Minister: Govt. has no plans to grant legal autonomy to EPA

Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, on Thursday, stated that the government has no plans to grant legal autonomy to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In the March 15 ruling by the Supreme Court revoking an injunction granted by the High Court to halt the reclamation works of K. Gulhifalhu for housing, Justice Husnu Al Suood said it is up to the government to ensure EPA operates with legal and financial autonomy.

Answering a question posed by a journalist in this trajectory during a press conference held at the President’s Office on Thursday, Minister Thoriq said the government, so far, has no plans to grant legal autonomy to EPA.

“We, so far, have no plans to grant legal autonomy to EPA,” he said.

However, he noted that the government was presently providing EPA with human resources, equipment and other items necessary for their work in order to ensure they can discharge their duties as independently as possibly.

“Nevertheless, even at present, we are providing EPA with human resources, equipment and other items necessary to carry out EPA’s crucial responsibilities to ensure they work as independently as possible,” he said.

Notably, granting legal autonomy to EPA had been an electoral pledge of former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This had not been achieved by the time he stepped down at the conclusion of his electoral term.

In Justice Suood’s obiter dictum, he emphasized that Maldivian courts are disadvantage when it comes to reviewing environmental cases owing to lack of scientific research made in the Maldivian context. He argued it was prevalent to conduct and implement a "National Strategical Environmental Assessment" to enforce Article 22 of the Maldives Constitution.

Minister Thoriq, on Thursday, revealed that efforts were underway to conduct such an assessment, adding the assessment will be conducted in specific regions of the Maldives.

Justice Suood said the law mandates research needed to implement national policies, and take measures on environmental impact in developmental projects.

The law also mandates monitoring changes to ecosystems after projects, and publishing the data related to these observations.

"For this, the EPA needs to have financial strength and resources, as well as legal enforcement to ensure the agency can operate autonomously," he added.

EPA – first incepted under a presidential directive in 2008 – is presently run under the Environment Ministry.