Maldives lifts coral bleaching linked dredging restrictions
While the suspension of lagoon excavation and land reclamation projects linked to the coral bleaching issue has been removed, coral bleaching persists.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday lifted restrictions imposed to mitigate the impact of rising sea temperatures and the problem of coral bleaching in the country's reefs.
According to an EPA announcement on Tuesday, the agency has lifted the temporary suspension of lagoon excavation and dredging activities that were imposed to reduce the damage caused to the reefs.
Maldives' sea temperatures have risen sharply during the El-Nino phase and coral reefs have been dying since April. According to the latest information, the country is currently at 'Alert level -2’.
The EPA took measures to reduce coral whitening from early April to early this month.
The measures are:
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All land reclamation projects suspended for the time being
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Stopping the use of heavy machinery such as dredging, beach development, bund wall, sand pumping, pipeline laying and cable laying on the reef
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Such ongoing projects and EIAs, postponed until June 10th
The EPA said on Tuesday that while the decision to suspend lagoon excavation and land reclamation projects linked to coral bleaching has ended, the issue of coral bleaching persists.
Noting that the Maldives has moved from alert level-1 to level-2, the EPA said:
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The EIA report recommends special attention to the optimal implementation of measures to mitigate the environmental impact of all work
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The EPA has requested that all activities, except those required for land reclamation and reclamation projects, should be carried out after August 31
