New guidelines will help safeguard coastal areas

Dubai: Dubai Municipality is all set to issue coastal development guidelines in view of the major coastal and offshore development schemes now under construction or being planned in the near future.

The guidelines, to be released in the middle of this year, will be addressed to developers, consultants and contractors.

Alya Abdul Rahim Abdullah, Head of the Coastal Management Section at Dubai Municipality, announced the move while addressing the seventh International Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries, which is being held at the Hotel InterContinental in Dubai Festival City.

She was presenting a joint paper on the third day of the conference with Dr Claudia Giarrusso, coastal engineering specialist at Dubai Municipality, and Karsten Mangor, chief engineer at Danish Hydraulics Institute.

Alya said the project was also concerned with reviewing existing data and studies in addition to assessing the current status of the coastal area and beaches including the means of protecting the beaches and risks registration.

Dr Giarrusso said Dubai Municipality had developed the Coastal Zone Monitoring Programme which has been running since 2002. The programme captures essential information by means of hydrographic and topographic surveys, wave-current and other meteo-marine measurements.

"We have installed video cameras at the Burj Al Arab Hotel and the captured images are analysed on a regular basis. Other necessary monitoring instruments such as nine additional video cameras are going to be installed at different locations. A dedicated website [www.dubaicoast.ae] provides real-time information and the data is updated every 30 minutes," Dr Giarrusso.

In a presentation on marine water quality, Dr Ghida Sinawi, Senior Environmental Manager, Sama Dubai, detailed the company's initiatives being implemented at The Lagoons project, which aims to incorporate extension work on Dubai Creek while protecting and enhancing Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary to encourage ecotourism.

Dr Sinawi discussed the environmental sensitivity of protecting and enhancing the wildlife sanctuary and the need to improve water quality in Dubai Creek, adjacent to The Lagoons project.

"A comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study with hydrodynamic modelling and water quality modelling along with sanctuary enhancement plans became important planning tools for Sama Dubai to ensure the sustainability and success of the development," she said.

A total of 26 papers were presented yesterday in seven sessions titled water quality, coastal zone management, wave forecasting, port sedimentation, Dubai marine development, mudflats and mangroves, and extreme events.

The guidelines to be released in the middle of this year will be addressed to developers, consultants and contractors.