Rasmale land dredging to finish in 2025, president says
President Muizzu previously announced plans to construct 30,000 housing units in Rasmale as part of efforts to address housing needs.
President Mohamed Muizzu announced Thursday that while the dredging of K. Fushidhiggaru lagoon for the development of ‘Rasmale’ city has been delayed, the reclamation and dredging of land will be completed within this year.
Speaking at the opening session of parliament, President Muizzu stated that the project, initially awarded to Maldives' Capital Marine and Civil Construction (CMC), faced delays due to the lack of allocated land, leading to the cancellation of the contract. The government now plans to accelerate the project, with dredging work expected to be completed within 2024.
“The government aims to complete the dredging of the land this year and start implementing basic services, road construction, and housing projects by 2026,” he said.
Dredging work for the project began on 18 December 2023 in collaboration with CMC. The plan includes reclaiming 1,153 hectares of land from the Fushidhiggaru lagoon near K. Gulhi. If the project proceeds as scheduled, dredging will be completed within eight months.
President Muizzu previously announced plans to construct 30,000 housing units in Rasmale as part of efforts to address housing needs.
In December 2023, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) awarded CMC the contract for dredging 1,153 hectares of land. However, the project did not progress as planned. The agreement included provisions for CMC to receive 10 hectares of land in Hulhumale and 60 hectares in Fushidhiggaru for a 50-year lease.
In May 2024, the government announced the termination of the contract with CMC, citing delays in the project. While few details were disclosed at the time, multiple government sources have confirmed that HDC has agreed to compensate CMC for the 29 hectares already dredged, amounting to $21 million.
