Fujairah Building Boom Includes Villas

If you travel down Al Luluah Road in Faseel, from the beach to the Women’s College (HCT), you will be amazed at the number of new villas that are going up.

Many of them are of the design displayed in this photograph.

This housing district is less than a five minute walk from the beach, a hospital, a school, a College, a new commercial district, a hotel and a new shopping centre. Location! Location! Location! [I don't get paid to advertise this villa!]

Despite this flurry of activity there is still a shortage of 2-3+ bedroom homes in Fujairah.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: One of the many villas nearing completion.

The Fujairah Building Boom series begins here.

Fujairah Building Boom includes More Hospitals

In this ‘Fujairah Building Boom’ series (which begins here) mention has already been made of the new hospital being constructed at the entrance to Fujairah from Dubai.

There is also another new hospital going up in the city, located in the Al Faseel area.

The structure is visible from the Al Faseel Road (the main road north between the Hilton Hotel and the Fujairah Port). One approaches it down Al Luluah Road, the same road one would take to the Women’s College (HCT). While it is not a high structure patients and workers will certainly get some therapeutic views as they look out on one side to the beach and from the other to the Hajar Mountains.

This hospital (see picture) is called the ‘Fujairah Private Hospital’. It has been at least three years in the making and it has just got a coat of paint. It is difficult to ascertain how near it is to completion on the inside.

If there is one area in Fujairah that is undergoing enormous expansion it is the suburb of Faseel.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: The ‘Fujairah Private Hospital’ viewed from the eastern (beach) side. [Click to enlarge]

Fujairah Building Boom Includes Ports

As you drive south along the Fujairah corniche, just before you get to the roundabout that takes you towards Kalba, you will notice an appendage which has been growing out into the water for several months. Trucks have been dumping rocks there 24/7 and still the activity continues.

The sign declares that this specialized port is owned by Fujairah Bulk Shipping. Little information is available but it appears to be a rock exporting port, shipping Fujairah rocks from its quarries to countries such as Iran.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Fujairah Bulk Shipping port in the making.

This is the fourth in a series of postings on Fujairah’s current building boom. Other articles include:
Fujairah Building Boom Includes New Hospital
Fujairah Building Boom Includes Commercial and Apartment Towers
Fujairah Building Boom in Apartment Towers

Fujairah Building Boom in Apartment Towers

An earlier posting indicated the critical shortage of medium to large-sized villas and apartments in Fujairah, especially with the Faseel Towers being used for other purposes.

The new tower (pictured) will provide a good number of new apartments but its strategic location (on the right side of Fujairah’s main street and over the road from the vegetable, fruit and fish markets), including its views over the corniche, may mean that the rentals are on the high side.

This building looks to be higher than the Fujairah Towers and will therefore make it the highest structure in the city.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: New apartment tower viewed from the beach (eastern side) and looking up the main street.

Series:
This is the third in a series of postings on Fujairah’s current building boom. Other articles include:
Fujairah Building Boom Includes New Hospital
Fujairah Building Boom Includes Commercial and Apartment Towers

Fujairah Building Boom Includes Commercial and Apartment Towers

Entering the first roundabout coming into Fujairah from Dubai, and continuing in the same direction, one drives onto the main street—Hamad bin Abdulla Road.

One of the noticeable sights when you get onto this main drag is the number of high-rise buildings under construction on the left-hand side.

The picture, (which is taken looking the other way, towards Dubai) shows two new buildings in mid-construction and one further up, which is nearing completion.

There are several other buildings in process along this strip that are not in frame. Some of them will be exclusively for commercial usage; others will have a mix of commercial function (shops on the lower level/s) and accommodation.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Some new buildings on Fujairah’s main street.

Fujairah Building Boom Includes New Hospital

One thing that struck me upon returning to Fujairah after a summer break was the massive building boom that is going on in Al Fujairah at the moment.

I plan over the next few postings to display some of the constructions that are going up.

When you approach Fujairah from the Dubai road the first cluster of buildings that you see are on the left side of the road—Ajman University, Higher College of Technology (Men’s College), Institute of Applied Technology and the Ministry of the Environment (Agricultural Department for the Eastern Region).

Passing this cluster as you come to the first set of traffic lights, on the left you will notice (set back from the road) a new hospital. It is called the NMC Al Fujairah Hospital and it is one of the chain of NMC Medical Centres and hospitals springing up throughout the UAE.

This building is a sign of the city’s population growth and the improvement in infrastructure and health services that is taking place in the region.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: NMC Al Fujairah Hospital (Click on the photo to enlarge)

Fujairah Observer Now Online

In November 2006 someone posted this query on the Trip Advisor with the heading, ‘Fujairah Forum’:

“Is Fujairah's magazine The OBSERVER still existing? It was being taken cared of by Mrs. Valentine... I just lost contact when we left Fujairah but it is a very informative local magazine and I would like to be updated... do they have a website?”

The good news for Fujairah residents and ex-residents is that the Fujairah Observer is now online.

The new web site (like the monthly magazine) posts helpful information about Fujairah, it contains some back copies of the magazine, there is a forum on which you can discuss Fujairah issues, there are links to other sites and most importantly some classified ads—this is a good place when you want to sell your car, check out Fujairah employment opportunities or advertise your next meeting.

The Editor-in-Chief, Dr Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, the Managing Editor, Virginia Valentine and the whole team at the Fujairah Observer do a terrific job.

In a booming city that does not have its own newspaper the Fujairah Observer has provided over the years an important glue, especially for the English speaking community. It introduces readers to Fujairah personalities and provides informative articles as well as some amusing trivia.

Let other people know of this new web site, especially your friends and families in other countries and former Fujairah residents.

Turn up the volume as you click on this link: Fujairah Observer.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: The front cover of the Fujairah Observer, June 2008 edition.

Beekeeping and Honey Production in Fujairah

An interesting story on a beekeeper and honey production in Fujairah appears at this link:

Eman Mohammed, 'Business is Buzzing for Fujairah Beekeeper', Gulf News, 15 August 2008.

Image: Ali Salem Al Dhanahani and his sons who are learning the ancient art of beekeeping. Photo courtesy of Abdul Rahman, GN.

Fujairah Taxis

Updated
Taking a Taxi in and from Fujairah
Are you missing the little white taxis we used to have in Fujairah?

I have posted a link to an article on Dubai taxis, added some reflections on changes in the Fujairah taxi service and asked to hear more feedback from Fujairah taxi passengers and those in other emirates.

The link:
Geoff Pound, ‘Taxis in Dubai, Fujairah and Other Emirates’, Experiencing the Emirates, 13 August 2008.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: An old Fujairah taxi (now a collector's item).

Protecting UAE’s Coral Treasures

When, courtesy of Boing Boing (11 August 2008), I saw NOAA’s fantastic gallery of photographs of coral reefs around the world, it emphasized the treasure that the UAE, and particularly the east coast has, with its reefs and diving areas.

One NOAA representative says, “Coral reefs are extremely imperilled all over the world due to climate change, overfishing and pollution.”

Local diving organizations have for a long time warned UAE leaders and the public of the irreparable damage that oil slicks have been causing, especially to Fujairah’s east coastline.

These gorgeous photos help us to appreciate what divers see below the surface and why they have been calling us to attention. The clarity and radiance of these images help us to see what we have lost and they highlight the urgency to guard and protect what still remains.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Credit to NOAA for the gallery and thanks for the above coral specimen (from the Red Sea).

Related Articles:
Developers Aid efforts to Protect Coral Reef UAE, UAE Interact, 20 June 2008.
Project to Map Coral Reefs Begins in UAE, UAE Interact, 14 August 2007.

Oil Slicks AGAIN on UAE East Coast

After a dozen oil slicks on the UAE’s east coast since January, making 2008, the most damaging year, readers of the Xpress News would have been deeply disappointed to read of yet another serious spill.

The article that reported (7 August 2008) a three day beach closure at Khor Fakkan, complaints from shopkeepers and angry remarks from hoteliers and their guests, came with several photographs confirming the damning evidence.

Journalists at The National newspaper have meticulously charted the oily record in their pages (see ‘Oil Spill Blackens for Fujairah’) and have made many constructive suggestions. If the Environmental Departments of the various municipalities were run as an efficient business, after so much damage to the environment and tourism industry, managers would by now have resigned or been fired.

The Fujairah coastline environmental problem has been followed this year by international observers. Comments and letters have recently included an interest to assist from a representative responsible for such matters in Singapore, the biggest oil bunkering port in the world.

The UAE in its short history has been adept at harnessing the best talent in the world. It appears that to care for its waters and coastline UAE authorities need to develop national laws, policies and management procedures that are informed by best international practice.

Dr Geoff Pound

Source: Vikram Singh Barhat, ‘Oil Slick Licks Tourists’, Xpress, 7 August 2008.

Image: One of the many photos that need to be seen, taken by Karen Dias of Xpress and used with thanks. This photo depicts tourists trying to wipe oil off their feet and shoes. Two of the many tourists who will not return to the east coast until there is improvement.

Federal Laws to Safeguard Against Quarries

Environment and Health
Fuad Ali has covered an important story today (18 June 2008) in the Gulf News that concerns new federal laws to control quarry and crushing companies.

The report issues from a seminar strategically located in Al Aqah, Fujairah and will have great implications for the stone industries in the eastern emirate.

The new regulations are designed to protect the environment and safeguard the health of workers and residents from quarry dust and noise.

The Minister of Environment and Water, Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd was reported as saying:

“All stone quarries and crushing companies must implement all aspects of the new environmental law within a year or face severe penalties.”

Federal and Local
The article concludes with this insightful statement:
“Dr Sultan Al Moadhen, Member of the Federal National Council and Chairman of the Provisional Committee for Monitoring Environmental Pollution, said the implementation of the environmental resolution must be enforced by the federal government and not left to local authorities who - he said - proved to be ‘unreliable’.”

Implications for the Marine Environment?
The federal government today has implemented important legislation and controls for quarries and crushers and will not leave it to local authorities to police, enforce and prosecute offenders.

In view of the succession of oil dumpings this year into the Fujairah waters, with local authorities proving to be impotent in surveillance and prosecution, one would hope that the federal government will also implement tough new laws and penalties that will be effective in stopping the damage to the marine environment.

For the full report, including reactions from the different sectors see:

Fuad Ali, Quarries in UAE must follow new environmental law says minister, Gulf News, 18 June 2008.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Quarry in Dibba, Fujairah.

Fujairah Pays for Fighter Jets with Fish

Select Property has this report on a fair Fujairah/French exchange:

“The chief executive of the United Arab Emirates Offset Program Bureau helps pair foreign defence contractors with local companies, with the goal of boosting the UAE's exports. The bureau has been pairing up multinational corporations with local companies since its inception in 1992.”

“The United Arab Emirate’s first fish farming business, Asmak, was conceived under the offset programme as part of a deal with Dassault, the French aerospace giant, to supply the Air Force with Mirage combat jets. Asmak exports sea bream to 15 countries around the world from its bases in Fujairah and Ras al Khaimah.”

“Offsets allow countries to recoup part of the costs of defence purchases, by requiring foreign contractors to contribute in some way to the purchasers’ economy. Often they help set up new companies through specialised training and a transfer of technology, with a requirement that the new company’s revenues over a seven-year period must equal 60 per cent of the value of the contract.”

“Overall, some 50 companies have been set up with the help of foreign defence contractors, and Dh8 billion has been channelled into the UAE economy as foreign direct investment. Most of the companies are valuable contributors to the UAE economy.”

No details reported on how many bream are sold to pay for a Mirage fighter jet.

Source: ‘Fish and Fighter Jets Pair up in the UAE’, Select Property (original report and link removed)

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: Sea bream; Mirage jets.

Following the Fujairah Oil Dumping Trail

Readers of The National online edition noticed on the front page another photo of an oil spill with the caption: “Another large slick of oil began washing up onto the beaches in Khor Fakkan near Fujairah’s coastline.”

This photo and article appeared less than two days after this headline, ‘Fujairah Civic Chief Pledges Solutions’, The National, 14 June 2008.

It says: “Mr Hamoudi, who is originally from Dibba, a developing tourist haven, said the municipality would continue to look for ways to deal with [the] issue of frequent oil spills. ‘We’re studying new techniques to deal with these,’ he said.”

Here is a sample of the articles from many sources and spheres that have been written this year reporting the oil dumpings, seeking to understand the causes, analyzing the damage and suggesting solutions.

Following the 2008 Oil Dumping Trail:
More Oil for the Emirates-Spill Affects Tourism, Deeper Blue, 20 February 2008
Oil Damages Fujairah Beaches, Marine Life and Tourism, Fujairah in Focus, 20 February 2008.
Hotels Seek Strict Action on Oil Spill, Gulf News, 21 February 2008.
Spill Spells Trouble, 7 Days, 21 February 2008.
2nd Oil Spill for Emirates East Coast, Deeper Blue, 9 March 2008
Further Oil Spillages Call for Urgent Action, Fujairah in Focus, 11 March 2008
‘Oil Draining’ in Fujairah waters not ‘Oil Spills’, Experiencing the Emirates, 11 March 2008.
Monitor the Oil tankers and Keep our Beaches Clean, The National, 11 May 2008
Nissar Hoath, ‘Gulf Accounts for 75% of World’s Oil Spills,’ Emirates Business 24-7, 21 May 2008.
Gulf Holds World record for Oil Spills, Experiencing the Emirates, 21 May 2008.
Oil Spill Blackens Fujairah, The National, 2 June 2008.
Video: Oil washes up on Fujairah Beaches, The National, 3 June 2008
Oil Spills Threaten Beaches and Business, The National, 3 June 2008.
Oil Dumpers give authorities the slip, The National, 5 June 2008.
Another Oil Spill Hits East Coast of UAE, Gulf News, 10 June 2008
The Valentine Should Have its Day, The National, 11 June 2008.
Cheaper to Pay the Fine than Dispose of Waste, The National, 11 June 2008.
Spill Solution, The National, 11 June 2008.
Interactive: Cleaning up oil in Fujairah, The National, 12 June 2008.
Drilling Down into Oil Dumping Problem, Fujairah in Focus, 13 June 2008
Fujairah Civic Chief Pledges Solutions, The National, 14 June 2008.
Large Oil Slick Lines Coast near Fujairah, The National, 15 June 2008.
Eleventh Oil Slick in 2008 Covers East Coast beaches, Experiencing the Emirates, 15 June 2008.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: The oil on the beach and in the water today at Khor Fakkan.

Finding the Way in the UAE

A Gulf News article contains interviews with residents and visitors to the UAE who say that it is very difficult finding your way to cities and within cities.

There are a lack of maps, an inadequate naming of streets, an absence of street numbers and not a Zip (area) Code to be found.

Add to this the challenge of new roads being constructed every month.

Signage needs to be updated for the modern day Emirates.

Source: UAE residents say system needed to locate places in Emirates, Gulf News, 15 June 2008.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Related:
Fujairah, I’d Like to See That: Good Maps, Fujairah in Focus
Questions People are Asking about Fujairah, Fujairah in Focus
Fujairah Information, Fujairah in Focus
Fujairah on Google Earth, Fujairah in Focus
Directions from Dubai to Fujairah, Fujairah in Focus

Image: “Signage needs to be modernized for the modern day Emirates.”

Drilling Down into Oil Dumping Problem

The work that journalist, Hugh Naylor and others at The National are doing on the oil dumping issue illustrates why the newspaper, in such a short time, has become a valuable asset to Fujairah and the United Arab Emirates.

Naylor has been covering the far-too-frequent oil slicks appearing on the Fujairah beaches this year but he has gone beyond the mere reporting of events, to the interviewing of the key players and an investigation ways that the oil dumping might be solved.

Recently The National has posted these informative stories:

Spill Solution, 11 June 2008
This editorial indicates that current monitoring methods are not working. Not one dumping has been traced to an oil tanker. No prosecutions! There is only one single satellite used for monitoring the region but this is old technology, obviously not reflecting the ‘can-do’ attitude of the modern Emirates. The article says that surveillance cannot be left to volunteers and passing ships. Who is going to blow the whistle on another ship captain? The editorial says that there have been offers of help made but the Fujairah officials have not shown any interest.

The Valentine Should Have its Day, 11 June 2008
Hugh Naylor reports the story of Andrey Malinin whose plane the Valentine is equipped with ultraviolet and infrared sensors that can easily detect the oil. It also has equipment to spray neutralizing chemicals needed to break up the oil in the waters. The Valentine has made almost daily flights to the UAE east coast but Malinin has been unable to convince the Fujairah authorities to allow him to monitor the coastline and pay his basic costs. Mr. Malinin is on standby but the Fujairah authorities are not acting and according to Malinin have been inaccessible. It is unfortunate that Fujairah authorities, despite being contacted, have not recognized the urgency, have not responded to this offer or come up with a more effective solution to combat this major environment catastrophe.

Interactive: Cleaning up the Oil in Fujairah, 12 June 2008
Take a look at this interactive. It is simple and informative, helping readers to see the connection between surveillance and clean-up and underscoring the need for urgency when an oil spill is detected. This interactive must be a first for a UAE newspaper and it illustrates the value of an online newspaper.

Oil Washes up on Fujairah Beaches, 3 June 2008.
This video posted earlier in the month gives a visual insight into the problem, especially as it relates to oil affecting waters and beaches adjacent to Fujairah coastland hotels. The interviews highlight the frustration that is being experienced by people earning a living on the coastline and why tourists have been discouraged to make Fujairah their resort destination.

Some of the questions still hanging and other observations include the following:

Why are the Fujairah authorities so inattentive to this problem and to offers of assistance when the current approach is ineffective, harming the environment and costing local hoteliers, diving companies thousands of dirhams in clean up procedures and loss of tourist and recreational revenue?

Why have Fujairah authorities not prosecuted any oil tanker captains? Have they not been able to link spill to tanker or are they reluctant to do anything to impede the oil business that is bringing enormous revenue to the Fujairah coffers? If there is an element of favouring this major industry there must be policing measures that are independent of the local authorities.

As oil is dumped in international and national waters and washes up on a coastline overseen by the Fujairah and Sharjah municipalities and UAE and Omani authorities, how can there be effective coordination of surveillance, prosecution and clean up which is clear and which incorporates the valuable input of all agencies? Legal input will also be essential to come up with a solution that appropriately links international and national laws.

The Valentine method is commendable but surveillance and cleaning up procedures must be in place 24 hours a day, taking photographs that will trace oil spills back to the tanker and which can be used in court for prosecutions. Satellite and plane surveillance will need to combine as part of the deterrence that will make rogue sea captains think again before they are tempted to dump oil slops into the briny.

The Malinin offer is seeking approval to monitor and be paid to do surveillance and aerial clean ups of the waters. But the clean up operation on the Fujairah foreshore and beaches is another task and it has been deemed the responsibility of hotels and diving companies. This is messy and it adds to the cost and frustration of local operators (See this article in The National). Who is responsible for cleaning up the waters and beaches where there are no hotels and diving companies? It appears that federal agencies get involved when an oil spill is of such magnitude that it is beyond the resources of a local municipality. The result of all these players can so easily lead to passing the buck, a slow reaction whenever there is a spill and an uneven standard in the cleanup operation. If the local emirate was responsible for the cleanup (not the hoteliers and diving companies), it might lead to much higher penalties for offending sea captains and oil companies (as deterrence and to recoup costs) and an effective method of policing and prosecution.

The team at The National must be congratulated for the high quality of their investigative journalism. Much has been uncovered. Questions still remain. Action must be taken. This is a major issue for Fujairah and the UAE that requires a comprehensive and urgent solution.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: Andrey Malinin before the Valentine that is equipped and ready to go. Photo courtesy of The National.

Discussing Desalination

With Fujairah expanding its desalination plant, it might be timely to read this article entitled,

‘Everything you ever wanted to know about Desalination,’ KippReport, 12 June 2008.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: Water minus the salt.

New Recycling Centre for Fujairah

It is pleasing in today’s (11 June 2008) Gulf News to see a report of another recycling centre opening in Fujairah after the HCT Women’s College established the first centre last year. The report says:

A recycling centre for paper, aluminium cans and plastic has opened up in Fujairah as part of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) proposal to open ten centres throughout the UAE, in partnership with Emirates Environmental Group (EEG).

EEG will operate and manage the ten proposed recycling centres. To date three have been opened at Al Hosn University in Abu Dhabi, American International School in Abu Dhabi and Global English High School in Al Ain, with the fourth opening at Our Own English High School in Fujairah.

A further six centres will open in the coming months across the rest of the UAE. The recycling centres are being set up in educational institutions as part of EEG's Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Campaign, and to boost environment education.

Information about the way these centres operate is posted in the article about the Fujairah HCT Recycling Centre.

The desire to link the recycling centres with educational establishments will certainly bolster environmental awareness and responsibility. The one problem is the lack of access that the general public has to a school leaving them with nowhere they can go to deposit their papers, glass and plastic.

It would be good if a future Fujairah proposal included a plan to locate the recycling centres in supermarket car parks such as Lulus, so that there might be suitable public access.

Source: New recycling centre opens in Fujairah, Gulf News, 11 June 2008.

Image: The bins at the Fujairah Women’s College in April 2007 before they were put into use.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Extra:
Check out the sister site, Experiencing the Emirates.
Recent articles look at:
VAT and Visa Decisions Discouraging Tourists
UAE’s Erection Complex
Benazir Bhutto’s Daughter Carries on her Mother’s Work
High Costs Driving Expats Away
Are You Ready to Come to the UAE?

Filipino Flights to Fujairah

Following the recent posting about the virgin flight from the Philippines to Fujairah, here is an article with news of the approval of two carriers to fly to the Middle East—the Spirit of Manila and Trans-Global Airways. It contains some new details that were not included in previous reports:

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Wednesday approved the application of two Philippine carriers to fly commercially to the Middle East.

The decision was announced by CAB deputy executive director Carmelo Arcilla during a hearing by the House Committee on Overseas Workers' Affairs.

"We have not really slept on this," Arcilla told abs-cbnNEWS.com, referring to the problem of lack of airline seats for OFWs going to the Middle East.

Although he identified the carriers as Spirit of Manila and Trans-Global Airways, he did not specify the actual routes they would be servicing. He said it was the airlines’ operational matter.

The approval came just before Trans-Global's maiden trip to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates last Friday.

Arcilla added that Trans-Global will initially be using MD-83 aircraft that has a capacity of 160 passengers. They also have plans to acquire a 767 airplane which seats 250 people.

The new airlines are both Filipino owned with foreign partners, Arcilla said.

He also added that CAB was expecting more airlines to come forward and apply for licenses. Definitely, though, he said, "new entrants who are capable would be preferable (to an old airline executing) a code sharing agreement (with another airline."

The code sharing agreement is a means by which an airline sells tickets to passengers for a flight on another airline. It does not actually fly a plane into the place specified.

Source: CAB Update Allows Two New Airlines to Fly to Middle East, ABS-CBN News Online, 11 June 2008.

Is there another international airport that is closer to the main street than the Fujairah International Airport? Fujairah International Airport is only seconds away from the centre of Fujairah.

There will be lots of happy Fujairah residents when flights to major international routes depart and arrive through Fujairah.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: Fujairah International Airport.(interior)

Fujairah Strategically Links Oman

One of the advantages of Fujairah’s location is that it links the two parts of the nation of Oman. The Fujairah-Kalba cities are at one doorway to Oman but further north in the emirate of Fujairah at Dibba one can reenter Oman which incorporates the stunning Musamdam Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Hormuz.

The online magazine Kiwi Collection, highlights the delights that the Sultanate of Oman has to offer. You can fly into centres such as Muscat and Salalah but after showing your passport, driving from Fujairah down through Oman makes for a most scenic trip.

With tourism cranking up in Oman, Fujairah will benefit no matter which part of Oman visitors choose to explore.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: “the stunning Musamdam Peninsula…”