NDMA Urges to Prepare for Potential El Niño Impacts on Maldives

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has urged businesses, institutions and other sectors to strengthen their preparedness for the potential impacts of the intensifying El Niño phenomenon, warning that disruptions could affect essential services, supply chains and day-to-day operations across the Maldives.

In a post on X, NDMA said the increasing strength of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean could have significant impacts on the Maldives and called on all sectors to assess potential risks and take precautionary measures before conditions worsen.

The authority has encouraged organizations to identify hazards that could arise from the changing climate conditions and assess how those hazards could affect their operations. It has also called on businesses and institutions to develop or review Business Continuity Plans to ensure essential services can continue during periods of disruption.

NDMA further highlighted the need to strengthen supply chains and urged businesses to use seasonal meteorological forecasts when making safety and operational decisions.

The warning comes amid growing international attention to the 2026–27 El Niño event. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) says El Niño can alter rainfall and temperature patterns across large parts of the tropics, increasing the likelihood of hazards such as drought, flooding and extreme heat in different regions. UNDRR has emphasized that the phenomenon itself is not a disaster, but can contribute to conditions that trigger or worsen climate-related hazards.

For the Maldives, where communities, tourism, transport, fisheries and other economic activities are closely dependent on weather and ocean conditions, early risk assessment is particularly important. Disruptions to transport or supplies can have consequences beyond individual businesses, potentially affecting the availability of essential goods and services.

UNDRR has similarly stressed the importance of businesses preparing before climate-related disruptions occur. Its latest guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises provides practical approaches for developing business continuity plans, including identifying critical functions, preparing response procedures and planning for recovery.

UNDRR also held a dedicated 2026–27 El Niño business preparedness event in July, highlighting risks to water availability, infrastructure, logistics, worker safety and supply chains and encouraging businesses to use the lead time provided by seasonal forecasts to prepare.

Against this backdrop, NDMA’s latest advisory places emphasis on preparedness rather than waiting for the effects of El Niño to materialize. The authority has pointed businesses and institutions toward practical risk-reduction measures and UNDRR resources as the Maldives prepares for potentially changing weather conditions in the months ahead.