Recently, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) completed and delivered a social housing project of 16 residential buildings and auxiliaries. With a total of 7,000 apartment units, it has been by far the largest social housing project in Maldives.

With a total construction area of 468,000 square meters, the project for public wellbeing will provide housing for nearly 30,000 people. The project also recorded many groundbreaking advances in the Maldivian history of infrastructure construction, like a construction speed of one floor every three days.

CSCEC put together special teams to conduct COVID-19 prevention on the ground and meet special logistical needs during the pandemic. Medical masks, thermometers, alcohol solution, disinfectant, and hand sanitizers were stocked as proactive, precautionary measures. In addition, the teams set up a quarantine zone and adopted more systematic workforce management, recorded detailed information about the workers, monitored body temperatures and general health conditions, and disinfected workplaces, construction sites, and residential areas on a regular basis. The entries and exits of both construction sites and residential areas were strictly monitored and controlled since the outbreak.

The COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the logistics of construction materials in unexpected ways, causing import difficulties and supply shortages. In response, the teams formulated new strategies, such as adding new shipping routes and purchasing from third-party countries, while coordinating with and sub-contracting to local professional teams to meet the deadline.

A representative of the Maldivian project owners was deeply impressed by CSCEC's emergency response. He said that he didn’t expect to see the project completed over 10 days in advance under such circumstances, but has now been convinced by the quality and speed of the China-made.

The project created approximately 1,600 jobs for local communities. CSCEC also offered occupational trainings twice a week and cultivated a pool of skilled technicians and construction workers. "I learned a lot from my Chinese co-workers," said a worker from Bangladesh. "On the strength of the skills and accumulated experience, my income has increased significantly, with many other job opportunities coming my way."

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