Hulhumale' Reclamation Cost Estimate Drops to $330M, Says Minister

Housing and Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib announced that the current estimate for the total cost of the Hulhumale' reclamation project is 330 million US dollars. Speaking at the "Aha" forum held tonight to answer public questions, the minister stated that when the Hulhumale' project began, it was previously estimated that the total land reclamation would cost between 500 million and 600 million US dollars. However, due to efforts made by the government, costs have been reduced, and it is now estimated that the state will spend 330 million dollars to reclaim the entire 1,009 hectares of land in Hulhumale'. The minister noted that previous estimates were calculations based on the costs of ongoing projects such as Gulhifalhu and Giravaru reclamation and market rates at the time. However, he said that as a result of continuing land reclamation work through dredger chartering, this work can be completed at a very low cost compared to other rates at which land reclamation projects have been carried out in the country. Minister Muthalib also said that claims stating the project costs 600 million or 1,000 million dollars for political purposes are baseless stories told to create fear among citizens, especially given the target to complete most of the land reclamation by the end of this year.