UAE

Rain is on the way, forecasters say

Rain and thunder are expected today as high winds blow a volatile weather system across the country, forecasters said.

Vesela Todorova

February 27, 2010

  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi // Rain and thunder are expected today as high winds blow a volatile weather system across the country, forecasters said. The possible precipitation would follow yesterday's sandstorm, which reduced visibility in some places to as little as 1km. The rain could begin as early as noon and continue into the afternoon, according to the duty forecaster at Dubai International Airport.

The source of the bad weather was a "local low-pressure field over Qatar", he said. It had caused strong southerly winds to lift sand from across the Empty Quarter and bring it into the UAE. Visibility across the country was low yesterday, with the exception of the northernmost parts. At noon, the visibility in open desert areas was down to 1km. It was 1.5km in Jebel Ali, 5km at Dubai airport and 3km in Abu Dhabi. Flights were not affected.

"There will be the same situation on Saturday from dawn until noon," said the forecaster. "People should pay attention, especially if they are driving on the highway in the morning or if they are in the open desert." More thunderstorms were expected early next week, the forecaster said. @Email:vtodorova@thenational.ae

Read more about the coronavirus
EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Up in the air
Technology