Hulhumale

Government has commissioned Belgium company Dredging International to reclaim and expand Hulhumale’ island for the second phase of the island development project.

Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the company responsible for the development and management of Hulhumale' told Sun Online today that reclamation work is due to begin in two months and that it will be completed by December 2015. The project was handed over to Dredging International on Wednesday.

Up to 240 hectares of land will be reclaimed to the north-east of the existing island. The new land will engulf the near-by island of Farukolhufushi and the expanded area will be designed to support a population of 100,000 people, HDC said.

The reclamation and development of Hulhumale' is an intiative establish a new land mass required to meet the housing and industrial needs of the capital Malé. The first official settlement was inaugurated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on 12 May 2004.

A total of 188 hectares was reclaimed and developed for 60,000 people in the first phase of the project. According to HDC estimates, Hulhumale’ currently holds a population of 30,000 people.