Sri Lanka provides immediate assistance to relieve potable water crisis in Maldives

Monday, 8 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government has commenced delivery of drinking water to the Maldivian capital Malé. Malé is facing a severe shortage of drinking water, following a fire on the previous day at its sole water purification plant which disrupted the water supply to the city, and prompted the authorities to declare a “disaster situation.”

The initial consignment of 5.8 metric tons of bottled water which arrived on a SriLankan Airlines flight was handed over by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Maldives, Neil Dias to the Maldivian Minister of Defence and National Security, Colonel (Rtd.) Mohamed Nazim. Several high-ranking Ministers including Dr. Aishath Shiham, Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed Shainee, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development and Thariq Ibrahim, Minister of Environment and Energy were also present at the airport to receive the donation. Accepting the emergency relief, Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim thanked President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the people of Sri Lanka for the timely action in this hour of need of the Maldivian people. A serious fire incident at the Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) Thursday afternoon has resulted in the total cutoff of water supply in the capital Malé. MWSC is the only source of water supply in the capital Malé. The Maldivian Government appealed to the friendly countries for help as about 100,000 people in the capital were left without drinking water. India, Sri Lanka, the United States and China have assured the Maldivian Government of their support in the crisis, the Foreign Ministry said. Emergency assistance from India and Sri Lanka has already been received, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said. The Ministry of External Affairs, in close coordination with SriLankan Airlines has made arrangements to send over 100,000 bottles of drinking water to the Maldives in the next few days. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry said that Sri Lanka is sending emergency water supplies via every flight that comes from Colombo to the Maldives. SriLankan Airlines has the highest frequency of flights from any destination in the world to Malé with five daily regular flights. The water will be distributed among the residents of Malé free of charge. The Sri Lankan Government has offered additional assistance to the Maldives to address this crisis situation if required.

China sends water to Maldives amid shortage crisis

Reuters: China is sending a military vessel filled with water to the Maldives to help with a fresh-water crisis on the Indian Ocean archipelago, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. A fire at the sole water sewage treatment plant in the capital, Male, has left 100,000 people temporarily without safe drinking water from the tap. The Maldives has appealed for aid from India, Sri Lanka, the United States and China. The Chinese vessel is carrying 960 tonnes of fresh water, the Defence Ministry said, according to Xinhua. The Foreign Ministry said 20 tonnes of bottled water were sent on two civilian flights on Saturday. India is sending five planes with water and two ships with parts that can help fix the machinery at the plant, India said earlier. The Maldives, a group of 1,190 coral islands southwest of India, is visited by more than 750,000 tourists a year. The country has a population of about 400,000 people, most of whom are Muslim.