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A ‘primitive area’ near Al Ain

AL AIN — Al Ain has developed with modern facilities, but just 50km away, Al Shwaib area is still at a primitive stage due to lack of infrastructure.

Residents have complained that the interior roads, especially in the old quarter of Al Shwaib, are unpaved and dark.

Old Shwaib that was once called Shabiyat Al Shwaib has 72 houses with primitive infrastructure, while New Shwaib has 200 houses, two-thirds of which are inhabited by 4,000 persons.

A local resident said that farms are so close to the houses that bad smells reach all houses and cause children allergies. He also pointed out that there is no plant cover and sand storms affect the area.

"We go to Al Hayer or Al Ain to pay electricity and water bills as our area has no branches of Al Ain Distribution Company or Abu Dhabi Water Authority. We waste much time to do simple things," he added.

Ali Al Kaaby, an employee, said that the football stadium built in 1990 needs urgent maintenance. Therefore, local youth are forced to go to Al Ain to practise their favourite sport.

He said that the male school is located in a sandy area with no modern roads and the streets are filled with sewage water.

"We need an ATM machine or a bank branch in our town instead of going to Al Ain banks," he added.

The principal of Al Masira School for Girls, Amna Abdullah said that the school has 350 students from kindergarten level till grade 12, but there is not a single nurse or social expert for the institution.

"Due to lack of school buses, we have decreased the trips and the extracurricular activities," she said.

A teacher, Amal Maroof, complained that the teachers‚ accommodation is too expensive and a large number of teachers rent farmhouses.