Ministry Of Environment Targets To Curb Methane Fires At Thilafushi Landfill By The End Of The Year
During a ministerial questioning session held at the Parliament yesterday, the Minister of Environment, His Excellency Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan stated that the Ministry targets to curb methane fires at the island of Thilafushi by the end of the year.
Since 1997, the island of Thilafushi has been used as a landfill for burning waste consequent to which methane gas has accumulated on the island which has been causing fires from time to time in addition to noxious smoke. Moreover, as biodegradable waste is also being collected and dumped at this landfill, this has created a breeding ground for flies and other pests on the island.
Acknowledging that the site presents numerous health and environmental risk, the Minister notes that work to resolve these matters would be very costly – citing that the Ministry was facing obstacles such as lack of organized investment and funding. Further to this, tackling fires caused by methane gas with water is extremely dangerous.
Hence, the Ministry is collaborating with foreign contractors to tack the issue whereas this plan has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic highlighting that delays has occurred when trying to bring in foreign experts to train locals and the required machinery for the work. But the contractor assures that the necessary machinery for the work will be transported to the Maldives by the end of May.