Saif Mohamed5/18/11

Social Studies 11

Economics Inquiry: Coastal Management in Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE

Question #1: Identify the coastal management strategies that are being executed to control the coastal issues at Jumeirah Beach.

! Several coastal management strategies such as sea walls, revetments, beach nourishment, rock armor, as well as sand filled Geo-textile containers, are being executed to control the coastal issues that currently affect Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, UAE.

Rock armor

Sand filled Geo-textile containers

Sea walls

Question #2: Describe the importance of Jumeirah.

! Jumeirah is an essential coastal residential area in Dubai, UAE. It is the pinnacle of tourism and high class settlement in Dubai, and is significant to the cities economy, which is why it is important. The beautiful beaches, as well as artificial islands such as The Palm Jumeirah. This area is not only attractive to tourists, but is also popular with the expatriates that work in Dubai, especially because of the high class luxurious apartments and housing that is available. Jumeirah consists of beautiful and luxurious hotels such as the Burj Al Arab, which is a self-proclaimed seven star hotel in Dubai, but to keep objectivity, it is rated officially as a five star deluxe hotel. Its popularity amongst tourists, international businessmen mostly, and high prices, is one of the large

contributors to Dubaiʼs income. Another hotel that is a huge tourist attraction is the Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, which is a large attraction not only for adults and businessmen, but also for children who are able to enjoy the thrilling water park, as well as the unique experience that is available with such as dolphins, are the main reasons that tourists are attracted to visit and experience this particular region in Dubai.

This is the case for most of the luxurious hotels, houses, apartment complexes, as well as other entertainment

Revetments

Burj Al Arab

centers that are located in Jumeirah. Jumeirah has been awarded numerous international tourism and travel awards and is a huge contributor to Dubaiʼs income,

which is why this coastal region is important.

The Palm Jumeirah

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

Question #3: Explain the coastal issues that currently affect Jumeirah Beach and evaluate the coastal management strategies that are being executed to reduce, or control the coastal issues.

! Erosion, which is the natural process of transporting solids in the natural environment from the source of the solids, to a position elsewhere, as well as a threat to the strength of the beachʼs infrastructure, are the main coastal issues that affect Jumeirah Beach. Also, due to loss of sand from the basin, which has prevented this beach from holding an acceptable buffer width in front of the amenity block at the center of the bay, is one of the issues that is not harmful, but due to the popularity of the beach, is a necessary issue that must be resolved. Also, despite the fact that there have been no floods in the Jumeirah region, or Dubai city as a whole, precautions have still been taken by the Dubai Municipality, as well as other coastal management organizations in order to keep floods from ever harming the infrastructure of Jumeirah.! Sea walls, revetments, sand filled Geo-textile containers, as well as rock armor, are the strategies that are currently being executed in order to reduce, or control the erosion problem that currently affects Jumeirah Beach. These strategies have been successful so far, as the level of erosion has decreased drastically, but this coastal issue has not been fully reduced, which is why these coastal management strategies must continue to be used in order to prevent the pace of erosion at Jumeirah beach to increase, and in order to hopefully restore Jumeirah Beach to its full strength and health. A current issue with one of the strategies, is the fact that the hotels and housing that is located along this coastline feel that the sand filled containers disrupt the beauty of the beach, and therefore; and repels tourists and settlers, but despite this argument, these containers are necessary for the prevention of erosion, and has been successful so far in controlling the pace of erosion at Jumeirah Beach. Research by the Dubai Municipality is also being done on beach nourishment to prevent erosion from damaging the beach and once research is complete, this strategy will also be in action.! Sea walls, revetments, and rock armor have also been constructed along the coastline to prevent the water in the ocean from flowing into the city and damaging the infrastructure of the Jumeirah region. Until now these strategies have been successful as there have been no floods in Jumeirah. In fact, there have been no floods in the city of Dubai, which clearly shows that so far these coastal management strategies have been successful in controlling the issue of possible flooding in Jumeirah, as well as the city of Dubai. Very light overflows do take place from time to time, but that is not an issue that the coastal management organizations or the Dubai Municipality need to address.! Soft Rock revetments were installed as a trial at Jumeirah Beach to solve the issue of the lack of a buffer zone at the beach. So far, this coastal management strategy has proved successful as the buffer zone has been extended, and this has created more room for tourists and settlers to enjoy the beach, as well as for hotels and other housing companies to use for business. Also, the reason that this method was so convenient, was because once a permanent solution to this problem was created, the currently used Soft Rock revetments had to be removable, and they are, which is why once a permanent solution for extending the buffer zone of the beach is found, the Soft Rock revetments will most probably be replaced.