Tag Archives: opinion
Residents asked to use resources ‘sensibly’
Residents asked to use resources ‘sensibly’ Nivriti Butalia / 30 January 2014 Dewa chief says authority to intensify efforts to conserve water, aims to reduce line loss by 6% in two years. Water losses in the city are going to see a drastic cut if the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has its way. Managing Director and CEO of Dewa, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer told Khaleej Times that the authority is going to intensify efforts to conserve water. Fact box > Through 8 recycling programmes last year, Emirates Environmental Group collected 1.6m kg of waste > 1,190,000 kg of paper has been collected for recycling > More than 25,000kg of aluminium cans have been collected for recycling > More than 80,000kg of plastic have been collected and recycled “By 2016 we are going to reduce line loss by 6 per cent,” he told this newspaper, while also advocating that people in villas should conserve resources and use water sensibly. Line loss refers to the water lost in the pipeline itself. Addressing worries of residents, Al Tayer also told Khaleej Times that tap water in Dubai is 100 per cent safe and drinkable. He, however, asked residents to check with the management of residential buildings to see if the buildings tanks were regularly cleaned and not corroded. In a build up to the ‘World Green Economy Summit’ (WGES) to be held in Dubai in April, Al Tayer on Wednesday spoke about ‘Green’ being a national strategy for UAE. He spoke of ‘smart city projects’ and the promotion of sustainability across the Middle East. Al Tayer also announced a new initiative by Dewa, to organise one week of green events in Dubai under the theme ‘Dubai Green Week’ from April 13-17, 2014, to be held annually and coincide with both Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the ‘World Green Economy Summit’. “Specialised forums and events will be held with the aim to increase participation from all segments of society, particularly young entrepreneurs, university students and the media among others. The activities and events of Dubai Green Week will be announced in the comin weeks,” said Al Tayer. The summit programme this year is co-developed with a high profile advisory board. The partners are United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), State of Green – Denmark, Regions of Climate Change (R20), World Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) and Carbon Disclosure Report (CDR). “The WGES 2014 programme has five pillars, namely Green Regulation, Green Finance, Green Innovation, Green Partnerships and Green Marketplace,” said Waleed Salman, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the organising committee. There was also a small signing ceremony at the event, to ink a partnership between WGES and Irena to work in collaboration in the region on issues related to energy. Recycling pays off Besides water conservation efforts, the UAE has also seen a revolution in terms of recycling thanks to the Emirates Environment Group (EEG). Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of EEG, stated: “Last year, we were able to collect 1,190,000kg of paper with the cooperation of 878 participating entities from the public, private, household and educational sectors all over the United Arab Emirates.” She said: “We were also able to collect more than 25,000kg of aluminium cans with the help of 450 participants, and 8,917 printer cartridges”. “As for batteries and juice cartons, 73 participants were able to collect a grand 2,773kg, and 91 participants collected 5,507kg accordingly. In our Mobile Phone Recycling Campaign, volunteers collected 1,984 mobile phones.” “Moreover, aluminium is precious and can be 100 per cent recyclable. The recycling process for aluminium can save up to 95 per cent of the energy needed for its production”. The statistics in the UAE indicate that there are more than 12 million plastic containers sold every day, thus recycling this huge number will save a large quantity of petroleum needed to produce new plastic containers. news@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Medical professionals can practise across UAE
Medical professionals can practise across UAE Asma Ali Zain / 30 January 2014 Shaikh Mohammed attends signing of an agreement for the unification of licences for medical practitioners in the country at Arab Health Congress. An agreement has paved the way for professionals from the health ministry to work freely across the country. The move is expected to further enhance the quality of healthcare in the UAE and also counter any staff shortages. Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Hamdan at the 39th Arab Health Exhibition & Congress at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre on Wednesday. — Wam His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the signing of an agreement for the unification of licences for medical practitioners in the country, on the sidelines of his visit to the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Also present was Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. “A new step on the right path in order to unify the regulations, laws and procedures governing this noble human profession,” said Shaikh Mohammed while commending the signing of the agreement. The ruling will be applicable within the next three months. The agreement was signed by Minister of Health, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Essa Al Maidoor, and Dr Maha Barakat, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority (Haad). Health authorities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi had signed an agreement in 2012 to allow medical professionals of both emirates to work freely for each other. The move was followed by Dubai Healthcare City. Wednesday’s signing now allows professionals from the health ministry to work for the authorities and vice versa. Over 200 professionals from the DHA have been licensed by Haad since the agreement and vice versa. Commenting on the agreement, Al Maidoor said: “We are living in one country…we have doctors and technical staff in different fields of medicine who change their places between the emirates. “So in this way we are unifying when the doctor is tested or interviewed by any of the authorities, he practice freely between any other emirate,” he said. “This will be more flexible, unify the requirements between the emirates and guarantee the quality of work,” he added. Al Maidoor said that a legislation would govern the agreement and in case of violation, action would be taken. Currently, there are 18,000 licensed professionals in the private and government health sector in Dubai and 22,000 in Abu Dhabi. No comment was available from the health ministry. Health professionals, however, said that though it would now be easier to share expertise and experience especially in some sub-specialties of the medical field, general practitioners may not be able to benefit much. Some UAE national specialists are already allowed to work between both emirates. (With inputs from Wam) asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Dubai Mall remains world’s most-visited destination
Dubai Mall remains world’s most-visited destination Staff Report / 30 January 2014 The Dubai Mall has become the world’s most-visited destination for the third consecutive year, welcoming over 75 million visitors in 2013. Following the impressive footfall of 54 million in 2011 and 65 million in 2012, Emaar Properties’ flagship shopping and entertainment destination recorded a 15 per cent growth in visitor numbers last year. An average monthly footfall stood firm at 6.25 million. “The record visitor arrival to The Dubai Mall in 2013 is a powerful statement that seals Dubai’s reputation globally as a business and leisure hub,” Abdulla Lahej, group chief executive officer of Emaar Properties, said in a statement to Khaleej Times . The mall’s 1,200 plus retail outlets recorded a 26 per cent rise in sales during 2013 compared to the previous year. According to Bain & Co recent report, more than 50 per cent of all luxury goods sold in Dubai were purchased at the mall, with its dedicated Fashion Avenue hosting the world’s largest collection of fashion brands under one roof. The number of visitors significantly surpassed the number of shoppers at the world’s other leading malls such as Mall of America and Bullring Birmingham, UK (40 million each); Intu Trafford Centre, UK (30 million); Part Dieu Lyon, France (29.4 million); and West Edmonton Mall, Canada (28 million). Lahej said the socio-economic impact of the mall on the Emirate’s economy is tremendous, having generated more than 25,000 jobs and consistently driving the growth of the city’s retail, leisure, and hospitality sectors — the core contributors to Dubai’s GDP. “Contributing significantly to Emaar’s recurring revenues, thus adding value to our stakeholders, the mall’s sustained success demonstrates the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to create a truly world-class city,” he said Over 40 per cent of the visitors to the mall were tourists, reflecting the tourism demographic trends of the city, with a majority of the overseas visitors coming from Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries, China, India, Russia and Europe. Nasser Rafi, chief executive officer of Emaar Malls Group, said: “The surge in visitor arrivals and the growth in retail sales are indicators not just of the popularity of the mall but also of Dubai as a preferred destination for shopping and luxury lifestyle experiences. Having established Dubai as a global fashion capital, we are now further enhancing the fashion and lifestyle choices at the mall with the expansion of the Fashion Avenue by another one million square feet, which will add 150 new brands to the mall.” Last year, the mall cemented its position as one of the world’s most sought-after high fashion destinations by hosting Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience, the largest fashion event of its kind in the Middle East, in partnership with Vogue Italia. The mall is currently spearheading a global fashion talent scout, to identify and nurture emerging and next-generation fashion designers. — business@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
