Malé Mayor Adam Azim Blames Government for Flooding, Says Pumps Removed Without Backup Plan

Malé Mayor Adam Azim has stated that the flooding in the capital last night was caused by the government removing water pumps for a road construction project without any backup plan. In a post on X, Azim said that despite the hard work over the past two years to find a permanent solution to the city's chronic flooding, it was unacceptable for residents to suffer a repeat of this situation. "This problem has escalated because the government, under the pretext of road construction works, abruptly removed the water pumps from the most flood-prone areas without any backup plan," Azim said. The Malé City Council had previously installed large pumps under Azim's tenure, which had successfully mitigated the flooding issue. The Mayor highlighted that the drainage system is fragmented across several entities, creating coordination challenges and delays in responding to emergencies. Azim urged the immediate restoration of the removed pumps and called for the entire drainage system to be managed under a single authority to ensure a permanent and swift solution for the residents.