Thilafushi project biggest environment work by any govt, Shauna says
With the changes in the city's population and modern lifestyle, waste management has become a major challenge, the minister said.
By
Aminath Shifleen
Environment minister Aminath Shauna said on Monday that the work being carried out in Thilafushi for waste management is not directly visible to the people living in the Male region, but it is the biggest and most important work that a government has ever done to protect the environment.
The government has introduced a new service to ensure that garbage is transported safely and securely from Male to Thilafushi. The waste will be separated and safely placed in special containers at the Waste Transfer Centre, which she opened at the Industrial Village in the city on Monday.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the centre, Shauna spoke about the challenges facing waste disposal in the Male region and the efforts being made by the government to manage it.
She highlighted the waste-to-energy project launched in 2021 to generate energy from the waste that is collected from the Male area. By the time the project is completed, the vista of Thilafushi will be transformed, according to the government.
The minister said the project, which has a total waste disposal capacity of 500 tonnes, is already making progress.
Shauna said:
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Male and nearby resorts have been saved from the toxic fumes of the garbage mountain burning in Thilafushi after a lot of efforts.
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People may speculate that a pail of water can extinguish the burning embers within the gigantic garbage pile, but it took a lot of research and technical advice.
The minister said the work was completed so quickly because the project continued despite the difficulties of Covid-19.
“The work being done in Thilafushi is a scene that people living in the area have not seen directly but it is the most important work being done by a government to protect the environment of the Male area,” she said.
With the changes in the city's population and modern lifestyle, waste management has become a major challenge, she said. She noted that the need to dispose of waste safely and reduce waste is increasing day by day.
The minister said:
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The first places to dispose of garbage in the city were the ward dumpsters, but the amount of garbage dumped there got piled so high that it had to be shut down.
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Instead, a garbage dump was set up in the sports complex area, but it was nearby schools and the public faced inconvenience
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The minister said the situation in Thilafushi, which was managing the city's waste, had been going badly. However, she believes that the major project that has now been launched to address that will bring solutions
Shauna said the main objective of the waste transfer centre is to manage the garbage generated in the Male area on a daily basis and to further rehabilitate the garbage mountain in Thilafushi.
