People enjoy three hours of vehicle-free roads in Male

Residents of Male’ have taken the opportunity to enjoy three hours of vehicle-free roads, following the decision by Ministry of Environment and Energy to ban vehicles between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. today on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Other activities that took place during these three hours include an event to ‘join hands for the environment’ at Republic Square, and an artists’ gathering at Sultan Park.

While several groups were busy with campaigns to increase awareness on environmental issues, most people were simply enjoying the calm streets. This yearly decision by the Environment Ministry to ban vehicles for a few hours is greatly appreciated by the residents of the otherwise noisy, congested Male’.

A student who participated in the event at Republic Square told Sun Online, “The consequences of climate change are evident in the Maldives. We want to give the world a message. Maldives could disappear due to the effects of climate change.”

Records show that the number of motorcycles alone in Male’ reaches 16,000 – which means there is one motorcycle for every six people in the island.