Dr Muizzu Responds To Critics

Dr Mohamed Muizzu, Mayor of Malé City Council and former Housing Minister, has responded to the criticism he had received regarding the flooding of Malé City.

During Dr Muizzu’s tenure as Housing Minister, the activists and officials of the MDP; currently the ruling party, which had been the opposition then; would take to social media to blame Dr Muizzu whenever Malé City flooded under heavy rains.

However, he pointed out making reference to a recent statement made by Majlis Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, these days the flooding is caused by “climate change”.

Dr Muizzu had remarked during a press conference that “Malé residents no longer remember how flooding was like”; a comment which attracted much ridicule from the MDP. Dr Muizzu clarified that he had made that statement as, during his term as Minister, they have implemented a solution to flooding by installing a stormwater drainage system. Malé’s streets did not flood then, he had said.

On an appearance on SanguTV, Dr Muizzu had said that the streets would not flood even during the early days of the Solih administration, as the water would drain away within three hours.

Malé City remained flooded for more than eight hours during the most recent rains, he said. He said that he had received information that MWSC had turned off the drainage system, and was maintaining it poorly.

He said that he had requested that the system be handed over to the Malé City Council for that reason. He said that the City Council would take care of the pump, and the whole of Malé City would be drained within 3 hours if 15 pumps were working properly.