Thursday 28 March 2024
 
»
 
»
EXPO 2020 PREPARATIONS

Dubai to spend $1.9bn on infrastructure projects

DUBAI, January 10, 2017

Dubai's municipality has allocated Dh7 billion ($1.9 billion) in this year's budget for executing infrastructure development and new large-sized high-priority projects - such as the storm water tunnel for the Airport City and the Expo 2020 Venue areas - and services in the field of health and environment.

Work on these projects, which will be completed by 2019, is 55 per cent completed, and will be operational before the opening of Expo 2020, reported state news agency Wam, citing a top official.

Construction on these development projects is going on in full swing covering an area of 42,000 hectares, it stated.

"The lion's share of the volume of expenditure in the budget will be received by the storm water tunnel project for the Airport City and the Expo 2020 venue areas, which amounted to Dh5 billion ($1.36 billion)," revealed Hussain Nasser Lootah, the director-general of Dubai Municipality.

The big projects include the construction of a main line to collect rainwater to serve the Airport and Expo areas, noted Lootah.

"The areas of the project include Deira, for which an initial study has been done. Currently, primary design is being studied, which includes the drilling of two tunnels and the pipelines will be extending up to 13 km," he added.

According to him, the sewage treatment plant in Jebel Ali comes in second place in terms of importance.

"It is worth Dh1.4 billion ($381 million) and will be completed in 2018, and will serve 1.8 million people over an area of 25,000 hectares. It will also be keeping pace with future expansion projects, as well as the high-profile events that will be witnessed by Dubai, notably Expo 2020," said Lootah.

On the Jebel Ali plant, the top municipal official said it will reach the capacity of up to 675,000 cu m per day instead of its current capacity of 300,000, as it is designed with the latest international technology and made safe and environment-friendly.

"It also ensures the water generated is with the high characteristics and quality to be used for irrigating plantations," he noted.

According to him, the expansion will be carried out at the station with three basic objectives: to absorb the excess flow resulting from the Expo areas, keep up with the upcoming expansion projects in the emirate, and the diversion of a portion of the load of Warsan Station to Jebel Ali, as it is operating above design capacity by about 27 per cent.

He pointed out that it is perfectly safe, and the municipality has taken all precautions, saying that the sludge will be dealt with thermally to produce high quality fertiliser, which can be used to enrich agricultural land.

Lootah said the treated water from the sewage is used to reduce the pressure on water resources, as it is used in every major public park, residential park, neighborhood park, resorts, natural areas, entertainment and recreation venues, and in the city greening as a whole, adding that it is also used in cooling and watering the city, and reducing the temperature in hot areas in the vicinity of factories or uncultivated areas.

On the key challenges, Lootah said: "We want to increase the areas connected through the sewage networks in Dubai to 100 per cent. Hence, we have embarked on a project to establish a sewerage and storm water drainage network in Khawaneej-2 at a cost of Dh300 million ($81.7 million)."

"The municipality also faces the challenges of increasing waste water quantity, and is keen to raise the level of health within the ecological system of Dubai," he noted.

"This project, which covers the entire areas of Khawaneej-2, will be completed this year," he stated.

The Deira area development project, with a cost of Dh243 million ($66.15 million), covers several areas such as Al Qusais and includes the establishment of 13.7-km-long underground sewer lines, expected to be completed in 2018.




Tags: Dubai Municipality | Infrastructure projects | expo 2020 |

More Construction & Real Estate Stories

calendarCalendar of Events

Ads