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Al Ain's waste treatment project ceases operation

AL AIN - A pioneering and state-of-the-art project for waste treatment in Al Ain has come to halt in mysterious circumstances.

The project was initiated by the Al Ain Municipality two years ago and was aimed at encouraging the residents of Al Ain to play an active role in environment protection. Residents were asked to classify the domestic rubbish before the municipality workers carry it away. The project, called Waste Classification at Source Project, involved the categorisation of wastes into three bags, red for the inorganic waste, green for the organic recyclable litter and the third for the manufacturing of manure.

The daily house and shop waste of Al Ain is estimated to be at 410 tonnes, 150,000 tonnes annually.

No official from the Al Ain Public Health Section (AAPHS), contacted by Khaleej Times, was ready to give any comment on reasons behind the project suspension or the department's plans with regard to its future.

The programme is considered to be a part of the civic body's efforts of environment protection and preservation and was expected to save a lot of money and effort.

The first phase of the project, implemented in mid 2002, covered two of Al Ain's residential areas, Al Khibaisi and Aood Al Toobah. Both are located next to the city business centre.

The second stage featured Falaj Hazza, Al Geel and Old and New Manaseer areas and was started in September 2002. Speaking earlier to Khaleej Times, municipality officials have estimated that the two pilot phases of the project have gained more than 90 per cent success.