Al Dhafra Abu Dhabi’s largest site, covering 16 square kilometres. The site receives various types of waste including household rubbish, medical waste and hazardous materials, with construction and demolition debris representing a significant portion.
Despite the benefits, recycling facilities of this kind use large amounts of water – about 50,000 litres per day – to suppress dust created during the recycling process.
Questions remain regarding how the plant would be affected by a construction slowdown in Abu Dhabi, although, officials said the business case for the plant was solid.
“We are confident there is a market for this material,” said Tim Harwood, the general manager of Thiess Services Middle East, the private company behind the project. “There is a lot of infrastructure development still in Abu Dhabi.”
The company, formed in 2008, is a joint venture between Australia’s Thiess Services and Dubai-based Al Habtoor Engineering Enterprises. Thiess will operate the plant for 15 years before transferring it to the Government.
The company was already selling the plant’s end product to a contractor in the UAE, said Mr Harwood.
Dr Bader al Harahsheh, the general manager of the Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi, said the emirate produced 9,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste per day.
The plant was equipped to eventually process up to 15,000 tonnes, he said. “The capacity will increase according to our needs,” said Dr al Harahsheh.
One way of encouraging recycling schemes is to increase the cost of disposing of waste at landfills.
In Abu Dhabi, the rate is Dh10 per load, which is too low to encourage recycling companies to move in. Mr al Mansouri and Dr al Harahsheh said the Government was considering increasing these fees.
“There is a tariff system, we have not applied it yet,” said Dr al Harahsheh. “That is something we are in the process of implementing.”
In addition to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain is also getting its own recycling plant for construction and demolition waste.
The facility, said Mr al Mansouri, would be operating within three months.
Mr al Mansouri said plans for tyre recycling facilities in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi were taking shape and the one in Al Ain was already under construction, he said.
Imam found guilty of sexual assault on boy aged eight
DUBAI - MAY 12: An imam has been sentenced to three years in jail for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old boy whom he was teaching the Quran.
The 26-year-old Indian, identified as DH, was convicted in the Criminal Court of First Instance of molesting his American student, HM, on January 26 at a mosque in Jumeirah Lake Towers.
The boy was taken to a private room and molested while his 10-year-old brother was ordered to sit in a corner and memorise verses, according to the boy’s statement, which was presented in prosecution records.
The imam unzipped the boy’s trousers and attempted to pull them down, the records added. The pupil escaped the attack by hitting the imam with his elbow.
His father told prosecutors he had an agreement with the imam to teach his sons the Quran before they were to travel to the US, and had paid him Dh600 (US$160). He said his sons returned to the mosque two days after the initial assault to continue classes. That day, the imam held the younger boy and kissed him, leaving a red mark on his cheek.
The imam confessed to authorities, according to an investigating officer’s statement. He later denied the accusations in court.
It was the fourth child assault case in the past month involving private teachers, three of whom were Quran tutors. DH was the first to be sentenced.
Hundreds moved as warehouses burn in Sharjah
SHARJAH - MAY 12: A huge fire ripped through four paint warehouses yesterday, forcing police to evacuate homes and businesses and shepherd hundreds of people to safety.
It took more than five hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze at National Paints. One firefighter and one worker suffered minor burns. Both were discharged from hospital after treatment. A firefighting vehicle went up in smoke.
More than 20 residential and business buildings were evacuated. Among those moved were about 100 workers in National Paints accommodation. Workshops, warehouses and offices remained closed.
The fire, which started around 9.30am, was fed by highly flammable materials, such as paint and chemicals, said Col Waheed al Serkal, the director of Sharjah Civil Defence.
Smoke could be seen as far away as Garhoud in Dubai and Julfa in Ajman.
“All firefighters in the country are here, from Abu Dhabi to Ras Khaimah, Dubai, Al Ain and Ajman,” said Col al Serkal. “We have more than 250 firefighters here. It’s the biggest fire we have seen this year.”
Major Gen Hamid al Hudaidi, the director general of Sharjah Police, said the area around the warehouses was cordoned off and the authorities drew up a plan to prevent the fire spreading to nearby factories and residences. A mobile hospital was set up in anticipation of injuries or cases of smoke inhalation.
An employee of a UAE Exchange outlet, which had to shut for the day, said: “Before we knew about the fire, police [were] already asking us to vacate the building and close the exchange immediately. We moved out to see a big fire in our neighbourhood.”
Emirates and Maliha roads were among routes that were closed to allow firefighters easy access to the scene of the blaze, said Col Ahmed bin Darwish, the head of Sharjah Police’s patrol unit.
Up to 20 patrols were deployed to control traffic and direct motorists to alternative roads, he added.
However, the closure of Emirates Road caused traffic chaos, leaving many people late for work as they struggled to find alternative routes.
“I spent 30 minutes moving around to find a right road to Dubai,” said Hussein Hilal, 30, an Iraqi who works in Dubai. “Every road I reached was closed and patrol police could only advise to go back.”
Fire experts were on the scene to help determine the cause of the blaze, said Abdullah Sultan al Mullah, a spokesman for Sharjah Police.
“We have set up a committee to help investigate the fire,” he said. “The committee includes firefighters, police officials and officials from the Ministry of Interior from Abu Dhabi.
“In a few days, they should be able to make a report on the causes and recommendations of how similar fires can be avoided in the future.”
Some of those evacuated said they had learned a lesson from previous fires and knew what to take with them. One worker, who identified himself as Rochie, said two years ago his old company accommodation in the Sajja industrial area was gutted by fire.
“We were not given new mattresses and for three days we had no accommodation,” he said. “This time, if the same happens, I will at least have my mattress and can sleep anywhere.”
Timeline of recent major fires in Sharjah
March 2010
Two warehouses gutted and 20 are damaged after fire breaks out at oil based lubricants warehouse in the Industrial Area.
October 2009
The warehouse of a carpet factory at the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone is destroyed.
June 2009
Two furniture factories in the Industrial Area are ravaged.
March and April 2009
Two warehouses gutted in the Industrial Area.
2008
A football stadium, two construction sites and two Industrial Area sites all severely damaged.