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The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Old May 31st 2008, 8:20 am
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Default The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

From the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1212...googlenews_wsj

This Persian Gulf sheikdom, in the middle of a massive building and tourism boom, has a big sewage problem.

By one estimate, some $300 billion in new projects are going up in Dubai in the next 10 years -- including the world's tallest building and a man-made archipelago of luxury homes on islands shaped like palm trees.

Every day, hundreds of tanker trucks line up for almost two miles at the three approaches to Dubai's treatment plant, to dump sewage.

But Dubai's single, 30-year-old sewage-treatment plant isn't keeping up. Sewage output here is rising by 25% a year. That has officials in this city-state, one of seven emirates that make up the UAE, scrambling for innovative places to store the waste, or ways to put it to good use.

<<snip>>

Last edited by Bob; May 31st 2008 at 11:18 pm. Reason: copyright infringement
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Old May 31st 2008, 10:29 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by IndieG
From the Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1212...googlenews_wsj
<snip>>
Good post. I understand that this is a fairly common problem throughout the Mid East. The focus is on building giant shopping malls, hotels, resorts and golf courses, but the required basic infrastructure is neglected. Many expats seem to turn a blind eye to things like this and seem to think (maybe because they want to) that they are living in some kind of paradise. But be assured, apart from unpleasant smells this is a real health hazard and it needs to be addressed realistically and quickly.

Last edited by Bob; May 31st 2008 at 11:18 pm.
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Old May 31st 2008, 10:34 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

this is horrible, i've seen those lorries queuing up to get to the sewerage plant...it's surely only going to get worse?

MM, xx
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Old May 31st 2008, 10:52 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by Madam Medusa
this is horrible, i've seen those lorries queuing up to get to the sewerage plant...it's surely only going to get worse?

MM, xx
The only way of dealing with this effectively is to install a network of deep sewers and to build a lot more sewage treatment plants. But given the local culture, when will this problem be recognised by the local authorities and if it eventually is, will they be prepared to take on the massive logistical problems and costs involved?
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Old May 31st 2008, 11:17 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

When you consider that developers aren't even under any compulsion to install proper storm drains - even though Dubai experiences torrential rains and subsequent flooding in winter - I wouldn't hold my breath.

Apart from when driving past public sprinklers, of course.
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Old May 31st 2008, 11:45 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by IndieG
In the meantime, Mrs. Abdooli says some of the city's excess "tertiary-treated sewage effluent" is used to water the landscaping and public gardens that now dot much of this desert city. That is shorthand for treated sewage.
The treated sewage effluent that is used for landscaped areas of Dubai is certainly not "tertiary-treated" sewage effluent as stated by Mrs. Abdooli and, most likely, has only received received secondary treatment (e.g., activated sludge process and final settlement to remove solids). Secondary treatment of sewage results in a reasonably oxidised effluent but a poorly nitrified. The latter is clearly discernible by the pungent smell (mostly reduced ammoniacal compounds) emanating from landscaped or grassed areas where this effluent is used for watering. To get rid of the smell, only tertiary treated effluent should be used.

Secondary treated effluent also contains high concentrations of bacteria of all types, including pathogenic ones. Spray watering of grassed areas only results in abut a 3 log reduction in bacteria, whereas grass fed by an underground watering system is quite safe for kids to play on due to a 6 to 7 log reduction in the concentrations of bacteria, microbes, cysts etc.

I for one hold my breath when passing areas being actively sprayed.
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Old May 31st 2008, 12:10 pm
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

I rest my case about how bloody superficial Dubai really is.
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Old May 31st 2008, 1:02 pm
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by MacScot
The treated sewage effluent that is used for landscaped areas of Dubai is certainly not "tertiary-treated" sewage effluent as stated by Mrs. Abdooli and, most likely, has only received received secondary treatment (e.g., activated sludge process and final settlement to remove solids). Secondary treatment of sewage results in a reasonably oxidised effluent but a poorly nitrified. The latter is clearly discernible by the pungent smell (mostly reduced ammoniacal compounds) emanating from landscaped or grassed areas where this effluent is used for watering. To get rid of the smell, only tertiary treated effluent should be used.

Secondary treated effluent also contains high concentrations of bacteria of all types, including pathogenic ones. Spray watering of grassed areas only results in abut a 3 log reduction in bacteria, whereas grass fed by an underground watering system is quite safe for kids to play on due to a 6 to 7 log reduction in the concentrations of bacteria, microbes, cysts etc.

I for one hold my breath when passing areas being actively sprayed.
For the first time since I discovered The Bored, a post has made me feel physically sick........

MacScot, that wasn't pleasant - but I suspect it is something that had to be said - like at HH's office for example........
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Old May 31st 2008, 1:16 pm
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by The Dean
For the first time since I discovered The Bored, a post has made me feel physically sick........

MacScot, that wasn't pleasant - but I suspect it is something that had to be said - like at HH's office for example........
HH's office - what's that
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Old May 31st 2008, 1:39 pm
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by MacScot
HH's office - what's that
His Highness........
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Old Jun 1st 2008, 7:33 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by MacScot
The treated sewage effluent that is used for landscaped areas of Dubai is certainly not "tertiary-treated" sewage effluent as stated by Mrs. Abdooli and, most likely, has only received received secondary treatment (e.g., activated sludge process and final settlement to remove solids). Secondary treatment of sewage results in a reasonably oxidised effluent but a poorly nitrified. The latter is clearly discernible by the pungent smell (mostly reduced ammoniacal compounds) emanating from landscaped or grassed areas where this effluent is used for watering. To get rid of the smell, only tertiary treated effluent should be used.

Secondary treated effluent also contains high concentrations of bacteria of all types, including pathogenic ones. Spray watering of grassed areas only results in abut a 3 log reduction in bacteria, whereas grass fed by an underground watering system is quite safe for kids to play on due to a 6 to 7 log reduction in the concentrations of bacteria, microbes, cysts etc.

I for one hold my breath when passing areas being actively sprayed.
So essentially it's been strained and sieved then the "water" is pumped and sprayed out over the grass with lots of unpleasant bacteria and microbes being spread out around the place and likely up poor passing pedestrians noses?

How long before we have a cholera outbreak?

N.
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Old Jun 1st 2008, 7:39 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by IndieG
His Highness........
well I'm pretty sure they won't be using that water to irrigate the gardens in any of his palaces!
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Old Jun 1st 2008, 8:12 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by Madam Medusa
this is horrible, i've seen those lorries queuing up to get to the sewerage plant...it's surely only going to get worse?

MM, xx
aye its horrendous, a few weeks back there was a real wind in mirdiff at about 10pm and all you could smell was shit. It was appalling.
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Old Jun 1st 2008, 10:59 am
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by Spugsy
aye its horrendous, a few weeks back there was a real wind in mirdiff at about 10pm and all you could smell was shit. It was appalling.
No wonder that MH stays indoors and plays with her laptop
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Old Jun 1st 2008, 5:02 pm
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Default Re: The Dubai Boom's Underside: Sewage Woes

Originally Posted by Norm_uk
So essentially it's been strained and sieved then the "water" is pumped and sprayed out over the grass with lots of unpleasant bacteria and microbes being spread out around the place and likely up poor passing pedestrians noses?

How long before we have a cholera outbreak?

N.
Well no. "Strained and sieved" would only be the primary treatment stage, which serves to remove bulk solids before treatment by activated sludge (AS) in the secondary treatment stage. The extended aeration phase using AS oxidises most of the remaining suspended organic matter and greatly reduces the concentration of pathogenic bacteria (which readily die outside the human body). However, there are still residual concentrations of potentially harmful bacteria, spores and cysts, that is why tertiary treatment should be undertaken to ensure a much higher quality of the water used in irrigation or spraying. Tertiary treatment would involve settlement ponds for 'polishing' the (removing solids and nitrification - oxidising nitrogenous compounds, such as ammonia) and may include disinfection in the final stage, if required.

Perhaps the powers to be are using tertiary treatment (I don't know). If so, then the sewage treatment works are probably overloaded as evidenced by the poor quality of spray irrigation waters applied (e.g. it smells).
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