HDC orders lagoon to be vacated for Hulhumale' Phase 3 reclamation

HDC has announced the lagoon near Hulhumale' Phase 3 be vacated as land reclamation is set to resume.

As per the announcement from HDC, arrangements have been made to relocate marine vessels moored in the area that make it difficult for land reclamation.

Arrangements were made to keep marine vessels in parts of the Gulhifalhu, Kudagiri and Thilafushi lagoons. Charts where marine vessels can dock have also been released.

HDC has announced a deadline of midnight tomorrow for all marine vessels in the reclamation area to be relocated.

HDC has made the announcement to move marine vessels due to land reclamation for Hulhumale' Phase 3 many times in the past. However, as some of the vessels were not moved, the company said that it would cause them great difficulty to move forward with the project.

The project has been handed over to the Capital Marine and Civil Construction (CMCC) at a cost of MVR 259.2 million (USD 16.7 million). Under this project, a total of 63 hectares of land will be reclaimed.

The project commenced in September last year, with 23 hectares of land reclaimed to date. Reclamation was temporarily halted due to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA)'s orders following the risk of mass coral bleaching in the Maldives' reefs.

The work has now resumed after the EPA has given the go ahead, with efforts now ongoing to reclaim the remaining 40 hectares of land. As preparations have been made, the area that is to be reclaimed has a number of safari vessels docked there.