Floating islands to save the Maldives

A SERIES of man-made floating islands – called the 5 Lagoons Project – has begun to take shape in the Maldives. They are part of a project that many hope will be the solution to the environmental crisis the islands could face over the next 50 years.

The Maldives, which are now only five feet above sea level, could one day be totally submerged.

The project is a joint venture between the Maldives government and Dutch Docklands, which specializes in building everything from floating prisons to floating homes.

The 5 Lagoons Project — 80 million square feet — will include private islands with an 18-hole golf course, a conference/hotel complex, 185 $1 million waterfront homes on a flower-shaped quay, plus a separate floating island with homes for residents of the Maldivian capital.

Key to the deal was allowing foreign ownership of the high-end villas that would be constructed.

The islands – which will be anchored to the seabed using cables or telescopic mooring piles – will not damage the ocean’s coral reefs and other marine life around the Maldives. They will be stable even in storms, Dutch Docklands says.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit:"Kerala Backwaters, Maldives at Sunset" by P.K.Niyogi - Own work. via Wikimedia Commons.