| January
2005 updates Impact of the
tsunami on the Maldives
By
Malika Ibrahim in Male, Maldives, January 2005 The
tsunami of 26 December 2004 was the worst disaster ever to hit the Maldives, an
archipelago which is just about a metre above the sea-level. Waves of 1-3 metres
were reported all over the country. These waves devastated the infrastructure
and livelihood of the affected islands. It was reported that 82 people had perished,
about 12,000 displaced, and 26 missing.
Tourism, the country?s largest
contributor to GDP, suffered with 19 resorts out of a total of 87 shut down. (http://www.visitmaldives.com.mv/mu/).
The fisheries and agricultural sectors were also badly affected. Many fishing
vessels had been either destroyed or damaged. Sea water which had washed over
the farms killed agricultural crops and left most areas of agricultural land unusable.
The tsunami also affected the telecommunications network, interrupting all
telecommunications services in a major part of the country. The Maldives telecom
services run primarily on a microwave network, extending from the capital, Male,
towards the northern and southern parts of the country. During the tsunami, 5
major nodes of the network were badly damaged disrupting communications to 13
out of the 20 atolls of the country. The disrupted services in the affected areas
included fixed lines, payphones and mobile (GSM) services.
In addition
to this, the radio equipment and the buildings housing these equipment were also
damaged beyond repair. The simultaneous failure of the main power supply on the
islands added to the difficulties of maintaining communication services even on
islands where the damage to the main telecommunication equipment was not so severe.
The coordinated action of the Telecommunications Authority Maldives and the
telecommunications company, Dhiraagu helped to restore the network and services
using available means and equipment. However, the network still needs further
repair due to the lack of backup and standby features. Mobile
services have been quickly restored to the status prior to the tsunami, and except
for 3 islands out of the 199 inhabited, all others now have telephone service.
The 3 islands without telephones were those that were evacuated.
The Telecommunications Authority Maldives, in collaboration with
Dhiraagu and other international aid organisations, is seeking to formulate plans
to increase the resilience and diversity of the telecommunications network. (http://www.tam.gov.mv).
The Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology has conducted
a Damage Assessment Survey in January 2005 to assess the damage to the ICT sector.
Further details on the tsunami's impact on the Maldives are available at
the official website (http://www.tsunamimaldives.mv) established to disseminate
information on this disaster and relief efforts.
|
2003/2004 edition 
2005/2006 edition