Court halts Gemanafushi road project over environmental damage

The magistrate court ordered a halt to a road development project by the local council in GA. Gemanafushi on Wednesday, over the uprooting of trees in an area hit with severe beach erosion.

Gemanafushi council awarded the contract for the development of the island’s ring road to a private contractor on April 17.

Part of the area the project covers is a coastal area hit with severe beach erosion and frequent tidal flooding. A local who resigned in this area filed a case with the island’s magistrate court, seeking an injunction to halt the project over the potential environmental damage it will cause.

Ahmed Shafiu argued in his petition that his home is just 13.6 meters from where the beach ends. He said that swell waves already reach 25 feet inland, which is three feet inland, beyond the planned road – a fact that he said the council failed to mention to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Shafiu said that in response to a letter he sent, the EPA informed him that the uprooting, cutting or transportation of trees along the coastal vegetation belt – 20 meters (66 feet) inland from the nearest tree to the beach - is prohibited in prohibited under Article 4 (a) (i) of the Regulation on Protection of Trees.

The council had requested the court for more time to hire legal representation and prepare their case. But the court held a hearing in the case on Wednesday in their absentia citing that the road development project had already been initiated.

The court granted an injunction, ordering the council to halt any work on the project in the block where Shafiu’s home, Rihula, is situated.

The court also ordered the police to prevent the council from violating the injunction.

EPA, too, reportedly instructed the council to suspend the project on Wednesday, upon receiving the documents regarding the case.