From left, Ramesh Thangiah, Sajjath Saifu, and Kameswaran Arumugam at their bachelor accommodation in Abu Dhabi. Satish Kumar / The National
From left, Ramesh Thangiah, Sajjath Saifu, and Kameswaran Arumugam at their bachelor accommodation in Abu Dhabi. Satish Kumar / The National

It may be a ruin, but it’s home



When Mohammed first set eyes on the building where he now lives, he thought his friend was joking. It appeared abandoned but for a few items of forgotten laundry.

“I asked my best friend and he told me, ‘Mohammed don’t worry’, but when I came to see the building outside I thought it would fall down at that moment,” said Mohammed, 38.

Now, he calls it home.

Four months after moving into the derelict building, Mohammed has found a life in the cafes, shops and mosques of Al Falah Street to ease the loneliness of separation from his family in southern Egypt.

He is one of hundreds of migrant men who fear that they will be pushed off the island city of Abu Dhabi as old buildings are demolished to make space for modern skyscrapers.

Workers have the option of lower rents and new, safer buildings in suburbs off the island, such as Mussaffah. But they are willing to pay more for humble bed spaces in crumbling buildings in the city because of shorter commutes and community engagement.

Despite rising rents and the declining safety of aging buildings, some tenants want to live in the city for as long as they can.

Portraits of the sheikhs hang in an empty foyer of Mohammed’s building. Upstairs, doors are decorated with UAE flags. The aroma of Mohammed’s cooking fills the halls.

For all the life tenants have invested, the building is neglected by its owner. The ceilings are cracked. The staircase is crumbling.

There are rumours that the building is the subject of a dispute in the Abu Dhabi courts.

“The building owner, he doesn’t care to do maintenance inside,” Mohammed said. “I think if the municipality allowed him to demolish the building he would agree. Anyone who sees the building would think nobody lives inside, but all people are here from many nationalities and all people live in a safe way.”

Mohammed and a friend pay Dh2,500 a month for a nine-square-metre room and share the five-room flat with Moroccans, Indians and a Vietnamese family.

Mohammed has one complaint – their room is too small to entertain. “There in my room I cannot receive anyone to come to visit me. There are no places for people to sit.”

Instead, he has the street life of Al Falah.

The street has layers of communities that give emotional support to migrant men. The Panaderia Bakery across the street is a hub for Filipinos across the city and those who live in the flats above.

For Robert Dizon, 52, a forklift operator, the food and company offered by the Panaderia and the Casa Pampanga restaurant next door have been comforts since he left the Philippines to support the education of his four children.

“My life is very happy here,” said Robert, who pays Dh500 a month for a bunk space in a flat above Panaderia. “Why would we leave?”

Many tenants consider the building unsafe but choose to stay for the community. A fire in April trapped residents inside the building. There was no working fire alarm and safety has not improved. It was the building’s second fire in recent years.

While such incidents are a reminder of the dangers of old buildings, low-wage workers cannot afford new flats and they work split shifts that do not give them time to commute twice a day. They usually rely on public transport or illegal taxis to travel between the city and suburbs such as Mussaffah, which can be expensive and time consuming.

Abu Dhabi Municipality is continuing its urban-renewal campaign to remove old buildings that are unsightly and unsafe. The average Abu Dhabi building has a life of 15 to 30 years.

The municipality issued 282 demolition permits in 2009, 260 in 2008 and 162 in 2007. A quarter of the 1,000-plus construction projects overseen by Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties in 2010 required the demolition of an existing building.

Instead, the Abu Dhabi government plans 23 labour cities across the emirate to raise living standards for low-income workers off the island. The Dh20 billion investment will eventually house 400,000 people and provide cinemas, markets, mosques, parks, sports facilities, health clinics and hospitals. The first opened in Al Ain in May.

But the men in Mussaffah’s new labour accommodation are not always happy with the move from the city, despite cleaner and safer rooms. The area has few amenities and little feeling of community.

“We want to come to the city. If you ask people if they’re happy or not happy, they’ll directly tell you they’re not happy. Only the poor people, the kachara people, the dirty people, live in Mussaffah. It’s not the same as the good city,” said a middle-aged Egyptian taxi driver who lives in ICAD Residential City, a new labour accommodation in Mussaffah.

Low-income male migrant workers, commonly called “bachelors”, are usually here to work for the families they left behind. They worry that they are being pushed outside the city because families are intimidated by crowds of men.

“Abu Dhabi government thought we’re only for labour, that we should want to go to Mussaffah,” said Kameswawan Arumugay, a petrol-pump attendant. “The government thought bachelors here are maybe a problem for families. That’s why they need to separate us.

“Because the government thought if you’re a family man, you can bring your wife and kids. Our company is not like that. Family is only for executives.”

His colleague, Sajjath Saifu, agreed. “The majority of bachelors here are leaving their families, their home town. Sending them to Mussaffah is not good for them.”

Kameswawan and Sajjath, who are from Chennai, pay Dh550 a month for bed space in a pink-walled, perfumed room that holds six men. A plywood-box shrine with a candle is nailed to the wall over one bunk bed. Their uniforms hang on hooks.

The kitchen in the five-bedroom flat has six gas canisters connected to several two-burner stoves.

The room’s annual rent increased to Dh33,000 in 2011. “All for the owners, not for us. In their business there is no fire safety,” said Sajjath, 32. “In this building, risk is there, but we are staying for no other choice. Mussaffah is not an option.”

The friends lived in Mussaffah for two months but moved to the city to cut the two-hour commute. They have more time to cook and dine with friends. Here, they can visit shopping malls, the Corniche, the cinemas.

“In Mussaffah we stay in the room only,” Kameswawan said. As for entertainment: “We cannot go out.”

Abu Dhabi city offered Kameswawan freedoms he did not expect when he heard stories from migrants returning from the Arabian Gulf. “Other countries like Saudi are not free, but here we’re all free,” he said.

They were informed last year that their building was listed for demolition. Whatever happens, they plan to stay on the island.

"If you come to the city you can see a green place, you can watch everything," Sajjath said. "You feel that everything is there."

azacharias@thenational.ae

'Gold'

Director:Anthony Hayes

Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes

Rating:3/5

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Martin Sabbagh profile

Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East

In the role: Since January 2015

Lives: In the UAE

Background: M&A, investment banking

Studied: Corporate finance

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

What's in the deal?

Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024

India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.

India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.

Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments

India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

How green is the expo nursery?

Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery

An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo

Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery

Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape

The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides

All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality

Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country

Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow

Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site

Green waste is recycled as compost

Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs

Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers

About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer

Main themes of expo is  ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETelr%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E65%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20and%20payments%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enearly%20%2430%20million%20so%20far%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets