‘Waste Shark’ set to keep Dubai Creek garbage-free
Smart boat to clean Dubai waterways where 1,070 tonnes of waste was collected last year
Dubai Municipality has enhanced its fleet of waterway clean-up boats and is mulling the launch of a smart, autonomous vehicle that clears rubbish in waterways called “Waste Shark,” the civic body said yesterday.
“It is a remote-controlled, autonomous vehicle with dynamic sensors and a smart camera that tracks floating debris and removes them,” said Abdul Majeed Abdul Azeez Al Saifaie, director of the Waste Management Department of the Municipality
“It would improve the quality of work and contribute to the rationalisation of expenditure. It is also environmentally friendly as it is electrically operated and does not release any carbon dioxide,” Saifaie said in a press release. He was speaking about the future plan for the development of cleaning operations in Dubai’s water channels.
He said these will include the study of a number of modern techniques and equipment used for water purification of the channels, which rely on artificial intelligence and reduce human intervention.
He said the Waste Management Department has implemented a range of initiatives and campaigns to keep Dubai’s waterways clean and sustainable, including Dubai Creek, Al Jaddaf Creek, Dubai Water Canal and Business Bay Canal.
The cleaning of these sites is carried out through a specialised unit which has 50 specialist marine workers and cleaners. The maritime fleet of the unit includes 13 marine vehicles, classified for manual and hydraulic recovery operation, equipped with the latest technologies.
In 2017, the unit collected about 1,070 tonnes of waste from these waterways