DUBAI, 3 May 2007 — Dubai officials have unveiled the municipality’s strategic plan for 2007-2011 that lays down critical objectives in 14 key areas, such as enhancing civic services, further developing planning and construction policies, architectural conservation, environmental and public-health issues and applying international accreditation standards.

Addressing a meeting of senior officials of the municipality and the media, Hussain Nasser Lootah, acting director general of Dubai Municipality, said, “The strategic plan of Dubai Municipality has two aspects: operational and executive. We will give full powers to each department to apply various provisions of this plan just like a private company does. Responsibility and transparency will be the keywords.”

Shedding light on the major features of the plan, Maryam Al-Hammadi, assistant director of administrative development, said the public works goals seek to accomplish 90 percent of the building and construction projects. The plan includes developing 32 new areas, restoring 53 historical buildings, achieving a minimum urban growth rate of 5 percent, increasing the per capita green area to 23.4 square meters, increasing the cultivated land in urban areas to 3.15 percent by 2011.

The strategic plan seeks to raise customer satisfaction to 90 percent by the year 2011, to solve 75 percent of customer complaints and to provide at least 100 new services.

In the area of environment, public health and safety, the plan seeks to raise the percentage of areas connected with the city’s drainage network to 100 percent by 2011, reduce sewage water carried by tankers to 5 percent, clean up 90 percent of the marine water, increase the volume of treated waste to 10 percent annually, recycle 40 percent of waste annually, expand natural reserves by 10 percent, reduce the injury rate of public employees, reduce unhygienic food and water, reduce communicable diseases like AIDS and TB, reduce livestock diseases, increase the number of no-smoking areas in public places and reduce the number of products that do not abide by standards and specifications.

The plan seeks to nationalize 75 percent of its manpower by 2011. It aims to increase the level of community satisfaction to 90 percent and to implement at least 300 community-awareness and education programs by the year 2011.