Fujairah villagers revel as bypass road relieves congestion

Residents of Thoban village, between Masafi and Al Dhaid suffered from air and noise pollution caused by lorries travelling to and from five mining companies, in addition to the traffic hold-ups.

FUJAIRAH // A four-kilometre bypass road has opened to ease traffic in a village where residents complained about lorries passing their homes.

Residents of Thoban, between Masafi and Al Dhaid, suffered air and noise pollution caused by lorries travelling to and from five mining companies – and traffic delays – but now say the situation has improved since the road opened on April 17.

“Trucks used to pass by and cause noise, especially at night. It was an ongoing situation and affected all the family,” said Fatima Ahmad, a mother of four.

“I was always afraid to let my kids play outside. It’s not safe, and the truck drivers may not ­notice them. The decision to build a new road was the right one, and we all appreciate it.”

Jumaa Shehhi, 43, said dust had affected his family’s health and meant they continually had to clean the house.

“When a lorry passes on our unpaved roads, all the dust and sand spreads all around the area and makes it hard to breathe. We clean the house of twice a day because of the dust and it’s still not enough – you can feel it everywhere.”

Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation said the road was built to reduce traffic congestion, noise and environmental pollution.

“We received many complaints regarding the area’s ­situation and the passing trucks, so we arranged a committee to find the best solution and agreed on constructing a road especially for trucks,” said Ali Qasem, director of the ­corporation.

The road was built in four months at a cost of Dh8 million.

“The road is almost three kilometres away from the residential area and serves five mining companies,” the director said.

“This project is part of the 2021 national agenda vision of providing a sustainable environment along with fulfilling residents’ needs.

“We will start working on ­another project to improve the infrastructure in Thoban and Habhab to reduce volatile dust and pollution.”

Thoban village lies between Masafi and Al Dhaid, 44 kilometres from Fujairah city. Lorries coming from those two towns will be diverted to the new road.