China supported survey to tackle Male’ road issues launched

The Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure has announced the commencement of the studies for the road development project of Male’ and Villimale’. This initiative follows an agreement signed between the governments of China and the Maldives during the official visit of the Maldivian President to China, earlier this year. According to the Ministry, a team of specialists has arrived in Maldives to conduct the research and collect data. The team will be gathering essential information from November 5 to 21. The Ministry notes that the data collected will play a crucial role in the planning and implementation of the road development project. The road development in Male’ and Vilimale’ will be funded through grants from the Chinese government. This initiative includes paving city roads and enhancing water and sewerage systems, electrical infrastructure, storm water management, and fire hydrants. Earlier this year, the Road Development Corporation (RDC) was awarded the contract to conduct topographic, geotechnical, hydrological surveys, and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for the road construction project in Vilimale’. A total of 5.6 kilometres of roads will be constructed, including the installation of electrical, sewerage, and drainage systems. The primary challenges facing the roads in Male’ include deterioration and flooding. While previous efforts have been made to address these issues, no permanent solutions have been implemented to date. In the interim, temporary drainage systems are being installed in the most flood-prone areas of the city.