Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has stated that the sand filling operations for the land reclamation project in Addu City has been completed.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Abdulla Sodiq confirmed the completion of sand filling operations. He mentioned that the ongoing work involves the construction of a revetment around the reclaimed area. He further informed that a significant portion of the revetment work is also finished and the efforts to link the reclaimed zone with the Addu islands will persist. He assured that the entire land reclamation project will be finished within the year.
The Addu City Land Reclamation Project, worth USD84 billion, was awarded to Van Oord India Private Limited and is conducted under a direct line of credit facility from the Exim Bank of India. The company is set to reclaim land from Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, and two islands within the confines of the lagoon for the purpose of tourism development.
Meanwhile, Maldives Transport Contracting Company Ltd. (MTCC) is tasked with reclaiming land in Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo. A total of 228 hectares of land is set to be reclaimed in Addu as part of the project. An 11km road embankment will also protect the area. The project stands as the most extensive land reclamation initiative in the Maldives. It serves as a solution to the housing challenges in Addu and aims to generate additional economic prospects for the region.
The government also aims to bring 8,000 tourism beds into operation in Addu. Hankede is one of the regions in Addu that specialised in tourism and includes hotels, guesthouses, and other tourism-related businesses. As such, 4.7 hectares of land will be added to the Hankede Integrated Tourism Project and three islands of 8.3 hectares and two islands of 5 hectares will be added for tourism purposes. The project is currently in the early stages and the government aims to complete the development of Hankede within the next two years.