Performance Audit Reveals Flaws in Fuvahmulah City Water and Sanitation Project

The Auditor General’s Office, today, unveiled the Performance Audit report concerning the Fuvahmulah City Water and Sanitation Project in July 2023.

The report highlighted several critical findings that raise concerns about the execution and compliance of the project.

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We have published the Performance Audit report of Fuvahmulah City Water and Sanitation Project on July 2023. The following are the key findings highlighted in the report. To read the full report, please click the link https://t.co/2sAVKqIDoN pic.twitter.com/BYcmsyn3Y5— AGO (@AuditMV) November 7, 2023

Key revelations from the report shed light on various inadequacies throughout the project. In the planning phase, the installation of the water and sewerage system and the subsequent design and implementation failed to adhere to the planned activities necessary to maintain project quality. 

Notably, certain project tasks were inspected and approved by individuals unauthorised by the Ministry of Environment, contravening official oversight protocols.

Moreover, the Detailed Design Report for the project was subject to a conditional permit, stipulating the inclusion of crucial amendments and additional information. The report, however, does not confirm whether these specified alterations were incorporated. 

Consequently, the overall cost of the project escalated by MVR 20,216,769 (twenty million two hundred and sixteen thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine) and the project extended its completion timeline by an additional six months.

The report uncovered that some project undertakings transgressed the guidelines set by the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA). 

For instance, the outfall pipe installation diverged from the specified location in the EIA, failing to meet the prescribed depth. This deviation resulted in the installation of the pipe in an ecologically crucial marine area. 

Additionally, in February 2023, damage to the sewerage system’s outfall caused sewage discharge onto the island’s beach. The sewage treatment system and vacuum station 1 were also installed in areas surpassing the delineated boundaries in the EIA. 

Crucially, required monitoring reports essential for identifying environmental changes were not submitted, and a system to execute the mitigative measures outlined in the EIA has not been established.

The absence of close coordination and monitoring was also flagged as a shortcoming. For four months, no institution oversaw the project’s works, failing to maintain vital project-related information and documents. 

Insufficient involvement of stakeholders in the project’s implementation was identified as exacerbating the encountered problems.