70k corals relocated ahead of Addu land reclamation
According to the Addu Development Website the process of trial dredging has begun.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
More than 70,000 coral colonies in the reclamation zone have been relocated to other regions in order to reduce environmental damage before the start of the land reclamation in Addu.
A dredger has been taken to Addu to begin work on the project, which has been handed over to Netherlands-based Van Oord under an Indian credit line.
Planning ministry said on Wednesday that the Addu land reclamation is being carried out after taking all necessary monitoring and mitigation measures as per the EIA.
Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has requested that the project be carried out in such a way that minimises the damage on the environment as the project will cause serious damage to the environment of Addu.
The damages identified in the EIA report of the project include:
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Sand mining can lead to death of corals and fish
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21 hectares of corals and 120 hectares of seaweed will be buried under sand
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Addu is a biosphere reserve and the project will destroy the entire reserve
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Addu's three protected areas - Maa Kandu (Manta Point), Kuda Kandu and Shipwreck - will be damaged
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Tourism in Addu will lose USD 17-27.4 million if species of sharks and manta rays are affected
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As the sea gets muddy with the work and baitfish gets affected, it will affect the fisheries and make it difficult for the fishermen
According to the Addu Development Website, which publishes news and information about Addu development projects, the process of trial dredging has begun.
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The trial began in Hithadhoo Zone 2
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The work will begin from Maradhoo
Addu Land Reclamation Project:
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Land to be reclaimed from three islands of Addu
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MTCC to reclaim five new islands to build resorts from Addu lagoons; 8.3 hectares of land
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The project is expected to solve land scarcity issues in Addu for the next 50 years
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Hithadhoo to get 94 hectares of land
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Maradhoo and Maradoo-Feydhoo to get 76 hectares of land
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Sea walls will also be built in reclaimed areas
