The project will provide for more equitable development of Maldives through focused regional efforts in the NDR and SDR. The institutional, infrastructure, and environmental improvements will provide an improved standard of living for the people in these regions, who are distant from the capital Malé, recipient of most development in the past.

The Project will directly benefit a population of 19,000 in the nine focus islands of NDR and 21,000 in the four focus islands of SDR. More than 100,000 people residing in the NDR and SDR will benefit from the Regional Development Management Offices by having the opportunity to influence what development takes place on their own atolls and islands.

The NDR has a registered population of about 45,000, and the SDR, which consists of about 56,000. In recent years, the population has increased at an average of 2.8 % per annum. There is a pronounced migration trend from the atolls to Malé as people search for employment and better education. Those living outside of Malé depend on fishing, agriculture, and other primary industry-related activities of their livelihood. Most families depend on money transfers from family members employed in Malé on tourist resorts in the central region, or from abroad. Women have to manage the home affairs of many families in the absence of their husbands for extended periods, with serious adverse social consequences.

     top

The NDR and SDR were chosen because both had the potential for establishing the critical mass needed for economic growth. Focus islands were determined primarily on the basis of population where implementation of development would be the most cost-effective.

The NDR is serviced by a domestic airport at Hanimaadhoo but at present there are no hotels or other facilities for international tourists. Yachting tourists, however have shown interest in and there are proposals for construction of a marina. In the absence of tourism in the NDR, fishing predominates, as a primary economic activity and agriculture as a secondary economic activity, but the dominance of fishing or agriculture varies from island to island, e.g., Kelaa specializes in growing bananas, papayas, and sweet potatoes. Rainfall averages 2,000 millimetres per year but the NDR does experience drought conditions for up to three months at a time. Coral is still widely used for building purposes. The harbour at Kulhuduffushi is protected and caters to fishing, cargo, and passenger boats. It has a small boat building industry. Out of the 9 focus islands in the NDR, 24 hours of electricity is available on three islands where the service is provided by the State Electric Company Limited, four islands have electricity provided by a private party and electricity is available for 12 hours and one island has no electricity at all. The telecommunications company, has provided telephone services to all focus islands and Kulhuduffushi has a media centre.

The Northern Secondary School, which opened in Kulhuduffushi in 1998, was the first secondary school in the NDR. The first regional hospital in the country was also established in Kulhuduffushi and this has recently been replaced with a new hospital. The social profile of the NDR is notable for a large absence of adult males who work as seamen, or in Malé, or on tourist resorts. Kulhuduffushi has a variety of employment, while the other focus islands have much more limited opportunities. Average household income is around Rf2,500 (or $200) per month of which 10 percent is spent on power bills. The expressed needs of the people center around health, education, and youth recreational facilities.

 top

The SDR is serviced by a domestic airport at Gan which also has a 175 bed tourist hotel and a few garment factories. There are preparations for the nearby island of Villingili to become a privately operated tourist resort. Tourist attractions include the chance to mix with the local people and the availability of cycling as a means of touring five islands. A dive centre operates and a range of excursions are offered. Seenu Atoll has not been a tuna fishing atoll in the way many other atolls in the Maldives have been. This is due to the the seasonal shortages of bait. There are four fishing vessel harbours in the atoll including those at Feydhoo and Hithadhoo. The harbour at Hithadhoo will be primarily a cargo port with a large reclaimed area with potential for shore-based infrastructure such as ice plants, cold storage, and fish processing facilities. Among the focus islands of the SDR, only Hithadhoo has any agriculture potential. Coconuts are common as garden trees and in plantation form. Taro, sweet potato, finger millet, and yams are grown. Most home gardens grow bananas and mangoes. Tomatoes are also grown commercially in Hithadhoo. The focus islands all have electricity and telephone services. A large secondary school has recently been built at Hithadhoo under World Bank funding and there is also a good regional hospital on the island. The absence of adult males is even more pronounced in the SDR than in the NDR. The education of those from the SDR is generally better than from most other parts of the country, especially in terms of literacy in English. Therefore, the opportunity for jobs in Malé or on resorts is higher than elsewhere. Average household income is similar to the NDR (Rf 2,500 per month). The expressed needs of the people centre round employment, better streets and roads (currently an environmental hazard due to poor drainage), the shortage of land, and cleaning up the environment

  top

  top

The Project will provide the focus for regional development in the NDR and SDR thereby supporting more equitable development in the country and taking some of the pressure off Malé, the capital.

The project will improve the living environment of the inhabitants of 13 focus islands and includes construction of permanent regional development and management offices (RDMOS) in both Kulhudhuffushi and Hithadhoo, training local staff, upgrading of a 10.5-km road incorporating coastal defence from Gan to Hithadhoo, upgrading of streets in urban areas of the focus islands, provision of rain water collection and storage for 2000 individual households in both the NDR and SDR, provision of appropriate technology solutions to sanitation for 1000, individual households in the NDR, construction of a 70-metre (m) bridge and 200 m culverted causeway in SDR (for environmental reasons); provision of solid waste disposal, septic tank desludging, and the setting up of permanent environmental monitoring of the freshwater lens, coastal geomorphology, and marine ecology of the 13 focus islands.

RDMOs will be established in Kulhuduffushi (NDR) and Hithadhoo (SDR). These offices will have four major functions:

• development planning;
• coordination with the central government agencies;
• management of contracts for provision of services in the region; and
• maintenance of a database on resources within the region, including human and natural resources.

The Project will provide the building, equipment, furniture, vehicular and boating support, and training of staff, and operating expenses on a declining basis for the first three years. This component will also include a community education and participation program (CEPP).

   top

The Project includes the enhancement of rainwater collection for water supply and a pilot project for better sanitation. The rainwater collection component will include assistance to individual families by provision of credit for new roofing (up to a maximum roof area of 50 square meters) and for the purchase of rainwater storage tanks. The sanitation component will include technical assistance and credit to individual families in the NDR to construct on-site sanitation units using appropriate technology as well as a pilot community project using a sewerage system. Credit repaid by individual households will be utilized for a social development fund of which 50 percent will be for income-generating projects and the balance for social infrastructure projects. Equipment for sludge removal from existing septic tanks will be procured for each region.

   top

A 10.5 km road from Gan to Hithadhoo in the SDR will be constructed. The main requirement is the procurement of appropriate filling materials (to be sourced from the dredging for the port expansion). The road alignment will follow the eastern lagoon side of the island chain with a minimum standard of not less than 7.4 meter crowned surface with appropriate drainage. The physical infrastructure component will include the purchase of equipment for road maintenance units in the NDR (Kulhuduffushi) and SDR (Hithadhoo). Provision will also be made for restoration of the street surfaces in each of the built-up areas and for appropriate drainage..

Improvements will include (i) major coastal protection in the SDR to support the road construction on the lagoon side, and construction of a bridge and a causeway with culverts to replace portions of existing causeways where the flow of water between ocean and lagoon has been inhibited; (ii) solid waste management in the focus islands of the SDR and in Kulhuduffushi in the NDR involving the purchase of equipment; (iii) environmental investigations and monitoring of the quality and quantity of the freshwater lens; (iv) environmental monitoring of the focus islands' coastline for erosion and sedimentation processes, (v) environmental monitoring of the marine ecology in the waters surrounding the focus islands.

  top

There are designated solid waste dumpsites used by the public, but they are places where people leave their rubbish to be scattered by pedestrian traffic, wind, animals, etc. There is no organized waste management. Kulhuduffushi has a lot of rubbish on the periphery of the settlements and on vacant plots of land; wheel barrows are used to cart refuse away from households on a daily basis. There is no reuse or recycling, even though much garden rubbish such as clippings, twigs, and branches could be turned into soil additives, equipment and knowledge is not available. In the Gan-Hithadhoo area, the official dumpsites are too far from the communities and are rarely used. Unofficial dumps spring up making an unsightly and malodorous environment that people complain about, but it is a problem not resolved. Some bury their rubbish on their properties. Generally, there is an urgent need and demand for a well managed waste disposal system.

  top

Establishment of RDMO’s has been agreed at all levels and office equipment purchased, staff establishments agreed and appointment of staff proceeding. Construction contracts for the new offices have been agreed and temporary office space arranged for the interim period. Procurement of launches, vehicles, project web site design, geotechnical and groundwater drilling contracts are well advanced with delivery dates and implementation schedules all agreed. Staff training is commencing in the coming quarter with full activity in all departments expected by the end of 2000. A detailed survey of the RDMO’s requirements for data collection, establishment of spatial databases and ability to produce information on the regions for development planning and management has been carried out. The recommendations of this survey have been incorporated into the office equipment purchased, a detailed training program for RDMO staff will be conducted in early 2001.

The route for the road and its design parameters have been agreed at community and government levels, detailed survey and road and bridge design have been completed and presented to communities and government for final approval. Tender documents are being completed and prequalification of contractors is starting. The requirement for fill material for road construction has been scheduled to be in advance of the supply which is planned from the associated port construction. Government has therefore reallocated the dredging operation to the road construction to ensure efficiency of construction and the bathymetric surveys for 2 sites completed to determine final quantities.

 top

The environment team have surveyed Addu atoll in the SDR and provided guidance to the road design team, established ongoing surveys of baitfish and sedimentation within the atoll in association with local schools and community groups and completed an environmental impact statement for the road and bridge components. In the course of the survey work the communities have pointed to some additional issues requiring further survey.

The environment group working with Addu Atoll Administration have designated the northern section of Hithadhoo as a protected area and enlisted the support of an associated protected area management project to work with the communities for its future management.

Land use planning is being carried out in three phases with issue identification, land use agreement and implementation phases in full consultation with communities and government agencies. First phase issue identification has been completed in the SDR with wide ranging discussions with atoll management, island committees and community groups. This first phase was carried out in conjunction with road route planning to ensure that future development options were not prejudiced by this major development.

 top

The study is being carried out in the focus islands of the NDR starting with a survey of each islands current economic and social profile, existing economic activities, air and sea transport. The study leads on to forecasts of future requirements and the economic and financial feasibility of various methods of transport provision in a range of development conditions.

Government initiatives in tourism, harbour construction and fisheries in the SDR are in progress and can be expected to develop concurrently with the projects provisions of infrastructure. The development of a major new tourism facility in the SDR with associated development of the airport to full international status is agreed, this has the potential for the provision of up to 1000 new jobs in the coming 2 years. The planned construction of the new regional port with international status in the SDR and associated warehousing facilities will create a new transport hub in Addu with significant employment opportunities. New infrastructure in fisheries is planned with bilateral assistance and government approval of additional cargo flights to SDR opens possibilities for new export businesses that project components will support. Each of these initiatives create significant service industry requirements with potential for many more local jobs.

A potential tourism development for the NDR is in the planning process as are regional harbour and fisheries investments through bilateral aid, these initiatives are expected to be followed up in 2001.

 top