Ministry: Half of Rasmale’ reclamation completed

The Housing Ministry has announced that more than half of the land reclamation work for Rasmalé, the current administration’s flagship housing project, has now been completed.

Citing the Housing Ministry, state media reported that 55 percent of the Rasmalé reclamation project has been completed. According to PSM, the Ministry confirmed that a total of 556.54 hectares of land has been reclaimed to date.

The Rasmalé project involves reclaiming 1,009 hectares across 11 designated sites and is intended by the government to provide housing for approximately 65,000 people. The latest progress update comes amid allegations by opposition parties that the project had stalled.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu officially inaugurated the Rasmalé reclamation project on December 18, 2023. Although the President initially stated that the reclamation would be completed within eight months, the project has faced delays and remains incomplete more than two years into the administration’s term.

One of the world’s largest dredgers has been deployed for the Rasmalé reclamation project, which is being managed by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

On January 22, 2024, President Muizzu announced plans to connect Rasmalé and Malé through the world’s first underwater tunnel. However, in October, Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib stated that the technology required to construct such a tunnel does not currently exist anywhere in the world.

The Minister acknowledged the technological limitations but said that the President’s vision remains a long-term objective towards which efforts can be directed. The ambitious proposal has attracted considerable criticism from the public.

In a project update issued on March 30, the President said that while technical studies for the proposed glass tunnel are ongoing, the government’s immediate priority remains completing the Rasmalé land reclamation.