ABU DHABI // Sewer works that began last year in the capital will continue long-term as the Government works to update and repair the city's severely overloaded system.
Five contractors, using up to four teams each, are working on pipe replacement and refurbishment projects. Excavation works are expected to last no more than four weeks, and digging is designed not to disturb residents or traffic.
The sewage system dates to the early 1970s, but a rapidly expanding population has caused extreme strain on the city's aging pipes, said Alan Thomson, the managing director of Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company.
"A lot of our sewers are between five and 10 metres below ground, but if you lift a manhole lid on the road, at peak flow times, you would probably see sewage just below the lid," Mr Thomson said.
A 41-kilometre-long, deep sewer tunnel that should be complete in 2015 will relieve some of the pressure, but the company will have to prioritise repairing existing infrastructure - including leaking pipes and overworked pumping stations - until it opens.
In addition to renewing or relining pipes, the company has also built four new treatment plants and is "over pumping", or transferring capacity from a heavily loaded part of the system to one less heavily loaded.
"These are all temporary arrangements, just to get over the hurdle," Mr Thomson said. "To put new sewage systems in a city like Abu Dhabi, you can't do it very quickly. You've got to plan it, and you've got to build it over a period of time."
Locations for pipe refurbishment or replacement are selected by the contractors who are continually surveying the sewerage system and pinpointing trouble spots.
Work is specifically designed to be of minimal disturbance to residents living in what Mr Thomson calls "poor condition areas".
"If people notice something about us, we're doing it wrong," he said. "The nice thing is that we're an invisible service."
Sewer overflow is still a real danger, however. That threat will disappear once the Dh5.7 billion Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme (Step), one of the longest gravity-driven wastewater tunnels in the world, is completed in four years.
When Step comes online, 35 pumping stations on the island will be closed and a new treatment facility in Al Wathba, 40km from Abu Dhabi Island, will be opened.
"The decommission of the pumping stations will have a huge impact on our carbon footprint," Omar Al Hashimi, head of the sewerage company's asset management division, said last year.
"These stations are powered by electricity and when they come offline we can save energy."
Step is expected to have a 90-year lifespan.
jthomas@thenational.ae
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
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- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
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GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
