Baa Atoll Council just passed a strong resolution calling on the government not to lease more islands for resort development in Baa Atoll as well as to hand over the uninhabited islands and finolhu in the atoll to the council.
The resolution passed by the Atoll Council on 14th January 2022 was signed by the presidents of 8 island councils in the atoll. The resolution noted many concerns to the council’s effort to assess the situation of uninhabited islands, lagoons and finolhu that had not been used. These include waste disposal on the uninhabited islands, unauthorized use of finolhu for financial gain without permission by some resorts, no work done in the islands leased for resort development and inadequate use of islands leased for agricultural purposes.
Hence, the resolution called on the government authorities to take several measures and to address the concerns raised by the council. They are:
- No further islands to be leased for resort development in Baa Atoll and permission to be obtained from the Atoll Council if otherwise.
- To transfer the agreements of the islands leased to Varuvaa to the Atoll Council.
- The Atoll Council to be provided means to monitor islands leased for agricultural purposes.
- Maintenance of all lagoons, finolhu and lagoons that have not entered the jurisdiction of the islands to be handed over to the Atoll Council.
- To take action against those who illegally used the islands.
- Maintenance of Baa Atoll Biosphere reserve to be established under the Atoll Council.
Baa Atoll currently has 18 resorts operating in the Maldives and three more islands have been already leased for resort development.
