Location of one tower shifted amid growing criticism over housing units at "Funavalu" site
Following public outcry over potential environmental damage to trees at the site of a 300-unit housing project in Vilimalé, the government has decided to relocate one of the planned towers to a different plot. Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muththalib confirmed that the project will now prioritize the preservation of large ironwood trees (Funagas) to ensure they remain unharmed during construction.
From the foundation stone laying ceremony for the project to construct 300 housing unit towers in Villimale'. | Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure
Amidst growing public advocacy for environmental protection due to the inclusion of the "Funavalu" area—home to the island's iconic Alexandrian laurel trees—in the land allocated for housing units in Vilimale', Minister of Housing, Dr. Abdulla Muththalib, announced today that one of the housing towers will now be relocated to a different site.
As the government moves forward with plans to construct 300 housing units across several towers in Villimale', environmental advocates have taken to various platforms to protest the decision to build within the "Funavalu" area.
In a post shared on X, Minister Muththalib stated that there is no doubt that the Male' region lacks sufficient parks and open spaces. The Minister also noted it is an undeniable reality that thousands of families are living in conditions far too cramped for a comfortable life. Therefore, he emphasized that providing adequate housing for these families is an absolute necessity. The Minister further explained that the greatest challenge in this effort is the scarcity of available land to construct the flats required for families facing housing distress. This is because the land already reclaimed, or currently being reclaimed in the Male' area, has already been allocated to citizens as housing plots.
The Minister stated that the government’s priority regarding the construction of 300 housing units in Vilimalé has always been to proceed without cutting down large Alexandrian laurel (Funa) trees. However, the Minister noted that since building one of the three proposed towers at its original site would have required removing trees and pruning large branches, the decision has now been made to relocate that tower to a different area.
Rasheed Carpentry and Construction (RCC) has been contracted to develop 300 housing units on land provided rent-free to the Bank of Maldives (BML) by the Ministry of Housing. The foundation stone for the project was laid on the 26th of last month.
