Critical Infrastructure

Infrastructure close to the coastline

Critical Infrastructures are the buildings, constructions, structures etc. whose effective functioning is necessary to sustain human health.

Over 80% of the islands in the Maldives are barely 1m above mean sea level and are relatively small. Almost 70% of critical infrastructure is less than 100m from the shoreline and within a meter or so of the current high water mark. The combination of high proximity and low elevation makes these infrastructure very vulnerable to impacts of storm surges and sea level rise which will result as a result of climate change. These infrastructure include power plants, waste collection sites, harbours, airports, hospitals, communication towers, sewage systems and schools.

Infrastructure close to the coastline
  • 80% of the powerhouses
  • 75% of communications infrastructure
  • Waste disposal sites of 90% of the islands

are located within 100 m of coastline of the islands.

More droughts and shorter heavy rainfall and sea level rise may cause physical damage to infrastructure; rise in air temperature will result in heating and rise in water temperature will influence air temperature.

Frequent inundations could destroy the critical infrastructure, severely damaging the economy and threatening the safety and security of the people.

References

Jauharee A.R. Local Planning and Climate Change. Wetlands Conservation and Coral Reef Monitioring for Adaptation to Climate Change. Climate Change Trust Fund. Ministry of Environment and Energy and Local Government Authority. Republic of Maldives. 2014.

MHTE, (2009). National Adaptation to Climate Change, Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment, Maldives Partnership Forum (MPF).

Pics – Hartwig Schafer, Bracing for climate change is a matter of survival for the Maldives, World Bank Blogs, January 20, 2019. https://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/bracing-climate-change-matter-survival-maldives

Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning in the Maldives, 2015. https://www.adaptation-undp.org/projects/ldcf-resilient-island-planning-maldives

Agriculture

Dengue

Food Security

Infrastructure

Fisheries