President Nasheed, Indian international cricketer Harbhajan Singh and local community play cricket in Maalhos Park, island's former garbage site


Maldives
PUBLISHED February 04, 2020

Parliament Speaker, President Nasheed played a friendly game of cricket yesterday afternoon alongside former Indian international cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and a clutch of cabinet ministers and officials, to showcase a new recreational area created in Baa Maalhos on the site of the islands former garbage dump. 


Harbhajan Singh is a specialist spin bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner on record. Singh made his Test and One Day International debuts for the Indian national team in 1998.


The cricket match was played in a part of the island that, until recently, was used to burn island waste in large bonfires. It has been transformed into a recreational area under the Namoona Baa initiative, a partnership between local islands in Baa atoll, neighbouring Soneva Fushi resort, and UK-based NGO Common Seas. The initiative aims to reduce waste, particularly single-use plastic, and foster a love for the island and ocean environments.

Common Seas is a not-for-profit enterprise on a mission to quickly and significantly reduce the amount of plastic produced and stop it polluting our rivers and seas. Common Seas tackles the plastic pollution crisis by diving new policy, investing in the circular economy and catalysing a cultural shift in how they use and dispose of plastic.

Prior to playing cricket, President Nasheed, Maalhos island council president Abdulla Shujau, and Soneva co-founder Sonu Shivdasani officially inaugurated the Maalhos eco-centro waste-to-wealth centre — an innovative, waste processing complex modelled on Soneva Fushis eco-centro. At the complex, the islands waste is sorted into different types such as plastic, glass, tin and wood; compacted, crushed, and chipped where possible, and sent for recycling. 

The new eco-centro has enabled Maalhos to completely stop the open burning of garbage - the first inhabited island in the Maldives to do so. 

President Nasheed also examined a photo exhibition highlighting the different components of Namoona Baa, including the local schools zero-waste recycling challenge, surf lessons and tournaments involving local women and girls, and the islands drinking water plant, Soneva Water, which provides 80% of households with drinking water in reusable bottles, eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles.   

Speaking at the new Maalhos recreational area, President Nasheed said:  "What we have brought to our islands in the course of building a life, has taken us over waste has taken over our reefs, beaches and islands. This waste is now a curse." 

Maalhos island council president, Abdulla Shujau said: "The eco-centro is a revolution for Maalhos. After 20 years, we have turned our dump yard into a proper waste centre."


Sonu Shivdasani said: "Maalhos can now produce wealth from its waste. This is just the beginning… and we will roll out the eco-centros to Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo this year, and working with the government hopefully extend the project to the whole of Baa atoll making it truly Namoona Baa."

Dealing with waste, particularly plastic, is a major headache for every island community in the Maldives. Plastic bottles and bags tend to litter streets, jungle and beaches, while garbage is routinely burned in toxic, open bonfires. Human health and guesthouse tourism suffer as a result. 

Under the Namoona Baa Initiative, the Maalhos model will be expanded to neighbouring Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo, with eco-centro waste-to-wealth centres established on both islands later this year. With government support, it is hoped the model can be rolled out across Baa atoll, and eventually the whole of the Maldives. 

In August, Common Seas, an NGO that advises governments and companies on how to reduce plastic pollution, produced a preliminary report for the Government showing how the Maldives could radically reduce the amount of single-use plastic it consumes, and reduce plastic pollution. 

In September, at his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Solih announced a nationwide phase-out of single use plastics to be implemented by 2023, including phase-outs of single-use plastic bottles and bags. It is one of the most comprehensive phase-outs of single use plastics in the world. 

Speaking at a dinner held on Soneva Fushi after the cricket match, Jo Royle, Managing Director of Common Seas, said: 

"What we saw in Maalhos today shows how local initiatives can make a significant reduction in the amount of waste an island community produces. Common Seas research identifies a handful of policies, that the government could implement quickly, that would go a long way towards meeting President Solihs commitment to phase out single-use plastics." 


Soneva is a pioneering family of hospitality properties and products, offering holistic encounters in luxurious and inspiring environments from world class hotels to outstanding natural locations. Combining luxury with a conscientious approach to sustainability and the environment, and proactively changing the nature of hospitality, it delivers intuitive service and meaningful experiences to the guests. Soneva currently owns and operates Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva in Aqua in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand.

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