The Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has completed land reclamation works covering 56 hectares in Area A of the Government’s Rasmalé land and shore protection project.

In a statement shared on social media, MACL said the reclaimed area represents 41 per cent of the total 137.5 hectares planned for reclamation in Area A.

Work is progressing at an accelerated pace following the deployment of two dredgers to the site. Among them is Jan De Nul’s Cristóbal Colón, one of the world’s largest trailing suction hopper dredgers, which has significantly boosted reclamation capacity at Rasmalé.

Under the Rasmalé development, the Government plans to divide the reclaimed land into 12 zones as part of a large-scale effort to address housing shortages in the Greater Malé Region. A total of 1,009 hectares of land is to be reclaimed under the project.

Rasmalé is a flagship initiative aimed at resolving long-standing housing constraints in the capital region. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that 15,000 land plots will be allocated under the project.

The President has also stated that Rasmalé is being developed as a 100 per cent zero net carbon city designed to meet smart eco-city standards. He described it as the largest climate change adaptation project in the Maldives’ history.