President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said that land reclamation works at Giraavaru Falhu are ongoing with two dredgers operating simultaneously. 

The President made the remark in a post on X, providing an update of the reclamation works at Giraavaru Falhu, which commenced on 30 January 2026 as part of a major land development project in the Malé region.  The President had earlier announced, at the completion of Hulhumalé Phase III, that Giraavaru Falhu would be the next reclamation project.

Project details indicate that a total of 167.15 hectares of land is planned to be reclaimed from Giraavaru Falhu, with Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) undertaking reclamation works for 97.15 hectares of the total project area.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report published on 22 January stated that 12 hectares were reclaimed during the first phase of the project, followed by 18 hectares in the second phase and 26 hectares in the third phase. The report noted that the areas being reclaimed are located in deeper sections of the lagoon, requiring specialised dredging works.

The report also stated that a revised land use plan has been formulated for Giraavaru Falhu. Following changes to the plan, the land use framework was re-evaluated among individuals who received land allocations from the lagoon, with a total of 4,072 plots of four different sizes to be allocated from the reclaimed area.

Under the allocation framework, 2,605 plots measuring 1,250 square feet, 1,213 plots measuring 1,650 square feet, 253 plots measuring 2,050 square feet and one plot measuring 2,450 square feet are planned to be allocated.

Land was allocated from Giraavaru Falhu under the previous administration without a comprehensive land use plan, resulting in insufficient space for basic services to support population needs. As a result, the current Administration has decided to reclaim an additional 113 hectares as part of the Giraavaru Falhu project to address infrastructure and service requirements.