Special Report: Tankers play a supportive role

Almost 70 per cent of Dubai's homes and offices now have direct sewerage lines - but there is still need for tankers to service the city's septic tanks.

While many areas of Dubai have already made the transition from septic tanks to direct lines, it is not yet known when the whole emirate will be connected.

"We cannot say how long it will be until there is all direct sewerage because the city is always expanding," said Mohammed Abdulaziz Najim, head, sewage treatment plant.

"Areas not covered yet include some of the older areas and the newer areas. So there will always be that gap of 30 to 35 per cent which is septic."

This is good news for the private sewage tanker service businesses that pick sewage up from the septic tanks and deliver it to the plant.

Currently, Dubai has about 300 tankers in operation and each day 1,300 tankfuls of sewage are delivered to the plant. "They bring in about 5.5 million gallons a day," said Najim.

While there are still parts of the emirate where septic tanks are used, these are not as widespread as they used to be, said Tony D'Souza, manager, Al Safooh Tanker Services.

A few years ago, he had the foresight to diversify his business in order to handle the anticipated drop in sewage collection. Four years ago, 100 per cent of Al Safooh's business was dedicated to sewage collection. But now it makes up about 60 per cent.

D'Souza said to survive it was necessary to focus on waste oil and chemical collection.

The company's 22 tankers visit all areas of Dubai to collect sewage, and the cost increases as the tank gets further away from the plant. D'Souza says his 5,000 gallon-capacity trucks collect sewage for anywhere between Dh90 to Dh150 a trip.

Al Safooh has meanwhile widened its focus to include commercial properties, which he says are usually the last priority to get a direct line. The company also collects sewage from navy ships and liners that come into port in the UAE.