An industrial island to be built intersecting Male

Housing Ministry has said that four hectares of land will be reclaimed in south-west of Male’.

Housing Minister Dr. Mohamed Muizzu told “Sun” on Thursday that the reclaimed land would be used as an “industrial island”, and that many of the development projects would be shifted there – including waste management.

Muizzu said that a garbage collection yard would be built there, and a harbor for garbage barges to dock.

“There will be a specific location for garbage barges to dock. That place will be connected through land. Garbage transported via trucks will be collected at garbage collection yard. That will mean no garbage dumps in Male’. It will all be directly loaded to barges and sent away,” he said.

Muizzu said that the problem of roads having to be closed down for construction work would also be solved, and that land from there would be leased for people to keep construction machinery and equipment.

“Bidding will be opened for a few parties for concreting in Male’ to be changed to ready-mix concrete in order to shorten period of time roads need to be shut down. Once this starts in earnest, time period when roads are shut down for concreting will be shorter,” said Muizzu.

He said that work that is hazardous to health – such as metal workshops – will be shifted there.

He said that refueling sea vessels will also be carried out there.

Land reclamation project is to start as soon as work on Artificial Beach ends in mid-January next year, and land will also be leased to run café’s and restaurants.

“Once that is done, it will be built like a small industrial island. There will be a green buffer zone with lots of trees. It will be very beautiful,” he said.