Mal

The Ministry of Housing and Environment has announced that all lights on the Boduthakurufaanu Magu, the coastal street on the south side of Malé, would be shut down “to darken the city’s face”, in order to celebrate the Earth Hour for this year.

All the lights from Sawmill, MTCC to the West Park Restaurant would be switched off from 8:30 to 9:30 tonight, and the only light that would remain is the one that lights the Great National Flag at the Republican Square.

The Ministry also said that a number of other activities would be conducted to mark the Earth Hour. Those events include a concert of traditional bodu beru music, which would go on from 8 o’clock to 12 o’clock tonight, at the compound of the Youth Centre.

The Ministry said that as the bodu beru concert carries on, information about saving of energy in Malé would be shared with the public.

The Ministry also said that the State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) would publish energy-usage information for Malé on its website too.

The Ministry has also organized a special March at 4 o’clock this evening, in order to call for protection of environment, and to call for “switching off lights” tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 to mark the Earth Hour.

The Earth Hour is an event held in order to promote environment protection, and is organized by the WWF and Leo Bonnet. It is being celebrated every year, on the last Saturday of March. This year, the Earth Hour would be celebrated from 8:30 to 9:30 local time.