Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday claimed that state action is futile if land erosion persists at its ongoing speed and that it does not always correlate with human-induced impact.
During the publicly held Parliamentary Committee meeting on Environment and Climate Change, Nasheed noted that islands are facing more severe forms of erosion than before. He urged the need for research and analysis into the matter.
"We cannot stop living. Cannot stop development. Cannot stop the provision of housing. Cannot stop vessels from departing...", said Nasheed.
A considerable amount of islands face land erosion throughout the year, especially during the strong winds of the northeast monsoon (Iruvai) and severe wave action during the southeast monsoon (Hulhangu).
Although land erosion was identified to have been linked with development projects, Nasheed said that many uninhabited islands were also facing erosion and that there was no basis to exclusively regard erosion as human-induced.
However, the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) released by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration identified human factors as the main source of environmental degradation in Maldives.
"Concomitant with development and population growth, the pressures exerted on the natural environment has increased significantly over the past four decades, resulting in over-extraction and damage to critical ecosystems."
"Chief among these pressures include reclamation associated with infrastructure projects, habitat alteration to accommodate social and economic growth, over-extraction of natural resources and species including baitfish and heightened pollution from over-excessive use of chemicals, inadequate waste management, and untreated sewerage disposal", addressed the SAP.
In recent history, Maldivian governments have continued to engage in destructive coastal engineering projects as well as the deforestation of islands for the purpose of greenifying and landscaping upcoming resorts under the guise of development. Deforestation is also a factor in eroding islands.
Land reclamation also impacts the resiliency of coral reefs, an island's natural protection mechanism, greatly reducing its efficiency to shield itself from naturally occurring weather patterns that influence soil erosion.
Reclamation practices also cause large amounts of sediment to be washed away, often travelling great lengths from the coast of origin, blanketing nearby coral reefs and causing physical pressures on the marine ecosystem.
Various development projects sanctioned by President Solih's government contradict the spirit of their pledges to decentralize and ensure the protection of the environment, including the controversial proposal for the development of multiple bridges to link capital city Male', suburb Vilimale', Gulhifalhu and landfill island Thilafushi as part of the 'Greater Male Industrial Zone'.
Public concerns also highlighted inefficient policies in protection of the shoreline vegetation buffer zone. The vegetation helps to hold the soil in place and stabilize the island's coastal morphology.
Certain lawmakers during the committee meeting raised concerns over inadequate work by Minister of Environment Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan and relevant institutions in tackling the issue.
Ungoofaaru MP Mohamed Waheed stated that institutions were "heavy on their feet", declaring that they are too slow in their responses to environmental concerns.
Dhaandhoo MP Yauqoob Abdulla submitted a notion to assess actions taken by the institutions.
Raising further concerns, Mahibadhoo MP Ahmed Thariq requested to investigate allegations that the Ministry of Environment is actively taking part in the campaign efforts of the upcoming local council election.
Committee Chair and Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Saleem was also in line with Nasheed's sentiments, confirming that protected islands were facing erosion on a "serious level".
Moreover, Ungoofaaru MP Waheed raised concerns that 10 out of 15 inhabited islands in Raa Atoll were undergoing erosion.
Strong northeasterly winds during the northeastern monsoon typically influence beach morphology through natural longshore sediment transportation (Vodun).
Kendhoo MP Ali Hussain said that land reclamation must be tackled, expressing his belief that natural islands must be protected before reclaiming any land.
"We should postpone mega projects that require reclaiming a sea that's 23 metres deep", said Ali, adding that projects such as large harbours and bridges need to be delayed.
MP Thariq said that mitigative measures such as coastal armouring must be undertaken. He iterated that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) must have the necessary equipment to conduct temporary relief efforts.
Long-serving activist Ahmed Mohamed (Forme) called for the resignation of MP Saleem from the committee citing a conflict of interest. Saleem, who received his higher education in the field of environment, is a shareholder of a company that conducts Environmental Impact Assessments. However, Saleem asserted that no individual with conflicting interests were on the committee.
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