Dubai, Dec 16 (IANS/WAM) Director-General of Dubai Municipality (DM) Hussain Nasser Lootah has said the civic body is working hard to make the city of Dubai one of the top ten sustainable cities in the world by 2020.
He was quoted Monday as saying that this would be done by implementing the green building regulations and related orders in line with the strategic vision and goals of the Dubai government.
"We are obliged to fulfil our word in front of the world that we will create an amazing future connecting the minds of all nationalities, as we realise that the eyes of the entire world are looking on Dubai to find out what we are going to do in years to come," he said this when asked about the plans of DM in preparation to host EXPO 2020.
According to Abdullah Rafia, assistant director-general of DM and chairman of sustainability committee, the plans of Dubai's leadership to host EXPO 2020 "are crystal clear from the current structure and ongoing projects in the emirate of Dubai".
"The civic body has already started its efforts towards creating the most sustainable city in the world. It has recently formed a special committee for sustainability which will study and execute green initiatives." Rafia said.
"The committee's responsibilities include developing mechanisms to evaluate green buildings and the extent of achieved sustainability and follow-up of procedures for the implementation of such mechanisms with concerned authorities in the emirate of Dubai," he added.
Mohamed Noor Mashroom, director of General Projects Department, said that DM is strictly implementing green building rules in all its new projects and is taking necessary steps gradually to change the old systems to energy saving systems.
"Currently the areas under the responsibility of DM include street lighting, roadway lighting, parks, community facilities, parking lots, city landscaping, residential and commercial buildings, pedestrian and bicycling pathways," Mashroom said.
Juma Khalifa Al Fuqae, director of general maintenance department, said that the department has already started replacing the old lighting systems with LED technology in premises and public facilities governed by the civic body in the emirate of Dubai, aiming at saving around 55 percent of energy consumption.
"The initiative would help DM save money, energy and environment at the same time boosting its strategy to create the most sustainable city in world," he said.
--IANS/WAM
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