Minister Zameer: Difficult to lower water price due to MDP actions

Tourism Minister, Moosa Zameer has said that there are difficulties in reducing the price of water since the MDP government sold shares of Malé water company to a foreign group which in turn diverts revenue abroad.

Speaking at the inauguration of thr RO Annex built by the Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC), Minister Zameer said that when the MDP government sold shares of the Malé water company to a foreign, they thought it would be very beneficial to the people but by the end, the people were at a loss.

Minister Zameer said that the shares in the foreign company has to be brought back to the country if the government is to reduce the price of water and it requires USD 40 million.

The Minister said that while the resorts are efficiently producing water on their own, he does not know why it has to go to a foreign comapny. And when President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected, he looked into the challenges within the company, the issues became clear.

Tourism Minister Zameer said that if the information he has is accurate, the MDP government sold the shares for USD 16 million but the 20 percent allocated for the share is USD 25 million. He said that while the price of water is set in local currency, that money going abroad to a foreign company was a big loss.

Minister Zameer said that as things stand, not matter how large a quantity that water is being produced, they cannot reduce the price of water.

He said that the MDP government had not nothing for the development of the water company aside from selling shares and that contract is causing major losses to the people.