The dredger required to begin land reclamation for the development of an airport and other essential infrastructure in HA. Dhidhdhoo arrived on the island on Saturday.
Dhidhdhoo Council Member Abdulla Waheed told Sun that the dredger, brought in to reclaim the western lagoon, docked on Saturday afternoon. He said dredging work is scheduled to begin on Monday.
“It will definitely be completed in two or three months at the earliest. The depth of the lagoon in some areas is around five meters,” Waheed said.
Council President Abdulla Rasheed had earlier stated that physical work on the airport would begin once reclamation of the western lagoon is completed.
The reclamation is being carried out by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), which will add 110 hectares of land to Dhidhdhoo for the airport and related facilities.
During a visit to the island in late January last year, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu told residents that the Dhidhdhoo Airport project is a key component of his administration’s regional development policy. He pledged that dredging would be completed quickly and that airport construction would move ahead at a fast pace, adding that he intends to visit the island to inaugurate the airport on its first flight.
State Minister for Construction Ismail Hamed (L) and MTCC’s CEO Abdulla Ziyad (R) sign an agreement for the Dhidhdhoo airport project on April 19, 2024. (Photo/MTCC)
The project was awarded to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) on April 19, 2024, at a cost of MVR 257.21 million. However, practical work has not yet begun.
The Transport Ministry later wrote to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee requesting an inquiry into the delay. The Construction Ministry also informed the committee that the project had not been awarded on a contractor‑financing basis, and confirmed that although MTCC had been contracted for dredging and beach protection works on April 19, 2024, no feasibility study had been conducted.
Dhidhdhoo currently relies on Hanimaadhoo International Airport for air travel, with a boat trip between the two islands taking around 15 minutes.