Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives – Residents of Hoadehdhoo and Madaveli raises concern over the major part of Hoadehdhoo island being destroyed due to the Madaveli-Hoadehdhoo causeway project built in 2018.
Speaking to local media outlet “Sun”, Deputy Mayor of Hoadehdhoo Council, Ahmed Shiyam informed that the causeway results in heavy flooding in the island, therefore, the residents have requested the Planning Ministry through the Council to remove the causeway.
In addition to this, the MP for Madaveli Constituency, Hussain Firushaan stated that due to the causeway, about six hectares of land has become muddy to the extent that it cannot be used anymore. While the issue was previously sent to the Parliament, a report from the Parliament’s Environment and Climate Change Committee in 2020 stated that the causeway was not built in accordance to the advice given by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
Over the past years, about 20% of the land of Hoadehdhoo has become muddy and destroyed due to the causeway, along with the palm trees that surrounded the causeway as well. If this continuous to happen for a longer time, the citizens fear that it could destroy the farms nearby, effecting the economy of the island.
While constructing a new and better causeway along with finding a solution for the damages that has been already caused to the island was an electoral pledge of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Firushaan informed that the expenses to build a new causeway has been already included in this year’s budget and the design of the project has been completed as well.
Firushaan informed that the government has already discussed with MTCC to begin the construction of a new causeway between Madaveli and Hoadehdhoo.
The present causeway is a 440 meter long causeway extending from Madaveli to Hoadehdhoo. It was was built in 2018 during President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom’s presidency and is worth over MVR 29 million.
