Malé’s water storage capacity is set for a major upgrade with the construction of a new 20,000-tonne tank, which Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) expects to bring into operation by September next year.
MWSC Managing Director Hussain Fahumy said the project is intended to strengthen water security in the capital while replacing ageing infrastructure that has been in use for nearly three decades.
Speaking to PSM News about the company’s ongoing infrastructure upgrades, Fahumy said foundation work for the new storage facility has already been completed and the structure itself has been ordered.
With a capacity of approximately 20 million litres of water, the tank will be the largest and tallest water storage facility installed in the Maldives, according to MWSC.
Fahumy said the structure will reach a height comparable to a 10-storey building.
“The new large tank we are installing stands nearly as tall as a 10-story building. The structure has been ordered, foundations are laid, and by September next year, we will decommission the current tank and complete the water transfer to the new system,” Fahumy said.
The project is part of a broader effort to modernise Malé’s water infrastructure, much of which was developed around 30 years ago.
According to Fahumy, the existing system relies on concrete storage tanks that can be difficult to maintain when leaks or structural problems develop. The new facility is intended to address those vulnerabilities while providing significantly greater security in the event of disruptions to production or distribution.
Once the new tank becomes operational, water stored in the existing facility will be transferred to the new system before the older tank is taken out of service.
Beyond increasing storage in Malé, the project will also play a role in the interconnected water network between Malé and Hulhumalé.
MWSC has established infrastructure allowing water to be transferred between the two islands, providing greater flexibility in responding to demand or disruptions in either location.
While transfers through the network are already partially possible, Fahumy said the system has not yet been utilised at its full potential due to limitations in production capacity in Hulhumalé.
He said the additional infrastructure would provide greater assurance for Malé’s water security while allowing MWSC to move towards full-capacity transfers through the Malé-Hulhumalé network.
Hulhumalé’s water infrastructure has also been undergoing expansion as the population of the city continues to grow.
Last year, MWSC installed an additional 10,000-tonne water storage system in Hulhumalé, bringing the island’s total storage capacity to 22,600 tonnes, equivalent to approximately 22.6 million litres.
The parallel investments in Malé and Hulhumalé are aimed at creating a more resilient water supply system across the Greater Malé region, where population growth and continued residential and commercial development have placed increasing demands on utility infrastructure.
Malé’s reliance on desalinated water also makes adequate storage particularly important. Unlike many larger countries with natural freshwater sources and extensive reservoirs, the capital depends on desalination and storage infrastructure to maintain a continuous supply.
The vulnerability of the capital’s water system was highlighted by the December 2014 Malé water crisis, when a fire at MWSC’s desalination plant disrupted water production and left much of the capital without running water for several days. The incident prompted emergency water shipments and assistance from several countries.
Since then, strengthening production, storage and redundancy within the capital’s water network has remained an important infrastructure priority.
Fahumy said the new 20-million-litre facility is expected to be ready for commissioning by September 2027, after which the existing tank will be decommissioned and the new storage system brought fully online.
