ABU DHABI // Residents living on the outskirts of the capital have welcomed government plans to improve vast areas of their communities.
“It’s lovely to see the landscape of Abu Dhabi city, and particularly its suburbs, transforming into lush green neighbourhoods with world-class facilities,” said Indian Gopalan Vijayaragavan, 58, a resident of Mussaffah.
Mr Vijayaragavan arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1976, and said he had seen huge improvements to areas surrounding Abu Dhabi city.
“I have seen the city transforming into a modern metropolitan city over the past 38 years. Just 20 years back Mussaffah was a barren land with scattered amenities.
“But now it has good roads and all kinds of public facilities, and it accommodates a huge population of Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Last week the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council announced that every community in Abu Dhabi would have new social, educational, cultural, recreational and healthcare facilities under new planning rules.
The regulations will apply to developers planning new communities, and to the redevelopment of existing neighbourhoods, depending on the size of their population.
The plans took two years to develop, with the cooperation of the Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi Education Council, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
Mr Vijayaragavan, who is the project manager in a landscaping and recreational facilities firm in Abu Dhabi, said he believed green space was a key area for improvement.
“Being a student of landscaping and greenery, I would love to see more trees planted and more green patches, including parks and kids’ play stations, added to the locality,” he said. “If the government is going to further enhance the environment, this will be great.”
Indian Aboobker Mohammed Ansar, in Mussaffah, said: “Twenty years back when I landed in Mussaffah it was bare, but now it has all kinds of facilities and more are being added.
“In the last few years I have seen tremendous improvement in Mussaffah as many schools and healthcare facilities opened here and more are opening in the neighbourhood,” he said.
Khalifa City is another area expecting widespread development.
Emirati Mohammed Al Hammadi, a resident of Khalifa City, welcomed the new government measures to add more facilities
“Living is good here as services and facilities have improved gradually,” said Mr Hammadi, 35, who has lived in Khalifa City for five years.
“Before we had to rush to Abu Dhabi for shopping, but now hypermarkets and food joints are here, which are adequate for all our requirements. Living is going to be far better here with the opening of a new park, which is under construction,” he said.
Another local resident, Khalid Al Baloshi, expressed his happiness about the plans and said: “I learnt that the authorities are also planning to open a new recreational centre, parks and walkways here.
“This is going to be very good for youth and the entire community who live here,” he said.
Emirati Ahmed Al Mansoori, an Al Wathba resident, said a nearby hospital was a must for his community.
“If I got an emergency I have to rush to Al Mafraq hospital, whereas the nearby clinic [takes] only prior appointments and they don’t have facilities for emergency cases,” Mr Al Mansoori said.
“The pressing requirement for the community here is the parks and kids playgrounds, all the time in the evening you can find children, even youngsters, playing on the streets,” he said.
“For all kinds of sports activities we have to go to Abu Dhabi city, which is about 40km from here,” Mr Al Mansoori said.
anwar@thenational.ae
