Maldives News | Dhivehi Observer | South Asia | Making a giant safe-island by reclaiming the whole of Vaavu Atoll in the Maldives

Bushry Column

Making a giant safe-island by reclaiming the whole of Vaavu Atoll!

by Mohamed Bushry, 9 May 2008

Vaavu Atoll is the smallest administrative atoll in the Maldives. There are about 19 islands in the atoll but only five of those islands are populated; and the whole atoll has a population of only 2300. But the government has to bear the overheads of an Atoll Office and many Island Offices and Schools and Power Houses and other infrastructure to support the only 2300 people scattered across the Vaavu Atoll. This is bad economies of scale. This is also against the spirit of decentralization.

Here I would like to put forward an extremely radical (and perhaps controversial) proposal. I propose to relocate the under 2300 people of Vaavu Atoll to a bigger atoll, provide housing for the residents and compensate them adequately. After this relocation, I propose to reclaim the whole atoll by doing deep-sea dredging. The reclaiming should be done to a height of at least ten feet above sea level. This landmass would be big enough to accommodate at least a population of three hundred thousand. This would be a huge landmass (one island) - the ultimate safe-island which could accommodate almost 300,000 people. We could open for international bid and get a foreign party to reclaim and then build infrastructure there as well.

Like in Dubai we could sell land and housing plots and apartments and office space to international individuals and international organizations from there. This would be a multi-billion dollar project that could bring incredible revenue to us.

In a related proposal, I would like to put forward that the people of Maldives should live in approximately 200 islands, over fifteen atolls. I would encourage uniting Haa-Atoll as one administrative unit and similarly unite Alif Atoll as one administrative unit. I would also encourage uniting Huvadhoo atoll as one administrative unit and also the union of Fua Mulah and Addu Atoll as one administrate unit.

This would let us save millions of Rufiya in recurrent costs – whereby we would have 15 Atoll Offices and 15 Atoll Chiefs instead of 20 Atoll Offices and 20 Atoll Chiefs. This would also cut bureaucracy – and even more importantly this would unite the peoples of Haa Atoll and Alifu Atoll and Huvadhoo Atoll and Fua-Mulah and Addu Atoll.

Gayyoom has ruled us over the last 30 years, with a policy of divide-and-rule. To reverse this trend, we need to abolish the wards in all islands and make each island a separate unit instead of dividing the people of islands into different wards. The cost of divisive influence of having wards was recently seen in the Isdhoo-Kalidhoo conflict. We need to change small and bigger policies in order to create a mindset that would aid unification instead of division. The presence of two or four wards (Avashu) in many islands is also a divisive thing. All wards in all islands (including Male) need to be abolished. We would then have no need for ward offices which is an unnecessary bureaucracy and wasteful expenditure.

Instead of having wards, the people in each island should unite as one people. The unit is not the “ward”, but the “island”. For example, the people of Male should unite as one unit instead of belonging to Henveiru or Maafannu or some other ward.

Limitation of land is also a major issue in Male. Despite the fact that land in Male is limited, it has five major cemeteries. These five plots of land could be used for much better purpose if we could relocate the cemeteries to Thilafushi or Hulhumale. Under advice and guidance from the Islamic Majlis, we could devise a project to meticulously relocate all remains of the deceased from these five cemeteries. These five plots of land could then be used for housing and various other economic and social projects. We can plan and develop one cemetery in Hulhumale or Thilafushi that would be able to cater for the greater area of Male (including Male, Villingilli, Hulhumale, etc.) for the next 22 years (until 2030).

Through the implementation of various radical policies we can overcome many of the developmental hindrances that Gayyoom has created for us in a conscious bid to retard our development and rule with an iron fist.

[ For further reading, comments and feedback, please visit Bushry's blog www.clubescapemaldives.blogspot.com ] Vaavu Atoll Information

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