- Hulhumalé
Hulhumalé (Dhivehi: ހުޅުމާލެ) is a reclaimed island located in
Kaafu Atoll ,Maldives . Theartificial island was reclaimed to establish a newland mass required to meet the existing and futurehousing , industrial and commercial development demands of theMalé region. The official settlement was inaugurated by President Gayoom onMay 12 2004 .The development and management of the island is undertaken by a Government owned corporation called Hulhumalé Development Corporation (formerly Hulhumalé Development Unit) which was incorporated on
March 23 2005 .History
Reclamation of Hulhumalé began on
October 16 1997 on theHulhulé -Farukolhufushi lagoon 1.3 km off the north west coast of Malé. Initial reclamation (or Phase I) consisting of 45% of land mass was carried out by the Ministry of Construction and Public Works (MCPW) costingUSD 11,000,000.00. The project was then continued by aBelgian Joint Venture Company,International Port Engineering and Management (IPEM) andDredging International (DI) costing an estimated USD 21 million. All the works involving reclamation and coastal structure development covered in Phase I was completed byJune 2002 .Development
A basis of development known as Phase I was formed under the first Master Plan which was completed in
July 2001 by aconsortium of consultants fromSingapore with the contribution of manygovernment agencies, committees and individuals. It conceptually defines the long-term land use and development strategy (including urban design proposals,transportation plans and utility infrastructure) with considerations for future infrastructure connections to the adjacent Phase II and plannedairport extension areas. This Master plan is to be periodically reviewed and adjusted to include advances in development.Phase I of this Master plan includes:
Stage 1A (completed)
* A 280 roomapartment complex with a combination of 2,3 and 4 bedroom units
* An integrated primary andsecondary school housing 20 classrooms
* Apublic building for government and social requirements containing 32 units
* AHospital with 50 bed capacity
* AMosque for 1500 persons
* Four commercial buildings with a total of 48 units
* AnAsphalt -paved road network approximately 12.5 km long
* An adequate land space for thecultivation of indigenous plants and imported varietiesStage 1B (To be completed by
December 2005 )
* 232Condominium housing units
* 120 Basic housing units
* 169Beach plots
* 56 Standard plots,
* 132Terraced house s
* 280 Housing units
* 57 Residential beach front plots
* 109 Residential beach plots
* 56 Residential standard plots.
* 132 Plots for terraced housing
* A public building with 32 public units
* 15 Industrial and commercial land plots with an average of 1,000 m2 per unitStage 1C (planned for
2006 )
* 1900 Housing unitsStage 2 (targeted for
2016 )
* 2950 Housing unitsStage 3 (targeted for
2020 )
* 3075 Housing unitsHulhumalé is currently underutilized relative to other central atolls in the Maldives. It would take the lead of the government to improve utilization by moving government ministers, government departments and public institutions to Hulhumalé and assisting public servants with relocation costs. Pending urban development, greenery landscaping would help make the place more attractive.
External links
* [http://www.hdc.com.mv Hulhumalé Development Corporation]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18425626 NPR Morning Edition story, 28 Jan 2008]
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