Residents of areas near Fujairah say clouds of dust from sites where rocks are broken up for use in the construction industry are putting their health at risk.
The problem is made worse by dozens of trucks that pass through residential areas around the works at Siji and Thouban in Fujairah.
"Asthma is spreading among our children due to the dusty air," said UAE national Humaid Abdullah.
"We went to all the authorities including the Environment Section at Fujairah Municipality and told them of the suffering caused by the presence of rock breakers near residential neighbourhoods." Saif Saeed, a UAE national living in Thauban, said: "Respiratory diseases are becoming more common, especially among children." He said the lorries played a major role in causing the dust problem as they drove past homes in large numbers and did not obey speed limits. He urged authorities to intervene.
A director of one of the rock breaking companies, who requested anonymity, said: "We do our best to reduce the pollution and dust in the air by installing costly filters into our machinery.
"However, the main problem is that these breakers are close to homes.The best solution is to move the residents to areas away from the dust." Ali Kasim, Head of the Environment Section, said: "The municipality is ready to combat violations by rock breakers if they do not comply with rules. It is also ready to stop their activities if necessary. But families should not link dust in the air to the presence of breakers because there are other reasons for the dust.
"The large number of lorries passing through residential neighbourhoods is one of the major causes. So the municipality will construct a new road for lorries linking breakers' sites to the public road.
By Fahid Bou Hindi
© Emirates Today 2007
