Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has announced that 49 hectares of land have been reclaimed so far under the Hulhumalé Phase 3 development project. The government is currently executing this project at an accelerated pace. Under the Phase 3 initiative, the government has decided to reclaim a total of 63 hectares of land.
The reclamation work initially commenced in October 2023. After several periods of suspension, the project resumed at high speed on November 10th of last year. The reclamation of Hulhumalé Phase 3 is now proceeding under the supervision of MACL. According to MACL, the 49 hectares reclaimed thus far represent 77.78% of the total project. The company aims to complete the entire land reclamation process within the next month and a half.
To expedite the progress, the government has brought in two large dredgers capable of extracting 22,000 cubic meters of sand at once. Among these, the trailing suction hopper dredger from Boskalis began reclamation operations on November 28th. Following the progress of Phase 3, the government has conducted the lucky draw for land plot allocation for those who were awarded land in this area under the “Binveriya” scheme. The draw for a total of 698 plots across seven different sizes has now been finalized.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office, the Minister of Construction and Infrastructure, Dr. Abdulla Muththalib, stated that the reclamation of Hulhumalé Phase 3, designated for land allocation, is progressing rapidly. The Minister further noted that, according to the current schedule, the reclamation work is expected to be completed by the 20th of this month. Once the Phase 3 reclamation is finished, the large dredgers currently in use will be redeployed for the Gulhifalhu reclamation project. To address the housing crisis in the Greater Malé Region, the government is carrying out several major reclamation projects, including Rasmalé, Giraavarufalhu, Uthuru Thila Falhu, and Gulhifalhu.
