Dubai: Dubai Municipality has announced the completion of a Dh93 million project focused on the sustainable rehabilitation of key public beaches in the emirate including Al Mamzar Corniche, Jumeirah 1, Jumeirah 3, and Umm Suqeim 1.
The project was aimed at safeguarding beaches in erosion-prone areas, building beach protection facilities to ensure stability and sustainability, and raising beach levels to avoid submergence during storms. As part of the project, a total of 112,000 square metres of space was added to the beaches for recreational activities, future developments and new facilities and services.
According to the Dubai Media Office press release, the latest project is part of Dubai Municipality’s efforts to further raise the high quality of life of people in Dubai through sustainable development plans and the addition of new world-class leisure facilities. Public beaches are a key focus of the Municipality’s sustainable development programmes since they are the city’s most popular tourist attractions frequented by residents and visitors throughout the year. The exceptional scenic beauty and wide range of high quality facilities and services offered by the beaches make Dubai one of the world’s leading beach tourism destinations.
World class tourism
Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “The rehabilitation and maintenance of public beaches in Dubai is one of the major projects implemented by Dubai Municipality to implement the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s best place to live, work, and visit. Aimed at developing and beautifying the emirate’s beaches, the project contributes to Dubai’s efforts to create a world-class tourism and community infrastructure, enhance sustainable economic development, and expand leisure facilities and investment opportunities.”
“The Municipality has implemented several initiatives to address the challenges caused by climate change and rising sea levels and continues to monitor shoreline changes. In order to maintain the balance of the shoreline and safeguard beaches from erosion brought by seasonal cycles of waves, several beach protection facilities, including breakwaters and rock protection, have been constructed,” Al Hajri added.
In addition, he explained that the project was implemented in accordance with strict environmental measures to ensure that wildlife was not harmed.
Al Mamzar Corniche Beach
The Al Mamzar Corniche Beach project involved the backfilling and reclamation of 9,000 square metres of land, and the installation of a 100 metre long rocky belt to maintain the stability of the beach that features 340 linear metres of rock protection. The work also included the excavation and dredging of soil as well as the supply and feeding of beach sand over 220 metres. In total, 29,300 cubic metres of rock and 64,790 cubic metres of sand were used in the project.
Jumeirah 1 Beach
The scope of work at Jumeirah 1 Beach included supplying and feeding the beach with 125,000 cubic metres of beach sand, within a total length of 1,000 linear metres, along with the maintenance of existing coastal fenders and increasing their lengths by approximately 160 metres using metal and wooden piles, in order to ensure the maintenance of the beach’s balance.
Jumeirah 3 Beach
Jumeirah Beach 3 was also supplied with beach sand across a total length of 750 linear metres for Beach No. 1, 690 linear metres for Beach No. 2, and 525 linear metres for Beach No. 3, in addition to a rock barrier with a total length of 160 linear metres. Two rock belts for Beach No. 1 and Beach No. 2 were also constructed with total lengths of 535 linear metres and 400 linear metres respectively. The project also saw the addition of 580,000 cubic metres of beach sand and the installation of 30,400 cubic metres of rock protection.
Umm Suqeim 1 Beach
The work at Umm Suqeim Beach 1 included the construction of a new 325 linear metre breakwater along with a 520 linear metre rock belt. An additional beach of approximately 500 metres was added by backfilling and reclaiming new land spanning a total area of 30,000 square metres. Several modifications were also made to ensure alignment with the expansion.
Regular maintenance of marine facilities
Dubai Municipality will continue to undertake regular preventive and corrective maintenance of its various coastal facilities and amenities throughout the year, as part of a systematic annual plan that takes approximately 450,000 working hours. Featuring a cost of more than Dh15 million annually, the maintenance work seeks to preserve the beaches and raise the sustainability of Dubai’s coastal assets.
