Summer heat will kill livestock: traders
More than 100 livestock will die every month during the summer because there is no electricity — and, therefore, no air-conditioning — at Dubai Cattle Market, salesmen said.
More than 100 livestock will die every month during the summer because there is no electricity and, therefore, no air-conditioning at Dubai Cattle Market, salesmen said.
Since it opened in 1995, Dubai Cattle Markets (DCM) livestock stalls have functioned without electricity. More than 160 stalls will be filled with livestock, making the summer heat even more dangerous as animals are crammed together.
When the heat comes, many of our animals get sick and die. Sometimes we can lose up to 100 cattle every month in the summer. This is a loss for us, the traders and, in general, it is a waste of life, said Mohammad Khan, a livestock salesman at DCM.
Salesman Faiz Mohammad said: It is not just the animals, but we also suffer. There is nowhere to hide from the sun. We try to gather under umbrellas, but during the hottest hours we have no choice but to leave the market and go back to our rooms.
Most of us fall sick at one point or another from this heat and we lose a few days worth of business.
Without electricity, the livestock salesmen have no access to cool water.
The water in the tanks is boiling, salesman Gulam Rasool said. We have no choice but to buy from the local cafeteria for a dirham more than at normal stores. At the end of the month, money spent on water takes a large amount away from our salary.
Electricity would solve all our problems and we have complained many times to the local municipality office but they have done nothing.
Issue under study
Abdul Rahman Al Jaziri, director of the market department at Dubai Municipality, said the municipality had its reasons for not supplying the stalls with electricity.
After the sun goes down, the market closes. No customers come and no sales are made, so there is no need for lighting or electricity, he said.
When asked about the condition of both the livestock and the salesmen during the summer, Al Jaziri said: Dubai Municipality is aware of all the problems concerning the cattle market.
Studies are being done as we speak and plans are on the table, but we cannot mention any aspects of these plans until they are finalised.
Fatalities
More than 100 animals die a month
- Since its opening in 1995, Dubai Cattle Market has functioned without electricity.
- More than 100 livestock will die every month during the summer as more than 160 stalls will be filled with livestock with no air conditioning facility.
