Abu Dhabi, 27 January 2016
Through Musaffah Municipal Center, the Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) has carried out an awareness campaign to educate the public about the rules governing the protection of the civilized appearance of the city. The campaign targeted industrial facilities, workshops, occupational shops and community members at Musaffah.
The campaign is launched in the context of Abu Dhabi municipal system’s keenness to enhance the cooperation with community segments and partners to foster the values and standards relating to the appearance of the city. The campaign is viewed as part of the Municipality’s efforts to eliminate the distorting practices marring the gorgeous outlook of the city in keeping with the Municipality’s objectives to nurture a civilized livable environment compliant with the health, environmental and aesthetical standards of towns, besides providing a work environment consistent with the conditions & standards of public health and safety.
The Municipality is seeking to unleash a series of educative campaigns targeting community members to highlight laws and regulations defining the relationship & cooperative prospects between entities concerned with the appearance of the city, and community members and segments including industrial & occupational facilities, to raise the awareness about the importance of solidarity towards maintaining the appearance of the city. The Municipality firmly believes that such concerted efforts will have a positive repercussion on the civilized living of residents in terms of environmental and health aspects as well as the overall appearance of the city.
Through this campaign, the Municipality aimed to educate the public about offences and laws providing for maintaining the appearance and health aspects at Musaffah Industrial Area. The team overseeing the campaign distributed leaflets & brochures in Arabic and other languages to owners of industrial facilities and workshops in addition to community members. These printed materials include guidance and instructions regarding the appearance of the city, and explanation of laws & rules relating to the preserving the appearance of the city and responsibilities shouldered by individuals and entities in this regard.
The Laws Guide of Abu Dhabi Emirate, which had been distributed to targeted individuals before the campaign, indicated that the Law No. 16/2009 regarding regulating the construction phase in Abu Dhabi Emirate, and the impact of these works on the public appearance of the city. The guide provides for a number of penalties applicable to offenders, and the Municipality called on community members, construction sites, workshops & industrial facilities to comply with the applicable laws to avoid being caught by such penalties & fines.
Some of these offences are harmful to the city such as engaging in construction works without erecting a temporary wall, lacking security & safety measures for pedestrians as well as surrounding buildings during the building or demolition works, lack of compliance of the boundary wall with the applicable standards during construction, carrying out construction or demolition works without a proper permit, and carrying out internal works such as internal or external partitioning without a permit. It also covers carrying out works falling short of the approved layout or technical assets, providing housing for workers & technicians at work sites without issuing them with permits, throwing waste in undesignated garbage-collection places & bins, generating sounds above the permissible levels, lacking protection of excavation works in areas adjacent infrastructural projects, and carrying out demolition works in a way that constitutes a risk to pedestrians and surrounding facilities as well as burning waste at site.
The list of offences comprise 32 articles ranging from fines of AED2000 to AED50,000 depending on the nature of the offence, and its impact on the environment in addition to the overall appearance of the city.
Under this context, the ADM calls on all community members to contribute to maintaining the civilized appearance of cities through eliminating all sorts of disfiguring aspects undermining the appearance of the city.
In keeping with its strategy of maintaining the appearance of cities, the ADM will continue with its inspection and educative campaigns. The Municipality is keen on up-keeping the public safety of all road users, and is therefore seeking to remove of all potential risks impacting the health and safety of residents.
The Municipality calls on all community members to support the Municipal strategies aimed at protecting the civilized appearance of cities, and nurturing the health & safety standards through complying with the required standards in this regard including protecting the civilized appearance and a safe working environment.