The Maldives government on Saturday removed the failed bridge platform that had crashed into Villimale’ reef.
The platform, which was being used to build the Male’ and Villimale’ connectivity bridge, had crashed into the reef on August 16th. The removal of the platform came after growing concerns by environmental advocates on the damage it was causing the reef.
The platform was removed after the deadline for removal provided by the Indian company that is working on the bridge development. The later delays in removal was due to bad weather – however, the government of The Maldives has faced backlash due to delays in prioritising the platform removal.
“The platform has been smashing against the reef continuously with the waves.” Environmental NGO working in Villimale’, Save the Beach had said in a press release a week after the platform had crashed. “We understand this is a challenge but the longer it takes the more the impact to the reef. It’s heartbreaking to see and hear the impact and worse that we can feel the vibration from land.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to conduct a survey to assess the impact and damage to the reef over the 11 days the platform was standard on the house reef.