Sports
Up the oven they go, to sleep in a deck
Up the oven they go, to sleep in a deck Staff Reporter / 6 June 2013 Some bakery workers in the Capital have to climb through an oven to get into a cramped, dusty and smelly ‘deck’ where they live, a recent inspection of their accommodation has revealed. The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launched an intensified inspection of workers’ accommodation units provided by their employers, during which it was discovered that many live in cramped and unhygienic conditions, which often double up as storerooms. In one of the cases, inspectors found a smelly, dusty overhead deck in one of the bakeries, which was used as lodging and sleeping place for the bakery workers with very poor living conditions. “Workers gain access to the upper deck of the bakery by climbing up the oven of the bakery in order to conceal the place from inspectors. It also contains casual extensions of electricity and sewage, and lacks health factors such as sunlight and air-circulation,” said Municipality public health director, Khalifa Mohammed Al Rumaithi. These places, he added, “lack the least principles of public health” and were mostly over-crowded with workers living next to gas cylinders or in rooms that doubled as storerooms. “The Municipality acts with these contraventions according to the provisions of the law. Offenders are offered one week’s time to redress their conditions and remove additions and causes of offences in order to avoid legal questioning, and issuing of offence tickets to them, but judicial transgressions will be enforced against repeaters,” Al Rumaithi said. He called upon business owners to use suitable premises for accommodation and refrain from using work facilities for accommodation and stressed the importance of removing them. The official advised these establishments to ensure the provision of a healthy accommodation for workers and compliance with the occupational health and safety stipulations in order to maintain the health of workers, avoid subjecting them to accidents and injuries, provide suitable health and living conditions, and address the public health requirements at those facilities. He reiterated the commitment of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to continuously ensure the compliance of business and occupational outlets and warehouses to provide suitable accommodation to workers and avoid using overhead deck for accommodation and storage purposes. Al Rumaithi added the Municipality would continue its inspection campaigns to combat all sorts of unlawful additions and structures made in installations at villas, flats, buildings and residential and commercial outlets in order to ensure the highest standards of living and sustainable environment for the residents of Abu Dhabi city. He called for strict compliance with the standards of public health, and the applicable laws in order to ensure a decent living for all community members. Workers were a key community segment that had made a considerable contribution to the comprehensive development in Abu Dhabi, he said. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
436 students graduate from UAE University
436 students graduate from UAE University (Wam) / 6 June 2013 His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the graduation ceremony of the 32nd batch of the UAE University (UAEU) students, held on the university campus in Al Ain. Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, senior officials and faculty members with the graduating students during the graduation ceremony at UAE University in Al Ain on Wednesday. — Wam The ceremony was held under the patronage of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It was also attended by Crown Princes Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Shaikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamed Al Sharqi of Fujairah, Shaikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm Al Quwain, and Shaikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi of Ajman. Also present were a number of Shaikhs, Ministers, directors of universities and colleges in the state, members of the diplomatic corps and parents of the 436 graduates from various scientific disciplines, 69 of whom obtained Masters and Doctoral degrees. Courtesy: Youtube.com/Sheikhmohammed.ae Shaikh Mohammed, along with Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Vice-Chancellor of UAEU, distributed certificates to graduates of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS), as well as the Faculties of Science, Administration and Economics, Law, Food and Agriculture and the Colleges of Engineering and Information Technology, and Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), who all swore an oath before Shaikh Mohammed and other attendees. Shaikh Mohammed also distributed certificates to students who obtained Masters and Doctoral Degrees and congratulated them. He wished them success in their lives and expressed his confidence that they will be the future leaders in both government and non-governmental institutions. He praised the scientific and technical levels of the university, especially noting the efforts of Shaikh Nahyan, who gave his time and effort to higher educational institutions, saying he was a model of sincerity in his work of service to the nation and its people. Shaikh Mohammed also wished Shaikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, success in his new assignments, stressing his competence and ability in carrying out the national duty with responsibility and efficiency. In his speech, Shaikh Nahyan thanked Shaikh Khalifa for his continuous support to the UAEU for it to always be a centre for enlightening and preparing graduates who occupy many of the top positions in the state. He expressed his thanks and appreciation to Shaikh Mohammed for his generous sponsorship of the university and support for its graduates and his keen interest in attending the graduation ceremony. Shaikh Nahyan also thanked General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his follow-up on the progress of the university, bringing it into the ranks of global universities. Shaikh Nahyan pointed out that the university has a worldwide reputation, and provides all means of success to citizens. Continue reading
Call for balance between growth and environment
Call for balance between growth and environment Silvia Radan / 6 June 2013 The UAE is a land of rich beauty, but its environmental challenges, linked to those in the rest of the world, severely threaten nature in all forms. To mark World Environment Day, the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research invited Dr. Terrence Pierson to talk about the UAE’s environmental successes and challenges. Pollution is a big worry when it comes to environmental challenges. Waste left by tourists at Wadi Wurayah. — KT file photo Dr. Pierson is the vice-president of Global Climate Change and Environmental Sciences at the USA’s RTI International, an independent, non-profit institute that provides research, development, and technical services to government and commercial clients worldwide. “What a beautiful country you have,” he said. Exceptional habitats in mountainous areas; shifting sand dune formations in Liwa; wildlife rich swamps such as Al Wathba where a record 39 flamingo chicks were born this spring; protected islands where endangered species such as the osprey and the dugong are thriving; and hardy coral reefs are all environmental treasures that need to be preserved, he said. The reefs were adapted to extreme sea water temperatures, which would become increasingly important as elsewhere coral reefs died out due to increased sea temperatures caused by climate change. However, there were quite a few environmental challenges standing in the way, Dr Pierson said. One of them was the increase of life-threatening carbon dioxide pollution, waste production, and water and energy consumption, all caused by the increase in living standards. “The number of urban developments between 2007 and 2012 increased by 300 per cent,” Dr Pierson said. In 2012, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) alone had 383 infrastructure projects on its table, awaiting approval. Economic growth was important, but Dr Pierson warned the country needed a balance between growth and environmental protection if it was to have a future. In the past decades worldwide natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, floods and extreme weather patterns that affected the UAE as well, have indicated signs of climate change. Pollution is one of the big worries when it comes to environmental challenges, and health, and Abu Dhabi has plenty of it. “Measurements done by EAD showed the PM10 (pollution) in Abu Dhabi between 129 ppm and 203 ppm annually, while the World Health Organisation standard is only 20 micrograms per cubic meter,” revealed Dr. Pierson. PM stands for particular matter, meaning the amount of solid and liquid particles found in the air, and PM10, measured in parts per million or ppm, refers to the big particles that are between 2.5 and 10 micrometers. They are caused by natural elements such as dust, but also by all kinds of man-made pollution such as fumes from petrol or waste burning. “High levels of PM10 can cause diseases such as lung cancer,” warned Dr Pierson. “In the UAE, the high level PM10 comes mostly from dust, and most international studies for PM10 are based on carbon levels, not dust,” he added. Greenhouse Gases (GHG), which include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, greatly affect the temperature. Without them, the planet’s average temperature would be about 33 degrees colder. But since the 1900s, when industries took over the developed world, one particular GHG, carbon dioxide, has increased to 400 ppm due to fossil fuels burning. “In the UAE, carbon dioxide accounts for 79 per cent of all GHG emissions,” said Dr. Pierson. “GHG increased emissions will lead to many environmental challenges. One of them is the sea level rising, which is a big concern here in UAE, because of coastal developments,” he added. In fact, the energy sector is responsible for 72.6 per cent of direct GHG emissions, followed by waste at 6.9 per cent, agriculture at 4 per cent and industrial processes at 1 per cent. Saving energy has become almost synonymous with more efficient air conditioning, since over 60 per cent of total electricity used in Abu Dhabi emirate is from air conditioning. Water quality — and consumption — as well as waste management are also major environmental challenges that are also affected by the UAE’s growing population and higher living standards. silvia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
