The Island Council of Shaviyani atoll, Komandoo, has stated that the ongoing reclamation linking the island with Mathi Komadoo situated in the same lagoon, has been interrupted and will resume in March 2023.
The MVR 250 million project, which also included a shore protection component, was announced in January 2022. The project work began soon after it was announced. However, the project came to a halt shortly after it commenced.
The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company's (MTCC) heavy-duty dredger "Mahaa Jarraaf" was being repaired, and this prompted the interruption, according to the contractor. The contractor assured that the project will recommence sometime during December; however, it is yet to resume.
Meanwhile, Komandoo Council’s President Mohamed Sinan confirmed to Mihaaru news that the project has in fact been halted.
"A team visited earlier to complete the design for the project. They said that the design work will be completed before the end of this month [December]. They estimated that the work is likely to resume in February or March, and not before that," Sinan said.
"The work stopped because of damages to Mahaa Jarraaf, but now we don't know what's holding up the projct."
MTCC, on the other hand, has not come forward with any statements regarding the dredger. The company insisted that the project was still in progress and that discussions were being held with the Komandoo Council regarding the project’s progress.
“We are currently having discussions with our international partners, as well as the council. We do not have any responses regarding Mahaa Jarraaf,” a media official from MTCC said.
MTCC has not disclosed the details of these discussions.
The project had a controversial start, with some local environmentalist groups claiming discrepancies in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and that permission for the project was granted in breach of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.
The project includes land reclamation and the construction of a 1,500-meter-long breakwater in Mathi Komandoo, as well as shore protection rectification in Komandoo. The islands will be linked via a concrete bridge that runs between them.
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