Sea Level Rise and the Maldives by Nayyifa Nihad and Azyan Hameed Maldives is located southwest of India. It is a low-lying chain of islands that consists of 26 atolls and about 1,200 islands. The country’s population is approximately 400,000 people and the official language is Dhivehi–a derivative of Sanskrit with Indo-Aryan roots. The highest point in the Maldives is 1.2 meters, and 99 percent of the geographical area is covered by water. Due to sea level rise, the sustenance of the Maldivian population is at risk, as their access to clean drinking water and what helps them strive in their daily lives would be endangered. The Maldivian islands are both unique and fragile, as they are formed from broken-down coral. They are formed as the result of underwater volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. This lead to the formation of coral reefs; due to tides, currents, and wave patterns, broken-down coral gathered at parts of the coral reefs to form an island. These islands developed a fresh water lens with the accumulation of rainfall. With time, vegetation formed; about 4,000 years ago these islands were inhabited by maritime explorers and sailors from the neighboring countries of India and Sri Lanka. It is tides, currents, and waves that form these islands, and it is not difficult for these forces of nature to wipe them out. This became reality with the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Agriculture is not an industry that could sustain the needs of the Maldivian population. This is why the economy sustains mainly on the tourism sector and partially on the fishing industry, which is highly dependent on the oceans and its treasures. Global warming and sea level rise threaten these industries, as it has been proven catastrophic to the coral reefs and in turn, the fish populations of the Maldives. Not only does it affect the Credit: Creative Commons Maldivians economically, but also threatens their mere existence. As we know, access to clean drinking water is essential to human life. With sea level rise, the fresh water lens that makes clean drinking water available to the local population deteriorates. In addition, climate change due to the global warming affects the weather patterns and the monsoon rains, their durations, and intensity, jeopardizing the supply of clean drinking water.
10