GDh. Madaveli-Hoadhedhdhoo causeway connectivity project was inaugurated on Tuesday.
The project is being implemented by a government-owned company, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC). The contract was awarded to MTCC for MVR 84.1 million.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held Tuesday, Madaveli MP Hussain Firushan said the new causeway would provide a solution to the environmental problems caused by the existing causeway.
Firushan said the causeway project is being carried out in consultation with the Hoadedhdhoo Council, Madaveli Council, and the residents of both islands.
Noting that the people of Madaveli are expressing concern over the delay in dredging land, Firushan said 14 hectares of land would be dredged in Madaveli under this government and that he would advocate for implementing the work.
Speaking at the ceremony, MTCC's CEO Adam Azim said the causeway would be constructed such that the current flows below the causeway. Revetment will be constructed in the causeway area to prevent erosion.
Azim said that besides Madaveli-Hoadedhdhoo causeway will also link Kannigiraa and Haadhoo. The project is expected to reach completion by July next year.
A 262-meter road and four 65-meter revetments will be constructed under the project.
A causeway that was previously built between Madaveli and Hoadedhdhoo at a cost of MVR 29 million from the state budget was cut off by Hoadedhdhoo residents in 2018. The causeway was repaired and reconnected in August last year, but part of the causeway on the Hoadedhdhoo side was again cut off. With that, the government's expenditure on the project increased to MVR 31 million.
There has been a heated dispute between Hoadedhdhoo and Madaveli over the causeway. While Hoadedhdhoo wants to remove the causeway, the people of Madaveli do not agree with their view.
According to Hoadedhdhoo Council, the causeway causes tidal surges, which have killed natural life on 6.7 hectares of land and caused serious damage to the soil. If the causeway is not removed within 1.5 years, more than 30 percent of the island's land will be damaged, the Council said.
