Some Fujairah Quarries a Hazard

Further to reports about evaluations of Fujairah quarries being conducted is an article in The National (5 August 2009) by Anna Zacharias on the ‘Sickly Side of the Quarrying Boom’.

Excerpts:
“Five years ago, Jerief was an idyllic village in a quiet Fujairah wadi. Now the village, about 20km from the Ras al Khaimah airport, is blanketed by dust from the nearby quarries. New buildings have huge cracks in their walls, palm groves are covered in thick layers of dust, and residents cannot sleep through the night because of health problems that they say are caused by poor air quality.”

“For many families, life in Jerief has become a nightmare…”

“Last month, the Ministry of Environment and Water shut down several quarries in RAK, Fujairah and Ajman for failing to comply with the guidelines.”

“Residents and health officials say there have been some improvements but believe that the situation overall has worsened in the past year. Children are considered most vulnerable to respiratory problems.”

Read the rest of this revealing report:
Anna Zacharias, ‘Sickly Side of the Quarrying Boom’ The National, 5 August 2009.

Link

Emmanuelle Landais, Pollution from Cement Factories and Quarries Fall, Gulf News, 21 August 2009.

Dr Geoff Pound

Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.

Image: Damage to homes is only part of the problem being caused by quarry blasting and emissions. (Photo thanks to Jeff Topping and The National).