Uninhabited islands in Raa Atoll: Maduvvari gets Ufulandhoo, Meedhoo gets Thaavathaa

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu today announced that he will be giving Ufulandhoo, an uninhabited island in Raa atoll, to R. Maduvvari, and Thaavathaa, another uninhabited island in the atoll, to R. Meedhoo.

The announcement was made during his ongoing visit to the islands of Raa atoll. The president said that both Maduvvari and Meedhoo face land constraints and that allocating the on unihabited island to Maduvvari and Meedhoo each would allow locals to begin economic activities there.

This would also reduce the space constrains for the islands, Dr. Muizzu said.

"I have decided to allocate Ufulandhoo [the people of Maduvvari] within the jurisdiction of this island, and hopefully all the legal aspects of the matter will be completed. My hope is with this, all non-essential components of the island would be moved there [Ufulandhoo]," the president said.

The President said that Maduvvari's land space is all used up and that he would also reclaim about six hectares from the island, as it is possible to do so. Reclamation will be carried out to the maximum possible extent, he said.

The project is included in this year’s budget and the project will proceed as promised, he assured.

Dr. Muizzu said the island's erosion issues, harbour renovation needs, and development of 50 housing units will be addressed this year.

The President said that due to the lack of space in Maduvvari, fibre work on the island is also being carried out in residential areas, increasing the risk of conditions such as cancer.

With Ufulandhoo becoming part of Maduvvari, concerns of locals there will hopefully come to an end, the president said.

He also said that applications will soon be open for every island of the country to obtain an uninhabited island under its jurisdiction. The government will ensure the islands are not under the administration of any ministry, or involved in any legal disputes.

According to the regulations on allocating uninhabited islands, the government has the discretion to allocate uninhabited islands which are outside the jurisdiction of councils for public benefit. Private parties other than councils can also be allocated islands this way.