The city I call home....Male'

Maldives, a country known for its white sandy beaches, mesmerizing underwater scenery, and tranquility, consists of 1190 islands spread across an area of 90000 square kilometers in the Indian Ocean. The island that I live in is the capital city, Male'; the heart of the country.

Male' is the commercial hotspot of the country accommodating all the main government offices including the president’s office, two hospitals, several schools, higher education colleges, and most of the main retail shops. Unlike other islands the capital lacks a natural beach due to the development of the city. However the beach front is kept very open with not much high rise buildings. An artificial beach has been built there to provide the people with a space for relaxation in the busy city. Almost all roads are narrow and have a width of one car, but with the exception of a few that have combined width of 2-3 cars. They are always congested with traffic, as only few choose walking as a mean of transportation around the city. For a dense city, the capital is well kept in most areas, however some small areas are found to be littered and dirty.

One of the main roads in Male - Majeedhee magu

One third of the total population lives in the Male’ making it one the most densely populated islands in the world. Male’ is approximately 1.97 square kilometers of land. In my opinion there are several factors that influence the dense population in the island. Since Maldives is a developing country not all islands are provided with good health care and good education. This makes people from the islands to migrate to the capital city where these needs are provided adequately. Adding to the high population is the number of foreign workers brought to work in the growing construction industry. It is sad to say that due to the lack of a correct urban plan, and the vertical and horizontal building limitation, proper and affordable housing is not provided to everyone in the city. Male’ has become a concrete city, making the people live in a compact housing system. Due to the compact lifestyle of the people, a lot of social and economical problems are faced every day.

Privately owned apartment flats in Male

In addition to the dense population, environmental threats are on the rise. Some people say that Maldives will sink in the future years due to global warming. Soil erosion and pollution has increased and become a concerning matter to the people. There has been an initiation to reduce the carbon foot print of the country. Also other environmental projects have been started around the country to find solutions to the environmental issues. Personally I feel that the construction industry, the third main industry of country, is one of the main contributors to these threats. The built up area of the capital takes up most of the land space giving not enough space for greenery in the city. Since there is not enough land to have a green space I believe that bringing the green into the built up area is a good solution to make the city more environmentally friendly. The sustainable living and eco housing that could be adapted into the housing system could bring a better living standard and economic stability to the people.