REPUBLIC OF MALDIVESCountry Report

AMINATH SHAUFAPROJECT OFFICER
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTER

Asian Disaster Reduction Center
Visiting Researcher Program - FY2018A

Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

Table of Contents
Disclaimer.......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.General Description ......................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 Geography ................................................................................................................................. 5
1.2 Climate ........................................................................................................................................ 6
1.3 Demography .............................................................................................................................. 7
1.4 Government ............................................................................................................................... 8
1.5 Economy ..................................................................................................................................... 9
2. Overview of Hazards and Disaster Risk ....................................................................................... 10
2.1 Cyclonic wind .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.2 Sea Level Rise ........................................................................................................................... 12
2.3 Coastal flooding ...................................................................................................................... 13
2.4 Heavy rainfall events ............................................................................................................... 13
2.5 Earthquake ............................................................................................................................... 13
2.6 Tsunami...................................................................................................................................... 14
3. Recent Major Disasters in Maldives ............................................................................................. 15
Heavy rainfall and flooding/ Tornado (17 May 2017 - 1st June 2017) ................................. 15
Fire Incidents (2012- 2016) ......................................................................................................... 16
Cyclone (3rd December 2017) ................................................................................................ 17
Addu City Flood Crisis (24-25 November 2015) ...................................................................... 17
Water Shortage (Throughout the year) ................................................................................... 17
Male Water Crisis (4 December 2014) ..................................................................................... 18
Cyclone Nilam (October-November 2012) ............................................................................ 19
Surge Waves (15-17 May 2007) ................................................................................................ 19
Tsunami (26th December 2004) ............................................................................................... 20
4. Disaster Management System ..................................................................................................... 21
4.1 Administrative system in Maldives ......................................................................................... 21
4.2 Legal system and framework ................................................................................................. 23
4.3 Organizational and Institutional Mechanisms ...................................................................... 24
4.3.1 National Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction ...................................................... 24
4.3.2 Local Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction ........................................................... 26
5. Disaster Management Strategy, Policy, and Plan..................................................................... 26
6. Budget Size on National Level ..................................................................................................... 27
7. Progress of the Implementation Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in the Maldives ......... 27
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7.1 Implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) .................... 29
8. Recent Major Projects on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Maldives ......................................... 30
8.1 UNDP Project ............................................................................................................................ 30
8.1.2 Scaling up the National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in
Maldives ...................................................................................................................................... 30
8.1.3 Enhance National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in
Maldives ...................................................................................................................................... 31
8.2 UNICEF Project .......................................................................................................................... 32
8.2.1 Low Emission Climate Resilient Development (LECReD).............................................. 32
8.3 ADPC Project ............................................................................................................................ 33
8.4 Resort Resilience Program ...................................................................................................... 33
8.5 Community Based Disaster Risk Management Programme .............................................. 34
8.5.1 Island Disaster Management Planning (IDMP).............................................................. 35
8.5.2 Community Emergency Response Teams ..................................................................... 36
9.0 ADRC Counterpart in the Maldives........................................................................................... 372

Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of theADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on themaps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the
ADRC.

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1.General Description
The Republic of Maldives, lying about 420 miles southwest of Sri Lanka, lies between Minicoy Island(the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. Being an Island
Country of unique geographic and oceanic characteristics, Maldives consists of 26 natural coral atollwith 1,190 coral islands with only 16% (186 islands) spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers(35,000 sq. mi), making it one of the world’s most dispersed countries in the world (9th smallest
country in the world). Of this only 190 are inhabited and another 105 are registered as resorts ormarinas.
The largest island of Maldives is Gan, which belongs
to Laamu Atoll or Hahdhummathi Atoll. The capital
Malé is an area of under 2 square kilometers
Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with amaximum natural ground level of only 2.4 meters (7ft. 10 in), with the average being only 1.5 meters (4ft. 11 in) above sea level.
FIQURE 1 : MALE’ CITY

The Maldives are a group of scattered islands in the Indian
Ocean, located to the south west of Sri Lanka. It consistsof approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double
chain of 26 atolls, spread over roughly 90,000 square
kilometers, making this one of the most disparate countries
in the world.

Composed of live coral reefs and sandbars, the atolls are
situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometers long thatrises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean andruns from north to south. Most Atolls of the Maldivesconsist of a large, ring-shaped coral reef supporting
numerous small islands. Islands average only one to twosquare kilometers in area, and lie between one and 1.5
meters above mean sea level. Although some of the larger
atolls are approximately 50 kilometers long from north to4

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south, and 30 kilometers wide from east to west, no individual island is longer than 8 kilometers.
Maldives has no hills, but some islands have dunes which can reach 2.4 meters / 8 feet above sea
level.
Maldives largest attraction is the underwater coral gardens, with its colorful inhabitants the richest
collection of multicolored fish and live coral reefs which add up to a diver's paradise. It has 73
holiday resorts from over a thousand uninhabited islands.

FIQURE 2: MALDIVES CORAL PADDLE BOARDINGHUVAFEN FUSHIFIQURE 3: BANYAN TREE MALDIVES

1.1 Geography
The Maldives archipelago stretches 823 km north to south and 130 km east to west. Over 99% of
the Maldives is made up of the sea: only 0.331% (115 square miles) of its 35,000 square mile
surface area is dry land. How the islands actually formed is something of a mystery. The theory thathas most support was first suggested by Charles Darwin in 1842 (after he had studied similar atollsin the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans). Darwin’s theory suggests that the islands were formed when
volcanoes rose from the sea and coral reefs grew around their edges. The volcanoes subsequently
sank back into the sea leaving the coral reefs to circle a shallow water-filled lagoon. Islands thenformed when currents and tides swept dead coral and other organic debris into the lagoons which inturn became filled-in and were eventually colonized by plants and trees.
The islands that make up the Maldives are very small (most can be walked across in 10 minutes;
only a few are longer than 2 kilometers) and low-lying (they rarely reach more than six feet above
sea-level). This makes them particularly vulnerable to sea erosion. In 1812 and again in 1955,
devastating gales destroyed many northern islands, while in 1987 the capital, Male, was flooded bya severe storm. If, as some scientists predict, global sea levels continue to rise as a consequence of
global warming, it will pose a particular risk to the Maldives.
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1.2 Climate
Maldives experiences warm and humid tropical climate. The southwest (rainy) monsoon andnortheast (dry) monsoon with yearly temperatures of 27oC to 34oC.

FIQURE 4: MONSOON PERIOD (MAY - NOVEMBER)

The Maldives has a tropical climate with warm
temperatures throughout the year and many hours
of sunshine. With an average temperature of 33°C
and an average minimum temperature of 26°C
there are only minor variations in daily temperature
throughout the year.

FIQURE 5: DRY PERIOD (JANUARY - MARCH)

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1.3 Demography

Ethnically from South Indians,
Sinhalese, And Arabs

National Language: Dhivehi
Script used in Maldives Thaana, derived from Arabic

Est Population (2014)
402,071

Unemployment Population
Religion of State - Islam

100,602 (5.5%)(2006)

145,757 (5.2%)(2014)

Even though not officially quoted, English is the second language of the Maldivesand the majority of the populace can speak and write in English.

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1.4 Government
The Maldives received Its independence from the British on 26th of July 1965. For 45 years we havebeen a presidential republic country with the given name ‘Republic of Maldives’. The Governments
organization structure comprises of the president office, parliament and the judiciary1. The public
elects the president and there must be at least 51% in favor for an individual to take office.
Presidents are limited to 5 years two terms with the introduction of new constitution in 2008. The
cabinet is elected by the president and approved by The Maldives Parliament is also known as thePeople’s Majlis.

Members of Majlis serve five-year terms, with the total
number of members determined by atoll populations. At
the 2009 election, 77 members were elected. The
People's Majlis, located in Male, houses members fromall over 20 administrative divisions (atolls), eachheaded by an atoll council with the exception of Addu
Atoll (Seenu Atoll) which, along with has been declared
as a city. Addu and Male’ city has a city council. Everyother island has an island council and operates under adecentralized system. All the councilors are elected at
FIQURE 6: PARLIAMENT / PEOPLES MAJILIS

the respective levels.

FIQURE 7: PAST AND PRESENT PRESIDENTSPRESIDENT YAMEEN, PRESIDENT DR WAHEED, PRESIDENT NASHEED, PRESIDENT UZ MAUMOOM, PRESIDENT NASIR AND
PRESIDENT AMEEN (LEFT TO RIGHT)

The current is His Excellency president Abdulla Yameen elected on 17 November 2013. However,September 2018 people of Maldives will cast their vote after five years.

1 Organization Structure of Government of Maldives -: https://goo.gl/o6DxWy
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1.5 Economy
The population of the Maldives has grown from 29,8968 in 2006 to 33,8434 in 2014. The population
growth rates have declined during the period from 2.69 % to 2.65%. Maldives economy has grownover the years reaching the GDP to MVR 26,043.7 million in 2014. Tourism sector covers 29.9%
being the largest sector which contributes to the Maldives GDP.

Currency: Rufiyaa(1 USD = 15.42 MVR)

Overall government
deficit (including grants)
for the year 2016 is
4,304.1 (In Million MVR)
NBS, 2016
FIQURE 8: ARRIVAL OF TOURISTS

The Maldivian economy is heavily dependent on tourism (NEOP, 2018) while fisheries sector covers
1.3%. Exporting fish and fish products has been the real deal for the country for years. From theislands contribution agriculture sector contributes 1.6% of the GDP2.

Out of the total fish produced
during the year 2016,
majority of the fish wasexported (52.9%)
NBS, 2016

FIQURE 9: TRADITIONAL POLE AND LINE FISHING

2 State of the environment report, MoEE, page 24

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2. Overview of Hazards and Disaster Risk
Maldives is a low lying island nation comprising of over thousand tiny islands. All islands are
subjected to physical vulnerability due to the country’s extremely low elevation and the flat
topography. The wide dispersal of its population of 3 hundred thousand, across the islands is also asignificant contributing factor. The

frequency of natural disaster of large scale is relatively low in

Maldives. However, the 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami brought devastating impact to the life of its
people, economy and development progress.

FIQURE 10: HAZARD PATTERNS IN MALDIVES, DIRAM 2007

The impact of a hazard in higher population concentration areas will be likely higher than in lesspopulated areas. The Haa Dhaalu, Seenu, Raa, Haa Alifu, and Kaafu (Figure 11) are having higher
population concentration and are exposed to various levels of hazards. It has to be noted that theislands in Seenu Atoll and Malé island in Kaafu atoll are densely populated, which increases theprobable chances of impacts to the exposed hazards.

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Generally, the Maldives, regularly get affected by high frequent low impact seasonal events such as
monsoonal flooding, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion and intense sea surges related flooding due
to sea level rise.

FIQURE 11: POPULATION EXPOSURE TO HAZARDS BY ATOLL (DIRAM, 2008)

2.1 Cyclonic wind
The northern atolls are exposed to higher hazard level from cyclonic winds and their associatedstorm surge. The hazard level reduces gradually to very low in the southern atolls. The maximum
probable wind speed expected in zone 5 is 96.8 knots (180 kmph) over the Maldives region, which islower than the cyclonic storm category 3 on a Saffir-Simpson scale. At this speed, high damage is
expected from wind, rain and storm surge hazards.
The islands of Maldives are less prone to tropical cyclones. The northern islands of the country wereaffected by weak cyclones that formed in the southern part of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian

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Sea. The number of cyclones directly crossing Maldives is small. Only 11 cyclones, which wereformed during the months of October to January, crossed the islands over 128 years.
The vulnerability of the islands in the northern atolls is heightened due to their poor accessibility
compared to other parts of the country. In a post cyclone situation, affected areas are inaccessible
for several days due to poor weather and rough sea conditions. In cyclones, risk to livelihoods in the
primary sectors such as agriculture and fishing, and in the service sectors is high.

2.2 Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise due to climate change threatens the entire country. Estimations are that the projected
sea level rise of 0.09m to 0.88 m is going to take place between 1990 - 2100. As three quarters of
the land area of Maldives is less than a meter above mean sea level, the slightest rise in sea level
will prove extremely threatening. As per an estimate, 15 % land area of Male will be inundated by2025 and 50% by 2100. For people living on low-lying islands, a rise in sea levels by 50 cm could
see significant portions of the islands being inundated or washed away by erosion.
As a result of the rise in sea level, a variety of impacts may be expected in Maldives. These include
loss of land, flooding of low lying coastal areas, displacement of population, loss of crop yield,
impacts on coastal aquaculture, and erosion of sandy Beaches. As most of the economic activities in
Maldives are heavily dependent on the coastal ecosystem, sea level rise will impact Male’ in the year
2050 - 31% of Male’ inundated under IPCC worst case scenario (IS92e)3
Damages caused to the beach due to sea level rise. Damages caused to livelihood of people due tosea level rise the social and economic development of the country. Residential areas, industry andvital infrastructure of the country lie close to the shoreline4, within 0.8 to 2m of mean sea level. Even
now some islands are seriously affected by loss not only of shoreline but also of houses, schools
and other infrastructure, compelling the government to initiate urgent coastal protection measures.

FIQURE 12FIQURE 13

3 Figure 12
4 Figure 13

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2.3 Coastal flooding
In addition to storm surge, Maldives also experiences coastal flooding through swells. [Udha], rise in
the water surface on the coast during the southwest monsoon season causes flooding up to 0.6m,
particularly the western ridge of the atolls in Maldives. (DIRAM 2008)

2.4 Heavy rainfall events
Sudden downpour associated with low pressure systems and thunderstorms activities results inflooding. The southern atolls receive abundant rainfall and are exposed to heavy rainfall extremes
than the central tolls and northern atolls. The northern atolls are exposed to heavy rainfall episodes
associated with cyclonic storms. Northern and central atolls experience more drought conditions(uneven rainfall distribution or suppressed seasonal rainfall quantity) when compared to southernatolls.

2.5 Earthquake
Situated on the Indo-Australian plate, the Maldives is
tectonically very stable and aseismic. It is located far away fromhigh-seismicity regions. But traumas have been felt by people
across a wide area and on many islands. These traumas are
said that, were not caused by nearby seismic events, but by the
relatively large events that have occurred in the western Indianand Sumatra region. But it is possible that a major earthquake
to suddenly occur in a region that has not been seismically
active in the past. And attention is given to the possibility of atsunami generated from the active seismic zones around
Sumatra, Western India and in the waters west and south westof Maldives. The Waters of ocean lying south of Maldives andthe Carlsberg oceanic ridge zone, which has a high level ofseismic activity.
FIQURE 14: EARTHQUAKE SESIMIC HAZARD ZONES

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2.6 Tsunami
Maldives has tsunami hazard largely coming fromthe east (Sumatra), and relatively low hazard isalso present from the north (Makran) and south(Carlsberg Transform fault zone). Islands along theeastern fringe of eastern atolls are more exposedcompared to the islands along the western fringeof western atolls.
The probable maximum tsunami wave height is

FIQURE 15: AFTERMATH OF 2004 TSUNAMI

estimated at 5.2m. The return period of the 26
December 2004 tsunami is found to be one in 219
years (one of numerous probable events).
Except for Seenu, Gnaviyani and Gaafu atolls, theearthquake hazard is low across the country. The
probable maximum Modified Mercali Intensity (MMI)
is estimated as 7- 8 in zone 5. This level of MMI cancause moderate to high damage. And it is possiblethat a tsunami to be generated from the active
seismic zones around Sumatra, Western India andin the waters west and south west of Maldives. The
Waters of ocean lying south of Maldives and theCarlsberg oceanic ridge zone, which has a high

FIQURE 16: AFTERMATH OF 2004 TSUNAMI(CLASSROOM DAMAGED)

level of seismic activity

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3. Recent Major Disasters in Maldives
Capital city Male’ is one of the densely populated City in the world susceptible to many incidents due
its vulnerability like the local islands. During the recent history residential fire has increased in Male’
while the islands experience incidents related to monsoon flooding.

Heavy rainfall and flooding/ Tornado (17 May 2017 - 1st June 2017)
During the month of 2017 May, G. Dh Thinadhoo experienced heavy rainfall and 19 houses wasaffected. On the 17th may 2017, S. Hithadhoo, ward in Addu City was affected damaging 46 houses.
A cyclone hit Nilandhoo in Faafu atoll on the 1st of June 2017 affecting 18 houses of F. Nilandhoo
Island. Torrential rain and strong winds caused damages in 14 islands as a bout of bad weather
continues to wreak havoc across the Maldives.
Soldiers from the military’s southern area
command helped clear fallen trees that were
blocking roads. Noting that the usual rainfall withthe onset of the south-west monsoon in mid-May
is lasting longer than expected, Government
FIQURE 18: DAMAGES TO CROPS

advised islands to maintain food stores and tocommunicate shortages of staple food stuff. The Maldives Meteorology Service issued a yellow alert
for northern and central atolls Thursday morning, advising against sea travel for four hours andwarning of torrential rain, squally showers, and gusts of 55 miles per hour.
Flooding caused by heavy downpours meanwhile damaged farm fields on the northern islands ofUligamu in Haa Alif atoll and Vaikaradhoo in Haa Dhaal atoll. The prices of fruits and vegetables atthe busy local market in Malé have soared in the first week of Ramadan due to reduced supply fromfarming islands affected by the bad weather. Demand for local produce such as watermelons is highduring the fasting month.
According to the met office, wind speeds in thecapital reached 55 miles per hour Thursday
morning. Some roads were inundated with waterand branches fell off trees planted by the roadside.

FIQURE 17: DEPRESSION OVER MALDIVES ON 17 MAY 201715

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Fire Incidents (2012- 2016)
With urbanization residential fire incidents are increasing. Among different type of disasters fireincidents pose a great risk and threat to life and property. Building fires, especially residential fires
remains a critical concern as the rate has increased over the previous years. To minimize the loss
and damage to the property and buildings two packages were introduced to the community, inpartnership with Bank of Maldives and Ayady Takaful. An Insurance package has been formulatedwith Ayady Thakaful for the property and buildings while a bank loan scheme is active with a little
interest fee for the people’s property and buildings are directly affected by fire.
Records from 2012 to 2016 shows that a total of 111 fires has occurred in 2012, 109 in 2013, 54 in
2014, 97 in 2015 and 98 fire incidents in 2016. The most common type has been human induced,
intentional and electrical fire incidents over the span on four years.

Over the year’s society has responded to the Fire threats, with Maldives Fire and Rescue Service
intervention. The table explains the data recorded by the MNDF Fire department from 2012 to 2016.

FIQURE 20: FIRE AT COASTLINE HARDWARE
SHOWROMFIQURE 21: A SPEEDBOAT OF MAKUNUDHU ISLAND RESORT,
DOCKED AT THE NUMBER 6 JETTY IN THE NORTHERN HARBOR
OF MALE’,16

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Cyclone (3rd December 2017)2% of the whole island of Lhaviyani Hinnavaru was affected while 11 more islands experienced thecyclone. 3 Houses were damaged in Lhaviyani Hinnavaru Island.

Addu City Flood Crisis (24-25 November 2015)
Addu Atoll in the south of the Maldives has been hit by severe flooding after several hours of
torrential rainfall. Homes and businesses in Addu City have been inundated by floodwaters and thestorm damage has been described as the worst in 40 years. The City experienced 228.4 mm rainfall
between 8am Tuesday to 8am Wednesday and was the highest recorded in the country history in 24
hours. It also experienced an alarmingly high rainfall in an hour with 54.9mm. The islands ofFeydhoo, Maradhoo feydhoo and Maradhoo households were severely affected. About 297 houses
got flooded and loss is estimated at US$0.3 million.

Water Shortage (Throughout the year)
Freshwater is in short supply in the Maldives, where the traditional reliance on groundwater supplies
for both potable and non-potable uses has recently been brought into question - particularly on
densely populated islands - as a result of Over-extraction of groundwater by
growing populations, Contamination of groundwater with toxins reaching the aquifer as a result ofpoor sanitation, Salinization of aquifers during storm surges, and especially as a result of the 2004
tsunami, which seriously damaged public perceptions of groundwater quality and led to calls forsewerage systems and the provision of other sources of freshwater. Although not considered as adisaster, but due to the programming and logistical costs, the government faces every year it isconsidered as a crisis.
The government provides thousands of tons of freshwater to islands in order for drinking andcooking.

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According to 2014 Census report one third of the
population (38%) 15,3904 resides in the Capital
Male’ City which only covers 5.8km. Dating backto 30 years most households in male’ has watertanks and used to drink rainwater. However, withstart of mass migration from islands to capitalsubjected to construction of high-rise buildings in
the already compact space subjecting to watersalinity and other sewerage issues. To solve thisin 1995,
FIQURE 22: PUBLIC WATER TANK

Male’ water and sewerage company (MWSC) was inaugurated aiming to desalinate saltwater into
drinking water. Although with the high demand they faced lot of challenges to cater the need of male’
population too.

Male Water Crisis (4 December 2014)
A catastrophic fire broke out on 4 December
2014 inside the Maldives Water and Sewerage
Company (MWSC)’s Generator Unit and has
disrupted Male’ City’s water supply. The watersupply was suspended across the capital city as
MWSC is the sole provider of clean desalinatedwater in the capital and the unit was severely
damaged in the fire. This caused panic among
the locals and in the chaos, packaged drinking
water, water buckets and containers priceskyrocketed.
For a week male’ was out of water until the
problem was fixed. State of Emergency was
declared by the government of Maldives on
December 5,2014 and an operation to distribute

FIQURE 23: MNDF ATTENDING TO MALE’ WATER CRISIS

safe drinking water in the Male’ City started immediately.
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Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF),
Maldives Police Service (MPS) were being
tasked to manage the distribution of safe
drinking water. Meanwhile, the Maldives Red
Crescent and various private sector companies
supported and deployed to assist in the wider
delivery of clean water to the households.

FIQURE 24: PUBLIC COLLECTING WATER

Residents
international

of

Male’
aid

from

received

local

and

local

bottling

andpackaging companies (Coca Cola, Taza, etc)
and from neighboring countries (India, Srilanka,
China, Bangladesh). The loss and the cost ofrelief operation were estimated to be US$20
million and lasted for 10 days.

FIQURE 25: MRC ATTENDING TO MALE’ WATER CRISIS

Cyclone Nilam (October-November 2012)
Tropical cyclone that originated from the Bay of Bengal hit Maldives late October and continued until
the first few days of November flooding 51 islands. 28 islands were severely flooded, and 4 islands
were in a critical state. The cyclone affected 33,826 people and caused an estimated US$ 133,090
in damage.

Surge Waves (15-17 May 2007)
On 15-17 May 2007, a series of swells, between 10 - 15 feet, hit an estimated 68 islands in 16 Atolls
across the Maldives, causing the inundation of up to 600 meters from the coastline. The mostaffected atolls were Gaafu Dhaalu, Dhaalu, Thaa and Laamu, which include over 24 islands. There
were no human fatalities from the coastal flooding. However, 1649 people were evacuated from theirhomes. A total of 579 housing units were damaged by the high tide floods. 33 islands were affected
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by salt water intrusions that caused significant
damage to crops, agriculture farms, homegardens and vegetation, which most people
depend upon for livelihood and food supplies.
The wave surges also caused minor damage toharbors and jetties in 17 islands and 58 out of
the 68 islands inundated have reported to havesignificant area of the coastlines eroded.
FIQURE 26: SANDBAGS TO PROTECT PROPERTY

Tsunami (26th December 2004)
Indian Ocean Tsunami occurred off the Sumatra Island on 26 December 2004 devastated theMaldives, causing 82 people killed, 26 people missing and more than 27,214 people affected. The
total economic loss was approx. US$ 470 million, about 62% GDP. Total (World Bank, 2005).
In Maldives, islands along the east are more prone
to tsunami hazard than those along the north, south
and west ones, where the threat is considered low.
As such, the islands with lower elevation and higher
population are at greater risk.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 was the first
Tsunami to hit Maldives. It caused great damage tothe delicate islands as well as the economy of thecountry and the livelihood of its people. 53 of 99
islands were severely damaged. ⅓ of the populated
was directly affected and 30,000 people displaced
across the nation.

FIQURE 27: AFTERMATH OF TSUNMAI

Economic damages and losses equivalent to 62% of GDP while the communication network wentcompletely down with the Tsunami with severe damages to essential infrastructures in most islands.
E.g. jetties, power house, etc. Total asset losses were estimated to be $472 million

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4. Disaster Management System
4.1 Administrative system in Maldives
There are 20 administrative atolls and 3 City Councils in the Maldives with over 653 council
members in 186 Administrative islands. 135 are resort islands (NBS, 2014) and 128 are Industrial
islands.
In April 2010 the Decentralization Act was passed by the parliament. This act formalized the roles
and responsibilities of atoll and island councils and required that they be democratically elected. The
Local Government Authority was established in late 2010 and the first local council elections were
held in February 2011.

Detailed below are the institutional arrangements, roles and responsibilities to ensure effective andefficient emergency response, established at different levels through the Disaster Management Act.

FIQURE 28: INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE

If disaster occurs at City, Atoll and Island level, City Mayor, or Council president or the person in
charge of the island will play a lead role with local level stakeholders. The City/Atoll/Island
Council/DMC also interacts with both national and local volunteer groups for timely dissemination of
information to vulnerable communities and to responding and coordinating agencies.

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)FIGURE 29: EMERGENCY RESPONSE CORDINATION

Local Councils (Atolls, Island, and cities) are responsible for first response to incidents/emergencies
impacting their jurisdictions including the application of fiscal procedures and remedies designed andavailable to be used for various applications during local emergencies. NDMC may receive
emergency funding from it tier partner organizations or from state funding sources and shall provide
reports of their ongoing costs and emergency finance activities. The assumption of the situation will
be as follow:●

The Local councils will seek emergency supplemental response and recovery funding whenfunding resources within their jurisdiction have been exhausted.

●

The Local councils will seek supplemental response and recovery funding from thegovernment through the NEOC when incident-related costs meet or exceed their thresholds
and declaration factors.

●

Islands, atolls, and cities will follow laws, regulations, applicable policies, and grant guidance
when grants are made available.

●

During and after a local response, accurate accounting of and for income and expenses
related to the incident need to be documented and recorded.

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4.2 Legal system and framework
Disaster Management in the Maldives has become a national concern since the Indian ocean
Tsunami of 2004. Within the last decade, tremendous efforts have been undertaken to create laws
stipulating disaster management
Below are the applicable laws and ordinances that provide legal basis to the practice of disastermanagement in the Maldives:●

Under the Armed Forces Act of 1/2008, article 7 (d), (e), and (f) assign disaster relief
operations to the Armed Forces(Chapter 1, Article 7 d), (e), and (f) – Armed Forces Act (1/2008)●

Under the Police Act of August (5/2008), article 6 (II) mandate the Police Services to protect
live and Properties(Chapter 1, Article 6 (11) Police Act of August (5/2008)●

Under the Maldivian Red Crescent Act 7/2009,
Chapter 1, Article 2 (d) and 3 (a) Maldives Red Crescent Act (7/2009)★ Article 2(d) establishes as an independent voluntary aid organization that’s
auxiliary to the public authorities in the humanitarian field.
★ Article 3 (a) assigned the Maldivian Red Crescent the primary task to provide
humanitarian aid, prevent and alleviate human suffering in disaster.

●

Presidential Decree of December 2004 established the National Disaster Management
Center.

●Under the Constitution of 2008, the following elements provide legal support to disastermanagement: Article 253 of Chapter II, Article 22 of Chapter II, and Article 23.

●

Under the Decentralization Act of 7/2010, the Article 24 of Chapter 4 assigned Island Council
to establish a mechanism that provides assistance in times of an emergency.
Chapter 4, Article 24, Decentralization Act (7/2010)●

Disaster Management Act of 2015, provides full legal basis to the disaster management
practice in the Maldives.
(Disaster Management Act (Government of Maldives 2015)23

Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

As per the Disaster Management Act (Chapter
4, Article 28 (a) (7) of Disaster Management Act(Government of Maldives 2015)), the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is
vested with the responsibility to draft the NEOP,
and set instructions for all sectors of thegovernment for the purpose of integrating
disaster prevention and mitigation measures intheir sectoral disaster management plans andprovide assistance.

FIGURE 30: WORKSOP FOR ATOLL COUNCILLORS

Currently the role of NDMA is carried out by the
National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).

FIGURE 31: NATIONAL PLATFORM ON DRR

4.3 Organizational and Institutional Mechanisms
Ensuring effective disaster response and Understanding and strengthen societal capacity forresilience has been two of the key priority areas NDMC has been working along with otherstakeholders. In this regard several policies/ plans / SOP’s has been developed ad programs havebeen implemented in Maldives.

4.3.1 National Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction
Apart from the NDMC, Maldives have very few national organizations that undertakethe DRR process. Maldivian Red Crescent conducts programs and workshops mainly focusing on
disaster management as a core strategic area. And the United Nations office in the Maldivesprovides funding and conducts various programs in coordination with the Maldivian government.

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

And National Disaster Management Centre conducts workshops and awareness programs in atolland in islands, in collaboration with Maldives National Defence Force to rise disaster risk reduction
capabilities at the island and atoll level.

Maldives

National

Defence

Force

also

conducts annual emergency management
workshops in different areas of the country
aimed at local counselors and staff who workat schools, health sector, Maldives Police
Service, and other government agencies.

FIGURE 32: IDMP WORKSOP CONDUCTED BY MNDF

DM plans completed in 56
island from 2013 - 2017

These workshops introduce them to theconcept of managing a crisis before help
could arrive, how to deal with evacuations,and to raise awareness about the importanceof being prepared.

FIGURE 33: IDMP WORKSOP CONDUCTED BY MNDF

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4.3.2 Local Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction
Non-governmental Organizations suchas CARE Society, have a focus on DRR
and Climate Change. Other thematicNGOs
women,

workinginareas

children,suchpeopleaswithdisabilities, autism, heart disease etc
advocate for mainstreaming DRR intodevelopment

and

the

planning

processes that cater to the needs of themost vulnerable people.

FIGURE 34: CARE SOCITY STUDENTS

5. Disaster Management Strategy, Policy, and Plan
The Third Constitution of the Maldives and the Disaster Management Act provide statements of thehighest national policies and priorities of the nation. In addition, the Strategic National Action Plan
(SNAP) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) aims to promotecollaboration among policy makers, experts and practitioners of disaster risk reduction and climatechange adaptation throughout the country in order to develop a comprehensive risk management
approach. The work to formulate national disaster management plan (NDMP) is underway and thenational emergency operational plan (NEOP) has been now approved by the president. DM Act
compels to produce and maintain these two plans. Other plans include the establishment national
early warning system, commissioning of disaster management plan for tourism sector, developmentof Safe Island Strategy and integration and mainstreaming of climate change adaptation anddisaster risk reduction into the resilient island development planning of the Maldives.

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

6. Budget Size on National Level
NDMC deals with running the DRR and awareness programs and the funding is to be through thegovernment budget. But there is no state budget for preparedness and awareness. NDMC budget
only covers administrative costs and staff salaries and did not receive funding for any proposed
programs for disaster related activities. Mostly the DRR activities are run by partnership projects
from international organizations. But usually partnership projects do not allow for investment ininfrastructure and equipment. A separate fund for response is allocated at the Ministry of Financeand Treasury.

7. Progress of the Implementation Hyogo Framework
for Action (HFA) in the Maldives
The progress of implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: Building theresilience of nations and communities to disasters has been going on in the Maldives since the timeof its inception. In order to achieve the goals outlined by the HFA, the Government of the Maldivescommitted to HFA’s five priority for action. Following is a summary of the National Progress Reporton the implementation of HFA in the Maldives from 2011-2013, reported by the National Disaster
Management Centre.

AREA 1:
The more effective integration of disaster risk considerations into sustainable development policies,
planning and programming at all levels, with a special emphasis on disaster prevention, mitigation,
preparedness and vulnerability reduction.

Outcome:Disaster risks consideration has been integrated in the Government’s National Development Plan.
Specifically, 2011 Strategic National Action Plan on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction for 2010-2020 was designed to promote collaboration among policymakers, experts andpractitioners of DRR and climate change adaptation in the country for the development of a27

Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

comprehensive risk management approach. It aims to build resilience of the nation and the island
communities to disasters by sustaining the progress made by consolidating learned best practices
and by incorporating risk reduction into the strategy for decentralization. Once harmonized with thepolicies, plans and sustainable development strategy, it will identify a consolidated set of programs
and projects that can be undertaken with
Government budget and considered for donor assistance. Few government agencies’ programs
have already integrated disaster considerations such as the Safe Island program; a new proposal formosques as safe shelters has been developed. These mosques will act as a base for food and water
storage, and communication equipment, acting as a stronghold in each island in case of disaster.

AREA 2:The development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms and capacities at all levels, inparticular at the community level, that can systematically contribute to building resilience to hazards

Outcome:Established government institutions lack adequate capacity and resources thus have limitations in
implementing DRR initiatives at all levels including interventions for communities. The Disaster
Management Act 28/2015, which was published in the government gazette on 6 September 2015,
stipulates the basic tenets and principles that govern the disaster management in the Maldives. The
Act states the policies, rules and guidelines that need to be formulated in order to reduce disasterrisk and manage disasters. The implementation of Decentralization Act also hindered by the lack ofsufficient capacity and resources all national, atolls and islands levels including communities. In theabsence of a legal DRR framework and insufficient funding, government agencies have collaborated
on ad hoc basis to implement programs. The approach has mobilized trained staff from different
Ministries and institutions at the national and international level in disaster management, risk
reduction and other related fields with many yet to be fully utilized. The civil society organizations
have made good progress in conducting trainings to strengthen capacities of government agencies,
private sectors and communities.

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

AREA 3:The systematic incorporation of risk reduction approaches into the design and implementation of
emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes in the reconstruction of affected
communities.

Outcome:The government agencies, private sector and civil society organization have supported key sectors
and several communities on emergency preparedness, response and recovery. This includes
development of Community-based Disaster Preparedness Plans for affected communities withguidance on preparedness, response and recovery based on Vulnerability and Capacity
Assessments (VCA). During the process, trainings for response including trainings for 1st Aid,
search and rescue, psycho-social support and early warning were provided as well as simulation
exercises conducted for some islands. School level Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) werecompleted for most schools in the country with staff being trained on emergency preparedness anddecentralized management including regular mock drills being conducted within the school as wellas activities carried out for community awareness with the involvement of parents in DRR. Ministry of
Health and Family have specific SOP for the health sector while Ministry of National Defence Force,
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture SOPs in place for their respective sectors.

7.1 Implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction(SFDRR)To strengthen understanding of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in coherencewith the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement of Climate Change,
and the particular role of States together with other relevant stakeholders in developing national andlocal disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020, a 3 day workshop on the National implementation of
the Sendai Framework; Development of Risk Reduction Strategies and Plans in the Maldives was
carried out in Male’ from 7-9 March 2017. This was the initial step in the implementation of the
Sendai Framework where the targets and indicators were discussed.
Among other countries, Maldives also has reported 2017 data of target A, B, C, D and E related to
the SDG’s before 31st March 2018 for the first reporting. Work is ongoing for the reporting of 2015 2017 data for all global targets before the 1 October 2018.
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8. Recent Major Projects on Disaster Risk Reduction in
the Maldives
From 2013 onwards NDMC has been working towards disaster preparedness and resilience after
recovering from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami working hand in hand with local and international
partners. Most of the projects thus far have been small programs conducted by the NDMC, MNDF
and the Maldivian Red Crescent with a focus on DRR at the island level. DRR is implemented mainly
through partnership projects. But these partnership projects do not allow for investment ininfrastructure and equipment. The ongoing projects include.
1. UNDP2. UNICEF
3. ADPC
4. Resort programs
5. Community Based Disaster Risk Management program
6. Flood mitigation projects for islands
7. World Bank - Urban Resilience project, 2018
8. Japan Non-Project Grant Aid 2015 - Japan's Grant Aid for the Provision of Japanese
Disaster Reduction Equipment - JICS

8.1 UNDP Project8.1.2 Scaling up the National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement in Maldives
National Disaster Management Centre and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
signed the project “Scaling up the National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in
Maldives” on 17th February 2016. The new project duration is from February 2016 to January 2018.
This Project is funded to the Amount of US $ 380,000.

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

Objectives:●

Build-upon the achievements of the Government on disastermanagement●

Scale up, ensure continuity and enhancement of the current
policies and programs

Activities●

Enhancement of community capacity for disaster response●

Strengthening the Early Warning Systems●

Enhancement of capacity in disaster statistics

FIGURE 35: ESTABLISHING EW BACK SYSTEM

FIGURE 36: DRONE FLIGHT TRAINING

8.1.3 Enhance National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement in Maldives
The UNDP country programme document for Maldives for 2011-2015 supports sustainable humandevelopment goals and is fully aligned with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework(UNDAF) 2011-2015 and national development priorities articulated in the Government’s Strategic
Action Plan, 2009- 2013.
The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) signed a project to address disaster risk management in the Maldives on 28th
July 2013. The "Enhance National Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in
Maldives”, project will be funded to the tune of US $ 400,000 by the UNDP Bureau for Crisis
Prevention and Recovery (BCPR).
The project supported in;●

The establishment of the institutional and legal systems for disaster risk reduction andeffective disaster risk reduction organizations/ institutions.

●

Strengthening of the end-to-end early warning systems and implementation of publicawareness campaigns and knowledge building on disaster risk reduction and climate change
adaptation.
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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)●

Increasing community capacities for disaster preparedness for effective response. (CBDRM)●

Flood response mechanism●

Involving multi-stakeholder engagement, and●Assessing and strengthening the capacities of the NDMC as the lead national institution on
disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management and coordination.

8.2 UNICEF Project8.2.1 Low Emission Climate Resilient Development (LECReD)
The UN Agencies present in the Maldives and the Government of Maldives launched the Low
Emission Climate Resilient Development (LECReD) Programme on 18 May 2014 in Laamu Atoll
Fonadhoo Island.
The LECReD is a three-year joint programme worth US$ 9.2 million aims at responding to the United
Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Outcome 9: Enhanced capacities at national
and local levels to support low carbon lifestyles, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk
Reduction. The programme will assist Laamu Atoll and its islands to realize low emission andclimate resilient development while attempting to mainstream issues pertaining to LECReD into local
development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability.
(Source: UNDP)
National Disaster Management Center manages the following components under the project:●

Age and gender specific advocacy on child centeredcommunity based DRR in Laamu atoll Development andimplementation of community based Disaster resilient plans
and training of community of members on the plansincluding emergency drills●

Develop training package on PDNA and conduct training forcommunities in Laamu atoll●

Flood response mechanism●

Emergency Water supply safety Program●

Support in Strengthening capacity of NDMC to response

FIGURE 37: LAAMU ATOLL DM PLAN WORKSHOP

to national emergency operations and functions incollaboration with sectors

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Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)●

Support to Develop SOPs to strength NDMC coordination with atolls in island councils and toprepare plan and response to emergencies●

Establishment of emergency information database through technical support
FIGURE 38: WORKSHOP IN LAAMU ATOLL

8.3 ADPC Project
During the ADPC “Priority Implementation Partnership on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction
into Local Development Planning Processes” (2014 - 2015) project period, mainstreaming local level
DRR and CCA into Local Development Programmes was the project's main goal with the following
completed activities.
●

National templates on preparedness and response plans(Country Report and Action Plan document).

●

National guideline on integrating CBDRM activities into local
government

authorities’

programs(National

CBDRM

Framework / CBDRM Training Handbook).
●

Training package modules.

●

Jointly organize workshop on National Training of Trainers.

●

Organize orientation workshop for key stakeholders to
finalize National Community based DRR framework.

●

Island Level Disaster Management Unit Formation Trainingof Trainers workshop.

●

Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development
Training.

●

Model Resilient Island Development Plan Developed in K.
Maafushi.
FIGURE 40: DM UNIT FORMATION IN K. MAAFUSHI

8.4 Resort Resilience Program
Resort Resilience Program is a public-private partnership (PPP) model where NDMC gives technicalsupport to resorts to develop DM Plans and build capacity. Resorts makes in-kind contribution to
NDMC and at risk communities to strengthen DRR and Response capacities.
A 10-day program is conducted by trained and experienced facilitators from the Maldives National
Defense Force and the National Disaster Management Centre of the Maldives. The program is33

Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)

designed to include both technical training and hands on exercises to ensure that resort
management and staff would develop an understanding and knowledge of coordinating andcontrolling chaotic emergency situations due to natural and manmade hazards.

FIGURE 41: RESORT RESILIENCE DRILL IN GILI LANKANFUSHI RESORTThe objectives of the program is to understand disaster risk management concepts, Undertake
vulnerability capacity assessments for effective disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction,
Establishment of an Incident Command System, Develop basic understanding of fire awareness,
Development of a fire fighting squad, Build awareness on maritime safety, Understand and develop
maritime safety skills such as search and rescue, swimming rescue, seamanship, etc and Support
develop multi-hazard Emergency operations Plan

8.5 Community Based Disaster Risk Management Programme
The CBDRM Programme aims to reduce vulnerabilities
and strengthen people’s capacities to cope with hazards.
It offers particularly effective means to reduce local risks
and is a cost-effective approach for a geographicallyisolated country such as the Maldives. CBDRM is theapproach and process of disaster risk management inwhich communities at risk are actively engaged in the
FIGURE 42: CBDRM WORKSHOP FACILITATION

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identification, analysis, treatment, monitoring and evaluation of disaster risks in order to reduce theirvulnerabilities and enhance their capacities to prevent and withstand damaging effects of hazards.
CBDRR contributes to progressive realization of safety, disaster resilience and development of all.

8.5.1 Island Disaster Management Planning (IDMP)The Community Based Disaster Risk Management(CBDRM) Programme is currently one of the mostsuccessful programmes run by NDMC as part of its
efforts to reduce risk and increase preparedness andresilience. Formulating Island disaster management
plans in a component of the program where over 56
islands have now undergone in the past three years.
With support of UNICEF through the LECReD
programme all 11 islands of Laamu Atoll had also
undergone this programme while over 30 Islands were

FIGURE 43: CBDRM WORKSHOP FACILITATION

funded by UNDP.
Through

the

CBDRM

2.0

Programme,

communities are encouraged to integrate
DRR strategies and measures in all islandlevel

sectors.

These

includeensuring

Schools have necessary School Emergency
Operations Plans in place, hospitals and/or
healthposts,

other

publicoffices

andcommunity institutions have the necessaryStandard Operating Procedures in place.

FIGURE 43: CBDRM 2.8 PROGRAMME

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8.5.2 Community Emergency Response Teams
The aim of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is to mitigate and control emergency
situations during its initial stages. The primary objective of CERT is to respond to all Island levelemergencies. CERT comprises of volunteers, trained in preventing any emergency from escalating
into a major disaster. Island level emergencies are best responded by locals, it is therefore essentialthat all CERT members belong to the respective island community (preferably those who live andwork in the same island).
An induction program will be conducted to enhance their DRR knowledge to guide them how to react
and respond efficiently and effectively to local emergencies, attend to those affected and mostvulnerable, take action to mitigate any further loss or damage and to carry out initial field
assessments to assess the situation and to coordinate further relief efforts

Any member of the island community who are aboveage 18 can become a CERT Member with the ability
to communicate clearly (both spoken and written
language). Each island community with a CERT teamwill have at least 15-20 members based in thecommunity after completion of a CERT induction
training who has to adhere to the Humanitarian
Principles and Affirm the CERT Code of Conduct inorder to carry out the primary objectives and act as an
FIGURE 44: CERT INDUCTION WORKSHOP

emergency responder.

CERT comprises of volunteers, trained in preventing any emergency from escalating into a majordisaster. CERT members will undergo various response related trainings from CERT training
partners; MRC, MNDF (FRS and Coast Guard) and Police. These teams will be managed at islandlevel by the Local Island Councils / Community Disaster Management Committee.

36Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC)FIGURE 45: CERT INDUCTION WORKSHOP WITH PRACTICAL SESSIONS

9.0 ADRC Counterpart in the Maldives
Name of Focal Point

National Disaster Management Center

Position
Websitewww.ndmc.gov.mv

Email

info@ndmc.gov.mv

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