Dubai population to rise to 5 million by 2030

The population of Dubai is expected to increase to five million by 2030, said Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality.

Speaking on the final day of the fourth World Government Summit in Dubai, Lootah said, as a consequence of increasing population and depleting natural resources, there is a parallel increase in demand on education, energy, employment, housing and all the other issues.

Whether it be improving the traffic congestion, managing waste, or promoting environmental awareness to communities, Lootah added that the current model of cities would not be sufficient to realise future requirements of the community.

To prepare for a brighter, sustainable future, he reiterated the importance of developing institutional partnerships and exchanging of information with other countries.

Mayors and key representatives of sister cities and organisations gathered to sign the ‘Dubai Charter of Sustainable Development Cities Alliance’ seeking to collaboratively achieve the vision of building a sustainable future for Dubai.

Participants came together on the final day of WGS to discuss about sustainable development of future cities in a round-table session titled 'Shaping Future Cities'.

Lootah highlighted the challenges that governments face when planning a sustainable city that not only places people’s welfare at the forefront, but also preserves the natural resources.

Representatives shared views on the aspect that international conventions and covenants would be essential in building cities that would preserve natural resources and achieve balanced sustainability. The experts concurred that prioritising welfare of the communities and natural resources is equally important for the benefit of future generations.

Mayors of Ankara, Casablanca, Amman, and Al Maddinah exchanged successful experiences in building sustainable communities that reduce utilization of traditional energy and focus on renewable energy or alternative sources of energy.

Manvita Bardai, Director of International Capital Market Association-India, also added that in order for cities to remain on the correct path of prosperity and sustainability and ensure leaders take the right steps to achieve high standard of quality in cities, data needs to be assembled and shared with global communities.

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