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Sweeping machines to keep city clean

DUBAI — Civic workers who clean Dubai's streets everyday now have six new sweeping machines to keep the city clean. The new machines have been added to Dubai Municipality's existing fleet as part of an ongoing upgrading programme. The procurement forms part of the civic body's efforts to significantly upgrade cleaning services to cope with the rapid pace of development and growth in urban areas in the emirate.

According to Hassan Makki, Assistant Director of Environment Department and Head of Waste Services Section, the move comes after discussions held by the department with suppliers in the United States last year. "The objective of these discussions was to put forth to suppliers the unique nature of sweeping conditions in the emirate," he said.

He added that the Department has also refined the specifications for sweepers so that machines which can better address these conditions are procured. The six 'Tennant' machines will replace sweepers who are scheduled to retire from the fleet this year and will help the municipality to extend automated sweeping services to newly developed areas in the emirate. The new 'Sentinel' model sweepers are a significant improvement over their predecessor models and feature advanced dust control and other enhancements to improve operability and safety.

The municipality currently operates a fleet of 26 sweepers with at least one sweeper being permanently assigned to each area in Dubai, he said. "While pedestrian-heavy streets and parking lots are manually swept, automated sweeping is an efficient method for ensuring cleanliness in larger, relatively obstruction-free zones," Makki explained.

Sweepers are also necessary to ensure that major roads remain clear of sand. Of the 26 sweepers that the municipality operates, nine are heavy duty machines exclusively used for cleaning of roads and highways prone to sand accumulation.