As part of the Rasmale’ reclamation project, 280 hectares of land have currently been reclaimed, as per Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
This land reclamation initiative is the largest of its kind in the Maldives, with 1009 hectares of land being reclaimed with the help of four contracted parties. The government commenced this project to tackle the persistent issue of housing in the nation.
Rasmale’ land reclamation is divided into 12 designated zones, work in Site A commencing at a swift pace. Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has stated that 64 out of the 138 hectares of land in Site A have been reclaimed by 6th January, constituting 47 percent completion in that zone.
MACL has deployed one of the world’s largest Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers, the Cristóbal Colón, with a capacity of 46,000 cubic meters, to accelerate the process. Currently, over 1.5 hectares of land is being reclaimed daily since the start of Site A dredging on December 1st.
In addition to MACL, three international firms are working simultaneously on this project: Sri Lanka’s Capital Marine and Civil Construction, India’s Mohan Mutha and China Harbour Engineering. The government aims to complete Rasmale’ reclamation by March and are seeking an international consultant to develop the Master Plan.