Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) has stated it will complete the project to establish a backup water storage system for the water reserve in Male' City by September.
A fire in MWSC in 2014 resulted in a week-long water crisis in Male’. The Water and Sewerage Act, which was ratified after the incident, dictates that every inhabited island have a water reserve for five days use. As such, MWSC plans to build two tanks with 13,000 tonnes of storage capacity in the capital city.
MWSC stated that the project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of the year but the work is being delayed due to difficulties in obtaining permits from some agencies. MWSC said preparations are currently underway and the water reserve will be completed by September. A water reserve is being set up in Male' at a cost of USD5.3 million.
Additionally, MWSC said efforts are currently underway to build a wall around the area where the two 13,000cbm tanks are to be built and to lay the foundation for the tanks. When completed, the tanks will store enough water for the population to use for five days in an emergency. In addition, a pipe has been laid under the Sinamale' Bridge to send water between Male' and Hulhumale' if there is a water problem.
The capital city is producing 20,000 tonnes of water and using 18,000 tonnes of water per day. The demand for water is increasing as the population of Hulhumale' increases and the residents consume an average of 11,000 tonnes of water per day. In 2018, MWSC installed an additional system producing 2,000 tonnes of water per day to supply water to the growing population.