Big steps are being taken in the development of Fujairah’s housing and infrastructure. While many residents of the east coast emirate are enthusiastic about the progression, others are content with the way things are. The municipality has begun work on road improvements, building water barriers, ports and residential complexes and expanding healthcare facilities at the cost of Dh1.5bn, but some residents feel their efforts would be best directed towards improving basic services such as waste management.
Contents:
1- Fujairah residents optimistic for the future
2- Big steps in development taken in Fujairah
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February 15: Sharjah clears road to progress
February 16: Keeping pace with change in Ajman
February 17: Lack of services holding UAQ back, residents say
February 18: Infrastructure needs to catch up with RAK's growing population
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Fujairah residents optimistic for the future
FUJAIRAH // While many residents are enthusiastic about the quickening pace of development across the emirate, with new roads, housing complexes and the expanding port and airport, some are perfectly content with the way things are.
The east coast emirate has high hopes for the future, outlined in the municipality’s Fujairah 2040 plan that aims to improve the quality of life to Emiratis and expatriates.
Rupak Chatterjee, the principal urban planner at project management company Ramboll, said key to the plan is an expected population boom to more than 500,000 by 2040, a big increase on the current 152,000 residents.
In the short term there are plans for the development of Fujairah port and airport, increasing office space by 20 per cent, building 8,800 new homes and 1,500 hotel rooms over the next five years.
“[The plan] includes the expansion of the airport apron and runway and relocating the cargo terminal and other buildings, developing the commercial activities and capabilities,” Mr Chatterjee said.
“While the port will have new terminals for oil, marine services, dry bulk and containers with an anchorage area.”
Mohammed Al-Afkham, director of Fujairah Municipality, said that the plan will help the emirate keep pace with urban growth, promote the economic growth, while ensuring conservation of the environmental and cultural heritage.
“It aims to achieve sustainable development in the emirate in the light of its rapid economic growth, through the establishment of an effective infrastructure, that is balanced and environmentally friendly,” he said.
Ahmad Al Neami, an Emirati living in Murashed, said the [Department of] Public Works has done a good job in maintaining the area’s roads and services, but Fujairah still needs a lot of hard work to reach the regional standards, but it should not lose its peaceful character.
“For me, I rather it stays the same. The simplicity and quietness of the emirate are part of the things I like here most and wish to stay,” the 29-year-old said.
Hussien Ali, a 32-year-old Egyptian architect who has been working in Fujairah since 2005, said economic growth would effect the cost of living and impact resident’s lifestyle.
“Keeping up with the universal growth is something we all wish for, to have the same facilities and services like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Fujairah has a unique climate and deserves to be the best. Of course, any growth will affect people financially, but they will have in return a better and easier lifestyle.”
Others, however, were not so positive about the prospect of change.
Ahmad Saif a 37-year-old Emirati who lives in Sakamkam, said that most residential areas have problems that need to be addressed before the emirate surges ahead with ambitious development plans.
“No proper roads to walk or drive in. Last year, the heavy rain drowned our houses and we are afraid that this incident would happen again this year. They didn’t do anything to fix this problem too,” he said.
“Our area is very close to the industrial area so all the big lorries with tonnes of loads pass by the neighbourhood causing more damage to the main road and threatening the safety of our children, as well as the bad smells and pollution that come out of the factories.
“They should deal with all that before considering any new projects,” said Mr Saif.
Malek Sroor said he first heard about Fuhairah’s plans for the future around two years ago but said there are more pressing issues that needed to be fixed first.
“I heard about the Fujairah future plan two years ago, I think it will improve the emirate in whole, especially tourism, but before moving to the next level they should complete the first one,” said the 32-year-old.
“The waste management system here is not working properly like other emirates, you can find garbage everywhere they don’t have a specific law regarding it and this will continue affecting tourism and peoples’ health unless they find solutions before going ahead with any new project.”
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Big steps in development taken in Fujairah
FUJAIRAH // Villas, roads, schools, hospitals and dams have been built in recent years on the east coast as part of President Sheikh Khalifa’s initiative to improve infrastructure in the Northern Emirates.
The Ministry of Public Works, alongside the Follow-Up Committee of the Initiatives of the UAE President, completed the construction of 277 villas for citizens in Fujairah in 2011.
They included a residential complex in Al Bidya consisting of 100 houses and 51 villas in Al Hania, reported Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National.
Forty-four houses damaged by an earthquake were replaced in Masafi, Al Bithna and Wadi Al Sidir, and 12 new homes were built in Ahfara, nine in Wadi May and eight in Al Sorm.
The road network in the emirate has also been upgraded, with the Sheikh Khalifa motorway, linking the emirate with Dubai, completed in 2011 at a cost of Dh1.7 billion.
Also, Dh55 million was spent upgrading 27 kilometres of the Dibba-Masafi road with the addition of an 8km road between Al Bidya and Sharm. The 8.5km-long Maktoum Bin Rashid Road, that connects Fujairah with Masafi, was redeveloped at a cost of Dh48m, while Dh160m was spent reconstructing the 20km Kalba to Khor Fakkan road.
Work is ongoing to finish the Yabsa ring road linking Sheikh Maktoum Street and Masafi Street with the Fujairah Sea Port, while the first phase of paving work on 45 main internal roads in Fujairah City has been completed.
Dh70m has been spent on building 68 dams and water barriers in Fujairah and the Eastern Region, while the new breakwater project in Kalba will cost more than Dh200m once complete.
In the past eight years, two new hospitals and four health centres have been opened in the emirate. Fujairah Hospital, which provides maternity care, opened in the city, while Masafi also has a new hospital. These will serve about 100,000 people and were built at a cost of Dh200m.
The Ministry of Public Works has also built 16 schools and nurseries at a cost of Dh400m, while a new police station was opened in Al Hayl industrial area and a civil defence station near to Fujairah airport.
Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Fujairah city, the second-largest mosque in the country, is scheduled to open during the second half of this year, and a freshwater pumping station is being built to distribute pure water to Fujairah, Kalba, Khor Fakkan and Dibba, at a cost of Dh562m.
As well as building new roads and homes, about 2,000 fishermen benefited from the development of seven new ports in Fujairah and the Eastern Region.
rhaza@thenational.ae
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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