Mayor hopes permanent fix for floods during current City Council term

Male’ City Mayor Adam Azim said on Tuesday that he hopes flood-related damages to residences will be permanently resolved during the current Male' City Council term.

In an interview with SSTV, Azim said between 500 and 700 Male’ City residences report varying degrees of damage during such rainfalls and said he has been committed to finding a permanent solution since his first day as the city’s mayor.

“Many residences are expected to sustain damages, which is not just limited to property damages but will increase the chances for the spread of diseases as well,” he said.

The western end of Male’ City, especially the West Park area and IGMH zone, have experienced extensive flooding due to the non-stop rainfall on Tuesday. Azim said sand-bag barriers have been installed in 140 residences to barricade water entry and said authorities were trying to install barriers in more houses.

“The public does not want assistance only when struck with such difficulties. The public wants to prevent sustaining future damages,” Azim added.

While highlighting the current administration’s Male’ City road redevelopment plan, Azim said the project also encompasses strengthening the water drainage system. The mayor assured Male’ City Council’s support for the government in these efforts.

Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh, who also spoke on SSTV, said the road development initiative for Male’ City and Vilimale’ is geared up for mobilization and added the project’s survey will commence next week.

“We believe this project will permanently solve the issue. We need a permanent solution instead of temporary fixes. We also realize that the drainage system is quite old,” Nareesh said, adding that the stormwater system needs total recalibration to solve flood issues.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier said his government intends to launch the redevelopment initiative to upgrade the roads and install a new stormwater system using wider pipes for increased drainage ‘bandwidth’.

The government launched an initiative under the same cause in May and said the project, executed with the Chinese government’s support, will incur over USD 100 million.