Dubai International City Smells Awful!!!!!

[Dubai Expert]

Hi Friends,

I think we have a big problem with international city that could cause its price to plunge if it is not fixed which is the foul smell that creeps on the international city project everynight from the Sewage treatment facility nearby.

The bad thing is that Dubai Municipality is not planning to shut this treatment facility down. Worse, there are plans to expand the treatment facility to recieve more sewage water!!!

it really smells like s*it almost everynight depending on wind direction I
guess!!!

did you hear what i said? It smells like s*it!!

Any Solution?????

i can not stand the smell of Fecis in my nose and on my clothes!!


sorry for that, i guess it is a taboo to talk about it but i wanted to open the subject for discussion.

 

[wayneis]

Dubai Expert What Cluster are you in ?
Do you notice the Smell if you have your windows closed and just the A/C on ?

 

[Dubai Expert]

Dubai Expert What Cluster are you in ?
Do you notice the Smell if you have your windows closed and just the A/C on ?

Dear wayneis,

I have lived in Alwarqaa for the last three years, and it seems like the smell is getting worse day after day. If i closed the windows and turned on the A/C the problem is solved 99%. But there are days when the A/C is not good enough. Also, that means we are limited to closing our windows even in nice winter days and nights because of the odor. I do not have any apartments in International City but i believe if we all send petitions to Dubai Municipality we could relieve the whole area of Alwarqaa, Nad Alhamar, International City, and Ras Alkhor beacuse the smell is not limited to international city and it spills out depending on the wind. i will attach a photo to clarify the situation.

 

[Dubai Expert]

in this satellite photo i highlited the affected area by the treatment facility it is mainly all of International City, and Alwarqaa, and parts of Ras Alkhor. You can even the smell of odor as far as vegetable market depending on the day and wind direction.

 

[gtmash]

As I said earlier, there is NO smell at Persia. I've yet to see actual International City residents bring this up, unless I missed some older posts.

 

[wayneis]

Thanks Dubai Expert I have only been to Persia On one occasion when it Ponged to high heaven. All other times every thing was OK. gtmash residents have brought the subject up in letters to the local newspaper as well as Press Articles in the local papers

As you mentioned it all depends on the wind direction. From the complaints written in the Local Newspapers I believe the Chinese section which was the first sector to be occupied have been getting more than a whiff which as I wrote before belief those who are paying a Premium for the English Sector which is down wind of China will get an added extra bonus

 

[laguna33p]

so whose bright idea was it to build a huge project like IC near sewage works?!

 

[gtmash]

Thanks Dubai Expert I have only been to Persia On one occasion when it Ponged to high heaven. All other times every thing was OK. gtmash residents have brought the subject up in letters to the local newspaper as well as Press Articles in the local papers

As you mentioned it all depends on the wind direction. From the complaints written in the Local Newspapers I believe the Chinese section which was the first sector to be occupied have been getting more than a whiff which as I wrote before belief those who are paying a Premium for the English Sector which is down wind of China will get an added extra bonus

I don't think there were many complaints in papers, since I follow both 7Days and Gulf News. I remember one in 7Days, and the guy didn't even live in IC. I do think that China might actually have a problem, being closer, but Persia is shielded by China, and I hope it doesn't take down Persia's rep with it.

 

[wayneis]

Extra Extra

gtmash There have been complaints about the Poo Plant and Garbage dump in all the local papers ...The Gulf News Paper, The Emirates Today and also The 7 days Newspaper

Any way common sense and just an ordinary nose will tell you depending which way the wind blows you are going to smell the honey carts.

Most recent article in the Gulf News Paper was 11/02/2007 talks mainly about the Garbage Dump, Even quotes a near by resident (not International City but living close by in a Villa

Resident Khalid said many were forced to move elsewhere. "Even the price of land here has fallen because no one wants to live with this smell. Our children cannot play outside. The horrible smell coming from the sewage plant is affecting our health," Khalid said.

Full Article link here in part below

Also letters to Editor 30 may 2006 7 Days link here

Dubai: Residents of Al Warqa'a have raised a stink over the smell of garbage wafting across their expensive homes.

More than 2,000 UAE national families who are living in Al Warqa'a district 4 breathe the stench of garbage dumped by Dubai Municipality near their houses.

They said their homes are not far from the Al Aweer sewage treatment plant. A horrible smell emanates from the plant.

The residents said in addition to the unpleasant odour coming from the sewage the municipality is dumping garbage and waste of the city behind the plant. This has forced some residents to leave their villas and rent houses in clean areas.

"There are mountains of garbage behind the sewage plant being dumped here by the municipality. The smell is awful. We are around 2,000 families here. Around 400 villas, part of a government residential project, are under construction in the same area," said Mohammad, a resident.

 

[laguna33p]

i guess these developers choose to build next to sewage plants etc because the land cost a penny and nobody else will buy

 

[wayneis]

Very True I heard the land was given to the building owners for next to nothing.

 

[wayneis]

More press Articles where residents of IC Complain about Smell

Gtmash Emirates Today Reported about the smell last month in Feb and also this month Page 3 March 03rd 2007 Emirates Today Paper smell at International City and yes residents that live in International City have complained

ubai Municipality has promised to cleanse the air in and around International City and Al Warqa to rid the area of the pungent pong emanating from a nearby sewage treatment plant.

Emirates Today reported last month that several residents of China Town at the International City had complained about an unbearable smell from the treatment plant in Al Awir that gave them sleepless nights.

About 700 tonnes of sludge is generated each day following treatment of dirty water. The sludge is left uncovered, resulting in a foul smell.

By the end of the year, facilities will be created to either incinerate the sludge or treat it said Talib Abdul Karim Julfar, Director of the Drainage and Irrigation Department.

Officials have already drawn up detailed plans for a solution and are awaiting final approval from higher authorities. “We have received several complaints from residents and even construction workers in the area. Hopefully by the end of the year the problem will be resolved,” said Julfar.

The smell is usually worse at night but continues through the morning. Many residents said despite keeping the doors and windows closed, the odour would enter through the air-conditioning ducts.

Jamal Hashem is one of the residents who had complained to Dubai Municipality several times about the problem.

Following an investigation, the municipality team responded to Hashem’s complaint by stating there was no abnormal or different conditions than earlier periods in the area.

“The area of your accom modation is located adjacent to the Dubai Sewerage Treatment and Waste Processing Project and Waste Disposing Site II. The smell may exist sometimes depending on the prevailing conditions at that time,” the statement read.

But Julfar on Thursday told Emirates Today that the wind pattern in Dubai usually changes in the evenings when the humidity level becomes low, increasing the concentration of smell. “That is why people living in International City and Al Warqa experience bad odour in the evenings. It is not harmful to health.

However, we are trying our best to get rid of the problem. Apart from incinerating the sludge, we are also planning to divert a section of the inflow of sewerage water to the treatment plant in Jebel Ali,” he added. Residents hoped action would be taken at the earliest moment.

 

[gtmash]

As I mentioned before, I think Persia is at least better shielded than China, if not completely shielded by China itself. Those villas at Warqa are completely exposed. Hopefully the municipality will go through with their ideas to reduce the smell.

 

[irf77]

I have been going to int. city mainly in evenings for more than on eyear now on radom basis and have never had bad smell,,....

later i understood that normally once or twice a week it is bad in evenings, when they start the processing

today i went to see my apartment in moracco and spoken to watch man who is there for almost 2 1.2 year adn he said that smell is not a big concern

a) he has only smelled it once a month or so depending upon direction of wind
b) the smell is not that awaful........

so i guess this is not bad news.... '

 

[Razneer]

Mixed opinions on this subject so far. Time will tell!

 

[sahar]

We have a flat in persia, and yes,it smells here too.Do you think the problem will be solved completely?

 

[KingPin]

The properties are sold so not too much an issue for Nakheel. The property owners have sold their aparments and it seems they do not have a huge amount of say so there is not much they can do either.

The clincher will come when marketing of the central business hub begins aimed at large international companies. These guys are clever and they do their research before setting up offices.
No one will want their head office in an area that smells bad and has rats. So, this may be the pressure needed for the government to do something about relocating the sewage plant which in itself should be something they need to already think about if they are preparing to service the large influx of expats and respective companies not to mention the extra strain Dubailand will bring. If they choose to leave it where it is, it is going to get a whole lot worse.

 

[avion99]

Smell

We bought an apartment in Phase 3. Do you think is the smell be issue in Phase 3. Couldn't they move it to bit further away ?

 

[KingPin]

Dude,

I havent even got hold of my apartment. I should be so lucky as to inhale those finally fermented fumes any time soon.

Is Phase 3 the central hub? If so, I refer to my learned colleague to my thread earlier. The decsision lies with the government and how much importance they base on large business using IC and the surrounding areas as a base for movement to Sharjah, Ajman, UAQ, and RAK, and even Oman and Iran.

There will come a stage when they will need to expand. So, either they leave it there and issue us with gas masks and air freshener or they move it to somewhere they will not be building apartment or villas. I understand there is 2metre square patch of land out in the desert left somewhere.

 

[tbashir]

Just came back from Dubai and visiting International City. I went during the day twice and didn't smell anything in any of the sectors.
However on the last night I purposely went there around midnight. Around that time there was an awful smell like burning rubbish, which was very strong around Greece and parts of Persia. In fact when I went to Greece I could see huge flames coming from a plant some distance away where they may have been burning rubbish? I talked to one of the night watchmen and he said that there is a smell around 4am when they clean out the rubbish plant. I'm not sure whether this means there is smell from rubbish burning as well as sewage?
The good news for me was that the smell didn't go as far as Spain (where I have an apartment),and the night watchman said you cannot ever smell anything in Spain. I noticed that Italy and China also didn't smell and some other parts that I couldn't identify.