had been faster, the water level would not have increased so much," said a resident of Maafannu.

According to sources, the draining work started around 8.30 am. Pumps were installed at four places in the city to pump the water out and the water level has now receded to a great extent with this work.

However, it will take another two to three days for the residents of the houses damaged by the water to return to any form of normalcy.