Water service provider at Fuvahmulah City, Fenaka Corporation’s Managing Director Mohamed Najah states water supply will be restored to all households in the city following the disruption, caused by contamination.
Water supply in Fuvahmulah, the third most populous city in the Maldives with a population of some 11,000 people, was cut off on Monday.  Fenaka attributed the disruption to a major leak in the main distribution line and contamination of water.
In an interview with state media outlet PSM, Fenaka’s Managing Director, Najah, stated that the water supply to all households in the city would be restored by this afternoon. The restoration process would be carried out in phases across different areas. The water supply is being resumed only after the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has confirmed its quality through testing.
Najah further said efforts are already in progress to restore water supply to households where no problems have been detected in the distribution line. He added that if any leaks are found once the water supply resumes, Fenaka will take immediate action to resolve them.
Najah noted that some problems have arisen due to the way water connections were installed in certain households. He said Fenaka is working to address these issues by reaching out to the respective homeowners. Additionally, the company will attend to and resolve any other issues that are identified.
Amidst mounting concerns over delays in restoring water supply, government’s chief spokesperson Heena Waleed, in a update on Tuesday, said following the detection of contamination, efforts are underway to disinfect the water and clean and flush the tanks in line with guidelines from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and MFDA.
She assured that water safety would be guaranteed and services restored within roughly six hours: a target which the government failed to achieve.
The delays in restoring water supply prompted some Fuvahmulah residents to protest in front the city’s water plant on Tuesday evening and night.
Emergency water shipments have been flown to the island, including 500 cases of five-litre bottles, 1,300 cases of 1.5-litre bottles, and 1,000 cases of 500-millilitre bottles, with deliveries now reaching households.