Winter camps given until end of month to pack up

Dubai Municipality has urged people who have set up winter campsites in desert areas of Dubai to remove them by April 30.

DUBAI // People who have set up temporary winter camps in Dubai’s desert areas have been told to remove them by the end of this month.

Dubai Municipality on Wednesday said that any campsites not removed by April 30 would be demolished at the owners’ costs.

The municipality started to issue camp permits in October. Local order 2 of 1999 and administration decision 310 of 2008 regulate these camps, which are seen as a traditional winter pastime in Emirati heritage.

People can apply for licences for camps covering areas no more than 400 square metres, and for a duration of no longer than six months.

The municipality said it inspects the camps from October until April to make sure that the camp owners are following environmental, health, planning and construction rules.

The municipality’s waste management department has also set up teams to inspect and clean up the campsites, and to promote “cleanliness awareness programmes” in the areas close to them.

Last year, the municipality had said it issued 554 licences for campsites during the winter. It then had to order the removal of 185 camps in the spring.