AJMAN // Residents in Ajman remain reliant on costly and polluting diesel generators for their energy needs six years after the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa) failed to supply power to new residential and commercial buildings.
Mohammad Ahmad, a civil engineer who owns three buildings in the emirate, said although the situation had improved, problems still persisted because Fewa was struggling to keep pace with development in the emirate.
Mr Ahmad uses diesel generators to provide power to two of his buildings, while Fewa supplies energy to the third.
“The construction of my buildings was completed five years ago, and since then I had sent a request to Fewa to supply them all with electricity,” said Mr Ahmad. “I always check with them, but don’t get any answer from them.”
The cost of using the generators is up to six times that of what Fewa charges a month, Mr Ahmad said.
“The average use of electricity for a one-bedroom apartment is 1,000 kilowatts,” he said. “If this gets electricity from a generator, its monthly bill costs Dh1,200. If it is supplied by Fewa, it costs Dh200 a month.”
Aside from the higher cost of using diesel generators, residents have to put up with the noise and fumes that result from the round-the-clock use of the generators.
People who live near the generators are especially affected.
Mahmoud Taha, a Moroccan civil engineer who has lived in Ajman for 10 years, said neighbours who live on the first and fourth floors of his building in Rashidiya are bothered by the noise from the generators.
“In our balcony we can’t put out pots of plants, hang the laundry, have a barbecue or enjoy a coffee and smoke shisha because of the noise and smoke,” said the 26-year-old, who lives in a second-floor flat.
Mr Taha, whose building does not use generators but is near to several that do, said the use of diesel generators in residential areas was hurting the environment and the health of residents.
“Diesel will poison the soil, which will pollute groundwater and negatively affect human respiration,” he said, adding that five to six buildings beside his use diesel generators. “We have been facing this problem for four years,” he said.
Firas Youseef, a 26-year-old Palestinian who has lived in Ajman for five years, lamented the regular power cuts, because the diesel generators have not always been reliable and they often run out of fuel.
After four years of relying on generators, his home in Al Sewan was finally connected to Fewa about one year ago.
“The electricity bill from using a generator was Dh1,200 to Dh1,400, but I now pay about Dh900 to Dh1,100 by using Fewa,” he said.
Mohammed Saleh, the director general of Fewa, said the problem with providing electricity to new buildings in the emirate was close to being resolved because Fewa was putting in place the necessary infrastructure.
“The [whole] problem will be solved soon, and most of the buildings in Ajman are getting electricity from Fewa, except a few that are waiting their turn,” he said.
roueiti@thenational.ae
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Mobile phone packages comparison
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The%20specs
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UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
Company%20Profile
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
