90 hectares dredged from Gulhifalhu; work underway: Minister

Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdullah Mutalib said on Wednesday that out of the 150 hectares of land planned to reclaim from the Gulhifalhu lagoon, 90 hectares have been dredged. The former government had planned to give land to Male residents from this site.

In an X post on Wednesday, the minister said the dredging work is going on according to schedule.

The government aims to complete the work as soon as possible and establish basic services, he said.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 'Ras Male' project, President Mohammed Muizzu said that an additional 135 hectares of land will be dredged from Giraavaru Falhu and Gulhifalhu. The President said that 85 hectares of land would be added to the Gulhi site.

Under the second phase of the dredging of Gulhifalhu, the practical work of dredging 150 hectares of land from the lagoon to develop the commercial port and provide land to the people of Male began last July. The project is being carried out by Boskalis of the Netherlands at a cost of USD 130.4 million (MVR 2.01 billion).

The previous government had decided to relocate the commercial port in Male to Gulhi. The Indian Exim Bank has provided a USD 400 million credit line for the project and the port is scheduled to be completed by 2026.