The Muizzu administration is working to turn our beautiful islands into garbage dumps: Nasheed
30 ޖުލައި 2026 | ބުރާސްފަތި 08:18Former President Mohamed Nasheed has expressed grave concern over the failure of the waste management system in Thilafushi, following reports that waste from the Greater Male' Area is being diverted to other islands. Public outcry has intensified particularly over the decision to transport Thilafushi’s waste to HDh. Kunburudhoo, with many warning of the potential long-term risks to the region's fragile environment and the health of its residents.
The residents of GDh. Fiyoari have extended a warm welcome to former President Mohamed Nasheed upon his arrival on the island. | MDP
Former President and MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed has stated that the waste management system has failed, accusing President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration of turning the Maldives' pristine islands into garbage dumps.
Speaking at an MDP rally held Wednesday night, Nasheed stated that waste incineration has resumed in Thilafushi and claimed that the accumulation of garbage in Malé has reached a critical point where it can no longer be transported to the industrial island. He further alleged that after concentrating 40 percent of the country's population in the Greater Malé area, the government is now attempting to turn other islands across the Maldives into dumping grounds for the region's waste.
Referring to the government's plans to relocate waste management operations to the Thiladhunmathi region, Nasheed stated that those islands are not designated for waste disposal and must not be turned into garbage dumps.
The islands of the Maldives are not designated dumping grounds for waste. These are places where people live; they are not landfills. There is no place for a wasteland in the Thiladhunmathi region.Mohamed Nasheed
Furthermore, Nasheed stated that the waste management machinery currently at Thilafushi is out of service and noted that the government lacks the necessary funds to repair the equipment.
While Speaker Nasheed expressed concern over the waste management crisis, Members of Parliament noted that residents of Hulhumalé are currently stranded without any means of disposing of their trash, forcing them to accumulate waste inside their own apartments. Meanwhile, WAMCO has decided to transport incinerated waste from Thilafushi to Kunburudhoo. Despite widespread public opposition to this decision, an emergency motion submitted to Parliament on Wednesday regarding the issue was rejected.
The petition highlights that transporting incinerated waste to HDh. Kunburudhoo could result in irreversible damage to public health, the environment, and the natural ecosystem of the entire atoll. Independent members of Parliament have called for a reversal of this decision, pointing out that Kunburudhoo lacks the necessary infrastructure to safely manage such hazardous waste.
