Dubai
Dubai is a fast growing city, which is at the top in all aspects. But, there is one thing that bothers me, which is the cleanliness in certain overpopulated areas. Though there is a tremendous effort put forward by the municipal department in order to maintain the city’s beauty, I feel there are certain aspects that we as residents can work on.
One major aspect is the addiction to smoking. Smoking has always been a danger. As we know, even if you don’t smoke and just inhale it, you are in trouble. But still, I find a lot of people smoking, in cars and on the pavement and many smokers fail to dispose the leftovers appropriately.
Many unpaved empty spaces, which people use as parking lots, are filled with cigarette butts and leftover tobacco packages. Though we have municipality workers dutifully working to clean up, it is impossible for them to pick up these small bits from the sand. Children tend to pick it up to play, not knowing what it actually is.
Another aspect to be taken care of is the broken glass pieces on the pavement. Often drinks are brought in glass bottles and youngsters leave it behind after they finish their drinks. This is a nuisance. It is difficult to clean, when it come to the workers and if not cleaned, it may be injurious to pedestrians.
Another important aspect to look upon is drying of laundry outdoors. In the summer, many residents tie ropes in the balconies to dry laundry. It mars the city’s beauty and can also be unhygienic. Though there have been hefty fines on this issue, we still come across this practice.
There are a lot of cars running through the city. Owners often tend to wash their cars in parking lots, or spots outside residential buildings. This practice is not allowed and there’s a fine on it, too. But, it still continues.
In many areas where there are buildings tightly packed, we find that there is a lot of graffiti on the walls. This way of expressing ones’ creativity is a nuisance when it is being done on public property. In this issue we had had an anti-graffiti campaign in 2013, but we can still find it in many places.
There are a lot of people who tend to spit on the streets and from their vehicles. It is not only a disgusting habit, but also an unhygienic one. Though there have been several warnings, the number of offenders are not decreasing.
Another pressing issue is the disposal of old furniture. Though there are a lot of organisations that work to collect and help you sell old furniture, there seems to be furniture lined up on the pavement. This furniture is a breeding spot for a lot of pathogens.
The issues that I have mentioned above are very small and easy to eradicate, if we put in a little effort from our side. We need to recognise that this is the place where we reside, and it is our responsibility to keep our surroundings clean. In most of these issues there has already been a lot of awareness from the government’s side, and also fines for repeated offenders. It is saddening to see a lot of people recklessly avoiding the government warnings and signs placed across the city. The first step to bring about a change is by changing our attitude towards such indications.
— The reader is a student based in Dubai.
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FACTBOX:
According to a Gulf News report published on March 24, motorists and beach-goers who throw their cigarette butts on roads and public beaches will be slapped with a Dh500 fine. The fine will double, then triple for each repeat offence for litterbugs. The same fine applies on those who litter. Additionally, motorists who smoke in a car with a child inside will be fined Dh500, as stated in the anti-tobacco federal law.