Sharjah Steps up campaign against dumping

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
Published: January 27, 2009, 23:25


Sharjah: The emirate's municipality will soon start deploying inspectors at night to monitor the illegal disposal of chemicals at Al Saja'a Industrial Area.

"Chemical waste is being dumped in those areas and this is very dangerous because gas pipes run underneath the ground, which can cause a huge disaster," said Hassan Al Taffaq, Head of Environment Section at Sharjah Municipality.

Sharjah Municipality yesterday launched a three-day clean-up campaign to remove all the dumped waste from the industrial area in a bid to stop the health and environment hazards from accumulating.

"A dedicated landfill is available but drivers do not use it because it is easier for them to dump their waste in the middle of the desert," he added.

More than 700 employees from private companies and 250 municipality employees participated in the clean-up campaign, and were equipped with special equipment that was provided by the municipality.

All participants of the campaign will work up to 10 hours per day, which also includes the distribution of over 5,500 items of food and soft drinks to the labourers.

People living in the premises of the industrial area said they were relieved that action was finally being taken, as it has become hazardous to live there.

Al Taffaq pointed out that even though a clean-up campaign was held last year, the amount of waste has risen drastically in the last four months.