Ga. Maamendhoo Council has held a meeting at the island's beach to bring government attention to the erosion issues on the island.
The five council members attended the meeting held at 10:00 am on Tuesday. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss erosion issues faced by the island. The meeting was live-streamed on the Maamendhoo Council's Facebook page.
Speaking to AVAS, Maamendhoo Council President Ahmed Azeez said the government had been consulted several times regarding the erosion problem on the island's north. He said that the island's residents are facing losses and several challenges due to the issue.
"The island is eroding, and salt water [from the sea] is entering the houses near the beach. We have asked [the government] several times to find a solution to this problem. However, we have not received any positive response from the government," Azeez said.
Azeez added that it is evident that the government is only trying to address erosion problems in the islands in the north. However, the southern islands, especially the islands in Gaafu Alif atoll, seem to have been isolated from the efforts, he said.
The council has held discussions regarding the issue with various government institutions, said Azeez. When former Environment Minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan previously visited the island, he observed the eroding area, and several discussions took place during the visit, said Azeez.
"Every time we complain, they say they will find a solution. But there has been no implementation of any of these solutions," Azeez added.
The council president said that the purpose of holding the council's meeting at the beach is to bring the issue to the government's attention, especially President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. While the President is scheduled to visit the atoll on December 23, Azeez said he hopes to find a quick solution to the issue.
Between 300 and 400 feet of land have been eroded from the northern part of Maamendhoo. The council said that the distance between the residential and the beach area is around 30 to 50 feet.
