Sharjah: To divert sewage tankers away from the city and reduce traffic congestion, the municipality on Wednesday announced that a new sewage plant will open at Al Saja'a industrial area by 2012.

"The city will be divided into two sections. The old sewage plant will still operate, but will only be used by tankers already located in the city, while the new plant will be for those operating after Emirates Road,'' said Abdulaziz Al Mansoori, Deputy Manager of Drainage Department, at Sharjah Municipality.

The current sewage plant is located at Industrial Area 5.

According to statistics provided by the municipality, the population in Sharjah is growing at a rate of six per cent per year, and there is an average of 100,000 new residents per year.