State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) commences upgrading of Alifu Dhaalu atoll Dhangethi water network grid.
The upgrade works was officiated by STELCO Managing Director Ahmed Shareef at a special ceremony held last Thursday, August 31 along with Dhangethi council’s deputy president Imran Ahmed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dhangethi council’s deputy president highlighted how the water network which was officially launched back in 2018 was never fully utilized. He also pointed out to the issue of water salination the island faced due to which guests have complained for years.
Dhangethi is a local tourism heavy island with 18 guesthouses totaling 280 tourist beds. It is also considered one of the more local tourism popular destinations in the country as well.
Speaking at the ceremony, STELCO MD recalled his previous visit to Dhangethi immediately after assuming the company’s responsibilities, during which the island’s council members met with him to address the issues it faced. Though the water network had been improved by then, Shareef said that the locals were unable to reap the full reward from the system.
Shareef noted that the Maldives government in 2014 contracted a foreign company to develop the water network in Dhangethi which concluded in 2018, after which the Ministry of Housing had attempted to handover the system’s management to STELCO. However, Shareef said, the utilities provider had to make several quality assurances prior to the handover to ensure the system was up to specific standards.
“Back when I took over STELCO’s responsibilities, there was notable disputes about the company taking over the management of this island’s water system. But after I had met with the council members, we understood the whole situation when they provided sufficient details after which we began assessing how we can help the community,” Shareef added.
Shareef noted that the relevant STELCO department’s head was assigned with the task of assessing the water network in Dhangethi, after which they shared the results a week later.
“Based on the findings it was discovered the system developed by the foreign company was not suitable to provide clean water sufficiently for the island. There were several reasons for this, which include rusted storage tanks, leaky RO plant and the poor pipe network, which were not suitable to deliver water and adequate pressure,” Shareef shared the company’s assessments.
The current network faces leakage if water is delivered at higher pressures, due to which it needed immediate upgrade. Shareef said STELCO decided to take over the upgrade works after analyzing the issues in the current system.
STELCO’s upgrade will entail installation of two 365-ton tanks, change of meters to provide services to over 395 local consumers, and installation of a 7,000-meter network line to deliver water and faster speeds.
Shareef is confident that the project which Dhangethi council contracted with a duration of six months can be concluded under three months.