Present plan to connect nearby islands instead of conducting further reclamation: Pres.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has described his administration's vision to provide housing to citizens in outlying islands, and to increase economic activity within atolls, by swapping land reclamation projects in favor of connecting communities to nearby uninhabited islands in order to further expand and develop them.

President Solih made the remarks while speaking at main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Rahvehi Fathis programme while answering a question by candidates contesting for local council seats from the Haa Alif Atoll. President Solih reaffirmed his administrations commitment to provide housing for those citizens living in islands across the Maldives.

Detailing this vision, President Solih added that connecting nearby uninhabited islands with inhabited ones would be a more beneficial for Maldives in the long run than opting for land reclamation when expanding and developing communities. President Solih also said that his administration would work to remove legal obstacles to such a project, like as in the event that the uninhabited island to be joined with an inhabited island lies outside the jurisdiction of the respective island council.

Despite this, President Solih also confirmed that work on land reclamation projects would commence in Haa Alif Atoll within the ongoing year. The President also noted that the government would be working to resolve the issue of establishing sewage systems in islands of Haa Alif, in addition to developing roads for the islands of that atoll as well.

The president went on to detail his administration's initiative to issue MVR 500 million as low-interest loans to those who received land from islands in order to provide opportunities to develop housing. He also noted that moratoriums had been provided for those making payments to flats distributed from islands, and that the government would be looking into why the island of HA. Dhihdhoo had been excluded from the moratorium arrangement, in order to make the option available to citizens of Dhihdhoo as well.

President Solih went on to describe plans to conduct development projects across all the islands of Maldives. Over the last two years, MVR 416 million has been spent on various Public Sector Investment Programs (PSIP Projects) from the government's budget in order to further develop Maldivian communities.