DAM urges authorities to take action against illegal dredgers

Dredging Association of Maldives (DAM) expresses concern over dredging practices and calls for authorities to take relevant action against parties that participate in illegal dredging activities.

DAM stated they work to advocate for sustainable dredging in a market where the demands keep increasing and changing. They noted there is a limited legal infrastructure that monitors and regulates this industry, leading to dredgers to incorporate illegal dredging practices within their projects.

The association said the number of people dredging more sand than permitted for their projects, and then transporting it to other islands have increased. This is not legal as Environment Protection Agency (EPA) would only permit a certain amount of sand to be dredged for each project. Citing the Decentralization Act, DAM further said transporting sand dredged from one atoll to another without explicit consent of the atoll the sand originated is also illegal.

Therefore, DAM urges respective authorities to take relevant action against parties that have been in clear violation of the regulations.