Preparations are underway to begin reclamation work on additional areas of Hulhumale this week. The Hulhumale Development Project is the government’s largest initiative to address housing issues. Hulhumale is being developed by reclaiming 1,009 hectares of land from the 1,153-hectare Fusthidhiggaru lagoon. The progress of this land reclamation has been showcased to journalists. To date, 129.60 hectares of land have been reclaimed in Hulhumale, which is 12.84% of the entire project. It’s noteworthy that the currently reclaimed area is as large as the first phase of Hulhumale.
The reclamation work for Hulhumale has been carried out in 11 areas by two companies: Capital Marine and Civil Construction Company and Mohan Mutha Exports. However, to expedite the land reclamation process, the project was awarded to China Harbor Engineering Company this month. According to HDC, site mobilization and bund construction work for land reclamation are underway. With the dredger for land reclamation having arrived in the Maldives, reclamation work is set to begin this week. The Chinese company is scheduled to reclaim 265 hectares of land from Hulhumale sites “C” and “E”.
Looking at other areas planned for reclamation in Hulhumale, after completing the 29-hectare reclamation of site “J”, preparations are underway to begin shoreline protection work. For sites “D, F, G, L”, out of the planned 394 hectares, 100.60 hectares have been reclaimed so far. Additionally, 321 hectares are planned for reclamation from sites “A, B, H, I”.
Once fully reclaimed, Hulhumale will be three times the size of the current three phases of Hulhumale. The reclamation is being done 2.5 meters higher than Hulhumale. HDC stated that 42 million cubic meters of sand are needed for the reclamation. The sand is being sourced from various areas around Male. Furthermore, over 21,000 corals from the reclamation areas have been safely relocated to different areas for coral regeneration.
The government states that the Hulhumale project will guarantee 65,000 housing units. Under the housing project, the construction of the first 15,000 housing units has already been awarded to a Chinese company. Planned to be developed as an eco-friendly city model, Hulhumale is set to become the first zero-carbon city in the Indian Ocean. The government has stated that this project will introduce environmentally friendly and innovative changes to the Maldives, in addition to technological advancements.
