Minister of Environment Dr. Hussain Rasheed has approved the request to expand the runway of Maafaru International Airport.
The expansion request was earlier rejected by Environment Protection Agency (EPA) considering the negative impacts to the environment should the project is run as proposed. However, Ministry of National Planning and Infrastructure later appealed the decision and revealed the project was given green light by the environment ministry after revising the Environment Impact Assessment Report (EIA).
After evaluating the EIA report, EPA claimed the project required an extra 8.7 hectares of land of which 4.8 hectares would be deforested. Hence, EPA concluded the project would impact over 9,000 trees on the island, including 1,100 coconut palms. Furthermore, the project also requires relocating land plots to the north of the island which may result in removal of additional trees.
The ministry said the project was approved on the condition that appropriate measures are taken to minimise the possible environmental impacts of the runway expansion. The ministry also advised to adhere to the management and alternatives plan stipulated.
The ministry further revealed the decision was a consent reached after the minister travelled to Maafaru and met with all stakeholders, including residents, councillors, and officials from Maldives Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA), and Maldives Association for Tourism Industry (MATI).
The project to expand the runway was an electoral pledge of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Maafaru International Airport, which was developed under a USD 60 million grant from UAE, was opened on January 1, 2020 with a 3,200-metre-long runway. The expansion project will also be funded by UAE.