Environment


EPA failing to publish airport impact reports
Save Maldives raised concerns about the projects in Maafaru and Funadhoo, saying the Environmental Protection Agency had yet to make its findings public.
26 Dec 2017, 09:00


Heavy rain causes flooding on four islands
According to the police, flooding was reported on the islands of Maalhos in Baa atoll, Isdhoo in Laamu atoll, Villigili in Gaaf Alif atoll, and Gadhdhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll.
19 Dec 2017, 09:00


“Oh, we’re sinking, look” – The Maldives and the environment
The Maldives government is accused of hypocrisy: planning for the destruction of the environment while at the same time championing to save it.
15 Dec 2017, 09:00


Damage to 60 islands after extreme weather
Heavy rainfall caused flooding on 36 islands, strong winds tore off roofs and felled trees on 18 islands, and high swells were reported from four islands, according to the National Disaster Management Centre.
03 Dec 2017, 09:00


NGO sues government over mangrove destruction
The NGO EcoCare Maldives initiated the civil suit against the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
13 Nov 2017, 09:00


NGOs slam ‘careless sacrifice’ of Kulhudhuffushi mangroves
Developing an airport on Kulhudhuffushi, the main population hub in the northern atolls, was a campaign pledge the president made in 2013. But a contractor has yet to be appointed to build it.
07 Nov 2017, 09:00


Greenhouse gas reduction agreement approved by parliament
Parliament on Monday approved the ratification of the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to reduce the global production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
07 Nov 2017, 09:00


Edging towards ecocide? Mangrove destruction in Kulhudhuffushi
A timeline of events since the presidential pledge to build an airport on the northern population hub.
02 Nov 2017, 09:00


2,500 trees to be cut down for Kulhudhuffushi airport
The Kulhudhuffushi council expects about 2,500 trees and plants to be cut down or removed from the island’s unique mangrove forest for the construction of an airport.
30 Oct 2017, 09:00


Environmentalists cry foul as Kulhudhuffushi airport project begins
Work began Saturday on a “bund wall” to mark a boundary for dredging and reclaiming the northern island’s environmentally sensitive wetland area after fast-tracked environmental regulatory processes.
29 Oct 2017, 09:00


Special ops disperse Kulhudhuffushi protest
The demonstrators gathered outside the ministry with placards, demanding an urgent meeting as plans to raze the mangroves are thought to start on October 30.
26 Oct 2017, 09:00


EPA yet to see impact assessment for Kulhudhufushi airport
The government’s plans to begin dredging the environmentally sensitive wetland area in November has sparked an outcry from islanders and environmentalists.
24 Oct 2017, 09:00


EIA warns of lasting damage from reclaiming Kulhudhufushi mangrove
The “considerable negative impacts on the environment” include the permanent loss of habitat for the flora and fauna, loss of terrestrial vegetation and deforestation, and the effect on marine life due to sedimentation.
24 Oct 2017, 09:00


Environmental sustainability: A tale of two presidents
The hope of social media activists that an Environment Impact Assessment could save the Kulhudhufushi mangrove from destruction to build an airport is misplaced, writes environmental scientist Ibrahim Mohamed.
23 Oct 2017, 09:00


Climate change ‘big unknown,’ says Game of Thrones star
Coster-Waldau was in the Maldives on a three-day trip as a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador and visited an atoll where several UNDP projects are located.
04 Oct 2017, 09:00


Man fined almost $10,000 for caging endangered turtles
Mohamed Musthafa from the island of Maakurathu in Raa atoll was fined MVR149,000 ($9,600), the first penalty of its kind imposed for caging the creatures.
02 Oct 2017, 09:00


Maldives announces campaign to intercept ocean plastic
The fisheries minister announced a campaign for the Maldivian fisheries industry, consisting over 1,250 vessels, to intercept ocean plastics in the country’s one-million square kilometre wide exclusive economic zone.
07 Jun 2017, 09:00


Maldives disappointed with ‘US abdication of responsibility on climate change’
President Yameen called the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement a blow to global efforts to avert global warming and a setback for essential multilateral processes.
03 Jun 2017, 09:00


Bad weather causes damages in 14 islands
A cyclone hit Nilandhoo in Faafu atoll Thursday afternoon and blew the roofs off 10 houses after heavy rainfall caused damages on Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal atoll the previous day.
01 Jun 2017, 09:00


Thoddoo fields damaged by heavy rainfall
“These damages came as the farmers were preparing for Ramadan. Now, this brings unprecedented losses to them. The estimated loss is currently more than MVR1 million (US$64,850),” said the Thoddoo council’s information officer.
25 May 2017, 09:00

