President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has set an accelerated timeline for the completion of land reclamation at Rasmalé, the centrepiece of his administration’s housing programme, declaring that the project is expected to conclude by March or April 2026.
Addressing residents of Malé’s Mahchangolhi district, the president outlined measures to hasten progress on the vast development, which is projected to be three times the size of Hulhumalé. A significantly larger dredger, scheduled to arrive next month, will expand reclamation capacity beyond that of vessels currently engaged in Hulhumalé Phase III. Work at Rasmalé is already advancing across three separate areas.
The government has cast Rasmalé as the decisive intervention to resolve the long-standing housing shortage in the Malé region.
"The reclamation of Rasmalé will be completed around March or April of next year, representing an area three times the size of Hulhumalé," President Muizzu said. "A total of 25,000 plots are planned for distribution. Of these, 15,000 have already been announced for the first phase."
He added that the process of identifying and determining recipients will be finalised in tandem with the completion of reclamation, guided by established principles.
To ensure the development is strategically sound, the government is seeking to appoint an international consultant to prepare the Rasmalé master plan. The president said the planning work is expected to be completed by the time reclamation concludes.
The administration is also moving to revive stalled reclamation projects, targeting areas where plots had been allocated under the previous government but remained unreclaimed. An additional dredger has been introduced to accelerate these efforts, beginning with Hulhumalé Phase III, which the president forecasted would be completed by the end of next month.
Once Phase III is concluded, the dredger will be redeployed to the Giraavaru Falhu project, which he estimated would be completed within approximately two months.
Attention has also turned to existing housing initiatives. President Muizzu noted that the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is undertaking the necessary work to facilitate occupancy of flats developed in Hulhumalé Phase II. He guaranteed that residents will be able to move into all towers of the new flats by the start of the upcoming academic year.
Reaffirming his electoral pledges, President Muizzu stressed that all individuals promised flats and plots during his campaign will receive them as committed, underscoring the government’s determination to uphold its promises.