Abu Dhabi gives ultimatum to shisha cafes

Abu Dhabi authorities have given an ultimatum to shisha cafes in the emirate either to stop the service or move out of residential areas by the end of January in line with new laws to combat smoking in public areas and protect the environment.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) said all the emirate’s 419 shisha cafes have been found to be violating anti-smoking laws and that they must take measures to comply or face Dh1 million penalty and closure.

“We have found that only around 20 of those cafes can adjust to the new laws, which prevent the presence of shisha cafes in residential areas…we will not give new licence to any shisha café in the future inside residential areas because the new law stipulates that such places must be at least 150 metres outside those areas,” said Ahmed Al Qubaisi, acting director of the commercial protection division at DED.

“We have given them a deadline until the end of January…on February 1, any of those cafes found to be violating the law could be fined up to Dhone million and shut.”

Qubaisi said the new rules also ban those cafes from giving shisha services to persons under 18 years old and set their working hours at between 10 am and 12 midnight. He said inspectors from the DED and the municipality would fan out on February 1 to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

Abu Dhabi, with a population of more than two million, has given several deadlines to shisha cafes but they were extended at the owners’ request.

Shisha cafes are common throughout the UAE and other Arab countries, offering relaxing surroundings and the chance to smoke a shisha pipe with a variety of aromatic flavours. These cafes are traditionally the retreat of men.

A study conducted recently by the Abu Dhabi Health Authority revealed that the smoking population range between 24 and 35 percent in the emirate and nearly 29 per cent smoke shisha.

The new law also bans import of tobacco and its by-products into the UAE unless specific standard requirements accredited by health authorities are met.

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