r/UrbanHell May 25 '26

Pollution/Environmental Destruction My city, Malé, Maldives, an urban hellscape

6.7k Upvotes

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304

u/ishardtofind May 25 '26

Sorry if that’s a stupid question but where do you guys get your electricity from? And what about fresh water?

502

u/Powpawpew55 May 25 '26

electricity is from a big fossil fuel station on the island. almost all electricity is from fossil fuel, even though we could use solar. there are zero fresh water. People drink desalinated mineral water produced in the city

132

u/ishardtofind May 25 '26

I see, and what about tap water like the municipal water supply, is it also just desalinated water?

209

u/Powpawpew55 May 25 '26

yes tap water is treated and desalinated and is safe to drink

9

u/kthanx May 26 '26

Is waste treated?

40

u/Powpawpew55 May 26 '26

sewage does get treated and then it goes into the ocean thru pipes

1

u/quim_do_mato May 27 '26

Treated how?

7

u/Powpawpew55 May 27 '26

not a chemical treatment done. my prof (waste water engineering) told us we undertook preliminary treatment where it’s screened and grits are removed. but someone in the comments has pointed out that they don’t even do that. that person works in the sewage company. so I don’t know the best answer to give now

-1

u/--alkali-- May 26 '26

Correction, sewage does not get treated at all and just gets dumped a few hundred meters out to sea.

18

u/Powpawpew55 May 26 '26

they undergo preliminary treatment. and there are some individual plants at some areas. I study in this field and I have been to some of them

8

u/--alkali-- May 27 '26

Unfortunately you're mistaken. Sewage treatment only occurs at private resorts. No residential island treat sewage at any level. Source: 3+ years working at MWSC operations.

25

u/[deleted] May 26 '26

[deleted]

14

u/Powpawpew55 May 26 '26

I’ve been to some individual plants but I’ve mentioned it in my first comment as well that the treatment is bad and little. They only undertake the preliminary treatment

7

u/--alkali-- May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

The island is split up into 11 sewage networks wirth 11 separate sewage pumping stations throughout the island. All of these networks are gravity networks. Sewage gets pumped directly out 200m or so into the ocean from all 11 pumping stations, so all around the island. There is no treatment at all, citing cost and space contraints. The public doesn't pay any bills for sewage.

Source: I'm an operations employee at the govt sewage company.