City Council granted MVR 8 million to clear garbage dumping ground

Ministry of Finance has granted MVR 8 million to the Male’ City Council as a temporary measure to clear the Male’ Garbage Ground Number 1.

Male’ City Council Member Ibrahim Sujau told Sun today that the money that has been agreed by the finance ministry is intended to find a temporary solution for the problem and that the excavation work of the garbage dumping area will only commence by next Monday.

“Up until 2008, Municipality had been clearing the garbage dumping area through an allocated budget. But the money has been decreased continuously and from last year onwards, we have been clearing the dumping area without any arrangement. Which means that as per the system now, the finance ministry gives money when the garbage accumulates and then it gets cleared. Just like how it happened last, when the garbage gets accumulated and got noticed by the public, it was time to clear the area. But it is not a proper arrangement,” Sujau said.

A section of the Male’ garbage dumping grounds caught fire recently. The smoke and fumes released from the fire continues has caused difficulties for the people living in the area. Imaduddin School, a school located near the area, was forced to be closed due to the pollution in the area.

City Council said that the company that is willing to provide the excavation service at the lowest cost is a company named BMC, the same company that held the project before. Shujau said that the company will be able to commence excavation work on Monday. He said that they held talks with the school to clarify their complaints and find the best solution for the problem.

“If we are to do according to the Public Finance Act, it will take about two more weeks. So, under the special legal options granted to the Finance Ministry, without announcing (to find a party), the City Council has decided to grant the project in order to find a quick solution. So we have handed it over to the company which can do it as quickly and cheaply as possible. The equipment of the company, to which it was handed over, are currently in the atolls. They have to bring them, and work can only commence by Monday,” said Sujau.

The previous government had handed the waste management project to an Indian company Tatwa Global Renewable Energy. The current government has amended the contract saying that the project was awarded at an unreasonable fare and that the government will suffer huge losses if they stick the agreement in the long run. The project that was scheduled to start mid last year been has not been able to be commenced. The Male’ City Council budget does not have any amounts allocated for waste management this year.

Imaduddin School Parent Teachers Association has said that they will start protests if the excavation work does not commence by coming Sunday. Chile Abusing Prevention Society (CAPS) has called upon the public to join hands to clear the garbage dumping area in Male’.