Waste Management Corporation (WMCO) has launched a clean-up operation in Male' City over concerns from the public.
WAMCO started the work at the request of Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aiminath Shauna. The environment ministry said the failure to remove garbage from the streets would also harm the public health of the people of the city.
Male’ City Council took over the responsibility to clean the streets and public spaces in the Greater Male’ Region on December 26 after deciding not to renew the contract with WAMCO. However, the city council recently stated that collecting the waste placed on the streets by households is still the responsibility of WAMCO and threatened to take legal action.
Speaking at a press conference, Managing Director Yoosuf Siraj said that WAMCO is no longer responsible for cleaning the streets of Male’ but that it has received numerous complaints within 48 hours after the Male’ City Council took over street cleaning. He said WAMCO is prepared to accept the responsibility again if the city council is unable, adding that it is not as easy a task as the city council might have thought.
Currently, the council is working on renting vehicles needed for the waste collection work. The city council said it would take another five months to do the work in its own vehicles.
Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed concern over the inconvenience to residents due to the accumulation of waste on the streets, and urged the relevant authorities to solve the issue immediately.