Old buildings in UAQ set to get a facelift

UMM AL QUWAIN — The authorities in Umm Al Quwain are mulling over demolishing the deserted and dilapidated buildings in the old city and constructing new buildings.

By Mohsen Rashid (Our staff reporter)

Published: Sat 29 Mar 2008, 9:34 PM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 6:51 PM

Several of the traditional houses which have been deserted by original landlords are now occupied by low-income expatriates.

This reporter visited a number of such houses and other landmarks, including the Kuwait Hospital, the first hospital in the emirate, as well as an abandoned cinema hall.

The municipality is carrying out studies about demolishing all deserted and dilapidated buildings in the old Umm Al Quwain city, Shaikh Ahmed bin Ahmed bin Khalid Al Mualla, Head of the Department of Planning and Survey of the UAQ government, said.

New buildings and facilities would be built in place of old ones keeping in line with the construction boom the emirate is witnessing, he said.

The new projects are designed to upgrade the standard of living of both nationals and expatriates in the emirate, Al Mualla said.

New projects

Most of these old buildings that would be replaced are near the beach. Once the new projects are completed, the beach side has the potential to become a tourist spot, attracting people from inside and outside the emirate, he said. Among the new projects are a cultural centre, a beach park and new premises of the Department of Economy.

Official sources said that Dh60 million has been allocated for building the new cultural centre, Dh8 million for the beach park and Dh70 million for new premises of the Department of Economy. Work on these three will be completed by October.

Dr Mousabbah Rashid Humaid, Director of the Umm Al Quwain Municipality, said many areas where traditional houses exist have become unsuitable for living such as Shabiat Al Jawazat.

He attributed this to an error made in the land survey as these are low-lying areas where water-logging is a huge problem during rain.

There are some other houses which are abandoned. Wild grass and plants grow in their yards, he said. They have become breeding grounds for insects, rats and reptiles, posing a threat to public health. The demolition plan is also because of this factor, he added.