Authorities investigate possible reclamation crack on Meedhoo reef

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure is investigating a crack on the reef of Dhaalu Meedhoo, over fears that recent expansion of the island through reclamation might have caused the damage.

Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muizzu told Sun Online today that they do not suspect the crack to be the cause of dredging. The crack was found far away from the area recommended by the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the reclamation work, he said.

“In reality, the EIA does not detail these sort of matters. For example, it doesn’t say if this could be damage caused by the weight from the added sand. For the area where the crack was discovered, reclamation was done to up to EIA (recommended) line. Nonetheless, we’re looking into this very seriously,” Dr Muizzu said.

Further investigation is needed to determine if the crack is fresh, the Housing Minister said. He said cracks to reef due to land reclamation are rare and that no such incidents have been recorded in much larger projects, such as the Hulhumale’ reclamation project.

Dhaalu Meedhoo, a 12-hectare island population with a population of 1,300, was extend by a further 22.5 hectares by Dutch company Boskalis International in April 2014.

Speaking to Sun Online today, a council member from Dhaalu Meedhoo said the crack was discovered on the southern side of the island and that it was 4 inches wide and over 13 metres long.

“When I heard about the discovery, I dove to the area to see it for myself. Authorities need to investigate to find out how this happened. We’ve been informed that divers will arrive today,” the council members said.

The Meedhoo council member said dredging was done from a 30-minute distance from the island and that the barge was careful not to come too close to the house reef.