About the Project

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Addu city reclamation Project is a one-off land creation and shore protection project proposed to create a land area of approximately 190Ha. The proposed land creation for purposes of residential, commercial, and industrial development is estimated for Hithadhoo and Maradhooo – Feydhoo.

The Project from the Ministry of National Planning Housing and Infrastructure (MNPHI) is part of the Addu City Development Project to help transform Addu City into a fully functional city, a thriving economic hub and an attractive tourist destination.

The scope of work consists of design and construction of:

Land creation of 76Ha and shore protection works in Maradhoo
Land creation of 90Ha and shore protection works in zone-1 and zone-2 of Hithadhoo
Land creation of 3.3Ha and shore protection works for the Four Lane Link Road
Creation of 3 island resorts with 8.3Ha each
Construction of storm water drainage
Relocation of existing utilities

Environmental and Stakeholder Management are two key pillars on the Project. Specific environmental management and impact mitigation measures have been put in place to minimize impacts such as sedimentation, impact to benthic habitats or marine fauna. Read more here.

Preparatory phase of the Project has begun in June 2022 and the dredging will be performed in 2023. The Project is expected to be completed in 18 months following commencement.

Site investigations

Following site investigations for the Project were performed during Q2-Q3 2022:

Survey - Bathymetric and topographic survey of the construction footprint area.
Soil investigation - Soil sample of the construction footprint area and laboratory analysis .
Sand search - Identify the sand borrow areas.
Marine ecology survey - Prepare coral relocation and establish baseline reef health status.

Construction of Containment Bunds

Sediment containment bunds will be constructed along the perimeters of the newly created land before the actual sand filling occurs. Bund walls will be constructed using rocks, in-situ material and/or geo-tubes/bags. These bunds will be used as base layer for coastal protection.

Dredging and land creation

A so-called Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) will be used to undertake the dredging and reclamation works. Along with the dredging vessel the required support vessels, floating and sinker lines shall be mobilised to site.

Sand for the reclamation fill will be dredged from selected borrow areas within the Addu atoll. The results of the sand search have been used to determine the borrow areas where sand is deemed to be available.

The two areas approved as part of the Dredging and Reclamation Permit for the Project are shown on the picture hereafter.

Borrow areas

Coastal Protection

Revetments will be placed along the seaside or lagoon side of the newly created land in order to prevent erosion. Placement of under layer (if any) and armour layer stones will be performed using cranes and grabble. This rock revetment should prevent the shoreline to be eroded by the waves action.

Drainage system

Stormwater drains will be installed in the reclamation areas to drain the storm water. They will be constructed with sand filled Geo-Mattresses. The drainage system will be designed to minimize the risk of flooding in case of heavy rainfall.

Equipment

The Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) HAM 318 is foreseen for the dredging and reclamation works. A TSHD has pumps and engines that enable it to take soil layers from the sea bed. The suction pipes run from the vessel to the bed. A draghead is attached to the end of the pipe and lowered to just above the bed, making it possible to regulate the mixture of sand and water that it takes in.

Each cycle of operation by TSHD is called a trip and the sequence of each trip is:

Sailing empty
Loading (dredging)
Sailing full
Discharging (unloading)

In Addu, the material from the TSHD will be discharged to the onshore sites by pumping the material through a floating pipeline.