26 October 2022, Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) has announced its participation in the 16th edition of Al Dhafra Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. Organised by the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee in Abu Dhabi, the Festival will take place from 28 October 2022 to 31 January 2023 in Al Dhafra region, Abu Dhabi.
The Center’s presence in Al Dafra Festival falls in line with Tadweer’s commitment to take part in events that ensure the preservation of the Emirate’s aesthetic appeal by providing high-quality waste collection and transportation services. The Center will be working before, during, and after the Festival, to carry out waste collection and transportation, pest control, and animal control services at several sites in the event.
H.E. Dr. Salem Khalfan Al Kaabi, Acting Director General of Tadweer, said: “The Center’s participation in Al Dhafra Festival supports our efforts to take part in events that consolidate Abu Dhabi’s position as a country that supports and preserves heritage for future generations. This aligns with our commitment to raise the public’s awareness on the importance of cleanliness, which is embodied in our culture and heritage.”
“During the event, the Center will provide specialised teams in waste collection, transportation and pest control, equipped with advanced tools and equipment, to maintain the cleanliness of the Festival’s sites, in line with the approved regulations and standards. This supports the Center’s endeavors to provide a clean and healthy environment for visitors and encourage them to adopt the best practices to maintain its cleanliness, which reflects our key role in implementing a sustainable waste management and pest control system in the Emirate,” His Excellency added.
Waste collection and transportation
The Center has begun providing waste collection and transportation services about two weeks ahead of the Festival, and will continue to offer its services for one month following the end of the Festival. During the event, the Center will provide 158 waste containers to be distributed throughout the venues, including Mazayna Sweihan, Mazayna Razeen, Mazayna Zayed City, and the sites of the closing event of Al Dhafra Festival. Tadweer will also increase the number of cleaners on site and provide advanced vehicles and equipment to facilitate the collection and transportation of waste during the Festival in line with the best standards to ensure the safety of participants and visitors. This supports Tadweer’s efforts to preserve the aesthetic and civilized appeal of the area, and provide a healthy environment for the community.
Pest control
In terms of pest control, the Center will conduct a full survey of all festival sites to control public health pests and insects. A specialised team from Tadweer will take all the necessary measures to locate, control, and prevent pests before the start of the Festival. The team will continue its efforts during the Festival through field surveys, integrated treatment, and vacuum control of flying insects at various sites to monitor and control disease vectors such as flies, mosquitoes, rodents, and American cockroaches, as well as dangerous pests such as bees, wasps, snakes, scorpions and nuisance pests such as ants, lizards, and flying insects. These measures will be carried out while employing the latest global methods and technologies such as smart traps, adhesive traps and repellents, as well as non-chemical treatments of the sites, monitoring of potential and actual infection points and dealing with them by means of topical chemical and vacuum treatment processes to keep everyone safe. Surveys and monitoring activities of public health pests will be employed at the Festival sites including Sweihan, Razeen and Al Dhafra region in Abu Dhabi, in areas such as animal pens, waste containers, the popular market area, the registration center, reception tents and other sites.
Animal control
The Center will allocate a team of qualified specialists to monitor small stray animals such as cats, dogs, and foxes in the region, in line with the best standards and guidelines approved by local and international animal welfare societies, which take into account the safety of animals during the process of monitoring and confinement. The Center will set up cages for stray animals distributed in several festival sites so that the specialized teams can monitor the animals quickly and efficiently without disturbing the public, as part of Tadweer’s commitment to provide the highest standards of public health and safety in the Emirate.
The sites of Al Dhafra Festival, which is held as part of the camel Mazayen or beauty contests season in Abu Dhabi, include Mazayna Sweihan, Mazayna Razeen, Mazayna Zayed City, and the site of the closing festival. During the event, several heritage events and contests will take place, such as a falconry contest, a thoroughbred Arabian horse race, an Arabian Saluki race, and a marksmanship contest. The Festival will also include a variety of heritage and cultural events, a traditional Souq, and outdoor marketplaces, all of which reflect the passions of the Emirati people and everyone in the Arabian Gulf region as well
