Dubai Municipality to crack down on the sale and use of ‘sky lanterns’

Dubai Municipality is cracking down on the sale and use of 'sky lanterns', which have been banned in the emirate since 2010.

DUBAI // Dubai Municipality is cracking down on the sale and use of Chinese lanterns, the paper hot-air balloons released into the sky powered by a small flame, which have been banned in the emirate since 2010.

Also called sky lanterns, they are traditionally released during festivals and celebrations, but their use is prohibited in Dubai for reasons of public safety.

The municipality says it is monitoring markets to stop sales of the items, which it claims pose a threat to aircraft and the environment, after concerns from the Federal Civil Aviation Authority.

Redha Salman, director of the municipality’s public health and safety department, said sky lanterns had been classified as hazardous toys, along with fireworks.

“There is a direct threat to the aviation industry and a hazard to buildings and villas,” Mr Salman said. “Once they land on the rooftops they can be a fire hazard because they may land near flammable items.

“It poses a big danger to the industrial sector as well, including petroleum companies and aircraft that are approaching or leaving the airport.”

He warned that those setting loose sky lanterns may be booked under local public health and safety laws and referred to police.

The municipality has stepped up after it found several shops and online retailers selling the lanterns. Inspectors visited several premises and confiscated the banned items.

“When we searched this time we did not find nearly as many as we did in 2010,” Mr Salman said. “There are now much fewer and you can only really find them in grey-market areas. We found out that most of them are being sold through websites.”

Members of the public are being urged not to buy or use the lanterns.

“We want to tell all the public to stop using or acquiring them, and people need to be aware that they cannot bring them back as souvenirs if they have been travelling abroad,” Mr Salman said. “They should know it is illegal.”