Parliament to recommend land erosion data mechanism
Aslam proposed that drone technology be used to obtain the information on island erosion.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed said on Wednesday that a bill will be drafted to create a system to collect and store data on the erosion of islands in the Maldives.
Nasheed made the remarks in response to a recommendation made by planning minister Mohamed Aslam during Wednesday’s parliament sitting. Aslam suggested collecting data on the erosion of the islands in response to a question from MP Mohamed Waheed regarding the conservation of the eroding areas in the islands in R. Ungoofaaru constituency.
Aslam said that the problem of erosion in the Maldives has been on the rise for two reasons: climate change and developmental projects in coastal areas.
Aslam said the problem persists when the problem is addressed "in a hurry". He also pointed out that there was not enough data to address the issue long term.
"However, engineers don't have the full data they need to design a solution. There are some works that have taken place under my supervision in the Maldives. The work has been completed but a full solution is not available yet," Aslam pointed out.
According to Aslam, it is easy to do so in this day and age. Pointing out this, he proposed that drone technology be used to obtain the information.
"Different things happen in outer islands in different years. In four years or five years, the same place may have been swallowed up and it might not go back to what it was. It hasn't changed. So, once a month, I would like to do a shoreline map of each of these islands," Aslam said.
"For USD 2,000, a drone can be obtained. The existing drones operate on autonomous flight mode. Anyone can fly the drone. The image from it is geo-fenced. By placing the photos on top of each other, you can see the changes every month."
At the end of Aslam's speech, Nasheed also shared his views with the parliament. According to him:
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The way islands erode is information that has been written and maintained in the past on the copperplates and inscriptions
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At that time, the country had not found a new mechanism for the project since the practice was stopped
"Then the system of Waqf was abolished, as you know, it was abolished in the 1950s. In the days between the abolition of that system and the system of Varuwa and the implementation of this new constitution, the old system has also disappeared and then we have not been able to roll out a new system," Nasheed said.
Pointing out this, he said the agency would work in the next session of parliament to put in place a mechanism to handle the statistics as per Aslam's recommendations.
