There's been a recent wave of illegal dumping of raw sewage in storm water drains over the past few months, and this has now led to the closing of the Dubai Sailing Club due to water contamination.
Basically, sewage tank drivers have found a way to cut corners by dumping sewage in drains and other deserted areas, rather than going to the Al Aweer sewage treatment plant. Why? Because apparently they have to wait for up to 12 hours to dump their load at the treatment plant. And they get paid based on the number of loads they dump.
Little did they know that in doing so, they were causing serious environmental and potential health issues, with E-Coli and bacteria now floating around in the water and on our shores.
So who's to blame here? The drivers? Maybe a little bit, but then again, they're just trying to make a living and are probably oblivious to the fact that they are causing environmental damage.
Do we blame the companies that hire these drivers? Yes definitely. They should be blamed for not keeping a vigilant eye on how they run their business. And for not training their employees properly. Or, maybe they DO know what's happening but decide to turn a blind eye, simply because they only care about how much money they make at the end of the day.
Do we blame Dubai Municipality? For sure! With everything in Dubai growing at breakneck speed, no one thought that we would need more than one sewage treatment plant to handle the load of treating the sewage of an ever-expanding city that gets hundreds of new residents every day. Not only that, it seems that they are not doing a thorough job of warning residents not to swim in contaminated waters, with most beach-goers oblivious to the fact that there's been an illegal sewage dumping issue.
Do we blame Dubai Police? Yes, them too. Although they claim to be dealing with the situation by going after these trucks and fining them, there's also been reports of them being very slow in reacting to calls from residents who have spotted these trucks doing their illegal dumping.
All this to say that while we are all willing to put up with the growing pains of Dubai, I, for one, am not willing to accept cutting-corner tactics that may potentially damage my health and harm the environment. It's simply disgusting, and it's simply unacceptable.
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Earth Hour
Earth Hour is happening all over the world on Saturday the 29th of March at 8PM. Cities across the world will turn off their lights for just one hour – Earth Hour – to show that it’s possible to take action on global warming. Switching off is a simple action that can make a difference and it sends a powerful message that the people of the world care about the future of the planet.
Dubai is the first Arab city to embrace Earth Hour, it joined 24 other major cities who are committing to this event.
It all started in Sydney last year, when the WWF, in partnership with the Sydney Herald, managed to get the whole city rallied around this symbolic event. Check out the video here, it's truly inspiring:
Next Saturday, anyone can make a difference by following a few simple steps:
1. Sign up to Earth Hour by visiting www.earthhour.org and commit to turning off your lights on March 29 from 8pm to 9pm. We will send you all the information you need to make Earth Hour happen at home and at work (and to cut your energy bills in the long term). It’s free to take part.
2. Take appliances off standby; unplug any appliances – mobile phone charger, TV, microwave, MP3 player, computer monitor, printer – that are not being used and are on standby. Appliances left on standby account for up to 10% of the average household’s electricity use.
3. Spread the word about Earth Hour and involve your friends, family and workmates. Get them to make the commitment at www.earthhour.org to turn off their lights at 8pm on Saturday March 29, 2008.
For more information, visit www.earthhour.org. Organizations who are willing to take part can also register their company and receive a free corporate communication pack with suggestions on how to get their employees involved.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Leave our islands alone!
We've been going to the Abu Dhabi islands for as long as I can remember. Every since we were very young, we've been going to Bahrani island (or to Peanut Island, or some other small island around Abu Dhabi) to spend a day or fun in the sun, or for an overnight camping trip.
This weekend we spent an afternoon on Bahrani, but on the way there, I noticed that many islands had a "no trespassing allowed" sign on them...While others were littered with construction machinery. Some islands already have some private resorts built on them.
Is this going to be the trend from now on? Will there be no more islands for us to go to? Will the real estate sharks destroy the natural beauty of our islands?
I hope not! A day on one of these islands is simply breathtaking...The wind, the sun, the perfect white sands and beautiful blue beaches are simply priceless. I still want to be able to spend a fun day on our islands 5, 10 or 15 years from now.
Save our islands!
This weekend we spent an afternoon on Bahrani, but on the way there, I noticed that many islands had a "no trespassing allowed" sign on them...While others were littered with construction machinery. Some islands already have some private resorts built on them.
Is this going to be the trend from now on? Will there be no more islands for us to go to? Will the real estate sharks destroy the natural beauty of our islands?
I hope not! A day on one of these islands is simply breathtaking...The wind, the sun, the perfect white sands and beautiful blue beaches are simply priceless. I still want to be able to spend a fun day on our islands 5, 10 or 15 years from now.
Save our islands!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
You can make a difference - Tip 8
It's been a while since the last You can make a difference tip. My friend S. has been busy....but also a little lazy I suspect.
This edition of you can make a difference tackles a hot topic (pun intended). We've been hearing about global warming for as long as I can remember, but Al Gore's recent documentary "An inconvenient truth" has brought the issue under the spotlight.
Here's what my friend S. had to say about this:
Reports reveal that human activities are behind climate change.
To avoid cooking our pretty planet to the max, switch off the lights, turn off your tv, and shut down your computer while you're out enjoying the sun, moon, stars and other mischievous activities.
Facts: The average home contributes more air pollution than the average car.
Leaving lights on for an extra hour each day over the course of a week releases 20 tonnes of green house gases.
Screen savers do not save energy.
On average, human activities release 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, every day! Emissions should be cut by 70% to 80% to simply stabilize atmospheric concentrations - and thus temperatures.
Why can’t climate change go unchecked? It's been a while since the last You can make a difference tip. My friend S. has been busy....but also a little lazy I suspect.
This edition of you can make a difference tackles a hot topic (pun intended). We've been hearing about global warming for as long as I can remember, but Al Gore's recent documentary "An inconvenient truth" has brought the issue under the spotlight.
Here's what my friend S. had to say about this:
Reports reveal that human activities are behind climate change.
To avoid cooking our pretty planet to the max, switch off the lights, turn off your tv, and shut down your computer while you're out enjoying the sun, moon, stars and other mischievous activities.
Facts: The average home contributes more air pollution than the average car.
Leaving lights on for an extra hour each day over the course of a week releases 20 tonnes of green house gases.
Screen savers do not save energy.
On average, human activities release 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, every day! Emissions should be cut by 70% to 80% to simply stabilize atmospheric concentrations - and thus temperatures.
Why can’t climate change go unchecked? This video says it best (for your viewing pleasure: have your glow sticks handy).
To be honest, I didn't realize that I, personally, was contributing so much towards global warming...I'm usually good with switching unnecessary lights off, and I spend all winter with my air conditioning switched off, but my computer is constantly switched on at home...And I'm sure that offices and malls could make the effort of putting the air conditioning down one or two degrees (why should I be wearing sweaters in the middle of the scorching summer??), and we could all make the effort to recycle more (or, in my case, start recycling!)...A little goes a long way...
This edition of you can make a difference tackles a hot topic (pun intended). We've been hearing about global warming for as long as I can remember, but Al Gore's recent documentary "An inconvenient truth" has brought the issue under the spotlight.
Here's what my friend S. had to say about this:
Reports reveal that human activities are behind climate change.
To avoid cooking our pretty planet to the max, switch off the lights, turn off your tv, and shut down your computer while you're out enjoying the sun, moon, stars and other mischievous activities.
Facts: The average home contributes more air pollution than the average car.
Leaving lights on for an extra hour each day over the course of a week releases 20 tonnes of green house gases.
Screen savers do not save energy.
On average, human activities release 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, every day! Emissions should be cut by 70% to 80% to simply stabilize atmospheric concentrations - and thus temperatures.
Why can’t climate change go unchecked? It's been a while since the last You can make a difference tip. My friend S. has been busy....but also a little lazy I suspect.
This edition of you can make a difference tackles a hot topic (pun intended). We've been hearing about global warming for as long as I can remember, but Al Gore's recent documentary "An inconvenient truth" has brought the issue under the spotlight.
Here's what my friend S. had to say about this:
Reports reveal that human activities are behind climate change.
To avoid cooking our pretty planet to the max, switch off the lights, turn off your tv, and shut down your computer while you're out enjoying the sun, moon, stars and other mischievous activities.
Facts: The average home contributes more air pollution than the average car.
Leaving lights on for an extra hour each day over the course of a week releases 20 tonnes of green house gases.
Screen savers do not save energy.
On average, human activities release 70 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a day, every day! Emissions should be cut by 70% to 80% to simply stabilize atmospheric concentrations - and thus temperatures.
Why can’t climate change go unchecked? This video says it best (for your viewing pleasure: have your glow sticks handy).
To be honest, I didn't realize that I, personally, was contributing so much towards global warming...I'm usually good with switching unnecessary lights off, and I spend all winter with my air conditioning switched off, but my computer is constantly switched on at home...And I'm sure that offices and malls could make the effort of putting the air conditioning down one or two degrees (why should I be wearing sweaters in the middle of the scorching summer??), and we could all make the effort to recycle more (or, in my case, start recycling!)...A little goes a long way...
Saturday, October 28, 2006
You can make a difference - Tip 7
A quick update on the last You can make a difference tip before we tackle this month's issue:
Cleaning up the oil slick on the Lebanese coast could only start after Israel began lifting its sea and air blockade (September 8). To date, less than 3500 of the estimated 110,000 barrels of oil that flowed from the Jiyeh power station's storage tanks have been recovered. The delay has caused much of the oil to settle on the ocean bed.
And now for this month's tip, courtesty of my friend S. : if we don't buy, they won't die!
When on holiday, you may come across tempting wildlife souvenirs that you have just got to keep off your shopping list!! Some are illegal to bring back, but more importantly, buying them contributes to the specie’s extinction and brutal killing.
One such item is ivory, the substance that makes up elephant tusks. Although CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) has banned ivory trade, elephant poaching is still rampant in both Africa and Asia to supply the huge demand for ivory products. Ivory is often carved into jewelry, chopsticks, hair slides, and ornaments.
Because ivory is sold so openly in some countries, you may not realize it is illegal to buy it.
Facts:
A tusk is a living tooth; its extraction from a live elephant without putting it down is a very difficult procedure that requires medical expertise.
Before the CITES ban in 1989, poachers, in Africa alone, were slaughtering some 100,000 elephants a year.
The tagua nut, a type of hard nut, is gaining popularity as a replacement for ivory.
By killing only tusked elephants, poachers are allowing more tuskless elephants to mate. “Tusklessness”, once a very rare genetic abnormality, has become a widespread hereditary trait.
There used to be elephants in…Syria!
Cleaning up the oil slick on the Lebanese coast could only start after Israel began lifting its sea and air blockade (September 8). To date, less than 3500 of the estimated 110,000 barrels of oil that flowed from the Jiyeh power station's storage tanks have been recovered. The delay has caused much of the oil to settle on the ocean bed.
And now for this month's tip, courtesty of my friend S. : if we don't buy, they won't die!
When on holiday, you may come across tempting wildlife souvenirs that you have just got to keep off your shopping list!! Some are illegal to bring back, but more importantly, buying them contributes to the specie’s extinction and brutal killing.
One such item is ivory, the substance that makes up elephant tusks. Although CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) has banned ivory trade, elephant poaching is still rampant in both Africa and Asia to supply the huge demand for ivory products. Ivory is often carved into jewelry, chopsticks, hair slides, and ornaments.
Because ivory is sold so openly in some countries, you may not realize it is illegal to buy it.
Facts:
A tusk is a living tooth; its extraction from a live elephant without putting it down is a very difficult procedure that requires medical expertise.
Before the CITES ban in 1989, poachers, in Africa alone, were slaughtering some 100,000 elephants a year.
The tagua nut, a type of hard nut, is gaining popularity as a replacement for ivory.
By killing only tusked elephants, poachers are allowing more tuskless elephants to mate. “Tusklessness”, once a very rare genetic abnormality, has become a widespread hereditary trait.
There used to be elephants in…Syria!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
