Parsons awarded $3.2bn Dubai project

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Parsons awarded $3.2bn Dubai project

US based Parsons has been awarded a major consultancy and supervision contract by Dubai Municipality for a deep tunnel sewerage project to cover key sections of Deira and Bur Dubai in the city, said the report.

According to the deal, Parsons will be responsible for feasibility studies, preliminary design, preparation of IPO, then project management in detailed design stages as well as the implementation and supervision of the implementation of tunnels and the lift station, reported state news agency Wam.

The Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnel system is one of the most vital and strategic projects for the emirate as on completion in 2020, it will replace more than 121 sewage pumping stations spread across the city with a flexible and integrated system, it stated.

It is a hitech urban project that will spare the emirate sewage problems, maintenance works, and other issues for 100 years to come, stated Hussain Nasser Lootah, the director general of Dubai Municipality after signing the contract with Jaafar Halawi, the first deputy director of Parsons and Middle East and North Africa (Mena) director for industrial projects.

The project, to be implemented in two phases, will be completed in four years. The Phase One in the Deira area of the emirate will see a tunnel being dug in that locality and another in Bur Dubai.

The tunnels’ total length is more than 70km, in addition to nearly 140 km of sewerage links and a number of main pumping stations. Additional phases could also be implemented in order to serve the new development zones or link the two regions of Deira and Bur Dubai, it added.

The deep-sewage system, as in other megacities, will reduce current sewage flows and cancel subsidiaries of pumping stations and sewage treatment plants. Hence, there will be no need for tanks to transfer sediments through the city, from substations to the main plants, for treatment and disposal, explained Lootah.

Under this project, sewer lines will be built underground using the innovative tunnels technology, which reduces the damage caused by construction works (including roads, passages and other utilities), stated the official.

This innovative and sustainable system will ensure a lower cost and a long-term solution for sewage problems in the city, will minimise damage caused to the society and the city, and will contribute to transform these places into commercial or public areas in order to make use of them, he added.

Source: for further information see www.parsons.com

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.