President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had promised to make EPA an independent body within his first 100 days in office. However, with the end of the administration's term fast approaching, EPA still operates directly under the Environment Ministry.
During the past few weeks, the Environment Ministry of the Maldives has been facing extreme scrutiny for the measures that they have been taking over and over again – or more like the measures that they have been failing at implementing during the current presidential term so far.
The Ministry is currently facing significant criticism for its inability to implement effective measures to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainable practices, which is resulting in a backlash from the public. Despite their recent efforts to ban single-use plastics and introduce government taxes on plastic bags, these policies have proven ineffective, adding to the mounting criticism faced by the Government.
Now, the Ministry must address another challenge, in addition to the existing ones, and find solutions to tackle these issues while moving towards a greener future.
In a parliamentary session held on April 25, 2023, MP Ibrahim Waheed from the Ungoofaaru constituency questioned the Minister of Environment, Aminath Shauna regarding the failure of the Government to establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an independent entity.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had promised to make EPA an independent body within his first 100 days in office. However, with the end of the administration's term fast approaching, EPA still operates directly under the Environment Ministry. MP Waheed raised concerns over the delay in fulfilling this crucial promise and called for greater urgency in creating an independent EPA.
When questioned about the decision to keep the EPA under the umbrella of the Environment Ministry, Minister Shauna provided a robust defence, citing examples of other major countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, which have similar regulatory bodies. In each of these countries, the environmental regulatory bodies operate in conjunction with a relevant ministry rather than being separate entities. Minister Shauna's justification highlights that the decision to keep EPA as part of the Environment Ministry is in line with the practices of other leading nations, reflecting a global trend.
In addition to this defence, Shauna also kept noting that the Government in fact did not promise to make EPA a free body within 100 days of the administration, and highlighted that the promise was to work towards empowering and working towards making the EPA independent. With this, the Minister also highlighted some of the work that was done by the Government in order to accomplish this ‘promise’.
Under this, she highlighted that the Government brought amendments to the Tourism Act, which was passed on December 2018, to restore the power to the EPA to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment (IIA) report for tourism industry projects. With these amendments resort villages, lands or forests must undertake any work that will cause permanent changes to the environment after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Environment and submitting the document to the Ministry of Tourism with the permission of the Ministry, and the EIA Reporting Rules were amended and the EPA was re-empowered to approve the EIA on 27 December 2018.
With these justifications, the Environment Minister stated that the Government has indeed fulfilled their 100-day promise.
Following this parliament session, the Ministry faced major backlash from the public. While there were some amendments brought to the law as the Minister highlighted in her answer, the public appears to be unhappy with the lack of accountability as well as the action that has been taken by the Government on this measure.
As the Government initiates major projects that have significant environmental implications, many Maldivians have been calling for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be separated from political influence. The need for an independent body that can investigate and hold those responsible accountable for environmental damage is crucial, particularly in light of the significant projects underway.
Currently, EPA operates under the umbrella of the Environment Ministry, which many people perceive as a hindrance to the agency's ability to provide unbiased advice and recommendations. It is challenging to determine how impartial the agency can be as it is still perceived to be part of the Government.
Unfortunately, despite public demands for better measures to make the Maldives a more sustainable and environmentally friendly place, the Government appears to be paying lip service to the issue, as evidenced by their lack of concrete actions and emphasis on paperwork over tangible measures. The Maldivian public is calling for a more serious commitment from the Government to protect the environment and take steps towards a sustainable future.
