Maldives Transport and Contracting Company’s newest dredger “Maha Jarraf” docked in Funadhoo island of Shaviyani Atoll on Saturday, and has started land reclamation for the island’s airport development project on Sunday.
A total of 21 hectares of land will be reclaimed from the west of the island’s northern side for the development of a domestic airport.
According to the island’s council, the work of the dredger has begun and pipes have been installed so that the sand dredged up from the seabed can be brought to the area that is being reclaimed. The president of the island’s council, Ahmed Ibrahim Fulhu, stated that MTCC plans to finish reclamation of the area separated by the bund wall in a month’s time.
The residents of the island had given the dredger a warm welcome when it docked in Funadhoo on Saturday. The start of the project has brought joy to the residents of Funadhoo, as the airport development remains an aspiration for the whole atoll.
Ibrahim Fulhu also stated that the airport would make travelling more accessible to the whole atoll as most of the islands in the atoll are 20 minutes away by speedboat to the island of Funadhoo.
Land reclamation for the airport project in Funadhoo was initially started before the Local Council Elections in July 2017, but was later halted. The project was awarded to a Dutch company at that time of commencement.