Maldives leader cuts short tour to tackle
water crisis
MALE: Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen cut short his trip to Malaysia to deal with a drinking water crisis in the honeymoon islands’ capital that triggered unrest on the streets, his office said yesterday.
Residents of the main island of Male faced a third straight day without adequate supplies of tap water after a fire at a desalination plant led to severe shortages and mounting anger.
“President Yameen has cut short his unofficial visit to Malaysia and arrived back in Male (on Saturday night),” his office said in a statement.
Yameen was working with officials to ease the crisis, including by distributing tonnes of bottled water flown in from neighbouring India and Sri Lanka as well as ally China, it said.
Bangladesh yesterday said it was sending 100,000 litres of bottled water and five portable desalination plants on a naval ship to help the island chain.
The Bangladeshi navy said the ship left Chittagong yesterday morning and would reach Male in four days.
Yameen on Saturday appealed to Maldivians to remain “patient and united, while working with the government to resolve the national crisis”.
The government has declared Sunday and Monday public holidays to dampen the anger that has led to fights among residents and attacks on shops that rationed bottled water.
AFP
