"Take your project and leave": Kudafari's rare victory over central planning

Ali Shameem, the island council president, recalled the public consultation meeting in 2019 where residents confronted representatives of the Malé Water and Sewerage Company, whose design involved laying pipes straight through Kudafari's main roads, uprooting any trees or coconut palms in the way – a standard approach to infrastructure that is efficient for engineers, but often destructive to the landscapes that define Maldivian islands.

"It got very heated. Some people said to the contractor that if you can't do it [without cutting trees], it's because you are not capable enough," Shameem told the Maldives Independent. Others pointed out that if luxury resorts could manage sanitation while protecting the environment – albeit at high maintenance costs – then so could the government, he added.

Kudafari's unpaved roads are lined with leafy breadfruit and mango trees that serve as shaded communal spots with rope net seats.

"[The trees] were planted by people over the years. Some trees would be older than 26 years. Some trees are 10 and some over 20 years-old," Shameem explained. "Because these are trees that had been here for a long time, a lot of residents had strong sentiments attached to these trees, so they spoke out against it."

In the face of implacable resistance, the contractor relented and reassessed the design. The MVR 38 million (US$ 2.5 million) project – which included two reverse osmosis plants, three storage tanks, a sea outflow, and a network of household connections – was eventually completed without felling a single tree. The pipes were laid carefully to evade deep roots.

Six years later, Kudafari's successful rebellion remains a rare exception. It offers a rare glimpse of what community-led development could look like as elected councils – introduced by the landmark 2010 decentralisation law that promised local planning and governance – face tighter government control over their finances. 

On most islands, project designs are drawn up in Malé with minimal community input. Contractors often push through the cheapest option, using the threat of cancellation if major changes are demanded. "They are able to do what they want by threatening that the project would be lost to the community otherwise," said Shameem.

Abdulla Adam, secretary general of the Kulhudhuffushi City Council, has seen this dynamic play out repeatedly.

In April 2017, when the government pushed ahead with a controversial airport project after reclaiming the island's famous mangroves, Adam flew home from Malé to attend a public consultation organised by the consultants who conducted the environmental impact assessment.

"I was one of the people who spoke most against it. There were a lot of discussions there," he recalled.

Two options were presented: reclaiming the mangroves as the primary option or reclaiming part of the eastern lagoon as the alternative. "The consultants asked for a show of hands to ask who wanted to explore the option of the eastern side and most people at the meeting raised their hands. They didn't even bother asking who preferred the primary option," he noted.

Despite overwhelming local support for the alternative, the project went ahead as planned, disregarding opposition from environmentalists. The island community was left divided: most wanted an airport and feared losing the project if they resisted.

"I think in Maldives history, that was one of the projects that faced the most opposition at the local level and international level. None of it was considered," Adam observed.

Kudafari's sewage project stands out as a "rare success story" that Adam attributed to the small island's unique social fabric.

"They have a very strong island unity and togetherness. Even the previous council took a lot of pride in the trees and the natural environment of the island. It's not just the residents, but the community leaders also support protecting the environment and they become the first people to come out in defence," he explained.

On most islands, people are made to feel that opposing central government projects is equivalent to rejecting development. "In the case of the Madaveli causeway as well, I know people there opposed it but people worry that if they oppose it too much, they will lose the project," Adam added.

The environment-friendly sewage design was unique in Kudafari as well, Shameem noted, pointing to an ongoing shore protection project by the state-owned Maldives Transport and Contracting Company.

"In any island where coastal protection has gone ahead, there is no more beach. It's true. They put up geobags and there's no more beach. We told them not to do it and the beach would not be there if they did it like that, but they said our proposal would cost more," the council president said.

But MTCC was unwilling to explore the option and hire a quantity surveyor to draw up an estimated cost, he said.

"There are 198 island councils and the people [who are elected to the councils] will care about their island and try to do something. The [ministries], no matter how many qualified people they have, they can't match that," he suggested.

According to Shameem, island councils are perfectly capable of managing planning processes if they are trusted and empowered.

"Planning and designing are all services, they have to hire [contractors] and we would do the same, we always have a planning consultancy going on, so we can find the cheapest options too," he argued.

But even when Kudafari's council proposed collaborative planning, contractors refused.

"We asked that our planners and their planners sit together and agree on a plan together, but they aren't willing to agree to it. They know our team is good. I think they also do not have an interest in doing it," he said.

"Maybe they do not really want to think too much about a project in Kudafari. In the case of a Malé bridge, maybe they would consider it a lot more."