MALDIVES Keeping the environment clean BY IBRAHIM FAZUL RASHEED MANAGING DIRECTOR, MALÉ WATER AND SEWERAGE COMPANY he Malé Water and Sewerage Company country to ensure that your water meets and surpasses (MWSC), was set up in 1995 by the strict water quality standards set by the regulator. Government of Maldives to provide We strive to provide safe water for everyone, always. potable water and sewerage services to Water quality standards are maintained by continuous theT Greater Malé Region. Since then, the company monitoring of production parameters on-site and by has worked diligently towards expanding its services daily monitoring of the quality of water by our own to the outer islands, including Hulhumalé, Villimale, laboratory. Maldives’ water quality is also checked Thilafushi, Gulhifalhu, Maafushi, Kulhudhuffushi, and by the National Health Laboratory (NHL). For this Dhuvaafaru. Its services extend to approximately 40 per purpose, dedicated sampling points are assigned in cent of the entire population of the Maldives’ islands. each island where MWSC produces drinking water. IBRAHIM FAZUL Through the experience and knowledge MWSC policy on quality is to maintain a higher RASHEED holds a accumulated over time and as part of its business quality of drinking water than the minimum Standards Masters of Business diversification strategy, MWSC has gone on to of World Health Organisation, while complying with Administration from further expand by providing engineering solutions. the standards set by EPA (our regulator). Edith Cowen University, With its proficiency in the field, MWSC now provides While expanding its capacity and developing in the Western Australia. He water and waste-water solutions to the market under water and sewerage services, MWSC has ventured began his government its registered brand Fen, including Fen Engineering into large-scale manufacturing operations, including service in 2001 serving Solutions and Fen Borehole drilling services. bottled Taza mineralised water through its subsidiary, most recently as Head With the diversification into engineering services, Island Beverages Maldives (IBM), in 2004. Since when of Administration at the today, MWSC is the largest contractor of water the company has a met the highest standards for its Maldives’ Parliament, and sewerage projects undertaken in the Maldives. quality production. IBM is also the only bottled water the Peoples Majlis’ MWSC offers a full range of potable water services brand produced in the Maldives that applies standard Secretariat from 2010 for households, industry, and the islands’ hotels and laboratory testing for quality assurance throughout the to 2015. His tenure restaurants, from installing meters to servicing and production process. encompassed overseeing repairing pipes and connections. The company is also In 2010, Hitachi Plant Technologies bought the administration, responsible for installing new sewerage connections a 20 per cent stake in MWSC. The company’s human resources, to MWSC’s sewer network, and maintains catch involvement in the operation of MWSC has led to information technology pits and undertakes deblocking work. The endowed further upgrading of the water supply and sewage and finance divisions. engineering competency in civil, mechanical and services of the Maldives. Previously he worked in electrical engineering disciplines has allowed MWSC In 2013, MWSC launched a plastic bottle-recycling the Ministry of Human to become a multi-disciplinary engineering company. programme for its Taza mineralised water brand, Resources, Youth and With the focus on expanding and developing targeted at the domestic market in and around Malé Sports as an Assistant sustainable water and sewerage utility services in the region. Bottles are shredded in Malé and exported for Director from 2007 to outer islands, MWSC now provides utility services recycling purposes. 2010 and was responsible within the Integrated Utility Services model designed While recycling is an ongoing process undertaken by for implementing for small populations under which water, sewerage, MWSC in conjunction with its resort customers since key programs for the electricity and waste management services are being 2005, the programme is mainly intended for collecting development of the provided by a single service provider. The model was empty bottles from households to ensure best practices youth of the Maldives. successfully implemented in Dhuvaafaru in 2013. of disposal of PET bottles by local residents. MWSC’s Water Quality Assurance state-of-the-art The 21st century is often referred to as “the century laboratory in Malé is first of its kind in the Maldives. of water”, because incidents of water shortages and Specialised chemists and microbiologists conduct more water pollution are becoming increasingly widespread than 100,000 separate water quality tests every year, as a result of the growing world population and the looking for organic and inorganic compounds in the development of emerging economies. With this in water in quantities as small as parts per billion. mind, MWSC will continue to work toward meeting Our experts examine water samples that are carefully the needs of the Maldivian people and to contribute shipped to the lab from sampling stations throughout the toward the development of the islands. F 39 FIRST.