Environment Minister Aminath Shauna has said that the land reclamation project planned to solve the land shortage in Addu city will not be stopped but will go forward with Addu City's environmental state in consideration.
Mayor of Addu City Ali Nizar has revealed an agreement will be officially signed to hand over the 236.5 hectare land reclamation project in Addu city.
However, Transparency Maldives and some organizations have called for an end to the work as the EIA report noted that the atoll's environment would suffer irreparable damage.
Responding to a question posed by Maradhoo MP Ibrahim Shareef regarding the matter, Shauna said that she had not lost the sentiments of the people of Addu. She said that three generations live under one roof and that the people of Maradhoo Feydhoo and Maradhoo are aware of the need for housing.
However, Shauna said that the Maldives needs to think about the possibility of climate change to the same extent as developmental projects.
"In no way will I stand in the way of the development of Addu. The government will not obstruct the development of Addu," Shauna said.
Shauna said that while Addu is being developed, they will consider ways to preserve the beauty, soil and environment system of the island and that work will be done based on design, data and science. Shauna also said that the islands have suffered huge losses due to development without taking this into account.
"Addu is the smallest naturally formed atoll and there are no electricity generation systems. Therefore, this work should be done in such a way that it will have the least impact on these systems," said the Minister.
Shauna said that Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and Planning Ministry will meet with the EIA consultant today at 2:30 p.m. regarding the Addu land reclamation project and that the meeting will consider the way forward for the project.
- The EIA report revealed that the project will result in mud covering 21 hectares of coral and 120 hectares of seaweed.
- Addu's biosphere reserve will be damaged and deep sea areas such as manta points and marine life like dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles will be negatively affected.
- There will be fewer creatures such as sharks seen in the British Loyalty Shipwreck area, a dive point.
- Tourism in Addu city is estimated to face further damages between USD 17.4 million and USD 27.4 million due to damages on marine life.
Land reclamation from Addu city is under the USD 800 million Line of Credit facility of Exim Bank of India. These include 90 hectares of land reclaimed from Hithadhoo, 75 hectares from Maradhoo/Maradhoo-Feydhoo and 38 hectares from Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo. The land reclamation plan to increase job opportunities and open Addu city for tourism includes the reclamation of 25 hectares of land from different areas of the City.
Sign In