Malé Water and Sewerage Company Limited (MWSC) is planning to commence work by the middle of next year on a project to produce water from a facility located 500 metres beneath sea level, Managing Director Hussain Fahmy has said.
Speaking on “Ahaashey Bunaanan,” a programme jointly hosted by Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu and Television Maldives, Fahmy said MWSC is pursuing several initiatives to strengthen the country’s water infrastructure and extend services across the atolls.
He identified the proposed deep-sea water production project as one of the company’s most significant planned developments. Under the initiative, MWSC intends to establish a water production plant 500 metres below sea level in partnership with an experienced Norwegian company that has successfully implemented similar projects.
MWSC has already signed an agreement with the Norwegian company and is currently carrying out feasibility, technical and environmental assessments. Fahmy said the company expects to complete these studies and move into the practical phase of the project by the middle of next year.
Before proceeding, MWSC is also assessing the financial viability of the project, including the investment that would be required.
Fahmy said producing water from a depth of 500 metres could offer several advantages, including improved energy efficiency and easier disposal of reject water into the sea.
According to him, seawater at that depth is significantly cleaner than water obtained through boreholes and contains lower levels of organic metals. These characteristics, he said, could help improve the efficiency of the water production process while reducing operational costs.
The lack of available land for infrastructure is another major challenge facing the Maldives, Fahmy noted. Establishing water production facilities beneath the sea could therefore provide a major technological advancement for the country as an island nation.
Since similar technology is already being successfully implemented in Norway, MWSC plans to send a technical team there to study the operations and gain practical experience. Fahmy said the initiative has the potential to grow into a major national project and become an important undertaking that could serve as an example for the Maldives.
Meanwhile, MWSC is also developing plans to improve water connectivity between key islands.
Fahmy said the company has decided to install water pipelines alongside the Thilamalé Bridge to facilitate the supply of water to Malé and Hulhumalé. Under the plan, a water storage facility would be established either in Thilafushi or Gulhifalhu, from where water would then be distributed to the two cities.
The proposed network is expected to require substantial investment. Fahmy said MWSC is therefore in discussions with the Government with the aim of starting the project around the time construction of the Thilamalé Bridge is completed.
