DUBAI // With at least three months to go before a new treatment plant takes the pressure off Dubai's overburdened facilities, thick, black sewage has again begun washing up at a beach in the Jumeirah area.
The beach, next to Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, was deserted yesterday as tracks of sewage tinged the shoreline and covered the water at least 30 metres out to sea.
"It started last year around September," said a member of the staff at the club, adding that over time it had merged with the red tide and other types of waste. "Now it is not as bad, but tests are still showing positive for sewage.
"The level of E.coli has reduced considerably since we started testing the water last year, but it is still present," he added.
A Dubai Municipality official said it was unaware of any sewage or waste in the water and had received no complaints from the public. He also stated that the Emirate's beaches were regularly monitored by municipality officials.
"Until we can tell what it is and where it comes from, we cannot do anything," he said. He added that inspectors would visit today to conduct tests.
"It is a possibility that it is a result of illegal dumping of sewage and waste, or it could come from waste in the sea mixed in with the tide moving it around," he said.
According to the sailing club staff member, the sewage has resulted in a significant loss of business, especially between September and January, when it was forced to cancel all sailing lessons and dinghy racing.
When the problem was first reported in September, the municipality responded by attempting to catch those responsible.
A major issue is Dubai's inadequate sewage treatment facilities. Currently just one plant, at Al Aweer, caters for the entire emirate. Rather than wait for access to it, some tankers have taken to dumping their waste illegally at sea.
A new plant is under construction in Jebel Ali, but is not scheduled to be operational until September.
On the beach next to the area hit by the waste, the half-dozen kite-surfers seemed unconcerned about swimming so close to the sewage.
One said the waste would not stop him practising his sport. "The only thing it has done is stop my wife and kids coming down," he said.
Another beach along, Christopher Smith, 32, who lives in Dubai and works in construction, said he had yet to see the sewage but had heard about affected areas.
"I refuse to go to those beaches which are reported to have sewage and waste," he said. "I haven't been to those beaches for about a year ."
nsamaha@thenational.ae
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
How Beautiful this world is!
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
