Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has stated that further surveys are being conducted for the Mathikomandoo Connectivity Project.
Speaking to PSM News, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adam Azim said the project to connect Komandoo and Mathikomandoo in Shaviyani Atoll has been delayed to conduct further surveys with assistance from a foreign survey team. He said that the area between the two islands has a deep ocean depth and that data need to be collected prior to building a causeway, adding that changes will also be made to the project design.
Additionally, Azim highlighted that building the causeway is a major challenge, as its design is dependent on the project site. He noted that MTCC has to measure the ocean depth, the motion of the ocean, and the state of the land plot prior to designing a causeway. He added that the state-owned company will complete all its ongoing land reclamation and causeway projects next year.
Komandoo has a population of 1,900 residents, but currently, only 700 residents live on the island, due to the lack of housing and socio-economic development. A project to reclaim 10 hectares of land was conducted in Komandoo in 2018, but the reclaimed land is currently unfit for housing development.
At a gathering held with the residents of Komandoo in January, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced the project to connect Komandoo and Mathikomandoo. MTCC launched the project a week later. MTCC will link Komandoo and Mathikomandoo with a 200m causeway as part of the project. The project also involves the reclamation of 16.7 hectares of land in Mathikomandoo, constructing a 1,520m rock boulder revetment, 353m groynes, and a 112m geobag revetment in the reclaimed area. The cost of the Mathikomandoo Connectivity Project is USD16 million.