Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said Sunday that 70 islands across the country were experiencing coastal erosion.
The Ministry is currently working to conduct surveys in the islands. Coastal erosion is a pressing concern for many islands across the country. The Government is currently undertaking numerous projects to tackle erosion, and according to the Environment Ministry, 70 inhabited islands are experiencing coastal erosion. Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim said “the government accords high priority to coastal protection projects, and noted that numerous projects are currently underway in many inhabited islands.” He said “teams from the Ministry are currently visiting the islands and conducting necessary surveys.”
Coastal protection projects are costly, and that the Government is financially incapable of attending to the issues in all the islands at the same time, he noted.
The Minister further said “priority is accorded to islands where residents are directly affected by coastal erosion.” Speaking further, Thoriq noted that “the current government has undertaken more coastal protection projects than any other previous government. He said the government has so far built 17 kilometers of coastal protection walls, compared to 7 kilometers built under the previous administration.”