The government has sent bottled water to Fuvahmulah, where the public water supply has been suspended since Monday afternoon due to contamination. Authorities expect the issue to be resolved within the next six hours.

The water network in Fuvahmulah, home to around 9,000 residents, was shut down after laboratory tests detected unsafe levels of contamination. The suspension led to long queues at shops as residents sought alternative water sources.

Government spokesperson Heena Waleed said water is being sent to the island by both sea and air. So far, 2,800 cases of bottled water have been delivered through the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

The breakdown of water shipments is as follows:

According to Heena, 1,200 cases have already been distributed to households, and arrangements are being made to send additional supplies.

Earlier, the Fuvahmulah City Council had indicated that the issue might take two days to resolve. However, the government has now stated that the water service could resume within hours.

Heena said the service provider, Fenaka Corporation, has disinfected the entire pipeline and cleaned storage tanks in line with standards set by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA). She added that flushing and water production have now begun.