The heavy downpour, which lasted for a few hours non-stop left Male’ city in a condition that not only made it difficult and dangerous to walk in but the situation led to the Maldives Police Services requesting four-wheeled vehicles to temporality stop driving until the flooded water is managed.
The President's Office
During the current monsoon season in the Maldives, heavy torrential rainfalls have once again highlighted the persistent issue of road flooding in Malé City. Despite various parts of the Maldives experiencing flooding over the past 48 hours, Malé City faces particularly challenging conditions after heavy rains. The lack of an adequate drainage system, combined with the accumulation of clutter on the streets, exacerbates the situation. As a result, navigating the streets of Malé becomes not only inconvenient but also hazardous for citizens, with floodwaters often contaminated by cat litter and other waste. This poses significant risks to both pedestrians and drivers in the city.
Since the Al Jazeera weather forecast as well as the MET office warned citizens of a heavy downpour for the next 72 hours starting from 12th August 2024, the MET office has been issuing white, yellow and orange warnings depending on the weather forecast for the time being. The heavy rainfall, however, did not fully hit Male’ City until the 13th of August 2024 - leaving parts of the city fully flooded leaving many stranded at office buildings. The heavy downpour, which lasted for a few hours non-stop left Male’ city in a condition that not only made it difficult and dangerous to walk in but the situation led to the Maldives Police Services requesting four-wheeled vehicles to temporality stop driving until the flooded water is managed. As vehicles were damaged and people were left stranded in buildings, waiting to go home, the issue surrounding the poor quality of roads in Male’ city and the lack of drainage was yet again noted due to the burdens it caused within just a few hours.
With this, the President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu has shed some light on future developments that may bring some ease to the flooding concerns of Male’ City. According to the President, the road development project with the grant from China is set to bring a permanent solution to the flooding issues of Male’ City once all of the roads are developed. Noting that a high priority will be given to assisting people in the heavy rain, the President noted that the road development project will bring out some positive results upon completion.
One of the key objectives of the project to develop all roads in Male' is to solve the issue of flooding. Once the project is completed, this long-lasting issue of flooding of Male' streets will be resolved.
