Tyre dumping in busy Dubai residential area causes concern

Residents complain of thousands of tyres have been left to rot in Dubai's Muhaisnah 4 district

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - AUGUST 1, 2018. 

Vinu Panicker points at the dumping ground for tyres, opposite his home.

(Photo by Reem Mohammed/The National)

Reporter: Patrick Ryan
Section:  NA
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Residents of a district in Dubai have called for the clean-up of a yard that has become a dumping ground for old tyres.

One concerned resident in Dubai's Muhaisnah 4 district contacted The National to complain about a tyre dumping yard beside his property.

He said the yard had become an eyesore and he said it was unfair for residents to have to put up with thousands of tyres on their doorsteps that are degrading in the summer heat.

The matter was compounded, the resident said, by the presence of a vehicle salvage yard next door to the busy residential area.

“These kind of scrap materials being dumped near to residential areas are harmful to residents,” he said.

“In the summer, the degradation of rubber is much faster than in normal weather as it is dumped in an open yard.”

He said the yard was all the more incongruous given that Dubai has promoted itself as an environmentally friendly destination.

“I have lived in this neighbourhood for 15 years and have never seen anything this bad before,” he said.

“The heat is causing the tyres to decay at an accelerated rate. The very least that could be done is relocating them to somewhere that is not so close to a residential area.”

He said that he has been in conversation with other residents who all agree the tyres are an eyesore that should be moved far away from where families are living.

“There are any number of things that could be placed there instead. The municipality could use the space for a park for families,” he said.

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The problem of dumped tyres is nothing new in the UAE according to Emirates Environmental Group chairperson Habiba Al Mar’ashi.

“Our organisation is very well aware of the issues around tyre waste. It is something that we come across every year when we conduct our Clean Up UAE campaign,” she said.

“Our volunteers have found tyres discarded in all areas from beaches to remote desert areas, mountains and wadis.”

She said there are very clear reasons for the problems with tyres being dumped in the UAE.

“The reason for the improper disposal of tyres lies in the lack of awareness among the UAE community on the potential environmental damages it can cause,” she said.

This damage includes leaching, combustibility and acting as the ground for disease-carrying-pest breeding.

“Our organisation strives to mitigate the problem through education and awareness programmes along with the clean-up campaigns, however we would like to see the proper implementation of stringent regulations, to ensure the proper disposal of the tyres,” she said.

The National approached Dubai Municipality but no comment had been given at time of publishing.