Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Ali Shareef stated today that if dredging projects need to be stopped due to the issue of coral bleaching becoming too significant caused by El Niño, the government will take that step.

During the media briefing held at the President's Office, Minister Shareef said that in the days during the weaker El Niño events that occurred compared to its current strength, the government halted dredging but said that stopping it is not an easy task. He said that the project can only be suspended after discussing it with the contractors who are in charge.

According to the minister, discussions will need to be held with contractors working in dredging due to the vast amount of USD being spent daily.

"As there is such an impact, we will need their cooperation in keeping the dredgers idle without incurring any or minimal charges on a day the dredgers are in an idle state," Shareef said.

He went on to say that in that situation, the contractors will respond by stating whether they will be able to work in another area without having their pay being withheld. 

"There are points we will need to take into account, it is not easy to just suddenly stop something like this. If that is what is required and if the situation deteriorates, it will be stopped," stated the minister.

"We have halted dredging in the past. If the situation requires that it needs to be done again, we will stop it."

As per Shareef, it is estimated that El Niño may extend over the coming year as well. He also said there is a forecast that El Niño will get worse and that Maldives will also experience the regional "Indian Ocean Dipole" effect.