UAE | General
Drivers wait for hours to off-load sewage
A waiting period in long serpentine queues outside the sewage plant in Al Aweer is a cause of physical and psychological strain, say sewage tanker drivers.
- By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:07 August 7, 2008
- Image Credit: Alice johnson/Gulf News
- Sewage tanker drivers say that it takes them 10 to 18 hours to reach off-loading points inside the sewage plant to empty one tanker.
Dubai: A waiting period in long serpentine queues outside the sewage plant in Al Aweer is a cause of physical and psychological strain, say sewage tanker drivers.
They say it takes them 10 to 18 hours to reach off-loading points inside the plant to empty one tanker. With no facility made available nearby for food and water, the drivers say that out of frustration they often look for areas in the emirate to dump the sewage illegally and resort to breaking traffic rules to get ahead in the queue. The majority of drivers who Gulf News spoke to earned a Dh5,000 salary, while their helpers got Dh2,000 to Dh2,500 in wages.
Companies said that due to long waiting hours, their drivers are refusing to drive to the sewage to the plant at times. The head of the sewage treatment plant said that the waiting period will be considerably reduced once the existing tank facility has been modified. The plant is undergoing expansion, he said.
Two tankers
R.K. Kulkarni, General Manager at Emirates Contracting Company LLC who has two tankers in operation said that there is an insufficient off-loading facility at the sewage treatment plant and as a result sewage tankers queue for up to five kilometres.
"The waiting period ranges from 12 to 16 hours to just offload one tanker. It is difficult for the drivers to have their food. The driver who operates our tanker sets out for the sewage plant at 3pm from Al Quoz labour accommodation and is able to offload the tanker the next day at 6am. He is absolutely exhausted," he said.
Kulkarni said that along with other companies, he has in the past taken up the problem of long waiting periods with the authorities concerned and was assured of a solution. "The authorities agreed and said they were concerned about it as well," he said.
Jahabaz, a sewage tanker driver, said that he has developed a back problem because of long driving hours.
"You can't just get off the driving seat, even if you are waiting in never-ending queues because we move forward inch by inch. It has become impossible for us to have our food or a cup of tea.
"We send our helpers to go to the city and get some food but then again they have to spend money on taxis or request a lift from motorists," he said. The drivers said they do not mind taking the risk of jumping the line or overtaking motorists on the road to reach the treatment plant as soon as possible.
"There is no point blaming us drivers as anyone would get frustrated waiting for more than ten hours. I get exhausted making just one single trip a day from Al Quoz or Al Barsha to Al Aweer. I have also become short-tempered and succumbed to road rage," said Khudabuksh, a Pakistani driver.
Mohammad Gul Khan said that nine of his company drivers have been fined for dumping the sewage illegally in a deserted area within the city.
"I don't blame them if they are doing that, but I have never done it. It takes me 25 minutes to fill my tanker, over 10 hours waiting period and 15 to 20 minutes to offload the tanker.
"I spend 600 gallons of diesel in 24 hours. Something has to be done about the long waiting hours otherwise very soon there will be shortage of drivers," he said.
Plant capacity
Mohammad Abdul Aziz Najim Al Awadi, director of the Sewage Treatment plant at Dubai Municipality said that currently the treatment plant in Al Aweer is undergoing expansion.
"It holds 65,000 cubic metres of sewage per day. With a modification of the existing facility ... we will be able to raise the plant capacity to 135,000 cubic metres a day. This should help in cutting the long waiting period. Completion of the expansion project is expected between June and August next year," he said.
It will not only improve the quality of water but also reduce the waiting period for sewage tankers from 6 to 8 hours to 10 to 15 minutes. We have also increased the sewage discharge points from 40 to 60, which will further cut on waiting periods," he said.
Al Awadi said that he is aware of drivers dumping the sewage illegally from media reports.
"The sewage tanker drivers should be made aware that dumping the sewage will be hazardous as it contains certain types of bacteria," said Al Awadi.
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