Ajman Sewerage Company launches registration exercise

Under the regulations of the Ajman Sewer Law, enacted last year by His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, The Ruler of Ajman, every property owner must register their property with the Ajman Sewerage (Private) Company Limited and later pay a compulsory connection fee.

The estimated 9,000-plus property owners in the Emirate are now being asked to complete registration forms that will allow their properties to be eventually connected to the new state of the art system. In due course, the new system will replace the existing septage process in Ajman.

Registration forms are being sent to the owners who were identified last year during the biggest census exercise ever undertaken in Ajman.

Ajman Sewerage (Private) Company Limited General Manager, Mr. Bob Taylor, said: "We are now contacting every property owner in Ajman to ask them to complete a registration form that will ensure their property is connected to the modern sewerage system being created for the people of Ajman.

"It is vital that the property owner, or someone appointed on their behalf, signs up for registration. Registration is compulsory under the terms of the Sewer Law, Amiri Decree No. 4 2002 and its amendments.

"But this is a project that will bring massive benefits and create a truly cleaner and greener Ajman for everyone who lives and works in the Emirate."

Mr. Taylor explained that if property owners in Ajman had not received a registration form or they have any queries with the registration process they should contact Ajman Sewerage Company directly by calling 00 9716 714 8888 or by writing to Ajman Sewerage Company at PO Box 4686, Ajman.

Construction work officially began on the building of the sewerage system last week during an official groundbreaking ceremony undertaken by His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, The Ruler of Ajman.

The work includes building a treatment plant at a remote location on the outskirts of Ajman, 22 individual (mostly underground) pumping stations and laying of over 250 km of pipelines to connect the properties to the system. It will take an estimated four years to complete the project and the main treatment plant is expected to open in 2005.

The Ajman Sewerage (Private) Company Limited is a joint venture company owned by the Government of Ajman, Thames Water, Black and Veatch and Six Construct. Thames Water and Black and Veatch are two world leaders in the provision of wastewater services and infrastructure systems and Six Construct, part of Belgium's Besix, is a leading civil and infrastructure constructor.

Thames Water Middle East will be the operations and maintenance contractor for the duration of the 27.5-year, build, operate and transfer contract whilst Black & Veatch is the engineering, procurement and construction contractor and Six Construct will undertake the civil engineering work on the project.

Building the new plant will bring major economic and environmental benefits to the 250,000 population of the Emirate of Ajman. The world-class state of the art sewerage system for the Emirate will ensure that sewage is removed from homes and businesses directly through underground pipes and then treated in a modern treatment plant.

Fully treated effluent from the plant will then be used for irrigation and other purposes, creating an estimated 10-fold increase in the current amount of waste water available in the Emirate for these purposes. Currently domestic sewage in Ajman cannot be reused because it is not treated.