WAMCO MD suggests liveaboard vessels may be responsible for waste dumping at Hulhumale’ lagoon

Mujuthaba Jaleel, the managing director of Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO), suggests that liveaboard vessels may be responsible for the waste buildup at the Hulhumale’ lagoon, as the state corporation faces scrutiny over alleged waste spills during transfers.

The remarks come after North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), a lawmaker from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), sent a letter to Mujuthaba, seeking an explanation regarding complaints of waste spills in the Hulhumale’ lagoon during transfers by WAMCO.

In his letter, Kudu expressed concern over the environmental damage, and said he believes it is the responsibility of WAMCO to protect the residents of Hulhumale’ from the potential public health and social risks during waste transfers.

In a post on his personal Facebook account on Thursday, Mujuthaba suggested that liveaboard vessels were responsible for dumping waste in the Hulhumale’ lagoon.

“People who anchor they safari [liveaboard] boats at the Hulhumale’ lagoon know very well that WAMCO has little to do with dumping [waste] in the Hulhumale’ lagoon,” he wrote.

Mujuthaba said that most of the waste thrown away are plastic bottles, a type of waste that environmental advocacy groups Parley Maldives and Maldives Ocean Plastic Alliance (MOPA) regularly and responsibly collect from Hulhumale’.

“Plastic bottles are compressed during collection. But the bottles found in the Hulhumale’ lagoon are dumped as is,” he wrote.

Mujuthaba said that none of the liveaboard vessels take the waste they create directly to the WAMCO site, and that it was therefore important to find out where exactly all the waste was going.

“WAMCO is not responsible for cleaning up and managing the Hulhumale’ lagoon. But WAMCO collects and cleans up the waste in the lagoon three times a week using a dinghy boat for the sake of the public. HDC [Housing Development Corporation] provides its full cooperation to WAMCO in this. The HDC and WAMCO are currently making a joint effort to clean up the lagoon,” he wrote.

Mujuthaba said that the people who use the lagoon have a huge responsibility in keeping the area clean.

“This is something that the people questioning us should think about,” he added.