Male — The low-lying coral islands of the Maldives scarcely rise more than 2m above sea level — except in one place — the “rubbish island” of Thilafushi, where 15m-high mounds of garbage are heaped in a once-pristine lagoon.

The tropical archipelago attracts more than one million tourists each year who are drawn by its natural beauty and marine life. But behind its pristine image lies a growing range of pressing environmental problems.

Sewage from the densely populated capital of Male is dumped untreated 200m offshore and currents often bring it straight back. All its water comes from a single desalination plant that broke down last year, forcing it to rely on neighbouring countries to fly in emergency supplies.

Thilafushi, which lies close to Male and is where much of the country’s raw waste ends up, is a growing environmental blight that successive governments have failed to tackle.

“Thilafushi is an environmental hazard and has been ruining the brand name of the Maldives,” says Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb. “If we want to protect our environment, this is the first thing we have to handle.”

On the island, hundreds of migrant workers labour without safety equipment to process and burn mountains of trash, which includes batteries, asbestos and untreated medical waste.

With plastic bottles, bags, food cans and other detritus floating from its shores into the Indian Ocean, as well as plumes of smoke rising from smouldering mounds of rubbish, Thilafushi demonstrates the price of rising prosperity and population growth in this tiny developing nation.

Construction of reclaimed land, itself filled with garbage, began on Thilafushi in 1992, as Maldives’ tourism industry rapidly expanded. Since then, the island has been the final destination for waste from many of the country’s 105 tourist resorts and Male. The amount dumped has reached at least 500 tonnes a day and, with tourist arrivals continuing to rise, there is little prospect of garbage volumes declining.

The country’s GDP more than doubled to US$3.4 billion in the decade to last year, with 10 per cent growth projected for this year. This has come largely on the back of tourism, which accounts for 30 per cent of GDP.

However, garbage from the site has started to wash up at nearby resorts, adding to the sense of urgency over resolving environmental issues. President Abdulla Yameen’s government plans to invite bids for an initial contract for the separation of waste next month, to be followed by a second phase involving bio-energy generation.

However, environmentalists are sceptical. “The government says it’s going to do something about it, but it has been trying for 20 years and it’s getting worse,” says Maeed Zahir, founder of Ecocare, a Maldivian environmental group. “Thilafushi has an impact on the whole ecosystem.”

Campaigners are pinning their hopes on a deal signed last month with Dubai Ports World to develop a port on Thilafushi. Unless the problem is solved, the port, which will be designated as a free-trade zone as part of efforts to diversify the economy, may be affected by smoke and fumes.

The last attempt to overhaul Thilafushi came during the tenure of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who became the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader in 2008.

He won international attention for campaigning on the threat to the Maldives from climate change, notably by holding an underwater Cabinet meeting in 2009. He also signed a contract with Indian firm Tatva Renewable Energy to recover energy from trash.

However, Mr Nasheed was ousted in 2012 and is in jail on controversial terrorism charges, and the new government scrapped his waste-management deal last year. As political turmoil continues, with Mr Nasheed’s sentence last month prompting waves of anti-government protests, there are questions over whether the politicians have the capacity to develop a long-term environmental strategy.

Meanwhile, a growing number of tourist resorts are taking matters into their own hands. Kurumba, the first resort established in the Maldives, has a waste-management scheme that has cut garbage output by 70 per cent. while Club Med’s Finolhu Villas resort is looking to achieve “zero waste” through recycling and reuse.

Kurumba’s general manager Jason Kruse said the resort’s environmental measures have proved a hit with guests, who can tour the recycling facilities. “It is also helping with the cultural shift — our Maldivian team members are going back to their local islands and saying: ‘You know what, we can do this better’.”

Mr Shamau Shareef, a member of Male’s city council, said the city is anxious to follow suit. “They are a good example, but here, we don’t have the facilities or resources. We are constantly asking the government to help us find a way.” THE FINANCIAL TIMES