The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a project to restore coral and repair the damage caused by a ship to the Rasfari reef.
Rasfari reef was declared a protected zone in 1995. But the reef was damaged in August 2021 when the Panama-flagged ship MV Navios Amarilis ran aground.
The owner of the ship was fined MVR 154.2 million. Part of this money is being used to repair the reef.
Nursery work is being done before planting the coral fragments in the Rasfari reef. -- Photo: EPA
EPA Director General Ibrahim Naeem said EPA employees are currently working to restore the corals in Rasfari reef.
"Currently, the nursery work is being done before planting the coral fragments in the Rasfari reef," he explained.
The Rasfari reef restoration project will be officially launched on November 4.
The project is being carried out in phases. The work will continue for five years to monitor the planted corals and replace the corals that die off.
This is the first time that a reef is being restored with the funds collected through fines for environmental damage.
EPA earlier said that the restoration of the reef could take about 10 years to complete.
