Maldives comprises of 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean and is the world’s lowest country, just a few feet above the sea level. Sea levels have been rising globally since 1900. If the global warming continues like this then the sea levels would rise by two more feet by 2100. This would sink whole Maldives making 390,000 people homeless. Engineers have tried to tackle this problem by using sand and rubble to create new islands but it is not promoted as these formations disturb the sea and seafloor ecosystems.

THE SOLUTION

The government of Maldives has started a joint venture with Dutch Docklands, an architectural firm to solve this problem. They would be building the world’s largest artificial island project. It will stay above the water, no matter how much the sea level rises.

The company has already built floating islands for prisons and housing in the Netherlands from slabs of concrete and polystyrene foam. It will anchor a similar structure to the seabed for the Maldives using cables or telescopic mooring piles. This would make the lands even more stable during storms. The design made by the company disturbs only a small part of the seafloor and preserves natural currents. Multiple small islands are better than a single large island. Smaller islands are more ecologically sound. They cast smaller shadows on the water which causes minimal impact on the sea life.

The company is going to start building an island for 200 luxury residences and an island as a floating golf course this year. It would be working next on constructing islands with more affordable housing plans.

Source: popsci.com

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