Khalifa Port will be an environmental-friendly project

Khalifa Port, the offishore-port being developed by the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) at Taweela, has become more than an industrial project as its masterplan emphasises on preserving the natural environment while promoting economic growth.

It will be one of the first megaprojects launched since Plan 2030, a master framework for upgrading Abu Dhabi into a sustainable and thriving 21st-century community, was announced.

Under the plan the coast will receive new protection against the effects of industry and real estate development. Islands, sand dunes, sea, coastlines and native wildlife will be protected while "preserving the connection between humans and the surrounding environment," the plan states, even as the city triples in population, a report published by The National daily said.

In order to preserve the fragile marine ecosystems in the area the designers have located the port 4.6km offshore in the Gulf, and connected it to land by a bridge supported by concrete pillars.

"We didn't want to build something very near the shore because it would have impacted the corals," said Majid Yavary, the deputy director of capital projects at ADPC.

The decision to build offshore was taken following a two-year environmental study conducted by ADPC.

Describing the project as "the most extensive numerical modelling study ever done in this region", he said that the design ensures that coral communities will be unmolested by the shipping traffic further offshore.

A Wetlands National Park is planned just south of the Khalifa Port. Another protected area will be created among the mangroves and tidal flatlands just north of the new port, along the Dubai border.

"One thing that was made absolutely clear, crystal clear from the get-go, was that you shall not impact the environment," said Mr Yavary.

Such a directive may have seemed an daunting, given the project's scale by 2028, the port will handle 37 million tonnes of cargo and five million containers each year.

"For this project we have developed some of the best predictive tools in the region, in terms of the prediction of flows, water temperatures and tides" he said.

The Abu Dhabi Government has begun building the port at a cost of more than Dh37 billion (US$10.1bn) in 2005 and the project will also include a 140-square kilometre manufacturing zone and the world's largest aluminium smelter. WAM

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Environmental strategy for Abu Dhabi unveiled

The five-year environment strategy of the Abu Dhabi emirate has specified ten priority areas as the best way to protect environment and made them pivotal to the policy agenda of the emirate.

These include sustainability, comprehensive management of water resources, management and improvement of air quality, management of hazardous materials and waste, preservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of resources, creation of environmental awareness, development of a system for management of environment, health and safety, improvement of competence of the Environment Agency, formulation of a system to respond to environmental emergencies, comprehensive monitoring of environment and development of a data base.

The sustainability calls for programmes to protect the environment without depleting its resources as the population and the economic activities increase.

Considering the fact that only 3pc of ground water in the emirate is potable and the water consumption exceeds by far the limits of the renewable water supply, the strategy also aims at rational use of the water resources.

To limit air pollution caused by oil and gas production, power generation and traffic, and to bring down the carbon emission, the environment Agency will streamline policies and mechanisms to protect the quality of air.

Abiding by the Kyoto protocol and UN conventions on climate change, the emirate will also monitor strict control of carbon emission and limit activities damaging the ozone layer.

The strategy also calls for comprehensive plans for waste management and protection of the environment from hazardous materials, metals and chemicals used in the process of economic development.

The also makes among its priorities to protect the biodiversity, wildlife, natural habitats and marine ecology from any possible damages caused by population growth and extensive constructional activities.

Other priorities include programmes for creation of vast environmental awareness among people to make them participate in the process of environmental protection.

Abiding by the policies adopted by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council on the protection of environment, the Environment Agency will evolve a system for comprehensive management of environment, health and safety.

The priorities also include upgrading of the institutional competence of all the various segments to make them capable of protecting environment.

Other priorities include emergency management and development of an environment data base.

In a keynote address given at the launching ceremony, HE Mohammed Ahmed Al Bawardi, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council called on every citizen and resident in the emirate to be proactive to protect the environment.

'All of us need to contribute for a better future for us and for the coming generations'; Al Bawardi said.

'Climate change has become a reality we can't avoid. Water resources are becoming scarce, biodiversity is shrinking, air is getting polluted, diseases and epidemics are spreading, demand for energy is increasing, wastes are piling up, hazardous materials are posing threat of radioactivity, and population explosion is bringing new challenges', Al Bawardi depicted the current picture of the globe.

He called for cultivating habits of sustainability, a habit to protect the environment and its resources without depleting it. /WAM/

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Sir Bani Yas Wildlife Park to receive visitors soon

Sir Bani Yas Island, the private wildlife park created by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan nearly 40 years ago, is getting ready to receive its first tourists in just a few months.

The 87 square kilometre island, located 170km west of Abu Dhabi, should see visitors come ashore to a new resort later this year, said a report published by the Nationbal daily.

Predators, including a golden jackal and a striped hyena, were introduced as part of an attempt to deal with a wildlife population explosion that threatened to overwhelm the fragile 3,240-hectare habitat.

The new predators were born at the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah.

The changes are part of a master plan commissioned by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) to attract visitors to the island with a mix of resorts, eco-lodges and campsites, as well as a lagoon with dolphins.

The main nature reserve will not be finished until January, but the first phase of the resort could be ready by the end of the summer.

The first stage will feature a 64-room hotel, a spa and a campsite, which has been described as "outdoors simplicity meets luxurious hospitality".

Visitors will be shuttled to the island by seaplane or ferry. And from next year, boats will leave from the end of a two-kilometre long jetty at Marsa Jabel Dhanna, the future home of a second hotel.

Sheikh Zayed created Sir Bani Yas as a nature paradise for rare species, which included antelope and gazelles. He visited the island often, travelling with important visitors or members of the royal family.

Since Sheikh Zayed's death in 2004, the island's animal population has multiplied rapidly and today numbers about 17,000 creatures. This growth was helped along by the vegetation, kept lush by the five million gallons of water pumped from the mainland daily.

While two-thirds of the island will remain a nature reserve, the development plans have called for a substantial reduction in animals to about 4,000.

Priority will be given to native species, such as the Arabian oryx and sand gazelle. At 400 strong, the herd of oryx on the island is the largest in the world, despite being extinct in the wild in Abu Dhabi until recently.

Dr Jeremy Anderson, a South African conservation expert who is behind the project, said a number of other species would also be introduced to the island to create a more diverse population.

''The first batch of endangered Arabian tahr and threatened Nubian ibex will be delivered later this year, ''he said as quoted by The National.

"In the long run, we also plan to introduce vultures," he said.

Sir Bani Yas is a joint development between the Government and the private sector. It is expected to cost AED11.5 billion (US$3bn) and could attract 250,000 visitors when the first phase is completed in 2010. WAM

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Abu Dhabi launches 28th Tree Planting Week

The 28th Tree Planting Week, a UAE event celebrated nation-wide, has started today along Abu Dhabi Corniche in Abu Dhabi City.

The event which is held under the theme "Together for Green Emirates" is patronized by H.H General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and is organized by the Abu Dhabi department of municipal affairs.

Functions of the 28th Tree Planting Week were opened at the waterfront by head of the municipal affairs department Jou'an Salim Al-Dhaheri, secretary general of municipalities Jasim Mohammed Darwish and other officials.

Designed to promote the culture of environmental responsibility and raise awareness across the nation, the event will be celebrating huge planting, landscaping and beautification efforts by Abu Dhabi to extend its green belt. (WAM)

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Ministry of environment to develop new system for quarries management

HE Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, minister of environment and water, has announced that his ministry is working hard to develop a new system for regulating quarries business in coordination with relative local and federal entities.

''The new system will take into consideration public safety and environment conservation, the minister added.

In his meeting with newspapers representatives, the minister said, "We expect the new system to enter into service in the first half of this year" "About 50% of the services provided by the ministry will be electronized by the end of the current year," he added, pointing out that there are a number of initiatives proposed by the federal government aiming at mechanizing the services provided to the public. (WAM)

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Abu Dhabi launches EHSMS on Monday

The National Symposium on Abu Dhabi Emirate Environment, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) will begin Monday and run for three days at the Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi.

It will be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Environment Agency ? Abu Dhabi (EAD).

The EHSMS is an integrated management system that takes into consideration all aspects related to the protection of the environment, of human health and of the safety of workers and the community at large.

H.E Mohammed Al Bowardi, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; will deliver the keynote address.

Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary General of EAD and Chairman of the EHS Higher Committee and Dr. Basel Al Yousefi, Deputy Director, United Nations Environment Program/Regional office for West Asia along with experts from Australia and Canada will also address the event.

The symposium will cover international and national experiences in EHSMS and will focus mainly on the elements of Abu Dhabi Emirate EHSMS.

In December 2006, Abu Dhabi Emirate EHS Policy was issued by Abu Dhabi Executive Council, who also established an EHS Higher Committee in June 2007. (WAM)

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Masdar initiative breaks ground on carbon-neutral city of the future

Abu Dhabi today broke ground on Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. The global milestone event was marked by the laying of a virtual cornerstone by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and a visually stunning production depicting life in the city.
In conjunction with the groundbreaking, Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber announced a total development budget for the city of $22 billion. An essential driver for the development of the city is carbon finance. Carbon emissions reduced by Masdar City will be monetized under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.

In addition to full-time residents, Masdar City will seek to attract and encourage collaboration between experts in sustainable transportation; waste management; water and wastewater conservation; green construction, buildings and industrial materials; recycling; biodiversity; climate change, renewable energy and green financial institutions. Masdar will maximize the benefits of sustainable technologies, such as photovoltaic cells and concentrated solar power, through an integrated planning and design approach.

By implementing these technologies, Masdar City will save the equivalent of more than US $2 billion in oil over the next 25 years, based on today's energy prices. The city will also create more than 70,000 jobs and will add more than two percent to Abu Dhabi's annual GDP.

"We are creating a city where residents and commuters will live the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint," said Dr. Al Jaber.

"Masdar City will become the world?s hub for future energy. By taking sustainable development and living to a new level, it will lead the world in understanding how all future cities should be built." In addition, the city will achieve unprecedented levels of demand reduction. Highlights include: - Seventy-five percent reduction in installed power capacity; Masdar City will require approximately 200 MW of installed clean power versus more than 800 MW of installed capacity to power a similar city based on conventional design - Water needs cut by more than half; Masdar City will require around 8,000 m3 per day of desalinated water versus more than 20,000 m3 per day for traditional cities - Landfill area severely diminished; a city of this size would have required millions of square meters of landfill area; Masdar City will need virtually no landfill area.

The first step in the city's seven-phase plan is the development of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the world's first graduate university dedicated to renewable energy. Developed in collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009, MIST will maintain a body of students and professors focused on developing the next generation of solutions to the world?s growing dependence on fossil fuels.

The 6.5 kilometre district, located by Abu Dhabi International Airport, is designed by renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners and set to be completed in 2016 in conjunction with Abu Dhabi's 2030 Development Plan.

It will eventually grow to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents and will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy. Of this, 30 percent will be zoned for housing; 24 percent for the business and research district; 13 percent for commercial purposes, including light manufacturing; 6 percent for the MIST; 19 percent for service and transportation; and 8 percent for civic and cultural pursuits.

Masdar City is one of the flagship projects of the One Planet Living programme - a global initiative launched by WWF (also known as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Wildlife Fund). One Planet Living? aims to prove that it is possible to live within ecological limits and still improve the quality of people?s lives. One Planet Living? communities, such as Masdar, aim to put the principles of sustainability into practice, and Masdar City exceeds these principles.

Masdar City will be the home of the Masdar Initiative Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design. In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind.

The groundbreaking ceremony's electricity needs and carbon emissions were entirely offset by solar power reserves produced by Masdar's photovoltaic testing facilities. Since it began producing power for the national grid in December 2007, the facility has generated more than 5,500 kilowatt hours of electricity and saved more than four tons of CO2. (WAM)

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Masdar Initiative breaks ground on City of the Future

On 9 February at 6.30pm in Abu Dhabi, the Masdar Initiative will break ground on Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, powered entirely by renewable energy. Leading architects and engineers have come together from around the world to design Masdar City, which will save more than US$2 billion of oil over 25 years and serve as a benchmark for the next generation of green design.

During his keynote address, Masdar's CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber will announce previously unreleased details on the construction and financing of Masdar City. The event will be culminated by the laying of a "cornerstone." The entire groundbreaking will be offset by solar power reserves produced by Masdar's photovoltaic testing facilities.

This groundbreaking is the first physical step towards creating the home of the Masdar Initiative. The first phase of the city's seven-phase plan is the development of The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) - the world's only graduate school dedicated to renewable energy - developed in collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009.

Behind the scenes, two of the world’s leading architects, Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster, have clashed over claims of a “remarkable similarity” between their green city projects.

In the week that Foster & Partners confirmed the sale of a stake in the firm to private equity group 3i, the practice was forced to defend its Masdar City design, because of its resemblance to the neighbouring UAE development RAK Gateway by Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Ras Al Khaimah.

Koolhaas revealed his practice had sought an explanation from Foster’s because of perceived similarities, including scale, shape, sustainable aspects and the grid system both cities will employ.

Although the Dutch architect later stressed there was “no suspicion” of plagiarism, he was keen to point out that his scheme had come first. Foster & Partners responded by issuing a terse statement denying any real similarity between the schemes.

RAK Gateway, which has not been widely publicised, is a 4.5 square kilometre project proposed in Ras Al Khaimah for the RAK Investment Authority as a new town linking the entrace to Ras Al Khaimah from the southern Emirates and onto the picturesque region of Musandam and Oman. It was recently outlined by Koolhaas at the International Design Forum in Dubai.

“We want to establish that we launched this project in November last year,” Koolhaas told the UK media.

“It needed a conversation [with Foster & Partners] about how plausible it was that these similarities could happen,” he said.

Fellow OMA partner Reinier de Graaf said its scheme was the “most radical in the world” in terms of density and its mix of functions.

But a spokeswoman for Foster’s insisted that “apart from the square shape”, there were no similarities between the schemes. She said the firm had no prior knowledge of the OMA project, despite it being shown at Mipim in March 2007.

“Our scheme for a low-rise, carbon-neutral university city for the Masdar Initiative...has drawn inspiration from traditional Arabic walled cities and the 16th century ultradense square cities of Yemen,” she added. Source

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