The fee charged for waste disposal at the garbage barge, which docks by Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) in capital Male, is to offset company expenses, said Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) on Tuesday.
In response to a question regarding the inflated fee, inquired by a member of the parliamentary government oversight committee, WAMCO’s managing director Ibrahim Fuad stated that following WAMCO’s commencement of waste disposal in January this year, certain fees are being charged for the removal of non-biodegradable garbage. He explained that the fees were imposed to manage the expenses of the company’s landing crafts.
“We wish to continue waste management in Male on a long-term basis, for which we need to charge a fee. We estimate that [costs] will go down by 30 percent once the vehicles and landing crafts we have in use undergo repairs,” said Fuad.
Fuad explained that four boats and three landing crafts are chartered for MVR 200,000 and MVR 1.4 million respectively per month for waste disposal from Male to the neighbouring landfill island of Thilafushi. He added that the corporation is working to halt hiring of marine crafts.
“We’re working to manage company expenses solely from our revenue beginning next year. The government has expended approximately MVR 200 million for waste management over the past five years, which is around MVR 30 million annually.”
During the meeting, Committee chair and Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed directed WAMCO to submit their revised fees for waste disposal to the committee before next Monday. However, the Committee’s deputy chair and Maradhoo MP Ibrahim Shareef had contended the order, stating that decision may only be reached via a committee vote.
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