Rising sea levels and coastal erosion, both wrought by climate change, threaten the viability of Maldives, a United Nations independent expert cautioned Thursday.
The UN expert also said that overcrowding and other impacts are already felt by the island nation's 300,000 people.
After an eight-day visit to the country, Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, said that "Maldives and its Atolls, because of their unique geological and topographic aspects and their fragile and delicate environmental system, are already experiencing the impacts of climate change."
This jeopardizes the survival of the nation, which could be inundated by water, but more immediately, it jeopardizes the right to housing due to the scarcity of land, a UN press statement said.
Over the past four years, donors and agencies have mobilized over $400 million in aid, but the Rapporteur voiced concern over the allocation of the resources and their management by Maldivian authorities.
Over 80,000 migrants from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries live in Maldives, with half of them working in the construction sector, and the Rapporteur said she was concerned over their housing and living conditions.
She called for a "human rights-based approach" to address the housing situation in the country, calling for the government and international organizations to promote public participation in making key decisions.
Source: allheadlinenews.com
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