Hulhumalé
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Hulhumalé (;
Dhivehi Dhivehi, also spelled Divehi, may refer to: *Dhivehi people, an ethnic group native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands. *Dhivehi language, an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Republic of Maldives ...
: ހުޅުމާލެ) is a
reclaimed Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...
island located in the south of North Malé Atoll,
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
. The
artificial island An artificial island is an island that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. Artificial islands may vary in size from small islets reclaimed solely to support a single pillar of a building or structure to those th ...
is being built up by pumping sand from the sea floor, in order to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the
Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...
region and as a response to the threat posed by
rising sea levels Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starga ...
. The official settlement was inaugurated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on May 12, 2004. The development and management of the island is undertaken by a government-owned corporation called Housing Development Corporation (formerly Hulhumalé Development Unit/Hulhumalé Development Corporation) which was incorporated on March 23, 2005. Land reclamation has increased the island's area to , making it the fourth largest island in the Maldives. the island has a population of more than 50,000; it is planned to house as many as 240,000 by the mid-2020s.


Location within Malé City

Hulhumalé is located northeast of the airport island of Hulhulé, to which it is connected by a causeway:


History

Reclamation of Hulhumalé began on October 16, 1997, on the Hulhulé-Farukolhufushi lagoon off the northwest 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) at a cost of
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
 11 million. The project was then continued by a
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
Joint Venture Company, International Port Engineering and Management (IPEM) and Dredging International (DI) costing an estimated USD 21 million. All the works involving reclamation and coastal structure development covered in Phase I were completed by June 2002, and 1,000 residents moved to the island in 2004. In the next phase of reclamation, completed in 2015, were added; and, by the end of 2019, there were more than 50,000 residents.


Development

A basis of development known as Phase I was formed under the first Master Plan which was completed in July 2001 by a consortium of consultants from
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
with the contribution of many government 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 planned airport extension areas. The Master Plan is to be periodically reviewed and adjusted to include advances in development. Phase I of the Master Plan includes: Stage 1A (completed) * A 280-room apartment complex with a combination of 2,3 and 4 bedroom units * An integrated primary and secondary school housing 20 classrooms * A public building for government and social requirements containing 32 units * A hospital with 50 bed capacity * A
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
for 1500 people * Four commercial buildings with a total of 48 units * An asphalt-paved road network approximately long * An adequate land space for the cultivation of indigenous plants and imported varieties Stage 1B (to be completed by December 2005) * 232 condominium housing units * 120 basic housing units * 169 beach plots * 56 standard plots * 132
terraced house In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
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 per unit Stage 1C (planned for 2006) * 1900 housing units Stage 2 (targeted for 2016) * 2950 housing units Stage 3 (targeted for 2020) * 3075 housing units Hulhumalé is 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. On 15 January 2015 the second reclamation phase of Hulhumalé was launched, which will include the construction of a youth centre. The $50 million project was awarded to Dredging International NV, Belgium earlier this year.


Transport

Hulhumalé has road network which was planned together with the development of the island. The island is connected via a causeway to the airport island
Hulhulé Island Hulhulé (ހުޅުލެ), located at , is an island in the North Malé Atoll of the Maldives where the city's airport, Velana International Airport, is located. The island has no permanent population.Velana International Airport Velana International Airport (VIA) (Maldivian language, Dhivehi: ) is the main international airport in the Maldives. It is located on Hulhulé Island in the North Malé Atoll, nearby the capital island Malé. The airport is well connected wit ...
and Hulhumalé. With the opening of the
Sinamalé Bridge The Sinamalé Bridge ( dv, ސިނަމާލެ ފާލަން) links the islands of Malé, Hulhulé and Hulhumalé (through Hulhulé') in the Maldives. The 1.39 km long bridge has two car lanes and separate lanes for motorcycles, and pedestria ...
between Hulhulé and Malé Island in September 2018, the road networks of the three islands were connected for the first time.


References


External links


Housing Development Corporation

NPR Morning Edition story, 28 Jan 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hulhumale Islands of the Maldives Populated coastal places in the Maldives Artificial islands of the Maldives Populated places in the Maldives Climate change adaptation