Minister: 127 hectors reclaimed from Gulhifalhu, rest will be done in one month

Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib says that Boskalis – the Dutch dredging company contracted to reclaim Gulhifalhu – will finish the work in the next one month or so.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Muthalib said that 127.9 hectors of land had been reclaimed from Gulhifalhu as of the start of this week.

He said that the reclamation works contracted by the former administration will be done in around one month.

“As of March 17, 16.7 million cubic meters of sand was filled. The remaining 1.3 million will be done in the next one-month period. Boskalis will reclaim to the extent we have assigned them at this point by then,” he said.

Muthalib said that the work on the additional 85 hectors of land from Gulhifalhu will commence once the ongoing works are done.

He added that the government expects to complete the land reclamation and begin installing rock boulders around the coastline in April. He said the work will be done in six months.

Muthalib said that once it’s done, land can be allocated to build the roads for the Thilamale’ Bridge project.

The land reclamation project in Gulhifalhu launched in July 2023. The project is valued at over MVR 2 billion.