Thilafushi
The artificial island Thilafushi ( Dhivehi: ތ ި ލ ަ ފ ު ށ ި ) was originally planned in the Maldives as a landfill, which started the garbage capital Malé. Today Thilafushi is also characterized by its industrial settlements.
Thilafushi located approximately 6.8 kilometers (km ) west of Malé in the south of the North Malé Atoll between Giraavaru and Gulhifalhu. The island is thus part of the Vaadhoo channel, belongs to the administrative district of Kaafu Atoll, and now extends to 50 hectares.
Background and History
Starting point for the creation of the " garbage island " was the Thilafalhu called lagoon which had a length of 7 km and a width of 200 meters (m). The decision for filling the lagoon was taken on December 5, 1991.
The first load of garbage from Malé, the lagoon should be refilled, Thilafushi reached on 7 January 1992. Initially, a landing craft, four trucks, two excavators and a wheel loader were available. The fleet has multiplied in recent years to three landing craft, 20 trucks, six excavators, four wheel loader, a trash compactor and a bulldozer.
In the initial phase pits were dug with a size of 15 × 15 × 5 m ( about 1100 m3) and filled with garbage. The waste was then covered with a layer of rubble, which in turn was covered with coral sand. A waste separation was not carried out due to the huge amount of waste arising and lack of infrastructure. Today, the waste is separated and partially burned. The disposal work is carried out of 150 Bengal.
The island is currently growing by around 1 m2 per day. at a daily delivery of up to 400 tonnes. The main part is in the meantime, industrial waste such as rubble, but also material that is classified as hazardous waste. The administrative responsibility of the Waste Management Section (WMS ), officially the Ministry of Construction and Public Works ( short MCPW, the Maldivian Ministry of Construction ) is a subordinate. Currently, the WMS is but managed by the city administration Malé and thus the Ministry of Home Affairs and Housing.
On 17 December 2008, the new president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, the Thilafushi Corporation Limited and the Waste Management Corporation Limited established as a state enterprise. While Waste Management Corporation Limited is responsible for waste disposal and recycling, the Thilafushi Corporation Limited takes care of the marketing of the island for business.
Industrialization of the island
After the land area of Thilafushi grew increasingly strong, the Maldivian government decided in November 1997 that the land is leased to companies for industrial use. In the first step, 22 companies settled, their number has increased to 54 today. Through the acquisition of companies today more than half of the island is used industrially. The leasing of Thilafushi brings the Maldivian state about one million U.S. dollars per year.
The prevailing industries are shipbuilding, cement packaging and methane filling. Also bearing capacity was created to a large extent, thus relieving the capital Malé by its storage capacity, particularly for cement and gas.
Environmental problems
According to independent reports Thilafushi is considered the largest garbage island in the world. Protection of the environment takes place only rudimentary. Although a part of the waste is now officially sorted, but the bulk of the waste is easily compacted and backfilled. Also, environmental and hazardous materials are simply dumped. To contain the rubble, with which the waste is covered, often asbestos.
Among the substances which are separated in the waste cycle, including in particular the metals copper, tin, zinc and steel. So metals are in the meantime the main export of the Maldives to India. Waste oil and plastics are also collected separately.
The increasing disposal or incineration of batteries and electronic waste exacerbate environmental problems. The substances such as lead, cadmium and mercury are washed out and go over the fish in the food chain back or pollute the air during combustion.