Shaikh Mohammed praises Dubai Municipality projects

Mohammed praises progress of Dubai projects.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited on Tuesday the Dubai Municipality, where he praised the progress of ongoing projects which are part of his vision for a green and sustainable city by 2021.

Shaikh Mohammed was accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Director of Dubai Ruler's Court Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shebanni; and Director-General of the Department of Protocol in Dubai Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, where they inspected major projects including Dubai Convention Centre, Safari Golf, Vertical Industrial City, sewerage tunnels, Dubai Steps and Hardware, Bicycles and Green Building Market.

Director-General of Dubai Municipality Hussain Nasser Lootah gave Shaikh Mohammed a detailed presentation of each project.The Convention Centre Project spans on 5 hectares and includes Rashid Main Hall with a capacity to accommodate 10,000 people, along with several sub halls, two hotels and offices, in addition to Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, and car parking.

The Gulf Safari project extends on an area of 100 hectares, including a 70 hectares golf course and a service area extending on 30 hectares along with a golf-training academy. The Vertical Industrial City is a fully integrated industrial city that spans on 280 hectares, and includes three areas: industrial, apartments/hotels and a business park.

Meanwhile, the sewerage tunnels project is one of the strategic projects as it will help scrapping, when completed in 2020, the 121 sewerage pumping stations located across the city. The sustainable tunnels are of 4-6 metres width, that can last for up to 100 years, slash carbon emissions and help energy saving by 30 per cent.

Dubai Steps is a cultural and sports project which includes 500 stairs symbolising the challenges and progress of Dubai. The location of the project has not been set yet.

Hardware and Bicycles Market in Warsan area covers an area of 11 hectares and includes 100 shops and 53 showroom for bicycles. The market extends on an area of 460,000 square feet and set to be completed by end of September 2016.

At the end of the visit, Shaikh Mohammed signed of the Dubai's green building chart that classifies green buildings in Dubai into four categories; gold, silver, bronze and platinum. Lootah said the municipality expects the classification to be implemented in the first half of October, and set to slash carbon emissions by 34 per cent equal to 7 million tonnes of carbon that is equivalent of planting 36 million trees in the city in the first five years.

• Shaikh Mohammed praised the ongoing projects which he considers as "necessary and strategic" for the future of the nation and the next generations.