Government has sought 20 million US dollars to repair the panel boards of the water desalination plant of the MWSC damaged by the fire.
President Abdulla Yameen stated that spending $20 million to solve the water crisis is a small amount.
At a news conference about the current water crisis in Male', President Yameen explained that the reason for such a large amount is due to the panel boards in the Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) being damaged. He related the panel board as akin to the brain of MWSC, and compared changing the panel board to transplanting a new brain.
President Yameen noted that the government has no direct plans for MWSC due to it being a for-profit company. But he shared his belief that improvements need to be made. He added that MWSC employees are hard at work to solve the problem, but no significant change would occur until the panel boards are fixed.
President Yameen stated that currently five of the nine panel boards have been fixed, and that foreign experts are also helping to solve the issue.
He pointed out that no one in Male’ is in desperate need of water, and that water will be pumped two times a day until things go back to normal. He highlighted this time as one where people should work to help each other instead of trying to take profit off of each other’s misery.
When a news reporter asked President Yameen why he asked for foreign aid, he replied “We always ask for outside help when our country lacks resources. Should we focus on us asking for foreign aid or should we focus on getting our citizens out of this desperate situation?”
President Yameen later thanked the foreign countries, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the police, the military, local businesses and ordinary citizens for helping in trying to solve the current crisis.
Govt seeks 20 million dollars to repair the MWSC water desalination plant’s panel boards
