Dubai enforces hygiene conditions at building sites

By PMA RASHEED
The Gulf Today, 9 Sept 2010


The civic authorities in Dubai are stringently enforcing regulations on hygiene measures to be implemented at building construction and infrastructural project sites across the Emirate.

A circular has been issued by the buildings department of Dubai Municipality (DM) to all building consultancy offices, construction companies operating in the Emirate, to abide by the hygiene requirements of the civic body at their construction sites.

Khalid Mohammed Saleh, Director of Buildings Department at the DM, said that the decision to enforce the hygiene conditions at construction sites has been taken because of a concern over public health safety and the need to protect the surrounding environment.

"The streets, roads, pavements and squares should not be affected by the construction activities. Health of the workers as well as the public is a great concern," he added.

"The Municipality wanted to ensure provision of security requirements and safety of the workers and the residents living in such locations and surrounding areas," he noted.

According to Saleh, the move will also help preserve the beauty and cleanliness of the city by reducing all such practices that distort the overall view of the Emirate.

"The construction companies should regularly clean up their building projects or construction sites, storages of materials and the surrounding environment," he pointed out.

The DM circular also required the safe removal of remnants of all used material at such sites.

Inspection intensified at food outlets before Eid

By PMA RASHEED 

The Gulf Today, 9 Sept 2010

ON the advent of Eid Al Fitr, the civic authorities in Dubai have intensified surveillance of various food production and selling establishments across the emirate.

Inspection visits are being carried out at the food production units and retail or wholesale outlets of all kinds of food products to ensure their safety for human consumption during the Eid celebration days, said a senior DM official.

The inspections concentrate on the establishments trading in food products, especially during the month of Ramadan, as there is increased demand for food during the Eid celebrations.

Sultan Ali Tahir, head of the animal products control section at the food control department of the DM, said, "The monitoring procedures are being conducted at establishments of confectionery, bakery and dairy products as well as fruits and vegetable markets, and supermarkets."

According to him, the inspection campaign will make sure the foods meet the health safety requirements of the Municipality.

"The inspectors are focusing on the types of food establishments, sweets and chocolate factories that supply the products in the Dubai emirate, which are having higher demands during the Eid time. The fruits and vegetables market and supermarkets also witness increased influx of consumers before the Eid," elaborated Tahir.

"Inspections at factories of bread, pastry and desserts is significant, as the demand for such products stand at the highest during the Eid holidays. Such items can easily be affected with fungus and their bulk production may cause them to rot if they are [stored unsafely]," he added.

"The management of such establishments should reduce the factors that lead to contamination of the food products due to fungus that spread in the air and their surfaces," he said.

"They should ensure that the foodstuff reach the consumer intact as it is the people's right to expect that the food they eat is safe and suitable for consumption," he added.

Tahir said that the safety of storage capacity, proper cleaning and safe transportation of the foods are the main conditions to be adhered by the manufactures of items to ensure the safety of the consumers' health.

"The dairy products are considered more vulnerable to damage if they are not stored with safe methods and in proper temperature, as the higher humidity and temperature can cause multiplication of microbes," he added.

"The inspection team monitor several offences including non-compliance with the hygiene rules, and validity of the workers health cards," he noted.

"Food-borne diseases and the damage results from it must be upsetting, but it may be fatal too. There are also many other outcomes that may result from eating unhealthy food or food that is unfit for consumption," he pointed out.

"Availability of prohibited food items or foods with harmful ingredients are also being checked by the inspectors. Such foods will be confiscated and destroyed immediately," he pointed out.

"Poor storage or display of the foodstuff, on which the sunlight falls directly or wrong practices by the workers in handling the food are also punishable offences," said Tahir.

The Ramadan food inspection campaign of the DM had shown that 4 per cent of food establishments in Dubai are non-compliant. At least 161 fines were issued to erring food establishments, and notices were issued to 78 firms that time.
(Pic used for illustrative purpose)

Gulf youth more susceptible to cardiac diseases

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 21 Sept 2010

THE younger generation in the Middle East region is dangerously gripped by the fatal clutches of heart disease, when compared to youth in other parts of the world, according to a senior health official. 

Dr Wafaa Ayesh, director of the clinical nutrition department at Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said that the average age for Middle Eastern and UAE patients suffering from heart attacks is 10 years younger than that in many western countries. 

"The dominance of diabetes among the younger age group in the UAE has elevated the rates of cardiac disorders onto an alarming level of challenges," she added. 

While speaking at an awareness seminar conducted on Monday by the DHA on the occasion of World Heart Day 2010, Dr Ayesh pointed out that the alarming rates of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure that prevail in this region are factors that lead to cardiovascular diseases. 

The three-day seminar conducted by the DHA will highlight this year's global heart day theme, "Workplace Wellness," promoting healthy habits and methods of maintaining them, while in a work environment. 

Quoting research results, the clinical nutrition expert stated, "It is a known fact that cardiovascular disease, which results in heart attacks, heart failure and strokes, is the leading cause of death globally, and the UAE is no different." 

"The irony is that these are mainly lifestyle diseases and lifestyle modification can significantly reduce the chances of developing a cardiovascular disease," she pointed out. 

"The reasons for cardiovascular diseases, besides physical inactivity, also lie with the region's existing dietary patterns, which include a high level of daily consumption of fat and carbohydrates," said Dr Ayesh. 

"Despite having such a huge number of diabetics in the country, a large percentage of people do not know of the link between the two diseases," she added. 

According to her, the public is still unaware of the damage to the heart that is caused by lifestyle diseases including diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. 

She advised people to focus on the need of regular screenings: "Normally, all healthy adults, above the age of 40, should check their cholesterol level every six months." 

"But, the cholesterol should be monitored on a three-month basis if it's hereditary, as the patient's condition may be worse in such cases," she warned. 

"While the cholesterol level should be monitored once in three months, blood sugar and pressure may require to be monitored on a more regular basis as per the directions of the physician," she elaborated. 

"A yearly check-up should suffice for people below the age group of 40, with no hereditary factors at play and for those who do not have any of these conditions," added Dr Ayesh. 

"Apart from providing healthy and nutritious food to the community, proactive community initiatives such as these are a fundamental way to raise public awareness on managing health and wellbeing," she opined. 

Muna Al Shammar, head of the nutrition education unit in the clinical nutrition department at DHA, said, "This test is important because it reveals the actual physical age of a person's heart and thus is a good indication to find out the damage caused to the heart by unhealthy lifestyle choices." 

"The test provides us a scale to measure the amount of change which will need to be incorporated in a person's diet and lifestyle to ensure further damage is prevented," she added. 

"Several clinical dieticians from the hospitals and public healthcare clinics are involved in this seminar and workshop and the focus is to promote a suitable diet plan for patients with heart disease," said Samya Al Sayegh, head of development and follow up section in the clinical nutrition department at the DHA. 

"A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fibre will help reduce cholesterol levels," she added. 

The DHA's heart wellness programme, in cooperation with Al Ghurair Foods, highlighted a healthy and active lifestyle for the whole family. The clinical nutrition department at Rashid Hospital conducted all these tests for individuals at the workshop and conducted a test to check the age of an individual's heart. 

"On [Tuesday], visitors have the opportunity to get their body mass index, blood sugar and blood pressure tested by trained medical experts. Dieticians will also explain the food pyramid to visitors so that they can play their diet keeping in mind the required calorie count and nutrition," she explained. 

"[Moreover, an] in-depth workshop will be conducted on topics ranging from ways to examine the age of our heart, learning the importance of physical activity and how we can lose calories, learning about common food myths and facts, being aware about the benefits of Omega-3, the role of dietary fiber and most importantly, the ideal way of healthy cooking," elaborated Djamal Djouhri, CEO of Al Ghurair Foods. 

According to him, a healthier lifestyle for everyone should be the top most priority in the community.

(Pic: Supplied)

Ministry shuts down crusher in Fujairah

By PMA RASHEED
15 Sept 2010, The Gulf Today

The UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) has temporarily suspended operations of a stone crusher unit in the Toyeen area of Fujairah, for not adhering to the environmental and public health safety regulations.

The crusher unit violated conditions for operating the machines, failed to take necessary measures to prevent emission of dust into the surrounding areas, while producing the stones, the MOEW sources confirmed.

The continuous emanation of dense dust had seriously polluted the environment around the site of the industrial unit, as a result of the lack of proper maintenance of the dust control system, said a spokesperson of the ministry.

“The crusher unit has breached the regulations four times during the period from July to early September, not controlling the dust emissions while crushing and transporting the produced stones,” he added.

“Owner of the industrial unit has been asked to close down its functioning for a period of seven days, within that the offences should be corrected by implementing effective dust emission control mechanism at the site,” he added.

“A team of inspectors from the technical section of the MOEW’s regional office in Masafi will give permission for resuming the operation, after reviewing the applied environmental protection methods,” elaborated an MOEW statement issued on Tuesday.

“The work of the quarry and crusher facilities and transfer of the products will be followed-up, monitoring regularly to confirm their compliance with the conditions for protection of the environment,” it read.

According to it, the regional MOEW office collects data from all quarry stations in the area, including the type of equipment used for production. The volume of daily production will also be checked.

“The MOEW has been taking stringent punitive actions against violating operators, to ensure the protection of the environment and reduce emissions from stone crushers.”

“The actions are being imposed on such establishments in collaboration with local environmental authorities and the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour to ensure the implementation of regulatory guidelines for the control of quarries and crushers,” said the statement.

The actions were imposed on the offenders, in accordance with the UAE Federal Law No.24/1999 and the regulations of Ministerial Council resolution No.20/2008 and the Ministerial Decree No.110 issued in February 2010.

Environmentalists say that quarries and cement factories pose serious environmental impact on the mountainous regions, which are being dug up to produce stones and building materials for the construction sector.

Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water had said that the ministry classified quarries into three categories — green, yellow and red.

“The quarried were classified in accordance with their adherence with safety and preventive systems aimed at reducing dust pollution,” he added.

“The red category quarries did'nt have dust control systems to reduce the dust pollution,” he pointed out.

Health ministry questions ‘painkiller use’ survey

By PMA RASHEED

15 Sept 2010, The Gulf Today

The federal health watchdog has questioned the authenticity of a recent global pharmaceutical survey which claimed that the UAE residents ranked highest among the users of painkillers in the world.

The study, carried out by market research establishment Synovate, revealed that 72 per cent of the UAE residents purchased painkillers in the first half of the current year.

A top official from the Ministry of Health (MoH) had exclusively told The Gulf Today in May that the authorities had not been communicated about the study that said most UAE residents depend on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines even for slight headaches, signs of cold or flu, or other minor ailments.

Dr Amin Al Amiri, Executive Director for Medical Practices and Licenses at the MoH, had ruled out that the current health conditions of the residents or the health policies of the UAE cannot be measured based on these kinds of surveys.

In reference to the same report published in a local Arabic daily a couple of days ago, the MoH on Tuesday called the research institution to discuss the procedures it used in implementing the study as well as the results, subjectivity and categories.

Dr Amiri clarified that all kinds of medicines, including herbals, reach the patients in the UAE after stringent monitoring procedures and with the approval of MoH’s higher committee for pharmaceutical vigilance.

“The health ministry ensures highest safety of all types of medicines, which are continuously monitored and checked against misuse,” he added.

According to him, the MoH supervises the consumption of medicines in cooperation with all local health authorities in the UAE as well as international drugs associations including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the US and European and Australian Drugs Authorities.

The market study said the UK and Australia are also big purchasers of pain relief medications, at 62 and 61 per cent respectively, without doctor’s prescription, while the painkillers are least popular in Taiwan at only 10 per cent, followed by Hong Kong at 15 per cent, and Chile at 17 per cent.

Per-Henrik Karlsson, Dubai-based Business Development Director for Synovate in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, had told The Gulf Today that being health-conscious is relatively new for many of the local and expatriate populations in the UAE.

“When medication is required, cough or cold medicines, at 40 per cent, and pain relievers at 38 per cent, were at the top of shopping lists of OTC medications bought by people globally in the last six months,” disclosed the study that covered almost 12,000 people from across 15 countries.

Meanwhile, Dr Amiri pointed out: “The UAE has implemented international regulations and guidelines for the permitted range of the OTC medicines available at supermarkets. The UAE National Committee for Bio-Equivalence has also finalised a list of OTC medications sold at supermarkets.”

(Image used for illustrative purpose only)

Nearly half of UAE residents still prefer plastic bags

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 14 Sept 2010

WHEN it comes to shopping, about 48 per cent of the UAE residents still prefer plastic carrier bags rather than eco-friendly alternatives, according to the federal environmental watchdog.

At the same time, 84 per cent of the population believes that they have the spirit to reduce consumption of plastic bags, revealed a recent survey by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW).

The study, aimed at profiling the “UAE free of plastic bags” campaign, has been carried out by the ministry to screen the rates of residents’ consumption of both plastic and biodegradable bags.

The preliminary results of the survey pointed out that 65 per cent of the UAE residents consume less than 20 plastic bags a week, while 55 per cent re-use plastic bags.

Dr Maryam Hassan Al Shinasi, executive director for technical affairs at the MoEW, said that 85 per cent of the survey respondents were aware of the health and environmental dangers due to the use of plastic, and 93 per cent of them were ready to support initiatives to limit the use of plastic bags.

“Only 35 per cent of the survey respondents, [however], were satisfied about the role of governments in educating the public on the hazards of plastic bag use,” she added.

The MoEW had earlier disclosed that the UAE’s annual consumption of plastic bags had been estimated at one billion plastic carrier bags per year, and plastic materials had been accounted at 10.9 per cent of the country’s total amount of domestic waste.

“Every month, the country produces 8,000 tonnes of plastic films, used as the material to make bags and wrap them,” according to statistics, based on which the ministry issued a ministerial resolution prohibiting printing logos on non-biodegradable plastic carry bags used in supermarkets, retail outlets and other kinds of business establishments.

“Shops were not allowed to print commercial names, products names, advertisements, and anything else on non-biodegradable plastic bags, under the new resolution.”

In the beginning of the current year, the MOEW launched the three-year “UAE free of plastic” campaign, aimed at reducing the use of plastic carrier bags in the country, as a first step towards a complete ban on the bags from the year 2013.

“The drive is expected to significantly protect the country’s environment and public health and animals as plastic bags pose a serious danger to them.”

Dr Al Shinasi noted, “The first phase of the national anti-plastic campaign focused on spreading message among people from all walks of life. The awareness session drew attention to the UAE’s excessive consumption of plastic bags by the residents.”

“The second phase of the UAE-free-of-plastic-bags-drive that has been currently running focuses on the presentation of environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic bags. The campaign’s third stage, defining the legislation against the use of plastic bags and enforcement of the laws, will wind up by the end of 2012,” she added.

According to her, the battle against plastic bags has been announced to inspire the country’s residents to completely discard the habit of plastic bags usage, and protect both human and animal life.

“Another MoEW study disclosed that the plastic bags thrown out carelessly led to the death of large numbers of animals on land and under water. Marine mammals like sea turtles as well as grazing animals such as camels, cows and goats fall victim to the plastic bags that remain trapped inside their digestive systems, eventually leading to their demise,” pointed out Dr Al Shinasi.

According to the study, plastic bags are responsible for 50 per cent of the deaths of camels in the UAE.

“Plastic products challenge the existence of above 200 different marine species, including fish, seals and sea turtles, dolphins and whales. A number of marine species have died due to the toxic impact of the plastic bags, which account for 10 per cent of the total industrial waste ending up in the sea,” she elaborated.

“Plastic carry bags also distort the aesthetic appearance of the cities and add a burden of high waste management expenses. The non-biodegradable bags are one of the gravest environmental pollutants, as the earth needs several years to decompose them,” she opined.

“They turn into one of the most dangerous contaminants on the planet, causing serious environmental imbalance, as a result of the impact of toxic substances left in the soil, besides of course, the pollution that occurs in the seas and lakes,” said Dr Al Shinasi,

“The harmful substances also pose a direct threat to human health when used,” he noted.

According to the latest survey, 83 per cent of the public are aware that the eco-friendly bags have been produced from cotton, linen and paper. The study proposed that 50 per cent more awareness must be spread among the community on the dangers of the plastic bags.

Dr Al Shinasi urged all segments of society to take initiatives individually as well as collectively to reduce the use of plastic bags and contribute to the wellbeing of their surrounding environment.

UAE consumes 14% of world's desalinated water

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 1 Sept 2010

EVEN as the UAE produces nearly 14 per cent of the world’s desalinated water, demand for water in the country is expected to double and reach 9 billion cubic metres by the end of 2030, reveals the federal environmental watchdog.

According to this body, the cost of annual production of desalinated water in the UAE has been estimated at around Dhs11.8 billion — Dhs7.16 per cubic metre.

The Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) has called for implementing integrated national-level programmes to preserve water resources by reducing water depletion, rationalising consumption, and protecting ecosystems.

“The woes due to the scarcity of hygienic water could, otherwise, be the most severe issue in the future,” warns a senior MoEW official.

Dr Maryam Hassan Al Shenasi, Executive Director for Technical Affairs at MoEW, observed, “It’s time to replace traditional agricultural irrigation practices with new irrigation methods and efficient use of advanced techniques like solar energy to significantly reduce water use at farms across the country.”

“As the UAE has relatively weak groundwater reserves, it heavily relies on the desalination of sea water to meet the mass requirement of drinking water, she said.

According to her, in 2008, the entire UAE consumed around 4.5 billion cubic metres of water from both the desalinated stock and underground reserves. The per capita water consumption in the region was at over 150 gallons a year in the same year.

“The country desalinates water at 70 stations across the country. 67 per cent of the total desalinated water production happens in the capital emirate of Abu Dhabi. Dubai stands second in water desalination at 18 per cent, Sharjah comes in the third at 10 per cent, and the rest is produced by other emirates,” elaborated Dr Al Shenasi.

She noted, “The MoEW has planned a set of initiatives to preserve the water resources, to be launched by the beginning of 2011, by introducing efficient energy-consuming vegetable production plans equipped with modern technologies for farming.”

“The UAE can only address its water scarcity and depletion issues and ensure the availability of quality and clean water through national level integrated strategies for environment conservation, protection of water resources of surface, groundwater and sea water and enhancing water security,” she added.

“The largest user of the water in the UAE is the agricultural sector, where the water consumption is at 34 per cent. It’s followed by domestic and industrial sectors at 32 per cent, and forestry at 15 per cent, and landscaping at 11 per cent,” pointed out Dr Al Shenasi.

“The country’s main water supply from the groundwater source is estimated at 51 per cent, and from desalinated sources at 37 per cent, while the treated water is at 12 per cent,” she added.

(Pic by Prasahanth Mukunthan)