Abu Dhabi Municipality

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City takes part in 1st Health Education Exhibition in Sharjah

2012-02-08T04:17:00.001-08:00

The Municipality's stand offers leaflets and educative material

The Public Health Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City took part in the 1st Health Education Exhibition organized by the Health Education Department of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs under the auspices of Her Excellency Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs last Tuesday. The Exhibition which runs for three days was held at Sharjah Science Museum with the aim of spreading the environmental & behavioral health education in an innovative & fun manner for youngsters and seniors.

Khalifa Al Rumaithi, Director of Public Health at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: "The participation of the Municipality in the Exhibition was reflected in an outstanding stand that replicates its endeavours to review and share expertise with others as regards the required health programs to be adopted in order to raise the health education of community members.

"Focusing on children and families in the Exhibition generally reflects the importance attached to this community segment in fostering sound behavioural patterns among children; which in turn contributes to boosting the health values & practices, and identifying the general health standards that ought to judge our attitudes in dealing with everything capable of impacting the public health, protecting the community's health security, and imbedding the proper and sound attitudes that help boost the community service," added Al Rumaithi.

He indicated that the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City's Stand at the 1st Health Education Exhibition was replete with valuable exhibits that reflected the achievements of the Municipality's Health Division in monitoring and following up the consumer market together with the strict control and audit programs as evidenced by the amount of exhibits of banned & expired substances reported. He warned the public against using substances containing elements detrimental to the health or posing a real danger to community members, particularly when it comes to cosmetics, beautification and some dangerous products.

He explained that the Municipality's stand was intended to raise the health awareness of visitors by distributing to them comprehensive educational brochures and pamphlets, and offering all necessary literature about good and positive practices when dealing with cosmetics. He cautioned against the improper practices at beauty centers, including tattoo devices, for non-compliance with health standards.

The Municipality also warned against the detrimental effects of using products stored under un-hygiene conditions, and products not conforming to the required specifications, as well as counterfeit and adulterated products. He cautioned against the use of some popular unknown materials and mixtures that pose a real threat to the health users, especially women.

Al Rumaithi noted that those running the Municipality's Stand were keen on offering advice and guidance about slaughtered animals, warning visitors of the dangers of slaughtering animals in places other than the designated slaughterhouses. He stressed the importance of adhering to the health standards required for processing slaughtered animals, starting from pre and post slaughtering medical inspection, up to the verification of meat being fit for human consumption to ensure that it complies with all required health specifications and stipulations.

The Stand also focused on cautioning women and girls against the use of black henna and the grave health risks involved, noting that the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City had succeeded in the banning and the withdrawing many consumer goods from the market, especially those related to cosmetics, in order to protect the community and safeguard the health of individuals .

For her part, Amal Hashemi, in charge of the Municipality's Stand at Exhibition, presented a commemorative gift to Her Excellency Mariam Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs, which was a crystal replica of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, during her tour of the Health Division stand. The Minister expressed her admiration and appreciation of the efforts being made to raise the level of health awareness among community members.

The exhibition was accompanied by many educational and awareness workshops oriented to children education as well as carrying out medical tests for checking diabetes, blood pressure, body mass and osteoporosis. The exhibition also included workshops geared for mothers to raise their awareness about hygienic cooking practices, besides many other events that advocate fitness and environmental awareness.
During the exhibition, many health awareness workshops were conducted covering issues such as the environment, public health, and the school food packs in order to raise the health awareness when selecting safe food for school children, and avoid foods that contain additives, preservatives, and colouring agents to avoid their negative impacts on children's health.

Moreover, the exhibition included a workshop on the human body, senses, and how to preserve & protect them from potential health hazards. It also included a workshop on dental care, paper recycling, the nature & methods of agriculture, and dangers of plastic bags, among other entertainment and encouragement contests as well as many other educational and awareness programs.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City offers (Ardi) service for identifying land plots locations, uses

2012-02-05T00:22:00.001-08:00

The service is offered via an interactive touch screen

The Customer Service Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has started offering of "Ardi" (My Land) service to furnish individuals with information about the locations of land plots, districts and maps of Abu Dhabi city and conurbation. The service is offered via an interactive electronic touch screen offering all information related to zones, land plots, locations and aerial images of the area under investigation. The service offering comes in the context of the Municipality's Mission of delivering top quality, effective and customer-oriented services standards under a strategy of seeking continuous advancement, and introducing cutting-edge technology capable of enhancing the performance levels and realizing customer needs in a smooth and hassle-free experience built on world-class standards.

Ardi touch screens are split into three sections; the first offers the user full information about the land plot, the second exhibits the land location, and the third shows details of the land under inquiry. The user can use the screen to identify the location and area of the land plot in square meters or feet and ascertain the land use, be it a residential, commercial, agricultural or industrial land.

Data and aerial images on the screen are continually being updated by the Spatial Data Division in order to keep the user abreast of the latest developments & configurations of the area about which the inquiry is made; which echoes the strategy of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction through sharing the existing communication channels with customers.

The strategy adopted by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in serving customers has hit a number of objectives and won the satisfaction & confidence of the public, thanks to the breakthrough developments made in the quality & level of service offering in terms of accuracy, speed and a fully fledged working environment manned by competent staff and equipped with the latest technologies & procedures with full attention to customer details.

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently launched the self-operated e-Kiosks aimed at enabling customers to process their transactions on the spot from various locations including customer service centers, head office, external municipal centers, malls and petrol stations. It also launched the mobile service targeting special needs persons, seniors, widows and divorcees with a view to offering them convenient, effortless, low-cost and time-saving services through deploying municipal representatives on vehicles fitted with state-of-the-art office equipment & electronics and dispatching them right to customers' homes or place of residence to fully process their transactions by these personnel who have been qualified and well trained on the delivery of best customer services.

A Customer Relations Management system has been introduced with a view to linking customer service systems enabling 70 e-services to be offered to customers through a single outlet including land, real estate, urban planning, roads, spatial data, parks and recreational facilities services. The offering comes as part of the Municipality's strategy to ensure continuous development, and introduce the latest technologies & means capable of enhancing the performance levels, and satisfying customer needs in a convenient setting aligned with world's best practices.

Last year, the Municipality launched about 115 new services through its portal spanning town planning and infrastructure sectors featuring municipal services enabling customers, wherever they are and whenever they wish, access to such services. The move comes in the context of the Municipality's keenness on easing & streamlining processes and saving customers time & effort as part of a master plan adopted by the Municipality to upgrade its customer service offering, reach out to customers and realize their needs in a trouble-free & convenient environment and in the fastest means aligned with the best global practices; which in turn will enhance the leading role of the Municipality as well as its corporate identity under a comprehensive strategy aimed at building an integrated work system that brings about a genuine addition to its galaxy of services.

The Municipality has also made a quantum shift in the level of services offered to the public through opening 3 external municipal centers at Al Bateen, Al Wathba and Al Shahama early last year which offer municipal services at par with the services offered at the Head Office except for the after-sale and purchase services, in order to ease the pressure on the Head Office by serving customers at their localities in a time & effort-saving experience.
The Municipality has also implemented a policy whereby external municipal centers offer services on Saturdays as it is keen on delivering best-in-class services to the public and developing a flexible timing mechanism suitable to all individuals in a convenient manner that saves the time & effort, bolsters the pioneering profile of the Municipality and epitomizes its social responsibility.

These achievements have been aided by the policy of revamping processes, programs, e-services and direct interaction with customers; which stems from the Municipality's strategy to upgrade its services, reach out to customers and satisfy their needs whenever & wherever they are in a smoothly accessible manner. The process marks a genuine addition to the array of distinguished service capable of uplifting the standing & corporate image of the Municipality under a comprehensive & integrated strategy that revolves around achieving the satisfaction of customers spanning all community segments.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City winds up 'My Park is More Beautiful ' campaign

2012-01-31T04:25:00.000-08:00

The campaign aims to involve community members in protecting parks & recreational facilities

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has wrapped up 'My Park is More Beautiful' campaign as part of its endeavours to rejuvenate the interaction with the community as regards the protection of parks & recreational facilities in a closing event held at the Airport Park featuring high public turnout.

Dr. Badirya Al Dhahri, Director of Community Services at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, stated that the Municipality launched this community-oriented initiative to promote the cultural, sports, recreational and environmental aspects of various segments of the community under the theme: My Park is More Beautiful, in cooperation with the Environment Authority – Abu Dhabi.

"The campaign comes in continuation of the Community Services Division's plan to engage the largest possible community spectrums in the Municipality's efforts to protect service & recreational installations & facilities, particularly public parks, and diffuse the culture of public visits to parks as such a practice will have a great impact on shaping the civilized, advanced and modernized image of our city.

The awareness and environmental education drive adopted by the Municipality, in conjunction with its strategic partners, is complemented by such efforts aimed at raising the environmental awareness, fostering positive attitudes & practices of maintaining the cleanliness of parks along with their natural components, urging visitors not to tamper with plantations & trees and exhorting them to adopt optimal methods of disposing waste and remnants of barbeques in parks," said Badriya.

"The Campaign aimed to educate community members on the importance of maintaining the recreational facilities, enhancing the social interaction with park visitors, instilling the social responsibility towards up-keeing public utilities, and raising the awareness of visitors of the importance of maintaining the greens, and avoiding damage generated by disposing of BBQ leftovers in non designated areas.

"The campaign has primarily targeted children and teenagers along with families with the aim of nurturing the values & principles of positive and sound attitudes that contribute to maintaining our parks clean & tidy. In the meantime, it offers family hikers an educative exposure in order to engage them effectively in achieving these objectives.

'My Park is More Beautiful' campaign is an environmental, educational, aesthetic and comprehensive campaign that included the distribution of booklets, brochures and educative movies with the aim of acquainting the public and park visitors in particular on the environmental standards and the proper conduct to be observed when visiting public parks as they are a national wealth and a natural avenue that everyone is entitled to have it cleaned and well turned out.

"The campaign has succeeded in capturing the attention of considerable numbers of kids and families; which is one of the campaign's objectives as it seeks to get its message across to various community members. The campaign also included a special environmental footage about the disposing of waste, distribution of pamphlets to visitors and holding of edutainment games.

"All inspectors were deployed at the targeted parks while visitors were kept well informed. Ideal families were honoured for fulfilling the conditions of leaving the BBQ place free from waste or damage as per the assessments carried out by inspectors, and were accordingly presented with certificates of thanks & appreciation. Survey forms were distributed to visitors soliciting their views & feedbacks on the campaign, and hundreds of mementos & promotional gifts were offered to kids taking part in environmental & general-knowledge quizzes.

'My Park is More Beautiful' campaign is keen on imparting and fostering sound & constructive communal attitudes, and involving the largest possible chunk of community members in assuming their environmental, aesthetic and urban responsibilities towards parks as well as recreational & service facilities.

The closing of 'My Park is More Beautiful' campaign has seen several key topics that stressed the importance of instilling the principles of health, safety & environment, and sticking to civilized attitudes that contribute to raising the caliber of service facilities and natural avenues," said Badriya.

The ceremony also included a special video presentation touching on the importance of involving all segments & categories of the community in protecting the environment.

A number of kids were selected to run educative activities involving asking questions about frequent attitudes in parks and offering rich information and elaboration in response to children's participation. The municipal team distributed educative brochures to visitors detailing the rules & regulations on offences along with the applicable fines.

Visitors were received and every attention was made to responding to their queries and taking note of their suggestions. A number of volunteers were selected and named as (Park Friends) to interact with the municipal employees and discuss visitors suggestions & feedbacks.

"The Municipality is always keen on sampling the opinion of the public about service offering and identifying their needs & expectations in this regard. The Community Services Division therefore distributed questionnaire to visitors to gauge the extent of their satisfaction with the campaigns rolled out by the Municipality along with their suggestions and views of future programs," said Badriya in a final comment.

To add more fun and appeal to the event, gifts & memorabilia were distributed to children, and a cast of diverse child-oriented quizzes were interceded by several spots such as colouring, musical chairs, and 'My Park is More Beautiful' contest where children are divided into two teams vying for removing the largest possible amount of waste thrown on the park greens in a bid to boost their communal responsibility and foster the sound social & environmental conducts.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City probes public view about improved beach services

2012-01-31T00:13:00.001-08:00

10,000 booklets and 14 Suggestions & Complaints Boxes have been prepared

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently launched an initiative to profile the public view on the services provided by the Municipality to beachgoers with the aim of identifying key demands that contribute to upgrading the service level and figure out common problems encountered by beach visitors in order to sort out them and establish a system in line with the international standing that Abu Dhabi beaches enjoy. It is worth-mentioning that Abu Beaches have recently been the Blue Flag status; which culminates the Municipality's efforts to embed the standards of health, safety, environment and security as well as introducing the latest services and facilities in these beaches.

Commenting on the above, Dr. Badriya Al Dhahri, Director of Community Services at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, stated that this initiative reflected the Municipality's keenness to communicate with beachgoers, identify visitors' overriding complaints and have their feedback on the services rendered at tourist pointgs such as Abu Dhabi Corniche. "As part of the Suggestions & Complaints project supervised by the Beaches Section at Community Services Division, the Section has recently distributed Suggestions & Complaints boxes at various spots on Abu Dhabi Corniche in a bid to establish a direct and transparent mechanism to identify customers’ feedback highlighting their needs and expectations," she added.

"The initiative involves multiple objectives considering that beach visitors’ satisfaction with the services rendered features high on the strategic objectives of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. Therefore it seeks to identify the main problems and suggestions posted by the public in complaints boxes distributed all over Abu Dhabi Corniche, and accordingly gain access to the largest possible community segment spanning a diverse cast of nationalities and interests in order to screen a wide spectrum of opinions. It will also seek to implement at least two to three of beachgoers suggestions or wishes as part of its strategic objective to improve and maintain the quality of facilities in response to visitors' feedback and contribution through pointing to defect, and curbing as well as monitoring any negative phenomena or attitudes," continued Al Dhahri.

Dr. Al Dhahri detailed the work mechanism of suggestion and complaints boxes, saying, "At the end of January, 25 brochures per each box were distributed on a weekly or daily basis depending on the box capacity. The work team collects these customer responses brochures on daily basis following which data is sorted, and entered in the customer response template by 25th of each month.

“In the last five days of each month, the project manager analyzes and calculates the percentages of all information entered, and then immediately communicates other concerned government departments, and private businesses in order to sign off visitors’ problems as quickly as possible. A quarterly report is issued highlighting the key problems and suggestions together with necessary recommendations.

"The Community Services Division has deployed 14 boxes to all gates starting from Gate 1 to Gate 6 and inside restaurants located within the Circular Court of the Abu Dhabi Corniche, making the number of total brochures distributed 10,000 brochures."

"The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City welcomes all suggestions capable of improving municipal services and achieving absolute community satisfaction with the services offered by Municipality in Abu Dhabi beaches. This is a strategic objective pursued by the Municipality, stemming from its belief in the importance of cooperating with community members in pursuit of excellence and quality of services. Complaints and suggestions boxes are a transparent & genuine means for customers to communicate with the Municipality and furnish the Municipality with customers aspirations and needs, besides other communication portals via the Municipality's official website or the toll free number (80022220),” she added.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launches "Basma" Caravan in Parks outside Abu Dhabi Island

2012-01-29T03:58:00.001-08:00

The initiative seeks to enhance the role of gardens in hosting community events

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has launched a social, cultural, educative and sports initiative entitled (Basma Caravan) with the aim of boosting the role of parks and recreational facilities situated outside Abu Dhabi Island in social, cultural, educative, sport and entertainment fields. The first event of this initiative was kicked off from Al Khatam Park this January and the overall events of Basma Caravan will continue to roll on till the end of December 2012 to span all parks outside Abu Dhabi Island.

Commenting on the nature and components of this initiative, the Director of Community Services at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City Dr. Badriyah Al Dhahiri said: "It comprises a host of diverse activities spanning several sports, cultural, educative and health events besides electrical & mechanical games, theatre shows, heritage spots, inflatable bouncers, equestrian sports and others. The scope of the initiative covers parks situated outside Abu Dhabi Island such as Al Khatam, Al Wathba, Bani Yas, Al Shahama and Al Rahba. Events will run 20 days in each park throughout this year 2012.

"The Basma Caravan aims to achieve a myriad of objectives such as enhancing the role parks outside Abu Dhabi Island, engaging with all categories of the community, enlightening all those working in the field of education about the importance of adhering to the rules of health, safety & environment, nurturing an atmosphere encouraging people to visit parks, impart a constructive competition spirit between youth, disseminating the culture of utilizing parks in holding community events rendering them an ideal choice as a natural avenue enhanced with all security, safety and fun aspects for all family members.

"Through this initiative, we aim to promote the role of the Municipality in caring for resident foreign communities, prompting them to utilize their leisure time in useful activities, integrating all nationalities in one environment, and encouraging the sports practice. The Caravan targets all community members and is set to span all parks of Abu Dhabi Mainland," continued Badriyah.

About the Mission, Badriyah stated: "It seeks to educate all community members on the importance of adopting the correct principles of health, safety and environment, utilizing the municipal service facilities in a proper way & promoting their use within the community, involving all family members in various activities that include free drawing & colouring, and carrying out medical checkups, theatre shows, and quizzes. It also offers fitness exercises before practicing sports activities such as football, basketball, jogging, and hiking. Participation in the events is not restricted to anyone but open to the public as well as the strategic partners of the Municipality."

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City scoops Best Design Award for Sheikh Zayed Bridge

2012-01-26T04:18:00.001-08:00

The International Road Federation (Design Category for 2011), based in the U.S. capital, held a luncheon at the "May flower" Hotel in Washington celebrating the winning of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge of the Roads International Achievement Award, organized by the Federation.

The Award was received by the Municipality's delegation, headed by engineer Abdullah Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Infrastructure and Municipal Assets Sector, along with members from Abu Dhabi Police and the Department of Transport.

The ceremony was attended by the representative of the UAE's Embassy in Washington, Plenipotentiary Minister, and Deputy Head of the Delegation, His Excellency Omar Obaid Al Shamsi.

HE congratulated the delegation on receiving this international award, saying "It reflects the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City's keen attention to the outstanding development projects undertaken to the highest international standards, which are real value-added to the country's impressive record achievements."

The project's name holder and the founder of the UAE late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was also honored during the ceremony.

It is noteworthy that Sheikh Zayed Bridge was undertaken by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE in November 2010. The bridge is considered a towering national achievement and has since become a landmark of Abu Dhabi city, thanks to its magnificent design and unique architectural model.

Engineer Abdullah Al Shamsi lauded the work team at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City for their efforts made in constructing this world's urban showpiece.

This award epitomizes the outstanding quality of projects implemented in the UAE, especially in infrastructure field.

The UAE's delegation presented this achievement to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launches campaign to highlight hazards of using black henna

2012-01-25T03:03:00.000-08:00

Strict actions to be taken against offenders

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has kicked off an educative campaign to highlight the health risks associated with the use of black Henna as some companies as well as ladies beauty parlours tend to add chemicals in processing the Henna paste to make it darker, dry more quickly and last longer on skin.

In a brochure distributed to ladies salons, the Municipality called on ladies visiting beauty salons to ensure that Henna used in these outlets is both natural and free from harmful additives. Moreover, the Municipality urged them to report any violations spotted or noticed for their own health and safety.

In this brochure, the Municipality narrated the benefits of natural Henna which is prepared as a product of grinding the dry leaves of Henna tree; which has multiple health & medical benefits. But the black Henna is sometimes blended with toxic materials that pose risks to the health of users.

The Municipality called on ladies beauty salons as well as Henna design centers not to add any petroleum products or materials hazardous to the human health to the Henna mixtures. It also cautioned them against buying henna from hawkers as it is difficult to verify the composition and source of Henna, in order to avoid subsequent health complications as a result of using these materials.

The Municipality will not hesitate in taking necessary actions against violators of these health conditions; which might be harmful to the health and safety of the community. In case it is established that a certain entity adds harmful additives to materials in use, these materials will be seized on the spot and necessary actions will be taken against the entity which might be as severe as closing the establishment altogether, abolishing the commercial license, banning the practicing of the activity, imposing hefty fines, and seizing any materials should the lab tests prove they contained petrol, chemical or material detrimental to health.

Khalifa Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Acting Director of Public Health at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, stressed the vitality of cooperation on the part of beauty salons and centers with the efforts of the Municipality towards maintaining the community health. "The Municipality is continuously attending to the improvement of health monitoring mechanisms in all facilities through developing stringent health stipulations to be applied on installations, materials, and personnel besides subjecting the equipment in use to exacting inspections to ensure compatibility with the health conditions and approved safety stipulations.

"The Municipality is making regular as well as surprise visits to facilities to ensure their compliance with the health conditions, soundness of materials & tracking their sources, and ensuring compatibility with the highest standards in keeping with the Municipality endeavours to nurture a healthy & sound environment.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City holds running race for girl students of Bashaier, Manhal and Worood schools

2012-01-25T00:38:00.001-08:00

In cooperation with the Community Police

The Community Services Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, in cooperation with the Community Police, has recently held a running race around Al Mushrif Park featuring participation of more than 400 girl students from Bashaier, Manhal and Worood schools under the supervision of several lady specialists, supervisors, and paramedics who escorted the contestants throughout the race with the support of the Community Police.

"These sport events are integral part of the Municipality's efforts to effectively engage with various community segments with the aim of encouraging & motivating female students to practice sport, diffusing the sports culture among them, and enhancing the cooperation with the educational institutions to motivate students to participate in all community events since they are the nucleus of the community," said Dr. Badriyah Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

She reiterated the Municipality's keenness on contributing to supporting the community events through effective participation in making these events a success, and lending support towards realizing the objectives of the Municipality in spreading the culture of meaningful collective efforts.

"The Municipality has strategic relationships linking it with several public & private agencies aimed at coordinating events & participation in embedding the attitudes of diffusing the culture of reading among all, and building up sports values through holding sports contests & events targeting school students. In this context the running contest around Mushrif Park has been organized in conjunction with Bashaier, Manhal and Worood schools with the support of the Community Police; whose contribution underscore the successes of all community events held by the Municipality.

"These events familiarize female students with the importance of sport and the need of practicing it for striking a physical and psychological balance, showcase the role of sport in improving the psychological & social life of woman, and focus on sport as a unique practice & peculiar culture practiced by women in their life," added Badiryah in a final remark.

Following the end of the contest, gifts and trophies were presented to the winners, and mementos were presented to the girl students, while the sponsors of the event were honoured as well.

Land trading in Municipality of Abu Dhabi City tops AED 43 billions in 2011

2012-01-23T01:47:00.001-08:00

August records the highest mortgage transactions worth AED 9.8 billions

The Real estate transactions processed by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City have shown signs of remarkable activities in 2011, with obvious contrasts between the size of mortgage and selling transactions. Selling and mortgage transactions carried out during the period from 1 January up to 30 December posted AED 42,901,462,451 (forty two billion nine hundred one million three hundred eighty two thousand and four hundred fifty one), of which land sales constituted AED 3,773,582,451 (three billion seven hundred seventy three million and five hundred eighty two thousand and four hundred fifty one) and mortgage transactions valued AED 39,127,880,000 (thirty nine billion one hundred twenty seven million and eight hundred thousand).

Selling and mortgage transactions fluctuated from January through the end of December last year. Selling transactions in January clocked AED 195.614 million, picked up in February to more than AED 206 million and rocketed in March to more than AED 871 million, but experienced a decline in April to AED 349.027 million and dropped further in May to hit AED 184 million and continued the downward trend in June dropping to AED 188.585 million and plummeted further in July to AED 91 million, but gathered pace in August to hit AED 135.745 million, and went further up in September to record AED 171.334 million and continued the surge in October to clock AED 282.273 million. Though dropping in November to AED 139.13 million it soon picked up drastically in December to touch an all-time high figure in the whole year of AED 917.238 million.

Mortgage transactions dominated the real estate market in 2011, peaking in August recording transactions worth of AED 9.827 billion followed by June (AED 8 billion), and October (AED 4.386 billion); including a transaction for registering a mortgage contract of a privately-owned investment entity amounting to $100 million (AED 367,301,000) which was the biggest single real estate mortgage contract ever registered by the Municipality last year.

Mortgage turnover in January generated AED 2,645,812,000 and in February it posted AED 1.356 billion jumping in March to over AED 2 billion and in April it rocketed to AED 3.296 billion but fell sharply to AED 1.503 billion in May and AED 1.466 billion in June before starting to rise again to AED 2.707 billion in September and dropping again to AED 1,142,799,000 in December.

Uwaidha Al Qubaisi, Acting Executive Director of Municipal Services at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, attributed the soaring business within the Lands and Properties Division during the past year to the confidence the investors have pinned in Abu Dhabi’s economy and the package of enhanced procedures adopted by the Municipality, particularly in simplifying processes, introducing e-services and enhancing performance mechanisms to bring it in line with the Mission of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to provide superior quality & effective municipal services and attain the highest rates of satisfaction of customers and community members in general.

"The Municipality’s efforts in this respect have contributed to developing the customer service strategy, meeting customers’ requirements, expanding communication channels and streamlining procedures for speedy processing and effective offering of e-services. This has reflected positively on the execution of customer service transactions, including selling & mortgage transactions and various other customers’ transactions in a hassle-free and time-saving process; which demonstrates the national and societal responsibility of the Municipality, and raises its leading role and corporate identity in the context a comprehensive strategy to build an integrated business model that brings about a genuine addition to all services delivered to the community.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi's Pavilion at WFES witness huge students turnout

2012-01-19T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Community Service Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has set up Children Corner within the pavilion of the Department of Municipal Affairs in the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) recently hosted by Abu Dhabi, comprising a free drawing studio, environmental quizzes and educative lectures for visiting young students. The event, which aimed to educate students on how to conserve the environment, promote energy resources and recycle paper waste, is part of the Municipality's strategy and programs of interacting with all segments of the community of different age groups in order to enhance all aspects of urban life, including culture & knowledge.

The Children Corner saw huge turnout from male and female school students who stepped in to visit the stand and get acquainted with the latest clean technologies in the world and know about the Municipality's efforts in this regard. The Municipality offered them a glimpse about the pioneering projects undertaken to establish sustainability standards, figure out solutions and raise the awareness of the importance of conserving the environment, considering it a prime component of sustained development efforts made for serving individuals and the community of Abu Dhabi Emirate in particular and the UAE in general.

In the lectures delivered by students in the Corner, the student Abdul Muqeet Abdul Mannan, from Abu Dhabi School, stressed the importance of conserving the environment, augmenting energy resources, benefiting from the recycling of waste, and capitalizing on the existing resources in our daily life to ensure the integrity of energy sources.

By participating in this Summit, the Municipality aims at sharing information & expertise on sustainable solutions for future energy, and conserving environment, besides enhancing the potentials of partnerships, communication and interaction between the Municipality and participating experts, specialists, and leading manufacturers of alternative, safe, & renewable energy as well as decision-makers, investors, researchers, scientists, specialists and academic figures, who have come together under the umbrella of Abu Dhabi Summit to tackle the challenges of rising demand for energy, and measures needed to ensure a cleaner and a more sustainable future for the world.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City participates in World Future Energy Summit

2012-01-11T00:55:00.001-08:00

6 strategic environment-conserving projects to be showcased by the Municipality in the event

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is taking part in the World Future Energy Summit to be held in the capital Abu Dhabi from 16 to 19 January in the context of its vision of ensuring a superior quality of life and a sustainable environment to the residents of Abu Dhabi city in view of the rapid development and growth rates posted by the emirate; which warrant speedy and effective response to all environmental concerns.

Now entering its fifth year, the World Future Energy Summit is considered the world's premier annual forum concerned with fostering the development of renewable energy, energy consumption efficiency, and waste & water management techniques. The Summit is expected to be attended by more than 26,000 persons hailing from 140 countries, including 3,000 delegates, 650 exhibitors and 20 national pavilions.

During the round-table session, which will be held on Wednesday 18 January, the Town Planning Sector at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City will exhibit a model of the Energy Demand Management Project applied in the existing buildings of East 3 Sector in Abu Dhabi city. This project was launched by the Municipality in 2010 with the aim of studying and developing a cost-effective mechanism and introducing measures to reduce consumption, conserve energy & natural resources, raise the awareness level, make concerted efforts to improve the consumption patterns of buildings & residents, and reduce carbon footprint in the existing buildings of Abu Dhabi city to bring them at par with the best energy demand management practices.

The project also aims at developing the Energy Efficiency Program developed by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to curb the environmental, social, and economic impacts of using energy in all types of buildings, and slash the costs associated with energy production.

During the Summit, the Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector will showcase 5 vital projects in the field of infrastructure sustainability namely: Recycling asphalt using cold asphalt recycling technique, where roads maintenance works are being carried out using reclaimed materials, compared to the customary maintenance process where road's different layers are removed and rebuilt using new materials.

A pilot project has been implemented in Street 16 at Shahama, where the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City conducted a comprehensive study spanning all phases of the project which concluded that using cold asphalt technology in roads rehabilitation process has proven to be both technically and financially feasible. Moreover, it limits the use of raw materials in roads construction, saves energy used in the processing & building of these raw materials, and shortens the timeframe needed for rehabilitation of roads.

The Sector will also showcase the Central Control System of Irrigation Networks & Stations, and Storm-Water Drainage in Abu Dhabi city, known as SCADA; which was introduced by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City with the aim of rationing the distribution of irrigation water in a precise way, facilitating maintenance processes, and ensuring prompt response to emergency incidents. SCADA is one of the world's most widely used systems featuring performance efficiency, and a design tailored to address all changes & developments such as the progress and construction boom witnessed by the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Projects to be showcased in the event also include Using Plastic Networks in Fixing and Strengthening Roads' Asphalt Pavement Layers aimed at applying the principles of sustainability to roads and infrastructure projects in Abu Dhabi; which is part & parcel of the Municipality's strategic objectives. Compliance with sustainability requirements means examining a host of parameters which include the project's functions, performance efficiency, technological advancement, and life-cycle cost. It also encompasses addressing public health & safety issues, rationalizing the use of energy & raw materials, and minimizing the adverse environmental impacts.

The Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector will also exhibit the General Street Lighting Strategy adopted in Abu Dhabi, which aims at developing a sustainable and long-term lighting policy in order to cut down the economic and environmental costs of excess lighting by modifying the standards of luminous intensity of roads, as well as introducing new energy-efficient lighting techniques with minimal maintenance requirements.

The Sector will also spotlight the Sustainable Lighting System using LED technology implemented in Al Salam Street project. This system is characterized by its ability to endure long-term lighting, with less maintenance requirements, in addition to minimizing power consumption to the least possible level. Thus it system contributes to diminishing carbon emissions, preserving the environment, and offering the opportunity to control & adjust lighting levels, where necessary. Moreover, it is linked to the power supply system, which provides backup for automated systems and lighting in case of emergency, thus ensuring seamless lighting of Al Salam Street tunnels.

By participating in this Summit, the Municipality aims at sharing information & expertise on sustainable solutions for future energy, and conserving environment, besides enhancing the potentials of partnerships, communication and interaction between the Municipality and participating experts, specialists, and leading manufacturers of alternative, safe, & renewable energy as well as decision-makers, investors, researchers, scientists, specialists and academic figures, who have come together under the umbrella of Abu Dhabi Summit to tackle the challenges of rising demand for energy, and measures needed to ensure a cleaner and a more sustainable future for the world.

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is constantly working on developing projects, figuring out solutions and raising the awareness level of the importance of conserving the environment, since it is a crucial element in the sustainable development oriented to serve individuals & the community in Abu Dhabi Emirate, and the UAE at large.

Happy New Year

2011-12-29T02:20:00.000-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City wishes you and your loved ones
a prosperous and a happy new year

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City entertains children of Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre

2011-12-19T00:37:00.001-08:00

The Community Services Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently entertained the affiliates of Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre in an outing on board an open-top tour bus starting off Marina Mall on Abu Dhabi Corniche and passing through the Breakwater and up to Mina Zayed where they toured through the pets at Mina Souk.

Dr. Badriyah Al Dhahri, Director of Community Services at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City said that the initiative was undertaken in the context of the Community Ambassadors project; which was launched by the Municipality as part of a strategic initiative aimed at supporting the community events. "It is the first time such an excursion is arranged for the children and orphans at Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre, who toured several areas and were further entertained by sport quizzes including prize distribution to all individuals such that the whole exercise left a favourable impact on the special needs children.

"At the Swimming Beach of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, every effort was made to provide comfort, pleasure and entertainment to all those taking part in the tour. At the Corniche there was a playground corner enabling kids to practice various games, and marine cruises were offered by boats where they were accompanied by a team of rescuers, and the event also included diverse sports quizzes that brought fun and delight to the kids of Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre," added Badriyah.

The lady supervisors escorting the children of Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre expressed their delight with the recreational & tourist resources provided by Abu Dhabi Corniche and hailed the huge cooperation of the Abu Dhabi Community Service Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as well as the Beach management for providing all the requisites to make the tour a success, and paying sincere attention to achieving the educational & social objectives of the trip. They renewed their intention to come again to have a day out on Abu Dhabi Corniche, considering the huge potentials in place, and the top-class standards offering a secure, safe and protecting environment to the children of the Center in a way poised to unleash their mobility and intellectual faculties while practicing various sports games.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launches e-kiosks providing Easy and Fast services

2011-12-18T00:16:00.001-08:00

The service is offered through self-operated screens to save time and effort

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently launched a self-operated electronic kiosks service enabling customers to process their transactions on the spot through various service delivery points, including customer service centers at the Municipality's Head Office, external centers, malls and petrol stations. The step is taken as part of the Municipality's Mission to provide superior quality, effective and customer-centric services, and its strategy aimed at pursuing the development drive, and applying state-of-the-art technologies & techniques capable of raising the bar on performance and achieving customers' aspirations in a hassle-free environment to the best international practices.

The new service is launched under a master plan set by the Municipality to uplift its services and reach out to customers from all community segments to provide them with communal service wherever they stay and whatever their needs are, in a smooth manner that saves their time and effort. The move echoes a future drive to continuously upgrade municipal services to achieve customers' satisfaction, and accordingly raise the Municipality standing and corporate identity in the context of a comprehensive strategy to build an integrated work system, giving value-added to the excellent array of municipal services.

The new digital kiosks will enable customers to process their transactions through self-service interactive screens built at multi-faceted high technical specifications capable of facilitating transactions processing in a time & effort-saving exercise.

The first phase will feature the debut of 5 services frequently requested by customers relating to lands and properties, which account for as much as 60% of the total daily applications. However, the service offering will gradually be upped to span all e-services provided through the Municipality's website.

The identity card will be used to upload the customer's basic data, after which the customer can pay the fees via a credit card or in cash by directly feeding the banknotes into the system. Once the payment process is completed, a machine-generated receipt will be issued to the customer, and a printout of the required official documents will be provided by the same system.

In a later stage, the services of government & quasi-governmental institutions as well as service-providers will be integrated in the kiosks service through the respective portal of each entity.

Mohammed Ali Al Murar, Director of Customer Service at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: "The customer service strategy of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has hit many objectives and gained the confidence & satisfaction of the public, thanks to the significant progress made in the quality & level of services rendered in terms of accuracy, speed, and a work environment richly endowed with competent staff, advanced technologies and smooth processes giving full attention to customers' details."

"The strategy also contributed to providing all services to customers through the external municipal centers, without obliging them to report to the Head Office, besides capitalizing on advanced technologies enabling short-cut procedures and processing of bulky transactions in accordance with top-notch and accurate standards in an accelerated process that achieves clients aspirations of complete and fast services," he continued.

Al Murar also stressed that upgrading municipal customer services aimed at streamlining and accelerating the processing of transactions as per the international standards with the least potential errors. He praised the new e-kiosk system in reducing transactions-related errors, compared to the traditional paper-based methods.

It is noteworthy that the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has developed a customer service strategy that managed to attain the confidence and satisfaction of the public as a result of the advancement made in terms of quality, quantity and level of services on offer as well as the accuracy, speed, and an excellent work environment supported by competent staff, advanced techniques and smooth processes while paying full attention to customers' details.

The Municipality has been working on providing all services to customers through external centers that provide integrated municipal services to the public and clients under one roof without the need to refer to the Head Office, which echoes the Municipality's policy of applying world-class standards and enhancing its customers experience by making its services accessible to customers at their own localities, thus saving much of their time and effort.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City bags two Gulf Traffic awards for Green Initiative, Road Safety categories

2011-12-14T02:49:00.001-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has scooped two awards of the Gulf Traffic Conference & Exhibition 2011 meant for recognizing the best solutions & initiatives undertaken by countries of the region in the field of roads infrastructure, and in support of the best solutions & initiatives related to infrastructure projects, vehicle innovations and improvement of drivers attitudes.

The Awards were accepted by engineer Saeed Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Roads and Infrastructure Sector at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, in a ceremony held on the sidelines of the Conference and attended by road, rail, parking and public transport professionals across the region.

"The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has made competitive bids in most award categories and clinched two awards - the first one for the 'Flashing Green Traffic Signal' project in recognition of its role in changing drivers behaviours under 'Road Safety' category. The system warns drivers approaching traffic lights when the traffic signal is about to change. The second award was in the Green Initiative category for the 'Al Salam Street Public Realm Sustainability' project; which aims at achieving the highest security & safety of road users. This state-of-the-art system reflects the Municipality's continuous endeavours and attention to achieve the highest safety levels for the community, apply the best-in-class systems, and transfer of the best global practices of the industry. The Municipality also finished second in the Traffic Safety category for the Internal Roads Project, and the Signals Monitoring through Spatial Data System project was classified among the best projects.

"The Flashing Green Signal was introduced by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as part of its efforts to upgrade the traffic systems, keep abreast of the growing traffic movement and uplift the traffic safety level in line with the capacity of Abu Dhabi roads network. The system offers drivers ample opportunity to stop and prepare for moving on the right time; which in turn contributes to slashing both the red signal jumping and accident rates. The improvements carried out by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City also included generalizing the use of pedestrian-friendly systems displaying mobile icons to streamline pedestrian movement on road crossings. It also introduced the countdown system to inform pedestrians of the time allotted for road crossing; which assisted the safe crossing of pedestrians and eliminated their delay and hesitance in crossing roads," he elaborated.

Speaking about the green initiatives of Al Salam Street Public Realm Sustainability, Al Shamsi said: "The central lighting system of Al Salam Street aims at achieving the highest security and safety of road users; which is considered one of the most sophisticated systems worldwide. The application of the system validates the Municipality's efforts to achieve the highest community security & safety standards and reflects its keenness on using the best systems and transferring the finest global practices of the industry.

"Work is up and running in the improvement of driving and traffic projects within Abu Dhabi city in line with well-rehearsed & systematic plans that address the current and projected growth of traffic movement triggered by the urban expansion of the city and the transfer the best international practices & expertise for implementation at the local level.

"Road, bridge and tunnel networks as well as all infrastructure and recreational facilities in Abu Dhabi have received a great deal of attention towards ensuring accurate construction as such structures are the lifeline of a flexible development and renovation plan. Such projects have been carried out in line with the best quality and practices worldwide in a way tailored to suit the climatic nature of the country and the requirements of its community. This has clearly reflected on all projects undertaken by the Municipality across Abu Dhabi city in order to make them models of huge development and business implications reflecting the soundness of the economy of Abu Dhabi Emirate and determination to play a distinguished role in support of its development drive built on Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.

"The Abu Dhabi Government has mobilized all efforts & potentials to serve the sustainability strategy and meet future needs. From inception, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City assumed the responsibility of implementing this strategy on the ground. It has made a good progress down the track of development and progress such that it became an example to be emulated amongst the world's best metropolitan cities, thanks to the shrewd vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces," he continued.

Al Shamsi added that such achievement would not have been made possible without the teaming up with other public and private entities, particularly the strategic partners of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City namely; the Urban Planning Council, the Abu Dhabi Police, and the Department of Transport.

It is note-worthy that Gulf Traffic awards shed light on the key environmental and innovative initiatives of the infrastructure, traffic management and parking over the past ten years in the Gulf region.

Introduced in 2009, the Gulf Traffic Awards have become an integral part of the Gulf Traffic Exhibition and Conference, hosted by the Dubai World Trade Center, the exhibition highlights the latest cutting edge innovations, solutions, products and services from 150 of the world's leading traffic and transport infrastructure suppliers.

The 40th National Day of the United Arab Emirates

2011-12-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in the occasion of
the 40th National Day of the United Arab Emirates

Eid Mubarak

2011-11-03T02:46:00.001-07:00

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City wishes you
happiness and prosperity during Eid Al Adha

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City promotes breast cancer education

2011-10-31T05:33:00.001-07:00

A one-day awareness event is held under the theme (Your Checkup Now Means Your Safety)

The Health, Safety and Environment Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, in cooperation with the Health Authority Abu Dhabi and the UAE Red Crescent Authority, has recently held an awareness day on breast cancer themed "Your checkup now means safety" targeting the Municipality’s female and male employees as well as customers.

During the event, awareness materials and educative pamphlets were distributed to the targeted individuals highlighting the importance of the early detection of breast cancer, as well as the periodic inspection ought to be carried out by women and men as well, especially as breast cancer cases among men are also on the rise.

An awareness lecture was also held in cooperation with the UAE Red Crescent Authority, tackling the dangers of breast cancer, preventive methods, periodic detection, and regular checkup. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Myrna Ghnoum and attended by a large number of male and female employees, in addition to scores of visitors and customers of the Municipality.

On that day, a medical car was stationed in the vicinity of the Municipality’s Head office fitted with all instruments related to breast imaging and checkup facilities such as ultrasound scanning, and modern mammogram technology developed for early detection of breast cancer. The service was provided for free as a contribution from organizers towards raising the awareness and offering proper guidance about the disease.

Engineer Abdul Aziz Zurub, Director of Health, Safety and Environment at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said, "This event, which is timed with the Global Health Charter coinciding with this day, is part of the Municipality’s initiatives aimed at supporting the community, raising the health awareness level, and providing the guidance & support required to establish health standards and adopt proper practices that contribute to the prevention of potential hazards threatening individuals' safety, public health and in particular alerting them to breast cancer risks and preventative methods."

"This initiative is a valuable addition to the Health Education Program launched by the Health, Safety and Environment Division at the beginning of the year that included more than 13 educative and awareness health programs staged in cooperation with our strategic partners led by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi covering most affiliated hospitals, along with the UAE Red Crescent Authority, which in turn provided the support and assistance required in such communal health events, thus contributing to realizing the objectives of the health guidance and awareness drive," continued Zurub.
"Through the Health, Safety and Environment Division, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is keen on instilling the values capable of protecting the community health and safety, and the Division has therefore adopted an intensive educational and guidance program targeting all community segments. The Municipality’s participation in all local and global activities related to public health is a clear testimony of its support to social activities and realizing its mission of providing the top quality, effective and community-oriented municipal services in realization of its vision of ensuring a superior quality of life and sustainable environment for the residents of Abu Dhabi city," said Zurub in a final remark.

At the end of event, the Municipality’s Health, Safety and Environment Division honored Dr. Myrna Ghnoum as well as all the participants and supporters of the event, at the top of which are the Health Authority Abu Dhabi and the UAE Red Crescent Authority, in recognition of their efforts in consolidating partnerships, integration and cooperation relations with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.
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Municipality of Abu Dhabi City's abattoirs gears up for Eid Adha

2011-10-30T02:30:00.001-07:00

Working hours changed, shifts system introduced and health stipulations tightened

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City announced that preparations are in full swing for the advent of the blessed Eid Al-Adha through stepping up the readiness of slaughterhouses with the aim of addressing the needs of the public and attending to the soaring demand for slaughtering animals during Eid days. These preparations are taken in the context of the Municipality's efforts to enable Abu Dhabi abattoirs deliver top class services conforming to the international health standards.

The Public Health Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City announced Abattoirs Sections has completed all preparations for receiving the public who have sacrifice animals to be slaughtered. The Automatic Slaughterhouse at Al Mina has been dedicated to receive slaughtered animals of the Red Crescent Authority, while Bani Yas and Al Shahama Slaughter houses will be open to serve the general public.

Khalifa Al Rumaithi, Director of Public Health, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said that slaughter houses would start operation once Eid Al-Adha prayer has ended and continue service up to 06:00 pm on the first Eid day. During the following days, the slaughter houses would open from 07:00 am and continue up to 06:00 pm.

"Indicators of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City point that the Eid period will witnessed a hike in the number of animals brought for slaughtering with about 7,000 animals are expected to be processed at the Automatic Abattoir at Al Mina, about 6,000 animals are set to be handled by Bani Yas Abattoir, and about 1,500 animals are expected to be processed by Al Shahma Abattoir," he added.

The Municipality confirmed that there has been no change in the slaughtering prices which are set as AED15 for sheep and goats, AED40 for calves & young camels and AED60 for big cows and camels. These prices include chopping a slaughtered sheep or goat into 4 pieces and camels and cows into 8 pieces. Slaughtered animals can be cut to suit individual requests as per the pricing list fixed for each type of animals displayed at the fees payment counter.

Two slaughtering halls are designated as waiting areas for the public at Abu Dhabi Abattoir at Al Mina in order to accommodate the largest number of customers. Each customer will receive a given number corresponding to each butcher and the customer can just wait for his or her turn, thus obviating any engagement between butchers & customers, leaving no room for asking for fees higher than the prefixed rates, and eliminating congestion.

A parking yard has been prepared to house about 1000 vehicles of customers and a new window has been opened for paying the slaughtering and chopping fees for the convenience of customers. The Abu Dhabi abattoirs are fitted with surveillance cameras and pagers to control the handing/taking over of slaughtered animals, alleviate any inconvenience experienced by customers, and ensure that they won't lose track of their animals.

It is worth-mentioning that Abattoirs Section at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has suspended all leaves of the staff deployed on abattoirs, particularly vets & inspectors during Eid Al-Adha period.

The Director of Public Health Khalifa Al Rumaithi confirmed that he and the Head of Abattoirs Section as well as the administrative & technical staff would be at site during the Eid days to ensure proper implementation of the Eid slaughtering plan and delivery of services at the required speed and quality.

Coordination has been made with all investors and operators of abattoirs including firms which provide cleaning & maintenance services in order to deploy more staff and ensure the readiness of equipment and facilities of abattoirs in order to avoid any faults during the Eid days, and ensure that their technical staffs always remain in place at abattoirs during the Eid days.

The Municipality has carried out a thorough examination of all slaughtering structures and equipment particularly the air-conditioning, ventilation, and sewage systems in order to avoid any failure that might disrupt the work process and cause inconvenience to abattoir visitors.

As to the precautionary and health procedures adopted by abattoirs to ensure the safety of slaughtered animals & meat and maintain the public health, the Municipality subjects all animals arriving at abattoirs to a vet inspection to detect diseases, and protect humans from common diseases which can be contracted through meat. The Municipality deployed one vet to the livestock market to inspect all animals in the market and offer assistance and advice to all visitors of the market.

All butchers and employees have undergone qualification and training programs covering food safety and personal hygiene held by specialized consultancy offices. These courses are part of the policy pursued by municipal abattoirs to provide qualified, trained and competent staff capable of delivering modern and civilized services.

Everyday abattoirs are subjected to comprehensive cleaning process and sanitized at the end of the day in order to be ready to receive slaughtered animals on the next day in keeping with the international health practices. Slaughtering waste is being disposed of through sound health procedures involving no environmental pollution.

The management of municipal abattoirs recommends the public to seek advice from the vet deployed to the livestock and slaughter house to offer advice on everything related to public health, and read the educative brochures at the public waiting areas inside abattoirs.

“2011 GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East Conference”: More Commitment to a sustainable Infrastructure

2011-10-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

Under the Patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, the “2011 GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East Conference” will be launched with more commitment to a sustainable and environment friendly infrastructure in line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 vision. Organized by SKZ the German Plastics Centre in cooperation with its local partner BMC Gulf LLC, the conference is taking place on 25th and 26th October – Park Rotana Hotel with the collaboration of AHK the German Chamber of Commerce.

The Patronage of ADM for this prime event, which is considered the largest in the field of Geosynthetics across the Middle East, reflects the Municipality’s attention to promoting the strategic partnerships in support of the comprehensive development projects and sustainability.

Attracting over 300 delegates from 25 countries in 2010, the conference has turned out to be the leading event on geosynthetics throughout the Middle East and marked Abu Dhabi on the world map as an excellent meeting place for geotechnical and environment specialists to exchange knowledge, conduct business and build strategic partnerships.

With a focus on the regions infrastructure projects and environmental applications, the Geosynthetics Middle East 2011 will once again contribute to the quality of the construction projects throughout the region, increasing their value and considerably extending their service life.

One of the major topics which ADM is concentrating in this conference is the ability to develop more sustainably which will determine the speed and degree of climate change experienced. While some climate change is inevitable due to past greenhouse gas emissions, the need to reduce future GHG emissions is increasing to better manage the future impacts of climate change on the environment, economy, and society.

Eng. Abdulla Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Infrastructure and Municipal Assets at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City said: “Such Conferences will be a venue for the recent developments and future opportunities for geosynthetics in infrastructure will primarily focus on environmentally friendly materials that can be used in the construction industry”.

Al Shamsi added that ADM is pursuing a leading role in adopting sustainable development policies, and drawing up strategic plans based on a methodology closely integrated between projects undertaken and services delivered
Key industry experts will present applications & case studies on geosynthetics used in: Railways, Roads, Airports, Seaports, Bridges, Tunnels, Landfills, Environmental Protection, and other related topics.

The conference will be associated with a technical exhibition, where national and international companies are showcasing their products and Services.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City kicks off "Assematy" campaign from Karama

2011-09-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently launched the "Assematy" (my capital) campaign at Al Karama and Al Rawda areas after successfully accomplishing its mission at Al Muroor and Al Mushrif areas. The move comes as part of the Municipality's efforts to preserve the health, safety and security of the community & environment, promote sustainability standards and uplift the unique aesthetic appearance of the capital to remain a perfect place for living, given its modern & authentic profile and the cultural legacy enjoyed by the city.

The campaign, which will run until March 2012, includes four major projects: namely, the "Awareness" Project, which aims at educating school students on the importance of maintaining the beauty of neighborhoods, the "Pioneers" Project, which is designed to promote the communual responsibility among university students, "Participation" Project, which is planned to activate the participation of the community in government and private entities, and "Contribution" Project, which is intended to trigger the contribution of community's members to maintain the beauty of residential neighborhoods.

The campaign kicked off its first week by communicating with the residents of the area and schools students, sensitizing them on objectives of the project, to receive their comments and complaints as regards the slums & disorderly disfiuring plants and graffiti phenomenon, and probe the suggestions and services required by residents of the area.

In its current phase, the campaign includes the distribution of brochures, screening introductory and educational films, holding meetings with teachers & students' parents, and engaging students in the campaign activities such as cleaning and painting walls, and removing graffiti among other activities aimed at motivating and encouraging them not to just to participate in the campaign, but also adopt its ideas and disseminate them among their peers and families.

The "Assematy" campaign, which was launched by the Municipality in June 2010 in the context of the Municipality's vision to ensure a superior quality of life and sustainable environment for residents of Abu Dhabi, is an ongoing campaign undertaken by the Municipality on connected temporal and spacial phases, in which the capital has been divided into 11 districts to be gradually covered by the campaign. The start was from Al Bateen followed by Al Musharraf, and currently Al Karama and Al Rawdha, and will move on to other areas in the capital accordingly.

"Assematy " initiative; which is viewed as a genuine addition to the series of initiatives launched by the Municipality to serve the residents and visitors of the capital and suburban areas, sets up an interactive approach with the community to enhance the leading role of the Municipality & its corporate identity in the context of a comprehensive strategy to build an integrated work system for the convenience, security & safety of both residents and the environment, and improve the appearance of the capital to place it at par with the advanced cosmopolitan cities.

The campaign is also planned to enahce the appearance of the city through combating any any phenomena, act, action or damage that distorts the general appearance of the city, whether caused by natural factors or human conduct, including roads, plants, and general disfiguring elements across the capital. The aim is to keep the capital city nice and clean and a perfect place for living, given it rich traditions and modernity.

The campaign also targets the community at large. Since launched, the campaiagn has attracted all communtiy segments, particularly residents of neighborhoods covered by the campaign, in addition to multitudes of male/female students who are attracted to activities dedicated to them in this campaign, which include models of villas surrounded by gardens and walls, models for roads with pavements for the students to rebuild them themselves. It also included cultivating seedlings & plants, expanding greenery, removing distoring elements, and other activities that promote the culture of sustainability and transform practices into values and communal culture demonstrated in the daily routines and lifestyle so that they themselves contribute to conserving resources and fighting negative practices affecting the habits, traditions and values of their community.

Geosynthetics Middle East 2011

2011-09-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

Under the Patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, SKZ the German Plastics Centre with the collaboration of AHK the German Chamber of Commerce are honored to present the “2011 GEOSYNTHETICS Middle East Conference” which will be launched with more commitment to a sustainable and environment friendly infrastructure in line with the 2030 vision of the United Arab Emirates. The conference is taking place on 25th and 26th October – Park Rotana Hotel.v

The Patronage of ADM for this prime event, which is considered the largest in the field of Geosynthetics across the Middle East, reflects the Municipality’s attention to promoting the strategic partnerships in support of the comprehensive development projects and sustainability.

Attracting over 300 delegates from 25 countries in 2010, the conference has turned out to be the leading event on geosynthetics throughout the Middle East and marked Abu Dhabi on the world map as an excellent meeting place for geotechnical and environment specialists to exchange knowledge, conduct business and build strategic partnerships.

With a focus on the regions infrastructure projects and environmental applications, the Geosynthetics Middle East 2011 will once again contribute to the quality of the construction projects throughout the region, increasing their value and considerably extending their service life.

One of the major topics which ADM is concentrating in this conference is the ability to develop more sustainably will determine the speed and degree of climate change experienced. While some climate change is inevitable due to past greenhouse gas emissions, the need to reduce future GHG emissions is increasing to better manage the future impacts of climate change on the environment, economy, and society.

For further information and conference updates please visit www.geosyntheticsme.com

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City visits patients at Al Mafraq Hospital

2011-08-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

A delegation from the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently visited patients admitted to Al Mafraq Hospital to inquire after their health conditions and offer them symbolic gifts along with wishes of early recovery & return to their families in good health after completion of their treatment courses.

The initiative, which was timed with the holy month of Ramadan, is part of the Municipality's humanitarian & social initiatives and its keen attention to realize and promote the values of social communication, compassion and solidarity.

The visiting delegation comprised staff from the Community Service Division at the Municipality who visited patients in their rooms and chatted with them about their health, offering them moral support & heartening encouragement with the aim of pleasing them during this holy month, particularly as some of them are far from their families. Commemorative gift items were distributed to patients who were also offered prayers of good health in a gratifying atmosphere in which the elated patients paid tribute to the Municipality's initiative and the favourable psychological impact generated by the visit in them as well as their families.

Community Service Division Manager Badriya Al Dhahiri commented on the visit saying: "Visiting patients is a religious as well as moral duty and the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is therefore keen on running these initiatives which strengthen the sound communal values by means of communication & compassion, rolling out initiatives capable of boosting social solidarity, and setting a platform for offering a variety of community-oriented services.
"These special visits to patients reflect a positive pattern of communal partnership with other entities where the Municipality is seeking to bolster it through partnering with public & private organizations in adopting several community-targeted programs," said Badriya who also stressed the importance of communal interaction with all entities including exchange of visits to boost social bonds.

The delegation's visit came in the context of an overall strategy and social initiatives mapped out by the Municipality to share religious and national events with all spectrums of the community. It also echoes the Municipality's keenness on setting up a positive model of community relations & partnership with Al Mafraq Hospital, as well as all strategic partners, in the interest of the community and the public.
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Municipality of Abu Dhabi City organizes blood donation campaign

2011-08-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

The event features a community-oriented service in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Health Authority targeting employees & visitors

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Health Authority (Mobile Blood Bank) has run a blood donation event at the Municipality’s Head Office featuring participation of a number of employees as well as clients & visitors.

The campaign is held in the context of the Municipality’s ongoing human initiatives aimed at enabling employees to interact with the issues of concern to the community in the public interest, in addition to boosting the pioneering role of the Municipality in serving the local community, supporting charitable organizations and offering all sorts of human assistance. Such activities & events held in support of the local community organizations depict the Municipality’s values built on concerted collective efforts, enhanced partnerships with community spectrums, and commitment to community issues of concern.

Commenting on the event, Dr. Badriyah Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: “The campaign has been well received by employees as well as scores of customers who turned in support of the campaign by donating blood; making the event a success. The Municipality has and always remains in the forefront of all efforts in support of the community, particularly blood donation campaigns and had already held several campaigns witnessing huge turnout among employees and clients. Such a drive echoes the Municipality’s community-oriented role in lending support to the sick, needy and hospitals which are need of much more blood donations to support various types of surgeries. Moreover, it is keen on holding such campaigns to bolster charitable & human causes and encourage employees as well as visitors to take the initiative and contribute to such values.”

The blood donation campaign is one of human initiatives run time and again by the Municipality to reassert its role in propping up humanitarian and social causes.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City concludes Summer Festival at Family Park

2011-08-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has drew the curtain on the events of “Let’s Enjoy Summer” Festival which came to a close at the Family Park after witnessing a remarkable turnout of families & children who flocked in to practice a variety of sports & water-themed games, and spend free time in useful activities in a way that helped disseminate sports culture among community members, instill fair competitive spirits in the consciousness of participants, and merge a host of communities in a cozy & friendly atmosphere.

In a closing ceremony attended by a huge crowd, Dr. Ahmed Al Dosari, Secretary General of Emirates Scouts Association, presented prizes and trophies to the participants, including those who excelled in the sports competitions held during the Festival. Al Dosari was delighted with the substantial number of students who took part in the events saying, “Sports activity is not a mere sports practice, rather it has health dimensions as it supports the health & vigour of our students besides contributing to their sound growth and building their characters. Such activities are vital for motivating students to practice various sports games during their vacation and practicing diverse sports disciplines that promote their physical & personal skills. Furthermore, it offers a platform for identifying talented students in order to patronize them such that they can represent their nation here and abroad.”

Dr. Badriyah Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: “The hit events held and public turnout speak volumes of the success of the Municipality’s strategy aimed at promoting social interaction with the events held & initiatives as well as programs rolled out in the context of its social responsibility. It also marks the Municipality’s endeavours to fully maximize the existing potentials of Khalifa Park as well as other parks spread all over our capital city for the benefit of all family members. The remarkable participation and attendance of this huge number of families & guests to this array of diverse events held under “Let’s Enjoy Summer” Festival endorses our success in interacting with the public and local community.”

Dr. Al Dhahiri was pleased to see attendants and children all smiles adding that the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City would assign considerable attention to staging festivals and events as they would leave a favourable impact on the public let alone their contribution to promoting sound social & behavioral attitudes among young generations, and instilling in them self-confidence as well as competitive spirits in a family and constructive setting.

Events included sports activities and various water games targeting families and kids up to 14 years. The Municipality prepared the events zone in a creative style fitting it with facilities for fast food, refreshments, coffee-shops, photographic & video imaging, clinic for First Aid & emergency cases, security unit, and cleaning staff.

Water-themed games, Tele match contests, and inflatable bouncers & slides with water & soap have all been very popular and well received by kids who enjoyed these games under the prevailing warm weather conditions.

Ramadan Kareem

2011-07-31T08:12:00.001-07:00

Blessed wishes for the month of forgiveness & mercy. Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Timing:
Sunday to Thursday: From 9:00 am until 4:00 pm

____

Abu Dhabi City dresses up for Ramadan

2011-07-28T00:54:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has dressed up streets, facilities, squares and public gardens through decorating them with illuminated electrical shapes & diverse lighting bulbs as part of its preparations for receiving the holy month of Ramadan in a way befitting the high profile of the capital. The drive also reflects the Municipality’s endeavours to raise the appearance of the capital city and enhance its billing as one of the most beautiful metropolitan cities across the globe.

Decorative lighting works covered the full breadth of Al Corniche Street starting from the signalized junction of Mina Zayed up to the signal of Breakwater, and from the signal leading to the Livestock Market up to Al Mina intersection with Abu Dhabi Corniche. Decorations also covered all bridges across the city as well as in areas between hotels of Bain Al Jisrain and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Tunnel. Hundreds of illuminated formations depicting Islamic symbols inspired from the spirit of the holy month have been provided to add more glamour and tranquility to the city in keeping with the spirit of this month.

Decorations included the installation of more than 1200 white string light pieces, and 850 assorted pieces of engineering figures featuring a host of diverse designs measuring from 2 to 3 meters in length and 120 to 220 cm in width. Trees have been decorated with 200 crescent-shaped pieces, 200 star-shaped pieces and 120 lanterns colored in white and blue.

The Municipality was keen on using top quality electric cables to complete the decoration project out of its keen attention to maintain the safety of the public. For this end it approve the use of LED and IP 65 manufactured materials in all engineering designs as they contribute to conserving the environment, resist all climatic conditions and conform to high standards of security & safety.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City stages Family Park cleaning campaign

2011-07-23T23:36:00.001-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has staged this week a one-day campaign to clean the Family Park, Abu Dhabi Corniche involving participation of 40 students among the volunteers of the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy’s program known as Takatuf. The campaign aimed at cleaning various areas of the Park and playgrounds, removing the waste of trees & plants, and landscaping flowers in keeping with the Vision of the Municipality to ensure a superior quality of life and a sustainable environment for Abu Dhabi residents.

“Launching this sort of campaigns is part of the strategy of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City to raise the urbanized & aesthetic profile of towns, streets and public facilities. This drive is supported by the Municipality in collaboration with its strategic partners through committing our technical & material resources to establish public cleanness standards articulating the intended health & environmental conditions,” said Dr. Badriaya Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

“The Municipality is determined to revitalize the role of service facilities in supporting community activities, and the Family Park has become the favourite venue for hosting these sports & social events, thanks to the modern services on offer and its status as an ideal environment for practicing a host of sports & social activities,” she continued.

“Maintaining the cleanliness of the city, including its service, tourist and recreational facilities, is a top priority of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, and the Community Service Division has therefore set a target of applying modern concepts in cleaning the parks through broadening the involvement of all community segments in order to diffuse the culture of maintaining our tourist & recreational facilities,” added Badriya.

“The participation of Takatuf volunteers adds more dimensions & weight to this event as it prompts all spectrums of the community to take part in supporting the objectives of the Municipality and promotes the values of maintaining the cleanliness of our cities,” said the Director of Community Service in a concluding remark.

Abu Dhabi Corniche flies the Blue Flag

2011-06-12T04:16:00.001-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has proudly announced that Abu Dhabi is the first city in the Arab Gulf region to be awarded the prestigious Blue Flag, an award that recognises beaches around the world for reaching the highest environmental and safety standards.

The Abu Dhabi Corniche has met a specific set of criteria concerning environmental information and education, water quality, safety and services and environmental management that will now see it join the best beaches in the world with a ‘Blue Flag’.

Not only is it a symbol of quality recognized by tourists and tour operators, but the Blue Flag helps to increase opportunities for eco and sustainable tourism.

The process of being awarded the Blue Flag status started when the Emirates Wildlife Society in cooperation with World life Fund ( EWS- WWF) was accepted to run the Blue Flag programme for the UAE by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

By implementing the Blue Flag programme in the UAE it has contributed considerably to the ongoing development to safeguard the coastline, the marine environment and public health. And Abu Dhabi now joins over 3,450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean with a Blue Flag.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City hosts Al Mushrif residents in Al Multaqa Gathering

2011-05-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

His Excellency Khalifa Mohammed Al Al Mazroui, General Manager of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, called on all residents of the capital to promote the participation and communication with the Municipality, stressing its commitment to the policy of openness and interaction with the public needs and suggestions out of its vision to ensure a superior quality of life and a sustainable environment for the residents of Abu Dhabi city.

At the outset of the gathering with the residents of Al Mushrif in the second leg of 'Al Multaqa Gathering’, organized by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City on Monday, and held at the Festivities Hall at Al Mushrif, in the presence of Executive Directors, Directors and a number of employees of the Municipality, Al Mazrooi said "The Municipality is seeking to establish communication channels with the residents of the capital to probe their needs & suggestions, and explore the best possible ways to serve them. Such gatherings form an ideal platform to build a transparent dialogue and keep the population informed on the projects undertaken by the Municipality within their respective regions and the capital as a whole, and highlight their significance in shaping the social and economic life patterns in the city."

In a statement delivered to residents, Al Mazroui indicated that 'Al Multaqa' initiative was aimed to promote direct communication with the residents of the capital, identify their needs of municipal services, hear their views & suggestions on how to upgrade the municipal services, keep them informed of the projects undertaken in their respective areas in particular and throughout the city in general, measure the extent of their satisfaction and retrieve & analyze information in accordance with a scientific methodology so as to translate the potentials into a practical solutions in the light of a solid relationship based on trust and mutual understanding in realization of the Municipality’s Mission to deliver best-in-class customer-centric services.

Addressing the gathering, the General Manager of the Municipality said: “You are our key partners, and we are keen on hearing from you directly as you are the ones who judge the quality of services rendered. Your views prompt us to continue giving and achievements and help set our drive straight if we are mistaken. This underlies our keenness to continue holding such gatherings with the residents of regions, which we started with the residents of the of Abu Dhabi Gate City and we will continue these gatherings to cover all regions of the capital, so that all views and suggestions of the capital residents form the basis of building the Municipality's strategy and future plans."

Al Mazroui commended the response of the population with the initiative, calling on them to voice their comments and suggestions, and express their opinions as regards the municipal services quite frankly. He stressed the Municipality's keenness to adopt the principles of transparency in the dialogue to identify the factual requirements and try to satisfy the viable ones, within the scope of the Municipality's domain of responsibilities.

"Out of our belief that the community is a real partner, this initiative represents a good opportunity to hear your opinions and suggestions directly and we will strive to implement the practicable ones on the ground, to achieve community participation, which enhances the relationship between the two parties and the belief among the population of the importance of the Municipality's role and services delivered," he added.

He stressed the interest of the Municipality in boosting the measures that maintain the appearance, safety and beauty of the city, combat negative phenomena rampant in the neighborhoods, and fight practices that distort the distinctive appearance of the city of Abu Dhabi by working out practical solutions that reflect on citizens, promote awareness of the dangers of such phenomena and mobilize all community segments to cope and combat them.

His Excellency called for cooperation with the Municipality in its endeavours to maintain the social fabric of the community & the privacy of residential districts, and combat the phenomenon of bachelors accommodations within areas inhabited by families, especially with the availability of alternatives in the new cities that were purposely built for them fitted with all health & human amenities and services, together with the means of decent life and safe living. He added that the Municipality was working in collaboration with the competent authorities and labor-intensive companies to accelerate the relocation of workers to those cities.

For their part, the attendance expressed appreciation of the initiative which translated the Municipality’s keenness on live communication with the public. They commended the projects carried out by the Municipality across Abu Dhabi and expressed their intention to work on building a council (Diwan) for residents of the neighborhood. They also expressed the importance of fitting houses with mail boxes, modifying the sports walkways to make them more friendly, establishing a gym hall, enhancing the compliance with the building rules and regulations in residential plots such that the construction of more than one house in one residential plot is not permitted, providing a number of services in parks, and re-considering the timing of traffic signals at traffic intersections in the streets of the region. They also stressed the importance of the cleaning companies to show more commitment to discharge their duties as regards cleaning the city and preventing the spread of rodents and stray animals.

At the end of the gathering, Al Mazroui stated that Municipality would study all the observations raised by the public and take them into account in future plans. He added that the Municipality would continue to hold 'Al Multaqa Gatherings on a regular basis with residents of neighborhoods of the capital in the context of efforts to establish an interactive approach to the relationship with the community; which echoes the comprehensive strategy of the Municipality to build an integrated work system for the convenience, security and safety of the population and the environment, and offer best services to help raise the profile of the capital among top metropolitan cities.

The Municipality will complete 'Al Multaqa' sessions today, "Tuesday" in Al Mushrif Festivities Hall, with a session dedicated to women of the locality in order to provide an opportunity for them to actively participate in the dialogue and express their opinions. This will broaden the base of community participation to include all community segments; which also comes in line with the Municipality's policy to provide means of empowering women and commensurate with the spirit of customs and traditions of our society.

It is worth-mentioning that the Al Multaqa initiative aims to boost direct communication with the residents of the capital, study their needs of municipal services, heed to their views & suggestions about the advancement of the municipal business, brief them on the projects underway at their localities & the city as a whole, measure the extent of public satisfaction and retrieve & analyze information in accordance with a scientific methodology. This will help translate the practicable ideas into solutions in the light of a solid relationship based on trust and mutual understanding in realization of the Municipality’s Mission to deliver best-in-class customer-centric services.

Al Multaqa - Al Mushrif Area

2011-05-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Welcoming residents of Al Mushrif

At the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, we are committed to provide superior quality of life for the residents of the capital with teamwork, engagement and transparency.

We invite the residents of Al Mushrif to be part of the event at Al Multaqa. This event is your chance to share your comments and suggestions about our services, and help us serve you better.

Time: 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Date: Monday 30th May 2011 (for all). Tuesday 31st May 2011 (Ladies only)
Venue: Al Mushrif Wedding Hall

For more information please call: 800 22220

Municipality of Abu Dhabi city organizes free drawing event for students

2011-05-11T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently held a free drawing event for school students as part of Asematy initiative currently run at Al-Mushriff in the context of the Municipality’s endeavors to maintain the health, safety and security of the community as well as the environment. It also adds to the advancement of sustainability standards and improvement of the aesthetic appearance of the capital such that it remains an ideal place featuring rich civilization and ultra modern facilities.

The event, which was staged by the Municipality and run by the artist Abdul Karim Salim, witnessed the participation of bunch of students from Al Manhal School who made drawings depicting the objectives of Asematy campaign; which is aimed at maintaining the appearance of the city, and combating any negative or distorting phenomena. At the end of the event, awards were distributed to the winning students.

Dr. Badreya Al Dhaheri, Director of Community Services, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, commended the participation and interaction of students hailing from various public and private schools in Abu Dhabi in Asematy campaign; which, at this stage, targets school students. “Their participation is reflected in free drawing sessions, Puppet theaters, and other practical activities such as the removal of graffiti, cleaning & removal of distorting elements, plantation of trees & greens and other activities enhancing the culture of sustainability,” said Badreya.

"The Municipality is keen on involving children and students in the campaign events as well as all other initiatives in order to engage them in practical practices that can be transformed later into values and community culture translated in daily habits and a lifestyle. In this sense they will be capable of contributing to safeguarding the communal norms, and combating negative phenomena undermining the customs and traditions of the community," she added.

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi is currently running Asematy campaign events at Al Mushriff after successfully completing its debut at Al Bateen. The second phase is based on three key aspects, namely "awareness, participation and safeguarding the residential districts. The campaign aims at educating the community through school students and youngsters on the importance of maintaining the aesthetic aspects of residential districts, and therefore urges various community segments to contribute through students to promote the spirit of the initiative. As for "Municipality's Friends" project, it aims at enhancing the role of children in safeguarding residential districts.

It is note-worthy that Asematy campaign, which has been kicked off by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in June 2010, is an integral part of the Municipality’s vision of ensuring a superior quality of life and a sustainable environment for Abu Dhabi residents. It is also perceived as an ongoing drive undertaken by the Municipality in a series of connected spatial and temporal stages, where the capital has been divided into 11 districts which will be gradually covered by the campaign. The starting point of the campaign was Al Bateen, followed by Al Mushriff following which the campaign will move on to the rest of metropolitan neighborhood accordingly.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City holds Children’s Short Story Forum

2011-05-01T03:27:00.001-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently organized a new session of Children’s Short Story Forum at Al Bateen Park entitled (Yalsat Al Fareej) where it reviewed a number of children stories in the attendance of a considerable number of children. The event is intended to instill and promote the reading skills among youngsters and foster their creative thinking abilities since they are backbone of future development.

The Forum, which attracted participants from the Family Development Foundation and volunteer female students from both the Higher Colleges of Technology and Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, included several funny spots, workshops, puppy theatre, most beautiful & fastest coloration contest, clay workshops, aquariums making, face painting and photography in addition to discussing the contents of stories reviewed in the Session.

Dr. Badriya Ahmed Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Services, said: “The Municipality is endeavouring to rejuvenate ideas to keep the Forum attractive to children. The idea of "Yalsat Al Fareej" has been well received and accepted by participants as a new idea inspired by the local environment, and the Municipality would continue to organize these gatherings of the Forum considering their positive results and objectives, and their role in boosting children’s participation in the Forum. The Municipality will continue to organize forums through capitalizing on renewed and innovative programs that contribute to the creation of an educated generation contributing to fostering a generation committed to its culture and society.”

“The Short Story Forum, launched by the Municipality for more than a year ago, is part of the Municipality's strategy and interactive programs with all segments of the community of different age groups. It also marks the efforts made to improve all aspects of life in the city, including culture and knowledge, as the bond between human & reading starts from the childhood. Children have to be encouraged to start reading at an early age in order to boost and develop this relationship during the prevailing information era, where technology is dominating thinking of the child,” continued Badriyah.

Dr. Al Dhahiri stressed the importance of integrating the roles of the community and efforts of the Municipality as well as schools in boosting the reading skills of children, unleashing their talents and imparting the reading habits in them with a view to enriching their linguistic & expressive abilities, furthering their cognitive development and consolidating their relationship with the community such that reading will become a key knowledge tool, despite other multiple educational means in place.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City provides floating chairs for special needs at Family Beach

2011-04-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has received, at the Family Beach of Abu Dhabi Corniche, several students from The Future Centre for Special Needs to mark the inauguration of the Floating Chairs recently provided by the Municipality as a recreational service for children and youngsters in the context of its social responsibility and Mission to deliver best-in-class services featuring extensive community participation.

The Municipality is providing this service free-of-charge for the benefit of the largest possible number of mobility-impaired children through providing a number of plastic chairs to assist them practice swimming hobby in a safe and secure environment without being exposed to the risk of drowning; which echoes the Vision of the Municipality to provide superior quality of life and a sustainable environment for residents of Abu Dhabi city.

The Municipality has eased the procedures of availing the floating chairs service through directing parents of those children to request them directly from the concerned staff at Gate (3) of Family Beach, Abu Dhabi Corniche one hour before the prescribed use time such that all interested individuals can avail the opportunity of using them. However, the use of these chairs must be aided and supervised by parents or authorized custodians of children, albeit the deployment by the Municipality of rescuers who stand ready to intervene at any moment and the availability of highest security & safety standards as well as technical logistics in place.

The new chairs are made of lightweight plastic materials to ensure they are kept afloat and fitted with a life jacket to be worn by the user child as a precautionary measure, and inflatable balloon frames enabling them to be easily pulled on soft sand to the water where they completely remain afloat.

The Director of Community Service Dr. Badria Al Dhahiri said: “This service; which is the first of its kind in the UAE, is part of the Municipality’s endeavours to foster a favourable environment to assist special needs & provide them with every means to ensure they have a decent life being a key segment of the community, and empower them to practice their hobbies & hone their skills to enhance their equality and integration with all community segments.

“As part of its social responsibility, the Municipality is seeking to provide all requisites falling within its jurisdictions and assign utmost importance to special needs of all age groups to empower them and facilitate their daily life routines; which also includes facilitating the clearing of transactions and provision of facilities & services that render it easy for them to access the municipal offices,” added Badria.

It is note-worthy that the Municipality has recently launched a Mobile Service Initiative targeting special needs, elderly, widows and divorcees to save their time, effort and cost where municipal officials will travel to them at their residences using vehicles fitted with office supplies and modern integrated electronic systems enabling the processing of their transactions at homes without obliging these personnel to report to the Municipality’s main or peripheral offices.

About a year ago, the Municipality has provided custom-built lifts for the use of special needs installed in the Head Office of the Municipality nearby the internal staircases to ease their mobility within the Municipality and help them move to lifts and Sections in order to clear their transactions unaided.

The Municipality allocates parking slots for special needs at places that make it easy for them to move in close proximity of the Municipality’s Main entrances in order to minimize the distance between the vehicle and destination, and these car-parks have distinctive ground marking and directional signs banning the use by others.

The Municipality has provided slopes free from obstacles & protrusions and fitted with anti-slippery floors in all main entrances and exits; enabling smooth access of special needs’ wheeled chairs, besides allocating them with purpose-built toilet units.

As for streets and roads, the Municipality has allocated parking slots for special needs throughout the city which are totally forbidden for the use of any other vehicles. Footpaths are designed to technical standards requiring them to be free from obstacles & protrusions with anti-slippery floors and designed in a way that does not block the movement of wheelchair users.

These services are part & parcel of an array of integrated municipal services delivered to the entire community, including special needs, considering them a key segment of the community worthy of care, service improvement and empowerment to overcome the barriers that prevent their full integration into the community and their contribution to the development process.

Abu Dhabi City and Al Ain City Municipalities Launch (Tawtheeq)project for Tenancy Contracts Registration

2011-03-30T03:37:00.000-07:00

Tenancy Contract Registration in Abu Dhabi has become easier…

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is pleased to announce the launch of “Tawtheeq” project for the purpose of registering all leasable properties and tenancy contracts using cutting edge technologies. “Tawtheeq” project contributes to the regulation of the real estate market and strengthen the relationship between property owners and tenants in the emirate.

We kindly request all property owners and property management companies to be part of “Tawtheeq” project and register the details of their leasable properties with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

For more information, please visit adm.gov.ae/Tawtheeq or send us an email to: Tawtheeq@adm.abudhabi.ae

Your opinion about our services

2011-03-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

The role of Customer Services is to work in partnership with residents in the follow up and completion of their service requests with respective departments within the municipality. We are working hard to determine ways for further improvement of our services provided and to adopt them at the earliest opportunity.

click here to participate in this survey

Come Discover | Khalifa Park

2011-03-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Let Khalifa Park be the playground for your family with its gardens, sporting activities, movies, adventures and family fun.

Khalifa Park has something for you.

Sports Skills
Professional trainers on hand to teach you the skills needed to become the best in your favourite sport. From golf to tennis, it’s all here.

Team Time
Get involved and get playing your favourite team sports including football,basketball and volleyball. It’s an open game waiting for you to join.

Historical Journey
From the Vikings to the Romans, take part in this adventure and dive head first into a world of discovery through costume. Education meets entertainment.

Mad about movies
Enjoy the world of cinema under the Arabian Sky with a special outdoor cinema and cosy seating area – just don’t forget the popcorn.

Picnic perfect
Landscaped gardens provide the perfect backdrop to family picnics packed with tasty treats.

For more information visit: adm.gov.ae/khalifa_park

Earth Hour

2011-03-14T04:44:00.000-07:00

This Earth Hour, go beyond the hour

Join us at the Abu Dhabi Beaches Corniche. Together our actions add up.

Where: Abu Dhabi Beaches Corniche, Abu Dhabi.
When: 6:30 pm, Saturday March 26th 2011.

Meeting point: Beach visitor car park on the corniche (located near the Hilton Hotel) at 6:30 pm

Activities will include:

Earth Hour Lantern Walk with Abu Dhabi EcoChicks (Bring your own recycled lantern and candle!)
Dubai Drums Community Drumming
Make the Switch and Go Beyond Earth Hour (Bring your old incandescent light bulb in exchange for a new energy saving bulb!)
musical performances and much more!

For more information visit: www.ewswwf.ae/earthhour

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City eServices Tally Grow to 115

2011-03-02T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has added two more services to the list of its online services through its portal (www.adm.gov.ae), namely Application for Search Certificate on Land Status, and Application for Property Evaluation Certificate. Thus, raising the Municipal e-services raise to 115, allowing the public to register and request the services of Town Planning, Infrastructure and Municipal services; making it easier for them to avail themselves of these services wherever and whenever they need it, in an effort to streamline and simplify the procedures and saving time and efforts.

The new service addition comes in the context of the Municipality’s message to provide the best standards of the effective and customer-eccentric municipal services as part of its strategy of continuing the progress and using the latest technologies and techniques aimed to boost the performance and meet customers’ requirements in a comfortable way to the best international practices, which would further strengthen the Municipality’s leading position and its corporate identity.

The Municipality provides diverse spectrum of e-services, including 64 building permit services, 14 road and infrastructure services, 7 public health services, 5 lands and property services, 9 parks and recreational facilities services, 7 urban planning services and 9 spatial data services thus making up 115 services in total.

The Municipality has been keen on streamlining the procedures of service provision and registration by logging-in to the link www.adm.gov.ae/English/eservices/registrationMode.aspx. The customer selects the type of account, i.e. “corporate or individuals”, fill in details and enter mobile phone number to complete registration. Afterwards, a welcoming SMS will be sent containing the customer’s Personal Identification Number (PIN). Upon verification of the request, an SMS will be sent to the customer stressing the importance of reporting to the Municipality for personality verification, and activate the customer’s account after which the customer can benefit from the full range of services anytime and anywhere.

The Municipality’s recently adopted initiative to receive the public at external centers on Saturdays every week at Al Wathbah, Al Bateen and Al Shahama; was widely welcomed by the public and customers who found it to be a flexible and well-timed mechanism suiting all, particularly employees whose working circumstances do not allow them to complete their transactions except on Saturday which is an official holiday. The initiative was also considered a step further in the context of the Municipality’s social responsibility and its interaction with the needs and requirements of customers.

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City managed to develop a customer services strategy which was met with the satisfaction and trust from the public owing to the progress in the quality, standard and scale of services the Municipality has successfully, accurately and rapidly provided, and distinguished working environment supported by competences, techniques and processing procedures with full attention to customers minute details.

During 2010, the Municipality provided 187 services to customers through its external centers at Al Wathba, Al Bateen and Al Shahama; which render integrated services to the public and customers under one roof without having to report to the main center. This reflects the Municipality’s policy of implementing the best international practices and activating its relationship with its customers by getting to them at their doorsteps for their own comfort.

The Municipality has also achieved a quantum leap in the standard of services by providing all Municipal services at its external centers at Al Wathba, Al Bateen and Al Shahama. The same services will shortly be made available at Musaffah and Zaafranah Centers. The services provided in these centers are typical to those provided at the main center, namely 187 services (with the exception of sale, purchase and real estate trading transactions), in order to minimize the pressure on the Main Center, serve customers where they live and save time and effort.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City Equips 32 Sports Venues

2011-02-22T02:49:00.001-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has equipped 32 venues for kids and youngsters to practice different sports and games. These venues comprise 6 design models, each tailored to serve a specific age group as part of a 21 Million AED worth integrated project to be carried out in phases to equip 120 venues in different areas of Abu Dhabi Island and the Mainland.

The project mainly targets the age group 3 – 14 years. All venues have been selected on the basis of population density as well as children’s distribution and concentration taking into account that the distance between venues and residential districts should not exceed 350 – 400 meters in order to provide children and youngsters with easy access and ensure optimum use of these facilities as avenues.

Engineer Abdullah Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector, said, “The project, which comes in the context of interaction between the Municipality and all community segments, is intended to expand the scope of service delivery and provide comfortable welfare facilities through multiple outlets, including the designation of venues at residential districts for children to practice various sports and recreational activities in a safe environment in which all safety, security and health standards are met. In addition, the project is also important in so far as it improves the general appearance of the city as well,” he noted.

Al Shamsi described the project as one of the leading projects undertaken by the Municipality to provide avenues and create numerous options for the capital’s population under the framework of its social responsibility. He revealed that the aim of the Municipality was also to create a stimulus for people to visit these facilities developed by the Municipality to the best standards in terms of healthy environment and modern amentias as well as a safe environment for all family and community members at large.

In the same context, engineer Ahmed Badr Al Muraikhi, Director of Parks and Recreational Facilities, said: “In providing its services, the Municipality focuses on how to reach all segments of the public wherever they are; which explains the reason for fitting this large number of venues to the best international standards in terms of structure, and safety along with the provision of essential instructions & equipment in appropriate sizes while addressing the geographic distribution, design principles, specifications and the nature of the community and environment”.

“All venues have been fitted with facilities for ground games and entertainment equipment selected to fit various age groups in addition to sunshades, rubber floors and all other requirements such as seats, lighting and other fixtures. The designated venues are surrounded with plant and metal fences to ensure that children do not slip out unattended by their custodians,” added Al Muraikhi.

He indicated that the step came in conformity with the Municipality’s quest to enable all community segments take advantage of these facilities taking into consideration the need of the physically impaired children and youngsters to share with their counterparts the services and facilities in place. “For this purpose, the venues have been equipped with such facilities that are appropriate for these groups to enable them practice their hobbies in a safe environment compatible to their health condition, while paying every attention to ensure that all facilities have been fitted to the required safety standards befitting the targeted age groups,” concluded the Director of Parks and Recreational Facilities.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City holds sports festival at Khalifa Park

2011-02-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

200 players from various clubs and schools of the capital

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has held a sports festival at Khaleefa Park featuring participation of about 200 players and students hailing from various clubs and schools of Abu Dhabi city in the context of “Improve your Performance” program aimed at encouraging community members to practice the sport and embedding the culture of constructive competition between the youth of various cultures besides enhancing the role of public parks.

The festival, which was held by the Municipality in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Education Council and Al Jazeerah Sports Club, was attended by more than 500 persons including parents of Emirati students, resident communities and strategic partners who praised the importance of the initiative in boosting the communication between the community members and encouraging the youth to utilize their leisure time in useful activities.

Dr. Badria Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service, said: “The underlying objectives of these events is to utilize the resources available at various parks of our capital, diffuse the sporting awareness, inculcate the sound concepts of physical & sports activities and boost the sense of team spirit as an educational dimension of sports contests.

“Such activities fall under the context of the Municipality’s social responsibility as they help build up a generation a soundly built both physically and mentally, promote the proper social & behavioral patterns among our students to instill in them the feeling of self-confidence, and foster the constructive competition spirits among them,” added Badria.

The number of teams that took part in the festival, which was held over one fully day, reached 16 teams including 12 teams taking part in football competitions and the other 4 teams, were engaged in volleyball events. Al Karama Club Team clinched the title of the soccer competition (under 11 years) and Etihad Airways Team was the runner-up, while the Bin Hamodah School Team finishing third.

In the soccer competitions (under 13 years), Al Karama Club Team also finished first, followed by Etihad Airways Team in the second position, with the Bin Hamodah School Team ranking third.

In the volleyball competitions, it was Al Jazira Team (A) which has finished first, followed by Al Jazira Team (B) as second and Bin Hamodah School Team ranking third.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City inaugurates jogging track on the Arabian Gulf Street

2010-12-21T02:21:00.001-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has inaugurated Today morning (Tuesday) a jogging track on Arabian Gulf (Al Khaleej Al Arabi) Street at Al Mushrif as part of a master project envisaging the construction of 5200-meter long jogging tracks across the city, involving addressing other associated works such as site preparation, maintenance, irrigation, landscaping, sewage and infrastructure.

The opening of this jogging track comes in the context of the Municipality's drive to promote communal health and encourage the capital's residents & visitors of all ages to avail themselves of the facilities in place and maintain healthy habits in line with the Municipality's endeavours to improve the quality of the social in a healthy environment, and elevate the level of services offered in Abu Dhabi city to make it one of the best capitals worldwide.

The jogging track on Arabian Gulf St at Al Mushrif length extends 2400 meters from the ADNOC Petrol Station up to the Federal Passports Bridge. This track will soon be equipped with all service and health facilities, including muscles building equipment, benches, water coolers, vendor machines of soft drinks/beverages, litter baskets and other necessary services that encourage the practicing of jogging sport and maintaining the environment & public health. Another jogging track will soon be opened at Afrah Al Nahyan Yard extending 800 meters, at Mohammed bin Khalifa Street and Khalifa bin Shakhboot Street, comprising two tracks, one for jogging and the other for biking.

While inaugurating the jogging track on Arabian Gulf St, engineer Abdullah Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Infrastructure and Municipal Assets Sector, said: "This initiative comes in the context of the Municipality's efforts to serve the needs of the community in practicing recreational and sports activities and accordingly contribute to raising the standard of living in the city, maintain health and physical fitness and create an attractive environment that encourages the practice of jogging and benefiting from the resources in place."

"Currently, there are other two tracks being constructed; one at Al Mushrif, in the surroundings of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed School for Boys, extending 1100 meters and is scheduled for opening next January, and the other is at Zafarana on Street 29 rounding the 6th of August School for Girls, extending 900 meters, which will be opened in the first quarter of 2011," added Al Shamsi.

"These projects, which are implemented to the best technical and health standards, enable users practice jogging in a healthy, environmental and suitable atmosphere as reflected in landscaped areas and enhanced beautification that ensures maintenance of sustainability values and environmental protection. These tracks are being equipped to the best standards including the provision of sunshades for the convenience and protection of joggers, and superb structures built at high technical specifications befitting the climatic conditions of heat, dust and humidity. Such facilities are characterized by easy maintenance, cleaning and durability, besides addressing the requirements of safety, cleanness and ventilation. The long stretches offer the possibility of making continuous running, as much as needed, in a hospitable social and environmental surrounding. The overall objective of providing these facilities marks the continuous efforts made by the Municipality to live up to its social responsibility and showcase the importance of these amenities as an attractive venue for families to practice sport in a clean environment with a host of diverse options," concluded Al Shamsi.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City opens Sheikh Zayed Bridge

2010-11-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

Under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City inaugurated the “Sheikh Zayed Bridge which reflects a new strategic dimension aimed at keeping pace with the comprehensive development drive witnessed by Abu Dhabi Emirate Under the auspices & noble directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, as supported and followed up by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Chairman of the Executive Council - Abu Dhabi, to carry on with the development drive and boost the infrastructure through undertaking mega projects at world-class standards.

Marking the opening of Sheikh Zayed Bridge, His Excellency Khalifa Mohammed Al Mazroui, General Manager of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: Thanks to these efforts, this iconic achievement has been made possible to add to the portfolio of giant achievements made in Abu Dhabi over the last years.

The Bridge opening comes in the context of the Municipality’s Strategic Plan, which is aligned with the core goals set in Abu Dhabi Strategic Plan 2030 defining the overall architectural plan for developing Abu Dhabi city to place it at par with other top cosmopolitan cities worldwide. The Bridge, which ranks up among the mega projects undertaken by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, stands out as an iconic landmark of the capital, and an imposing & unique architectural showpiece poised to redefine the traffic map from and to the capital in the context of efforts made under the directives of the wise leadership to achieve sustainability.

“The opening of the Bridge will bring about a structural change in the flow of traffic from and to Abu Dhabi Island, particularly as it is coupled with the completion of a host of state-or-the-art road projects and other ones to be opened in the near future; which together contribute to reshaping the capital into a global model of urban development that goes hand in hand with the demographic and geographic expansion seen by the capital,” said Al Mazroui.

He continued: “The Bridge, which was designed by the global architect Zaha Hadid, features creative artistic and aesthetic elements that fit well with the extensive prosperity witnessed in all walks of social, economic and cultural life of Abu Dhabi city. The design showcases the aesthetic and ecological values as well as the concepts of sustainability adopted by the Emirate in conformity with the overall strategy of Abu Dhabi Government 2030 under the ultimate goal of raising the profile of the capital to be among the top metropolitan cities in the globe”.

“The Bridge is a vital crossing between Abu Dhabi Island and the mainland as it provides an eastern link towards the northern side across Al Maqta canal, and as such it is set to ease the traffic congestion on Al Maqta and Musafah bridges and integrate the road network connecting suburban areas of Abu Dhabi and downtown in a safe and speedy manner through linking Abu Dhabi city with other areas outside the Island in both directions as part of the vital projects undertaken by the Municipality,” added the General Manager of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City.

Architectural Masterpiece

Sheikh Zayed Bridge is considered a stunning architectural showpiece. In terms of time efficiency and endurance standards, the Bridge is expected to have a lifespan of not less than 120 years. The Bridge is characterized by three undulated steel arches symbolizing the sand dunes; a typical characteristic of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Unequal in size, these arches are connected to concrete shoulders by suspended pre-tensioned steel supports and firm crossed girders designed to tolerate a wind speed up to 160 km/h. In technical terms, due consideration was given to the importance of the bridge being in harmony with the local environment and beautiful pattern making it an outstanding architectural masterpiece.

The Bridge stretches 850 meters in length and comprises 8 lanes; four in each direction, thus absorbing intensive traffic estimated at 8,000 vehicles per hour in each direction i.e. 16,000 vehicles per hour in the both directions. It also includes a pedestrian footway and road shoulder in each direction providing safe haven for stopped vehicles and emergency cases and assisting in the smooth traffic in both directions. A total of 666 piles of a total length of 15 km were erected and nearly 480 tons of concrete, 35 tons of reinforced steel, 5,000 tons of pre-tensioned metal structures and 2,000 tons of base steel were used in construction.

The bridge is also fitted with supporting structures resistant to high maritime shocks as well as with high-resistant concrete safety barriers. In building the bridge, special anti-corrosive concrete, rust-proof metals and base isolators were used. External surfaces are painted and protected against atmospheric/weather conditions and climate changes. The arches are fitted with a ventilation system to control humidity level and prevent rust formation. Longitudinal and latitudinal pre-compressed concrete has also been used to prevent any cracks owing to potential design loads.

It is worth-mentioning that engineer Zaha Hadid who has designed Sheikh Zayed Bridge, is an Iraqi-born architect who has a tremendous repute in the architecture industry worldwide. She is a regular / visiting professor in several universities and has designed a number of pioneer, distinctive and unique projects in all continents such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, USA, other projects in Taiwan and Italy among others. She has also been accredited with plethora of global awards for her innovative architectural design such as Pritzker urban planning Award; which is an equivalent version of Nobel Award.

GEOSYNTHETICS MIDDLE EAST 2010 - 3rd International Conference

2010-11-01T03:22:00.000-07:00

The fast, yet outstanding development and growth of the United Arab Emirates is proven to be a real commitment to the whole world, that every international and best in class company around the world has set an objective to make the United Arab Emirates, home to its future business endeavors and horizon. These business opportunities, provided at the national and international levels alike, would not have existed today, without the commitment and efforts by the UAE Government in ensuring and providing a competitive infrastructure to accomplish the vision of the United Arab Emirates.

SKZ the German Plastic Institute and BMC Gulf are honored to present the 3rd International Conference.

This event will provide a highly attractive platform for international geotechnical and environmental specialists to exchange their knowledge and experience on Geosynthetic related topics, research and design, construction engineering, case studies and field experiences. The conference will attract industry experts of various backgrounds including engineers, designers, consultants, manufacturers, contractors and government agencies, and will therefore also provide a rich networking environment.

With the support of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as Head Sponsor for this event, the Geosynthetics Middle East 2010 will once again contribute to the quality of the construction projects throughout the region, increasing their value and considerably extending their service life.

Conference Focus:

Recent developments and future opportunities for: Geomembranes, Waterproofing Membranes, Clay-Liners, Geotextiles, Geogrids, Geocomposites, Geocells, Geopipes, Glassgrids

Applications & Case Studies Environmental Protection, Water Reservoirs, Artificial Lakes, Dams, Tunneling, Roads, Landfills, Retaining Walls and Marine Structures, Foundation Waterproofing and Mining

Design & Installation Design Requirements, Installation Methodology, Product Durability & Sustainability, Advanced Welding Technologies

Testing, Quality Assurance & Certification in the Middle East

International Regulations & Standards

Confirmed Speakers:

Eng. Abdulla S. Al Shamsi
Executive Director of Infrastructure and Municipal Assets in the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City (UAE)

Dr. Ian D. Peggs
Consultant for Geosynthetics I-Corp International Inc. (USA)

Dipl.-Ing. Albert Lueghammer
Expert for Thermoplastic Lining Systems and Technical Manager of AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH (Austria)

Dr. Rami El-Sherbiny
Quality Assurance Specialist for Geosynthetic Lining Systems Cairo University - Faculty of Engineering (Egypt)

Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Zanzinger
Expert for Product Certification SKZ (Germany)

For further information and conference updates please visit www.geosyntheticsme.com

Asematy: Our City, Our Responsibility

2010-10-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Asematy” is an initiative launched under the patronage of her highness Shaikhah Fatima bint Mubarak; supreme chairperson of the Family Development Foundation and chairwoman of the UAE General Women's Union, by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City as part of its efforts to maintain the health, safety and security of the community and the environment, as well as to improve the capital’s unique aesthetic appearance by keeping it clean and beautiful.

Asematy initiative objectives:

- Improve the city’s appearance
- Community engagement with the general public and private companies
- Raise public awareness of the risks these damages present and their
negative impact on residential neighborhoods
- Create a healthy and clean environment

Agriculture: Random Planting, Any plantation that was not made through the Municipality or that does not comply with urban planning, Systematic Planting: trimming of trees that leads to low visibility on the roads or block lights or paths.

Roads: Damage to asphalt, sidewalks, paint on curbstones and pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, road signs and street lamps.

General Appearance: Writing on walls, unlicensed caravans and structures, illegal use of outdoor spaces, and deteriorating buildings.

For more information and location of the tent visit http://www.adm.gov.ae/

Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival 2010

2010-09-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival will take place on Saturday 16th October on the Abu Dhabi Corniche. Held under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Beaches, the Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival is destined to become the UAE’s most coveted community open water swimming event within Abu Dhabi.

There will be various races open to the public along with relay races for schools, businesses and families to compete against one another. For all spectators there is the chance to have breakfast on the beach whilst they support their family, friends or colleagues.

The Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival will include a charitable component with donations of 5AED from each participant going to the Donate a Brick campaign for Abu Dhabi Special Care Centre.
The event encourages healthy living and active lifestyle amongst the local community and aims to become an iconic event which celebrates Abu Dhabi’s unique Corniche and Beaches, which rival the best public beaches in the World
All entrants will receive breakfast on the beach courtesy of Park Rotana Hotel and be entered into a prize draw to win a family holiday to Asia courtesy of Etihad Holidays.
Main events:
The Waha Capital Abu Dhabi Mile (1.6km) Prize: 5,000 AED

The Etihad Holidays Splash Dash (700m) Prize: 2 x Business Class flights to any Etihad Airways European destination

The National Father/Mother (200m) and Child (100m) Relay

The Abu Dhabi Corporate Relays (4 x 200m)

The Carboholix School Relay Races (4 x 100m)

Check out www.swimabudhabi.com for more information and to register for any of the events.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City shares Eid celebrations with kids at Khalifa Hospital

2010-09-13T04:42:00.001-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City organized a day of festivities featuring participation of 100 sick children admitted to Khalifa Hospital in a human gesture aimed at cheering them up marking the occasion of the blessed Eid al-Fitre. The event included presenting folklore exhibits and music spots as well as give-away items, games, books and children tales. The event is part of the Municipality’s social responsibility and attention to human initiatives to foster noble social values of communication, compassion and solidarity across the community.

The itinerary of the visit, which was coordinated by the Municipality’s Community Services Division, included welcoming children, inquiring after their health, offering support to them, presenting cartoon plays, displaying folklore and suitable musical pieces, and distributing gifts, books and tales; which were warmly received by children who also posed for photographs to memorize the event; which was also encouraged and appreciated by the management of Khalifa Hospital.

Visiting the sick children initiative comes in the context of the Municipality’s strategy to interact with all sectors of the community, including healthy and sick children as well, with the aim of giving them fun and joy during social events and Eids to alleviate their suffering, restore their self-confidence, and instill hope & optimism in their souls. The move also echoes the overall objectives & ongoing efforts of the Municipality to support the community and share religious events with patients, particularly among those staying for long periods far from their families, during these social events.

During Ramadan, the Municipality made a visit to Surgery Ward, Khalifa Hospital to visit the sick, know more about their health condition and offer them token gifts. The initiative is part of the events that reflect the attention of the Municipality towards establishing a constructive model of community partnership through running social events & programs directly or in collaboration with the strategic partners, such as public & private entities, based on offering a variety of services to community members.

Inline Skate, Skateboard and BMX Competitions

2010-04-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City invites you to attend Inline Skate, Skateboard and BMX Competitions on Saturday 10th of April at Skating Park in the Formal Park, Abu Dhabi. From 10am till 9pm.

Activities include:

- Inline Skate Competition
- Skateboard Competition
- BMX Competition
- Skate amateurs show
- Draws and prizes for audience

Light dawns on millions more as Earth Hour nears

2010-03-23T00:18:00.001-07:00

During Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple....turning off their lights for 1 hour.

Switching off the lights for just an hour may not reverse decades of environment degradation but presents an opportunity t acknowledge efforts being made in the present to conserve resources for the future.

Some 400,000 people across the UAE joined Earth Hour event last year, adding to widespread public interest in over 100 countries worldwide. This year, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City will be contributing by turning off the lights in and around the main building (Salam Street) from 8:30-9:30 PM.

And you can do your bit for the movement by turning off your non-essential lighting for one hour on Saturday from 8:30 – 9:30 P.M Earth Hour - you will join millions of people around the world in their commitment to fight climate change and send a message to leaders that the time to act is now. For more information and to sign-up for this initiative visit:
http://www.uae.panda.org/what_we_do/projects2/earth_hour22/

With every flick of a light switch, a vote is cast for lasting action on the escalating climate crisis!

Municipality of Abu Dhabi launches Community Market at Khalifa Park

2010-03-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is launching a Community Market initiative; a platform where the participating families can exhibit a diverse range of products and home-made items; which starts of Saturday 20th March and continues up to 30th April 2010, opens at 04.00 pm to 10.00 pm daily during the week days, and the closing time is extended during weekends up to 12.00 am (midnight) at Khalifa Park; Abu Dhabi.

The initiative which is being organize in coordination with the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police and Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development; involves the provision of a wide spectrum of activities; which include funs, games, adventures, live shows, sports quizzes, music & artistic shows, folklores, foods and several other recreational activities; which promise to offer entertainment to all segments of the community of various ages, cultures and inclinations.

Dr. Badirah Al Dhahiri, Director of Community Service Division at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, said: “The Community Market initiative has diverse economic & social dimensions as it helps the participating families, to exhibit their products to a wider population. It is also viewed as a family gathering in an open, receptive and social marketing platform offering a host of diverse activities, rich events and fun spots; which would realize the objectives of the Municipality to up the social interaction and communication through launching initiatives targeting the whole community.

“Home-made products are usually characterized by high quality & diversity, and the UAE has a diverse range of multi-cultural communities. People naturally have a tendency and aspiration to explore and taste other people’s experiments and cultures, hence family products always entice people to try and experience them.

This prompts the participating families to improve their products in terms of shape and content, particularly noting that the exhibition is featured by diverse products spanning clothes, foodstuffs, handicrafts, traditional foods, perfumes, incense and other products which are attractive to visitors of different backgrounds, tastes and ages. It remains to be said that much emphasis is placed on quality and safety as preconditions for any commodity to be offered” said Badriah in a final remark.

Spacetoon shows inspires kids in “Ajial” at Khalifa Park

2010-02-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

Organized by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City at Khalifa Park, Ajial has attracted huge numbers of children of various ages who poured in from day one of the festival (Sunday) with considerable attention particularly given to watch Spacetoon recreational shows at the designated theatre. The event is intended to attract participation of the largest possible number of kids to the funny & thrilling cultural & social enjoyable programs & shows presented by famous Spacetoon cartoonists.

Spacetoon shows will continue to run today and up to Saturday from 05.00 pm to 07.45 pm in a funny atmosphere with diverse spots starting with the reception of children along with their parents, a cartoon walk in the park with kids, short theatrical shows interceded by light songs and music pieces, carton dances, oriented cultural quizzes, and giveaway items to kids.

It is worth-mentioning that Ajial Abu Dhabi events have attracted huge participation and intense public turnout, thanks to the multiple sports and shows on offer for all, including women, musical spots, and horse & camel riding among others. Events start daily from 03.00 pm and continue through 10.00 pm during weekdays, and from 02.00 pm to 12.00 am (midnight) during weekends.

During the previous days, family’s attendance to the Park was noticeable, with participants hailing from all ages and nationalities. The playground area included a host of shows such as bunji jumping, Skating, auto races and shooting; where ample spaces have been set for kids to practice these activities in a safe environment, while the sports yard attracted considerable numbers of youth and youngsters.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launches “Ajial “ at Khalifa Park

2010-02-01T03:50:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday witnessed the start of “Ajial” events; which is organized by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and last two weeks at Khalifa Park synchronized with the start of the vacation of the first school semester. The event underscores the attention of the Municipality to activate the cultural & festive events during the season and school vacation as part of its strategy to enhance the interaction with all segments of the community, including residents and visitors of metropolitan Abu Dhabi.

Events, which were kicked off at 03.00 pm, witnessed intensive public attention, included several sports events, ladies-exclusive events, musical shows, and horse & camel riding among others. Daily events start at 03.00 pm and continue up to 12.00 pm throughout the week days, while on the weekend days events will start at 12.00 pm (noon time) and continue through 12.00 am (midnight).

The first two days saw wide public participation from all age groups and nationalities, particularly at Games areas; which included Al Banji, skiing, auto races, and shooting. Ample spaces were set for children in a safe environment for kids activities, and the sports zone attracted considerable numbers of youth and juniors.

Events also included acrobatic shows presented by highly professional teams, music spots and ladies exclusive events including handicrafts, embroidery, beatification and dresses, local & international.

The Municipality has allocated the events areas at the Park in a creative manner; with spaces set for fast foods, refreshments, cafés, photography, video, first aid clinics, emergency cases, security point and cleaning unit.

Ajial - Fun and Learning for Everyone

2010-01-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has initiated 'Ajial', an exciting activities programme that encourages individuals to develop their physical as well as mental capabilities. It offers participants an opportunity to engage with others, learn something new and have some fun.

Activities Timing:

Date: From 31 January to 13 February
Timing: From 3 pm till 10 pm during weekdays and from 2 pm till midnight during weekends
Venue: Khalifa Park

Activities:

Rides
Zorbing
Horse back riding
Aerialist Show, stilt walkers show + training
Skill games 6 Pcs
Trampoline for kids
TRIKKE scooters
Climbing wall
ATV
Flying fox
BMX free style show + training
Adventure Park
Skate board free style show + training
Remote control cars show + competitions
Roller Blade free style show + training
Remote Control Helicopter
Free Diving from 20 meters high
Football free style 3 artist + 1 coach : show + training + football games
Break Dancers show + training
Music Bands on Stage
Open Air Cinema
Arts and Crafts + face painting
Virtual games area full interactivity
BUZZ GAME on big screen
Karaoke
Paintball
Archery training
Shows: light drummers all kind of music
Magician Show + training
Clowns show + training
Celebration of the illumination (sound, light and pyrotechnics during the weekend)
Competitions

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City National Day celebrations attract 10.000 visitors

2009-12-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City National Day celebrations attracted more than 10 thousand visitors who were in hand at Al A’ayad Village, at Abu Dhabi Corniche Park to celebrate the 38th UAE National Day. The festivities, which were kicked off in a style by a special presentation narrating the history and dive of the UAE federation, ended with a bang marked with a late-night party where the UAE popular singer Hussain Al Jasmi was the star.

Al A’ayad festival, which continues up until January 2nd 2010, proves to be very rich in events spanning a wide spectrum of spots that include heritage, folklore, artistic, sports, recreational, handicrafts, free drawing studios, surprises packages, children playgrounds and several others that promises to be highly attractive to all family members.

Al Jasmi sets the National Day celebrations alive at Abu Dhabi

2009-11-30T04:45:00.000-08:00

Al A’ayad Festival held by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City gathers momentum with the participation of the Emirati popular singer Hussain Al Jasmi, in a party that will continue late into the night of Wednesday December 2nd 2009 at Al A’ayad Village, Abu Dhabi Corniche marking the celebrations of the 38th UAE National Day. The function, which starts at 09.00 pm and includes special shows depicting the rich history and drive of the UAE federation, is expected to attract huge crowds of citizens, residents and visitors.

Al A’ayad Festival, which runs through 2 January 2010, includes heritage, artistic, folklore and several other spots. It also includes numerous events and surprise packages, sports & recreational workshops, handicrafts, free drawing studios, and children playing yard among others, such that the festival promises to be highly attractive to all family members.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi launches a season of festivities and National Day celebrations

2009-11-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

Today, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City launches Eids Festival, the “Aayad Village”, in Formal Park at Abu Dhabi Corniche.

The festival commences on the eve of Eid-al-Adha and will continue for 38 days, including the official celebrations of the 38th UAE National Day. Festivities will continue through, January 2, 2010, and will include diverse heritage, artistic, sports and folklore events. The event will also include art and handicraft workshops, children’s play areas and games, amongst other events and surprises.

Each of the 38 days of the festival, celebrating the 38 years of the United Arab Emirates, will bring a new surprise. Events include musical concerts featuring key singers, including the Lebanese singer Elissa on the evening of the 27th of November, and the UAE popular singer Hussain Al Jasmi, on the evening of National Day, Wednesday December 2nd,.

The Aayad Village and its program of events in Formal Park are designed to attract all members of the Abu Dhabi community.

Season of Festivities & National Day celebrations

2009-11-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Eid Festivities kicked off on 26 November in the “Aayad Village” at the Formal Park at Abu Dhabi Corniche and will continue for 38 days, including the official celebrations of the 38th UAE National Day. Festivities will continue through January 2, 2010 and will include diverse heritage, artistic, sports, music and folklore events.

The event will also include art and handicraft workshops, children’s play areas and games, amongst other events and surprises.

Each of the 38 days of the festival, celebrating the 38 years of the United Arab Emirates, will bring a new surprise!

Following is the program of Mahrajan el Aayad 2009

Date: effective 26th Of November till 2nd of January

Opening hours: Daily 5:00PM - 11:00PM

Event Audience: Open to all Community Residents & visitors of Abu Dhabi

Venue: Formal Park at the Corniche

The festival includes the following activities:

Arts & Crafts Exhibition and Bazaar
Children's area, including games
Activities for Teenagers and Adults
Heritage and Handicraft displays
Folklore and Traditional Performances
Entertainment and shows
Live Music Performances
Food & Beverage area

For detailed list of activities click here

As preparation for Formula 1 continues, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City constructs 6640 car parks

2009-11-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has completed construction of around 6640 temporary car parks in preparation for Formula 1 Championship which will be staged in Yas Marina Circuit at the capital city Abu Dhabi, October 30th.

The new Formula 1 Circuit parking project spans an area of 270,000 square meters and has a parking capacity for about 6398 cars in addition to 242 parking slots for buses. The project is part of the strategy of the Municipality to provide classy services for the residents and visitors of the UAE capital city.

The step comes in the context of the efforts of the Municipality to provide easily accessible parking areas for the residents & visitors of the city, ease the traffic flow in the events area, and avoid creating negative traffic impacts in other parts of the city. This is particularly relevant as the Grand Prix event is set to attract huge numbers of spectators from within and outside the UAE, as it is the first time to host the event in Abu Dhabi.Meanwhile cooperation is in hand between Abu Dhabi Municipality and the Department of Transport to deploy 44 directional signage to be distributed in various parts of the city, such as Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Road, Cornish Road, Airport Road and Arabic Gulf Road to name a few.

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City Conducts Community Services Survey

2009-11-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is conducting a Community Services Survey among residents in Abu Dhabi City across different ages and neighbourhoods aimed at gauging satisfaction and progress with leisure space provision. You could be one of the randomly chosen people to give your opinion of city community services starting the week of October 26, and continuing for a period of 5 weeks.

Awaidha Al Qubaisi, Acting Executive Director of Municipal Services at Municipality of Abu Dhabi City stated: “The Survey is designed to engage and encourage residents in Abu Dhabi City to participate in a quick interview in order to gather their opinion on standards and measure their satisfaction with parks, beaches and other community services across the city. It also seeks residents’ input for future services to be provided through neighbourhood community centres. Their views will help planners at Municipality of Abu Dhabi City gain insight into the issues concerning people who use the facilities and help them improve both current and future public areas”.

“We know open spaces and community facilities are of real importance to city dwellers and a valuable boost to quality of life in the urban environment,” Awaidha added. “Information like this will provide us with a far better knowledge of what people need, like and want from their public spaces and help us provide the quality of service to which Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is so committed.”