By P.K.Balachandran
Male, November 12: Of the 1192 islands and islets comprising the Maldives archipelago, about 200 are inhabited. The island of Male is the most populated of these, with 262, 925 of a total Maldivian population of 517,887, living in it. In other words, 50.76% of Maldivians live in Male. It is one of the most congested cities in the world. Recent UN projections suggest the Maldives’ population will rise to about a million by 2050, with two-thirds being in capital Male.
Every Maldivian feels the need to move to Male, despite the inconvenience of living there. This is because all the facilities in education, health and employment are concentrated there. With the result, most atolls are a picture of neglect.
It is this imbalance which President Mohamed Muizzu is trying to correct by a series of bold measures. He has announced an ambitious plan to spur equitable economic growth across the Maldives by establishing “Integrated Development Zones” (IDZs) in the Northern and Southern regions and developing seven additional regions as “urban centres.” His plans to decentralize development, enhance local economies, and improve the quality of life across the nation.
“My vision will pave the way for a more inclusive Maldives, where opportunities are not limited by geography. By distributing development across regions, we are creating new avenues for prosperity and ensuring that no one is left behind in our nation’s progress,” Muizzu said.
The government is planning for better infrastructure, expanded services, and diverse job opportunities, allowing citizens to thrive without the need to migrate to the capital. Muizzu’s strategic plan aims to decentralize development and make it a critical component.
The IDZs will serve as key industrial and trade hubs, supporting new business opportunities, enhancing tourism offerings, and creating employment across various sectors, including fisheries, logistics, and energy. The zones are also expected to host educational and healthcare facilities.
Self-Sustaining
In his presentation Dr. Muizzu emphasized that these areas would become “self-sustaining regions” equipped with the necessary resources and facilities to attract investment, support small and medium-sized enterprises, and stimulate regional economies.
He stressed that the government’s approach to development is grounded in sustainable principles, with plans for renewable energy integration, climate-resilient infrastructure, and eco-friendly urban planning practices.
The government aims to involve local communities in the planning and implementation stages, ensuring that the projects meet their specific needs and respect the natural environment. It has initiated consultations with local leaders, policymakers, and community representatives to shape the detailed planning and ensure the projects align with local aspirations.
The President believes that the Integrated Development Zones and urban centers will attract both domestic and foreign investment.
Current State of the Atolls
In his book “Descent into Paradise”, journalist Daniel Bosley says that “development” pressures, political neglect and climate change have assailed the Maldives’ less-populous atolls, driving thousands to the capital Male.
Various past Maldivian governments had promised land reclamation and mega-development projects. But such development had been to the detriment of the environment and atoll communities, Bosley says.
“While some people on the smallest islands expressed a desire to relocate to the capital, many of the so-called raajjethere meehun (country people) view Malé more as a necessary evil than a gleaming opportunity for a better life,” he wrote.
“For thousands of years, the highly dispersed Dhivehi (indigenous Maldivian) civilisation had been carving out resilient and independent communities, subsisting in harmony with their environment. Indeed, the medieval scholar Al-Biruni’s description of islanders made them seem semi-nomadic, simply transplanting their kadjan huts and palm trees to the next island whenever their ocean (or jinn) landlords served notice.”
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom started the Hulhumalé artificial island project across capital Male. By 2014, over a dozen communities had been officially relocated to other islands. But many of the “new” homes in the new locations were unoccupied, there being no electricity or sewerage facilities.
Muna Muhamed, writing in the South Asian magazine Himal in 2017, pointed to Corporates taking over lands in the atolls to build resorts. These resorts rapidly replaced the humble “guest houses” run by locals. Favouring resorts because they attracted high-end tourists, the government banned “guest house tourism” in 1984. This meant that while the government’s income increased, economic opportunities and livelihood activities in the small island communities decreased. Locals were forced to migrate to capital Male.
In the atolls one would see “an island of a thousand or so people living without proper drinking water and sewage facilities right next to world-class luxury resorts offering every imaginable comfort that money can buy,” Muna Mohamed wrote.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Housing stated in 2010 that the main problem in the Maldives was not lack of housing, but rather the absence of “urban” or city level facilities in regions except Malé.
But how do migrants to Male live? No well. “They are crammed into tiny flats in slums and spend 85% of their income on rent. Houses on the sixth or seventh floors of apartment buildings are let out though there are no lifts or other safety features.”
“There is no institution to regulate conditions of housing in Malé. Hence, one may have to pay an exorbitant amount for a 15 square feet-room without even basic ventilation. According a 2014 report of the UNDP, families are forced to work round the clock to survive in Male,” Muna Mohamed says
Rich Country, Poor Islands
As the Maldives made gains in GDP due to the introduction of tourism, people in the atolls also aspired to get better education, health services, jobs, clean water, sewage systems, paved roads, and access to urban cities. But they were disappointed.
It is said that land is an issue. But it has been found that there are hectares and hectares of land in the atolls. Hanimadhoo (from Thiladhunmathi atoll in Northern Maldives) has more than 300 hectares. By 2015, full reclamation produced 400 hectares of land in Hulhumalé. The Fuvahmulah atoll in the south had more than 490 hectares of naturally available land ready for development according to the National Bureau of Statistics 2011.
A new constitution was passed in 2008 to promote decentralised governance in the Maldives. For a brief period, many islanders believed that the Decentralisation Act would empower them to develop their islands and atolls on their own without relying heavily on the central government and on central decision-making. But as in the L Gan project, the government seemed reluctant to fully implement the decentralisation law which would give powers to island councils formed as per the act.
A UN report said: “Island councils have no economic freedom and no incentives to support innovative economic activity. Many councils feel their hands are tied and all that decentralisation has brought about is additional costs (including Councilors’ salaries) and less revenue. Even though the act allows them to operate businesses, it appears that the central government prevents them from doing so. Currently, the island councils are financially and fiscally disempowered.”
“By preventing the empowerment of island communities through local governance, encouraging the push towards relocation of islanders to Malé and Hulhumalé, and through the amendment paving for land grabs, the government has forced concerned Maldivians to realise that they will have to abandon their atolls and migrate only to pave way for commercial use of land.”
The amendment included the following provisions: allowing lease of islands for 99 years to private investors for building resorts; introduction of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) that threaten local governance and allow corporate ownership and rule of Maldivian atolls; 8th amendment to the Tourism Law removing the requirement for open bidding process in awarding islands, land or lagoons in Maldives; amendment to the constitutional clause 251 allowing foreign investors to own land in the Maldives.”
“ The results of these amendments show that developers and few oligarchs from the Maldives and some foreign countries such as China and Saudi Arabia got what they wanted, beautiful islands with pristine beaches free of locals.”
It is to remedy this distressing situation and render justice to the people in the atolls, that President Muizzu has devised a comprehensive plan. It is hoped that these plans will be implemented.
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