The government has decided to award the installation of water and sewerage networks in Gulhifalhu jointly to the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) and the Housing Ministry’s Public Works Services, Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Dr Abdulla Muththalib announced during the public “Ahaa” forum last night.
Speaking during the forum, Minister Muththalib explained that establishing essential utilities such as water, sanitation, and electricity alongside road construction across newly reclaimed land often incurs far higher costs than the dredging process itself.
advertisement
advertisement
He estimated that delivering comprehensive utility networks and paved roads across Gulhifalhu alone would require over USD 400 million. Due to delays in commencing the extensive project, the administration decided to partner MTCC with the ministry’s Public Works wing to install the water and sewerage grids without further hold-ups, paving the way for swift residential settlement on allocated plots.
Addressing progress on other reclamation sites under the previous administration’s “Binveriya” housing scheme, the Minister noted that works at Hulhumalé Phase 3, Gulhifalhu, and Giraavarufalhu were left unfinished when the current government took office. He pointed out that the previous government had agreed to compensate dredging contractors with valuable land from Hulhumalé Phase 3 and Thilafushi.
As those prime plots remain vital for broader national development needs, the current administration altered the approach to contract dredging works through Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) instead.
The Minister also addressed delays at Giraavarufalhu, where dredging halted after completing over 100 hectares due to fuel price fluctuations triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. He confirmed that reclamation has since resumed, adding that land surveying will begin concurrently as the remaining areas are dredged so that plot handovers can proceed promptly.
Minister Muththalib added that arrangements will soon be established through the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to issue permits for recipients to build perimeter boundary walls and begin preliminary work on their allocated plots in Gulhifalhu and Hulhumalé Phase 3.
