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 ofthe ADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations usedon the maps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or
acceptance by the ADRC.

Fathmath Saushan Moosa
Senior Administrative Officer
Nationall Disaster Management CenterMaldives
fathmath.saushan@ndmc.gov.mv

The Maldivesy 1,192 coral islands in a double

chain of 26 atolls
y 192 inhabited islandsy Population: 345,000
y Capital Male’: One of the mostddensely
l populatedl t d cities
iti ((49th)

National Disaster Management CenterNational Disaster Management Center

Climatey Warm and humid tropicalclimatey Two monsoons:• Southwest (rainy) and• Northeast (dry)y Yearly temperatures: 27oC

to 34oC

National Disaster Management Center

Demographyy Ethnicity: South Indians,Sinhalese, and Arabs
y Religion: Islam(S(Sunnii Muslim)
M li )y Language: Dhivehi(English is spoken by majority)y Script: Thaana

National Disaster Management Center

Governmenty Presidential republic
y Unicameral legislaturey Independence: July 26,

1965
9 5 (from(the British))y Current President: Mr.

Abd ll h Yaamin
Yi Abdul
Abd lAbdullah
Gayyomy Administrative divisions:

20 atolls
National Disaster Management CenterEconomyy Currency:y Rufiyaay ((1 USD = 15.4254MVR)
y GDP:
GDP 2.3 billion
billi USDy GDP pper capita:p9,100 USD
9,y Main export: Tuna (frozen,d di d salted)
lt d)canned,dried,y Main industries: Tourism,, fishinggy Heavily dependant on imports
National Disaster Management Center

National Disaster Management Center

Hazards
NaturalN tl Hazards
HdMan-madeHazardsMd Hd• Tsunami• Floods• Tropical Storms• Cyclones• Sea surge• Drought / Watershortageg• Sea level riseq• Earthquake• Internal conflict• Fire• Airportemergency• Marine accidents• Economic• Health

National Disaster Management Center

Likely hazards in the Maldives:
Stormsy Disrupts transportationy Detrimental to fishingy Destroys
Dcropsy Storm surges
g in low-lyingy g islandsy Flooding (secondary: sanitation,

spread of waterborne diseases)

National Disaster Management Center

Likely hazards in the Maldives:Cyclones
y Less Prone to tropicalcyclones.
y Northern islands are effectedby weak cyclones that areformed in Sothern parts ofbay of Bengal and Arabiansea.
y Over 128 Yrs – 11 cyclones

crossed over Maldives
National Disaster Management Center

Likely hazards in the Maldives:
Water shortageg
y 2004 tsunami turned thef h
freshwaterlens
lsalty.
ly DuringD i ddry seasons, iislandsl drun out of fresh drinking
waterwater.
y Government provides

freshwater the islands duringgshortages.
National Disaster Management Center

Likelyy hazards in the Maldives:
Floodsy Floods are caused mainly by

sea surge anddhheavy rainfall.
i f lly sanitation,i ispreadd offwaterborne diseases
y Flooding causes many

adverse effects to number ofsectors.

National Disaster Management Center

Likely hazards in the Maldives:
Earthquakey Earthquakes of large

magnitude
i d are not common
in the Maldives.
y Active seismic zones aroundthe country

Seismic Hazard Zone5432
1

National Disaster Management Center

Likelyy hazards in the Maldives:
Tsunamisy 2004 Indian ocean tsunami
yyyyy

82 deaths
26 missing
107 casualties
65% GDP lossFirst time large number of IDPsy Low elevation makes a tsunami the mostdangerous hazard the country could faceface.

y Huge impact on the economy.
y National Disaster Management Centerestablished in 2005

National Disaster Management Center

Likelyy hazards in the Maldives:
Sea level risey Biggest long-term hazard.
y Effect of global warming.
y If sea level continues to rise,th worstt case scenario
i isithethat majority of theMaldives would beunderwater by 2050.

National Disaster Management CenterMaldives is the lowest lying
countryy in the world

2.4 metres( ft 10 in)(7i )National Disaster Management Center

The capitalp – Male’

National Disaster Management CenterMale’ in the year 2050
31% of Male’ inundated under IPCC worst case scenario (IS92e)

National Disaster Management Center

President Mohamed Nasheed Under water cabinet meeting

National Disaster Management Center

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom UN Climate change conferenceRecent disasters:
Storms / flooding / tsunami
Data collected in 2013

Year/Storm

Islands affected

People affected

DeadMissing

Damage2012 (CycloneNilam)

Caused flooding in51 islands, 28 islands
severe flooding, 4islands critical

33 82633,826--133 090 60 USD
133,090.60

2004(Tsunami)

53 were severely
damagedNearly12,000displaced. 1,200
IDPs still live in 6
i l d (2013)
islands()
25 Families still
live in 6 islands asIDPs. (2014)

88

20

470 million USD
Estimated cost ofreconstruction
i iis
406 million USD

National Disaster Management Center

Recent disasters:
Water shortageYear

No. ofIslands

20055

91
9

2,728

159,221.80
59

2006

86

2,905

145,525.30

2007

82

2,694

131,031.10

2008
874

2,088
88

101,556.40
6

2009

117

7.469

472,144.70

2010

Total amount of water
delivered (in tons)

Total amount spent(in USD)

Water provided by province offices

2011

108

3,920

142,178.30

2012

86

2,500

286,075.80

2013

28

1 225
1,225

537 363
537,363

2014

77

2909

349,691.75

National Disaster Management Center

DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMy National Disaster Management Centre is the coordinating

body for preparedness and response
y Main response force is the National Defence Forcey Maldivian Red Crescent was established in 2009, as angovernment and works in disaster risk
auxiliaryy to the greduction and response
y NDMC coordinates response and implements DRR

Projects funded by partner agencies
National Disaster Management Center

Administrative system in the Maldivesy Decentralized system of government.
y Island councils, Atoll/City councils,

andd theh centrall government.
y Constitution dictates that all disastermanagement efforts fall on the State.
y Disaster management is currently

under the mandate of the Ministry ofDefence and National Security.

National Disaster Management Center

Disaster Management in the Maldives• National Disaster Management Center establishedin 2005
Areas of work includes:• Relief• Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness• Advocacyy and Awareness• Emergency Response

National Disaster Management Center

Reliefli fy Provide immediate relief in emergencies
y Floods
y Firey Maritime incidentsy Provide drinking water during shortagesy In 2014 spent USD 349,691.75
y Logistics is expensive

National Disaster Management Center

Strengthening post disaster
assessmentt andd relief
li f- Forms
1.

Situation Reportp– typeyp of disaster,, affected area,,casualties, displaced people, temporary shelters

2. Immediate Relief Aid requisition form
3. Rapid Impact Assessment form – damage toinfrastructure, households, livelihoods, casualtiesanddddeathsh ((afterf 24 hours)h)4. Damage
DanddL
Loss Assessment
Afform (after( f 2 weeks)k )National Disaster Management Center

Strengthening post disaster
assessment andd reliefli f– Relief guideliney Relief gguideline based on Spherepstandards is indevelopmenty Covers basic items for immediate relief andcompensation for loss

National Disaster Management Center

Island Disaster Management Unitstructure

National Disaster Management Center

Legal system and frameworkyA ppresidential decree established the National Disaster

Management Centre (NDMC) soon after the 2004 tsunami.
y Initial mandate was to coordinate relief effort for victimsof the tsunami.
y The mandate of disaster preparedness and risk reduction
was given to NDMC later on.
y There is no legal framework yet but a Disaster
MA hash beenbd f d andd will
ill beb sent to thehManagement
Act
draftedparliament for ratification once the Attorney General’s
Office validates the bill.
bill

National Disaster Management Center

Structure of Disaster Management
y NDMC is under the Ministry

off Defence
D fandd National
N ilSecurity.
y Armed forces of the Maldives,Maldives National Defence
Force is the first responders ina disaster.
y Current mandate of NDMC

includes disaster preparedness,prevention, response, andrecovery.
National Disaster Management Center

N tiNationall platforml tf
ffor DRRy There is no national platform for DRR
y ThereTh
iis a multi-sectorial
lti
t i lT
Technical
h i l Working
W ki GroupGthat provides technical input to projects. It has
representatives from all developmental sectors andstakeholders in Disaster Management.
y Mainstreaming DRR into development is a priority

among sectors but is not implemented at an adequatelevel.
National Disaster Management CenterNational organizations for disasterrisk reductiony Maldives has very few national organizations that

undertake the DRR process.
y Maldivian Red Crescent has Disaster Management as acore strategic area. Works as auxiliary to government.
MRC’s main strength is their reach to community level.
y NDMC conducts workshops and awareness programs incollaboration with MNDF to raise DRR capabilities at theisland level.
National Disaster Management Center

Local organization for DRR
y Non-governmental Organizations such as CARE

Society, Maldives Youth Climate Network etc have afocus on DRR and Climate Change.
y Other thematic NGOs working in areas such aswomen, children, people with disabilities, autism,
heart disease etc advocate for mainstreaming DRR intodevelopment and the planning processes that cater tothe needs of the most vulnerable people.
p pNational Disaster Management Center

Disaster management
gstrategy,gypolicy and plany Maldives lacks legislative backing on DM
y Strategic
Si National
N il Action
A i PlPlan on Climate
Cli
ChangeCh
Adaptation
Adi anddDisaster Risk Reduction for 2010-2020 is formulated but implementation
is not monitoredy Development sectors have their own policies and guidelines for risk

reductiony NDMC promotes a decentralized approach to DRR
y NDMC hasOperationh formulatedfl t d National
N til Emergency
EOti Plan.
Ply NDMC is in the process of introducing a damage assessments toolkit, risk

d vulnerability
lbilit assessmentt ttooll
andNational Disaster Management Center

Budget size on national levely No state budget for preparedness and awareness. NDMC

budget onl
only cocovers
ers administrati
administrativee costs and staff salaries
salaries.

y DRR is implemented mainly through partnership projects
1. UNDP
2. ADPC
3. UNICEF
4. Resort programmers
yPartnership projects do not allow for investment ininfrastructure and equipmenty A separate fund for response is allocated at the Ministry ofFinance and Treasury.

National Disaster Management CenterProgress off iimplementation
li off HFA
y Significant progress has been madey Progress is hindered by lack of capacity at local level

and lack of resources and budgetarygy allocationy The delay in ratification of the DM Bill is hindering

progress

National Disaster Management Center

Recent Major projects on DRR
UNDP Project
Institutional and legal systems for DRR established andstrengthened

1.
yDM Bill

2. End-to-end

strengthened
hdearly

warning

operatingprocedures

3 Increased public awareness and knowledge on disaster3.

risk reduction and climate change adaptation

4. Increased community capacities for disaster preparednessfor effective response

National Disaster Management CenterRecent Major
j pprojects
jon DRRADPC Project
Develop a Community-basedReduction model

1.
1.

2.

Disaster

Risk

National CBDRR Framework
CBDRR Training
g Manual

2. Mainstreaming
processg DRR into local development
pp
1. Identify entry points for DRR in the IslandDevelopment Plan
3. Capacity building in CBDRR and Mainstreaming

DRR into
i t Development
D lt
National Disaster Management Center

Recent Major
j pprojects
jon DRR
UNICEF Projecty Main project on strengthening response capacity
1.

Develop Protocols and Standard Operational
Procedures to strengthen NDMC's
NDMC s coordination role

2 Establish the EOC setup
2.
3 Establish emergency information database3.
1. Maps2
2.
Online submission of forms
National Disaster Management CenterRecent Major projects on DRR
Resort programmey Public-Private Partnership modely NDMC gives technical support to resorts to develop DMPlans and build capacity
y Resort makes in-kind contribution to NDMC and at riski i to strengthen
h DRR anddRiicommunities
Response capacities
y NDMC gives official Disaster Resilient Resort badge toresorts who take part in the programme
National Disaster Management Center

Challenges
g faced in disastermanagementy Lack of budget
y Lack of DM Bill and legal frameworky Lack of local capacitypyy Lack of coordination between agencies and overlap of mandatesy Lack of awareness at governance and community levely Difficult
iffi l to priorities
i i i ini theh absenceboff major
j disastersdiy Weak building
g code;; provisionsp
are not made for DRR.
National Disaster Management Center

About myy researchy My research area focuses on tsunamiy Mitigation
Mi i i measuresy Structural and non structural measuresy Awarenessy Early warning systems

National Disaster Management Center

Thankh k you

Fathmath Saushan Moosa
Senior Administrative Officer
Nationall Disaster Management CenterMaldives
fathmath.saushan@ndmc.gov.mv