Dubai has some 300 billion USD of projects scheduled over the next ten years, including a multitude of manmade islands as well as the world’s tallest skyscraper, Burj Dubai.
Yet for some inexplicable reason there is but one sewage plant in this Emirate and it is over 30 years old. Apparently the sewage problem is an ever increasing one with output increasing year on year by around 25 per cent. So what to do?
One rather short term solution is underground tanks. Take Mirdiff for example. This is a tranquil family living environment popular with the ex-pat community. Prices start from 30,000 USD for a 3 bedroom villa. The developers decided to install underground tanks designed to store raw sewage until such time as the new homes are connected to the Emirate’s main sewage system. But the reality is that tanker trucks only come two or three times a month and the tanks end up overflowing and releasing a real stench that seeps across the whole neighbourhood.
Or then again, look to International City. This is a new development by Nakheel that is widely known by residents in Dubai as a rather stinky place to go these days. That is because sewage recently overflowed onto the streets, submerging roads and parking areas. Just imagine what it must have been like to have all that sewage in the sweltering heat.
But the problem is even worse on the truckers’ side. Every day, hundreds of tanker trucks queue up in an orderly line waiting to offload their cargo at the Dubai treatment plant. But their wait can last up to 10 hours.
Many drivers just can’t face that kind of wait and they try to cut corners by discharging their loads onto desolate streets in remote sections of the city. The government is aware of this problem and has already fined many violators.
But luckily the government is looking for a real solution and it recently approved a big expansion project to boost the capacity at the sole treatment plant. Furthermore a new facility is being built at a cost of around 500 million USD in Jebel Ali. The first phase of this project is due to open in mid 2009, a second phase a year later.
Meanwhile much of the treated water is being used to irrigate the enormous amount of landscaped areas of Dubai. This often comes as a surprise to Westerners who have never heard of smelly sprinklers before. The health issues associated with this treated sewage water are not yet known but many residents of Dubai are whisking their children inside when the sprinklers come on. Let’s hope this problem is fixed soon, you heard it here first.
