UAE news in review 2015: Improved emergency services and roads for Ras Al Kahimah

RAS AL KHAIMAH // Better emergency services, road upgrades and more power plants are among the changes the emirate’s citizens have seen this year or are expecting in the near future.

Just this week it was announced that the Federal Electricity and Water has a Dh1.3 billion plan, for next year, to build 25 power plants and increase the output of 17 more.

In total, RAK will see the arrival of 10 new plants.

Other changes taking place in the emirate include the development of the 14 kilometre Al Ittihad Road and extension of Emirates Road from Al Tawaeen to RAK Ring Road.

The upgrades are among seven, in Sharjah, RAK and Fujairah, being studied by the Ministry of Public Works.

Changes have taken place across the board, with the National Ambulance service recently upgrading its fleet of ambulances from 30 to 50 to better serve residents.

The services will affect all of the Northern Emirates and come seven months after the introduction of a dedicated 998 emergency phone number for Northern Emirates residents.

And the emirate’s Government is looking further afield, taking steps this year to promote RAK to tourists.

Plans being discussed include Al Marjan Island, a cluster of four islands extending 4.5 kilometres into the Gulf.

Whatever future plans the emirate has up its sleeve, it’s aim to entice more people has worked: earlier this year Ras Al Khaimah’s Tourism Development Authority announced a 14 per cent increase in visitor numbers during the third quarter of 2015 to almost 200,000 visitors – the highest number ever recorded in the emirate.

Read more on the UAE’s developments in 2015 in:

› Umm Al Quwain and Ajman: Tourism focus for Ajman while Umm Quwain pushes outdoor activity

› Fujairah: Fujairah's infrastructure gets an upgrade