City watch: Sewage menace

Authorities have busted a fraud involving sewage tankers that’s causing widespread pollution and endangering public health and safety. Dubai Municipality’s Drainage and Irrigation Department has caught over 50 tankers illegally discharging raw sewage around the city, but fears this is only the tip of the iceberg.

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Tired of long waiting lines at the Al Aweer Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to discharge their tankers, many operators are making a fortune by dumping raw sewage down the closest storm drain instead. This allows them to make more than 10 times the normal trips per day. They charge up to Dh2,000 per trip.

"The storm drain system is totally separate from the sewerage system," says Abdul Majeed Abdul Aziz Saifaie, Head of the Sewerage and Irrigation System Section, Drainage and Irrigation Department. "The storm drain system is designed to handle only clean water; it’s not equipped to handle raw sewage. The system discharges the water at five points around the city, including the Creek and public beaches."

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According to Saifaie, the tankers provide sewage disposal services to areas that are yet to be connected to Dubai’s drainage grid, mainly to temporary sites like labour camps and industrial areas that require daily trips. "I believe what these operators are doing is a criminal act. Not only are their actions detrimental to the environment, but they are also endangering the public by putting their health at great risk," he adds.

The municipality has one storm drain discharge point in the Ras Al Khor Bird sanctuary as a means to supply clean water. The chemicals and diseases found in raw sewage may contaminate the entire area, decimating the habitat.

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"These guys are like a mafia, they are very well organised," says Tariq Ahmad Al Shamsi, Operation Supervisor of the Sewerage and Irrigation System Section. "They know where all the storm drains are and have subtly marked them. They also have lookouts and informants all over the place keeping an eye out for any suspicious behaviour."

He adds, "A hidden discharge valve is installed under the tanker; this valve allows them to just drive over an open storm drain and empty the entire contents of the tanker in six minutes.

"In the last two or three months we’ve seen the number of tankers that come to discharge at the STP go down by about half. They must have found an alternate dumping mode. Every tanker must be registered to gain access to the STP and our electronic token system keeps a log of everything coming in and out. One of the companies has eight registered tankers, none of which has visited the STP in the last three months."

Saifaie says that a fine of Dh10,000 is slapped for a first offence as well as charging the culprits the cost of cleaning the storm drain. "The fine doubles for each subsequent offence. Unfortunately, our own regulations limit our fines to a maximum of only Dh50,000. Our fines are only a small setback to them, since each truck can make more than Dh25,000 per night."

The department has sought the help of Dubai Police CID. "We would like to ask the public to be observant of such violations. The only way we can make the fines stick is if we have photographic proof, with the licence plate number visible," informs Saifaie.

Health risks

Contact with raw sewage is dangerous. Some human diseases and parasites spread by sewage pollution include:

• Typhoid fever
• Bacterial dysentery (shigellosis)
• Cholera
• Meningitis
• Hepatitis A
• Amoebic dysentery
• Diarrhoea
• Tapeworms (cestodes)
• Parasitic nematodes (roundworms)
• Trematodes (liver flukes, etc.)