{"id":114772,"date":"2022-01-20T19:15:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T00:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=114772"},"modified":"2022-02-26T15:19:24","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T20:19:24","slug":"the-trash-island-of-the-maldives-thilafushi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/the-trash-island-of-the-maldives-thilafushi\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trash Island of the Maldives: Thilafushi"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Cheriegate, Staff Researcher & Writer at Save the Water\u2122 | January 20th, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

We tend to picture island nations as beaches lined with clean coastlines, surrounded by crystal-clear ocean water. They each offer a paradise far away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Tourists don\u2019t often consider the downsides and challenges island residents face, such as trash. However, most remote island nations must wrestle with the problem of trash disposal for several reasons, including water safety. In particular, a small country in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives, has been struggling with trash disposal since its birth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a compact country, the Maldives has limited freshwater resources. <\/span>According to a report by the United Nations<\/span><\/a>, most of the residents’ drinking water is only available through desalination, <\/span>which is expensive<\/span><\/a>. Their dilemma involves the quality of their water and the question of how to integrate sustainable water practices and infrastructure. The Maldives encounters challenges<\/a> of poor water quality due to growing tourism numbers, and pollution from trash disposal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thilafushi\u2019s Origin<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Maldives is an archipelago, a collection of over a thousand atoll islands. Moving trash from one place to another is a challenge. Without many options at hand, the Maldives came up with a plan to reclaim an existing lagoon. In 1991, the Maldivian government transformed the Thilafushi, previously known as Thilafalhu, into a landfill. Today, the human-made island spans <\/span>124 acres<\/span><\/a>, with the amount of deposited trash increasing ever since its creation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thilafushi is the waste dump for all of the Maldives, located next to the country\u2019s capital city, Mal\u00e9. The <\/span>amount of daily waste is over 330 tons<\/span><\/a>. A single tourist adds an average of 3.5 kilograms every day, and with every new year, the number of tourists is increasing. In 2019, the number was almost <\/span>2 million<\/span><\/a>. Tourism and trash accumulation numbers are rising and, as a result, threats to water quality are too.<\/span><\/p>\n

To combat this issue, the Maldives invested in programs that promote the right of access to healthy drinking water and sanitation. In 2010, the Maldives began its journey with a movement known as <\/span>Sanitation and Water for All<\/span><\/a>. Sanitation and Water for All is a U.N.-sponsored coalition of several countries whose plan \u201c… focuses on encouraging and motivating partners to increase political prioritization of water, sanitation, and hygiene; ensure adequate financing, and build better governance structures and institutions \u2026\u201d The WASH program (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) supports these same goals, but with a specific focus on <\/span>educational hygiene lessons<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Some are made <\/span>specifically for children<\/span><\/a>, to be taught by teachers and health personnel.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Does Trash Disposal Mean for Water?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The majority of Thilafushi\u2019s trash ends up in its landfills, while the remainder is incinerated. However, the increasing amount of trash is not the only alarming change for this artificial island. <\/span>Electronic waste quantities are growing too<\/span><\/a>, complicating the safety of their disposal system and implications for water quality further. However, this issue is not new to the Maldives; it has been an issue for many years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hazardous items taken to the island also include:<\/span><\/p>\n