The Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), the contractor for the Rathafandhoo coastal protection project in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll, has announced that a significant portion of the project has been completed.

Construction work commenced in September 2022. According to MTCC, the outer seawall construction has been fully completed, whilst 81 per cent of the revetment profiling work has been finished. Additionally, the company reports that 87 per cent of the beach sand filling work has now been completed.

The project encompasses the installation of revetments across a 461-metre stretch, construction of a 240-metre outer seawall, and the filling of 6,600 square metres of beach with sand. The Government maintains that this project will provide an effective solution to the erosion challenges faced by the residents of Rathafandhoo.

The community of Rathafandhoo, home to more than 1,300 residents, has been grappling with coastal erosion for many years. During the western monsoon season, severe swells have caused substantial beach erosion, resulting in flooding across much of the island's interior. These swells have also inflicted varying degrees of damage to both agricultural land and residential plots.