An underwater tunnel will connect the development at Ras Malé to Malé City, President Mohamed Muizzu said on Monday. The President said the tunnel would be the first of its kind in the world.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the Malé City Mayor, and councillors who had won the by-election for the city council, Muizzu said innovative efforts have already been launched to connect Malé and Ras Malé and that discussions were already underway with capable companies.
The first underwater tunnel in the world will be established to connect Malé and Ras Malé. The tunnel will be one that will provide beautiful views of the sea… This is [also] a major tourism project. This will increase the number of tourists to Maldives many times over.
President Mohamed Muizzu explaining his vision behind connecting Malé and Ras Malé with a ‘first-of-its-kind’ underwater tunnel.
“Hopefully people who live in the Malé area will live in connected spaces,” President Muizzu added, going on to state that other areas of the country will also see interconnectivity infrastructure within his term.
“I assure you, with great determination, hopefully. We will work with the cooperation of all the councils. This is not a political issue. This is a national issue… If you put political thinking first in this, the people will suffer,” Muizzu said.
Housing is one of the Muizzu administration’s top priorities, and the President has been emphatic that the housing crisis will be definitively addressed within his five year term.
The reclamation at Fushidhiggarufalhu, where the Ras Malé project commenced on 18 December 2023, and is approximately 17 minutes from Malé by sea, is scheduled to be completed within eight months. A total of 1,153 hectares of land is set to be reclaimed under the project. Ras Malé, designed with a focus on climate resiliency, will feature a two-meter-high periphery and rise to three meters in height towards the middle.
According to the Muizzu administration, a Chinese company has already signed on to provide basic services and infrastructure at Ras Malé.
