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28 March 2024

44 buildings demolished in Dubai in H1 2012

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

The demolition unit of the Building Inspection Section of Dubai Municipality has demolished 44 abandoned buildings and yards in the first half of 2012, announced Jaber Ahmed Abdullah, head of the Building Inspection Section of Dubai Municipality’s Building Department.

The demolished buildings had posed health threats or security risks or were not aesthetically appealing. These were empty buildings whose owners had refused to make any improvements, Jaber explained.

In some cases, the buildings were a safe haven for infiltrators and fugitives. Sometimes, the empty buildings functioned as warehouses for dealers in banned products.

Health hazards also exist, Jaber explained. Accumulation of waste and the spread of insects and rodents are common in these buildings.

These buildings are also obstacles to urban re-development.

“I do not understand these owners. They have invested in these buildings, and they lose money in this way. But the majority of building owners does not care,” said Jaber.

“The buildings were demolished due to the lack of response from the owners after proper notification by the building inspection section, in addition to warnings through newspapers, TV and radio.”

However, not all efforts of the Inspection Section lead to demolishment. “Some owners do improve their buildings, and then these buildings may be allowed to stand. We give the owner a month after each warning,” Jaber said.

As per the latest survey, there are currently 368 abandoned buildings and yards that are to be demolished. “But the situation changes every day,” says Jaber.

“Sometimes owners suddenly decide to respond to the warning, and sometimes the opposite happens,” he says.