Tsunami: 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Rapid Environmental Assessment
NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - THE MALDIVES
THE MALDIVES
Hakura, Maldives (10 January 2005). An aerial view of the damaged Hakura resort in the Maldives, along a flight path taken by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, who travelled to the region. At least 23 of the 87 tourist resorts in the Maldives were devastated in the 26 December tsunami. © Sena Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images
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NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - THE MALDIVES
5. 5.1
NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT – THE MALDIVES Introduction
The Indian Ocean tsunami reached the Maldives at 9:20 a.m. local time, approximately three hours after tremors were felt. Tidal waves ranging between one and five metres high were reported in all parts of the country. The force of the waves caused widespread infrastructure devastation in the atolls, 80 per cent of which are less than one metre above sea level. On a per capita basis, the Maldives is one of the countries worst affected by the tsunami. Sixty-nine islands of the country’s 199 inhabited islands were damaged (out of a total of approximately 1,190). Twenty were largely devastated, and 14 had to be evacuated. Approximately 13,000 internally displaced persons are either homeless or living with friends and relatives on other islands. In all, nearly a third of the country’s 290,000 residents have suffered from loss or damage of homes, livelihoods and local infrastructure. The tsunami had a substantial impact on the national economy, which depends largely on nature tourism, fishing and agriculture. Flooding wiped out electricity supplies on many islands, destroying communication links with most atolls. All communications were lost for ten hours or more on 182 islands, and four islands still have no direct communication. Electricity supplies in many affected islands are yet to be restored. Water supply was disrupted in approximately 15 per cent of the islands, and 25 per cent of the islands experienced major damage
THE MALDIVES
Hakura, Maldives (10 January 2005). An aerial view of the damaged Hakura resort in the Maldives, along a flight path taken by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, who travelled to the region. At least 23 of the 87 tourist resorts in the Maldives were devastated in the 26 December tsunami. © Sena Vidanagama/AFP/Getty Images
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NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - THE MALDIVES
5. 5.1
NATIONAL RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT – THE MALDIVES Introduction
The Indian Ocean tsunami reached the Maldives at 9:20 a.m. local time, approximately three hours after tremors were felt. Tidal waves ranging between one and five metres high were reported in all parts of the country. The force of the waves caused widespread infrastructure devastation in the atolls, 80 per cent of which are less than one metre above sea level. On a per capita basis, the Maldives is one of the countries worst affected by the tsunami. Sixty-nine islands of the country’s 199 inhabited islands were damaged (out of a total of approximately 1,190). Twenty were largely devastated, and 14 had to be evacuated. Approximately 13,000 internally displaced persons are either homeless or living with friends and relatives on other islands. In all, nearly a third of the country’s 290,000 residents have suffered from loss or damage of homes, livelihoods and local infrastructure. The tsunami had a substantial impact on the national economy, which depends largely on nature tourism, fishing and agriculture. Flooding wiped out electricity supplies on many islands, destroying communication links with most atolls. All communications were lost for ten hours or more on 182 islands, and four islands still have no direct communication. Electricity supplies in many affected islands are yet to be restored. Water supply was disrupted in approximately 15 per cent of the islands, and 25 per cent of the islands experienced major damage
References: This report was compiled using data supplied by the Ministry of Environment and Construction, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ministry of Planning and National Development, National Disaster Management Management Center, Ministry of Communication, Science & Technology, Maldives Water and Sanitation Authority, Environment Research Center, Marine Research Center and the Department of Meteorology. The 2004 State of the Environment Report (Ministry of Environment and Construction 2004) was an invaluable source of additional information about the Maldives environment. 95