The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Dr Abdulla Muththalib has announced that work is progressing to complete the water and sewerage systems on Baa Atoll Kihaadhoo and Kudarikilu by October of next year.
During the Parliament sitting on 3 August, Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir pressed the government for a timeline on when residents would receive the essential services.
Minister Muththalib explained that the projects were initially awarded to Fenaka Corporation Limited under the former MDP administration on 29 December 2021, with a contract value of USD 2.6 million. Although Fenaka reached about 16 percent completion, work stalled completely thereafter.
The Minister said Fenaka cited an inability to continue after subcontracting the work at a cost exceeding the original contract value, a practice he noted violates Public Finance Regulations, which prohibit the wholesale subcontracting of entire projects.
Because of the lack of progress, the agreement with Fenaka was terminated and the contracts were reassigned to the Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC). Physical work has now resumed, with roughly 10 percent of the overall project completed on each island. The ongoing activities include the installation of reverse‑osmosis plants and the construction of storage tanks.
The Minister added that, despite Fenaka having been awarded water and sewerage projects on 20 islands across the atolls, the state-owned company lacked the requisite experience, and even when subcontractors were brought in immediately after award, they were often inexperienced as well.
He assured the public that the current administration is committed to delivering reliable water and sewerage services to all islands within its term, with the Kihaadhoo and Kudarikilu works slated for completion by October next year.