Kinbidhoo-Veymandoo Causeway Underway

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with the members of the Kolhumadulu Atoll Kinbidhoo Island Council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) on August 18, 2021. The President is accompanied by cabinet ministers, senior officials from the President’s Office and a delegation of high-level government officials.  
 
Councillors raised several difficulties with the President, including land reclamation and housing projects to address the scarcity of land and housing, protecting areas of the island affected by coastal erosion, and protecting the area known locally as ‘Veyru,' a historical site located on the island. 

 
The council members also emphasized a proposal to build a causeway connecting the islands of Kinbidhoo and Veymandoo, the atoll's capital. They also discussed the island's socioeconomic growth via expanding economic activities, advancing local tourism, and resolving societal issues from the island's people. 
 
President Solih addressed all issues made by the council and committee members during the meeting and provided the most recent information on the status of initiatives undertaken on Kinbidhoo Island. He claimed that a land reclamation project for the island is already in the works, and that the government intends to include funds for a housing development on Kinbidhoo Island in the following year's budget. 
 
He also stated that a feasibility study for the Kinbidhoo-Veymandoo causeway was already underway and that he would raise the problems raised by the Council with the necessary government authorities in order to find quick answers. Furthermore, he indicated that the government will reorganize the WDC members' compensation package and that any socioeconomic issues mentioned during the meeting would be addressed. 
 
President Solih also addressed the Covid-19 control measures in place, praising the council and the island's people for their assistance. He encouraged them to encourage their people to be vaccinated as soon as possible in order to protect the community from future pandemic threat. 
 
Members of the Kinbidhoo WDC also spoke during the gathering, congratulating President Solih for the government's various initiatives to empower women in the country. The committee members urged that the President develop avenues to further empower women, particularly in the business sector, and expressed some reservations about the committee members' workspace and compensation. 
 
During the meeting, Ali Hussain, President of the Kinbidhoo Island Council, expressed appreciation for the government's efforts to advance the island and its community, highlighting several such projects already underway on the island, such as freshwater storage, water and sewerage, and the construction of a local futsal field. 
 
 
President Solih’s visit to Kinbidhoo Island is the second destination in his ongoing trip to seven islands of Thaa Atoll. Prior to the meeting, President Solih visited the Kinbidhoo Health Centre and Kinbidhoo School to inspect their activities. He also followed up on the installation of water and sewerage facilities on the island.