On the evening of 5th August 2023, while many were crossing the bridge, heading back from work or travelling between the two cities for business, the swells crashed, causing several people on bikes to fall over with it.
It has been exactly over one year since the Maldives experienced seasonal changes and sea swells in several islands of the Maldives that caused distress in several households. While the Maldives has taken some measures against swells to protect the small islands of the nation, during the monsoon season swells become a problem, especially for those who live near the beaches of the Maldives.
While last year’s swells left an impact on several smaller islands of the Maldives, the swells of this year appear to have taken many by surprise as the big waves crashed on the bridge which connects Male’, Hulhule’ and Hulhumale’.
On the evening of 5th August 2023, while many were crossing the bridge, heading back from work or travelling between the two cities for business, the swells crashed, causing several bikes and people to fall over with it. The video, which went viral on media showed people the impact of the swell both on the Hulhumale’ side as well as the Male’ City side as the waves spilt over the start and ending point of the bridge, impacting many people along with its force.
People who have witnessed swells in the past that are familiar with the ocean are now stating in the local news that they have never seen such large swells before, as everything in its way got damaged including people’s vehicles, street lamps, lighting, sound and camera equipment that were set up in the Raalhugandu sarahahdhu and most importantly several drivers who were crossing the bridge at the time of the swells.
For many who have never seen swells as well as people who have witnessed the tsunami that took place in 2004 in the Maldives, the swells of today made them question whether they were really swells or if the Maldives was experiencing a low-grade tsunami due to the impact that today’s swells left. While swells usually cause the ocean to spill over and run onto the roads, the swells that were seen today were crashing like big waves, causing many to do a double-take. With the water from the swell reaching several roads, many households as well as stores have taken precautionary measures by stacking up bags of sand in order to stop water from seeping indoors.
While the swells did not go on for too long, the aftermath of the swell can still be witnessed on the bridge and the road as workers are seen tirelessly cleaning up all the sand, rocks and other debris that came crashing with the waves. With this incident taking place today, many have yet again started the conversation around developing infrastructure with mother-nature in mind, as well as talks of how climate change could easily impact a nation as small as the Maldives.
