Ministry of Finance has revealed over USD 500,000 has been spent from Green Fund last April.
The Green Fund Report for April states USD 505,837 was spent on 34 projects across the country, including waste management, establishing water and sewerage systems and shore protection. In this regard, over USD 168,000 was utilised from the fund to install reverse osmosis plants and storage tanks.
Green Fund was introduced to tackle environmental issues in the Maldives as per the Tourism Act of the Maldives. A Green Tax of USD 6 is charged per tourist for each day they spend at a resort or a hotel in the Maldives.
The Maldives received USD 2.3 million in April 2020 as Green Tax which is a 57% decrease compared to the USD 5.4 million received in April 2019. The decrease is attributed to the suspension of tourism operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.