Maldives Fountain Marks Progress Against Rising Sea Levels

Hulhumalé is a man-made island in the Maldives (Flickr).

An interactive fountain was lit up in the Maldives’ man-made island of Hulhumalé, according to the Edition. Many hope that the fountain’s establishment will serve to ameliorate the effects of climate change on the Maldives. 

The Maldives, an archipelago made up of approximately 1,100 coral islands, is the most vulnerable country on earth to rising sea levels, according to ABC News. Despite varying initial estimates of climate change’s effects on the island, the land area of the Maldives will likely be entirely submerged by the end of the century, according to the Climate Hot Map. The Indian Ocean’s sole beacon of hope is an artificial island by the name of Hulhumalé, located 8km from Malé. 

Hulhumalé is a man-made island off the northeast coast of Malé. Its construction began in the 90s through the process of land reclamation, according to the BBC. 6.5 feet above sea level and double the height of the capital of the Maldives, the island was created as a direct response to the imminent threat to Maldivian life posed by rising sea levels.

Hulhumalé has been dubbed the City of Hope by locals because the artificial settlement both relieves the densely populated city of Malé and is designed such that it cannot be affected by any amount of rising sea levels. In 2015, architects completed 244 hectares of land and, by 2019, more than 50,000 people were living on Hulhumalé. Architects and government officials plan to develop the island such that it can be home to 240,000 Maldivians by the mid-2020s.

The island is not simply protected land for the 130,000 people of Malé to move to, but an island built to mitigate climate change problems and serve as a blueprint for green cities. Among a plethora of green urban planning initiatives, architects of Hulhumalé are constructing  buildings oriented in a north-south direction in order to reduce heat gain, educational institutions within walking distance of residential developments in order to reduce car use, and  institutions with a “diverse mix of quality housing,” according to the BBC. Affordable housing will be available for single women and displaced individuals most affected by the Maldives’ frequent natural disasters.

“The ultimate benefit of building a Smart City from scratch is that Hulhumalé will be seen as a city of resilience—built by the people of the Maldives for the people of the Maldives,” exclaimed Maldivian Professor Hassan Ugail.

According to reports by NASA and the US geological survey, at the current rate of global warming, almost 80 percent of the Maldives will become uninhabitable by 2050. The islands most at risk are those most inhabited by local Maldivians. “Our islands are slowly being inundated by the sea, one by one,” remarked Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He warned the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), “If we do not reverse this trend, the Maldives will cease to exist by the end of this century.”

The coral reefs surrounding the Maldives are also at risk in light of the warming and rising sea waters, as well as the increased levels of pollution present in the ocean. As these reefs support the fishing industry and the country’s vibrant tourist industry, global warming is proving to have long-reaching, deep-seated effects on the island economy.

More than 90 percent of the Maldives islands have undergone severe erosion, and more than 97 percent of the country has no access to fresh groundwater. Saltwater contamination has left thousands of families reliant on collecting rainwater for everyday use. The islands, which historically experienced flooding every few months, now flood multiple times a month. According to Climate Hot Map, a website tracking global warming’s effects around the world, “sea level rise is likely to worsen existing environmental stresses in the Maldives, such as periodic flooding from storm surge, and a scarcity of freshwater for drinking and other purposes.” In light of these omnipresent issues, more than 50 percent of the Maldives’ national budget is focused on adapting to climate change, a staggering, yet essential figure. 

The City of Hope in the Maldives may indeed become a beacon for other countries searching for ways to confront the imminent and existential threat of climate change—but only if other countries commit themselves to the task at hand with the creative energy and urgency that the Maldives has.