China Sends Glacial Water from Tibet to Maldives

On May 24th, 2024, China has gifted 1,500 tonnes of water from the Tibetan glaciers to Maldives. The first consignment of 1,500 tonnes of donation was sent in March 2024.

Key Points

Since 2023, after pro-China Mohamed Muizzu took over as the President of Maldives, China has assured grants and aid that has promised.
The Maldives, with its 26 atolls and 1,192 coral reef and sandbar islands, faces severe groundwater and freshwater scarcity, a problem worsened by climate change.
The Maldives has limited success with a UN-funded ‘Increasing Climate Resilience through an Integrated Water Resources Management Programme’ tried between 2011 and 2015.
In 2014, India carried out ‘Operation Neer’ during one of its worst water crises.