• Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita: “Serving people comes first, through proactivity, flexibility, speed of service delivery, and direct community engagement.”
• Residents’ feedback focused on drainage, sewerage, urban planning, housing facilitation, and environmental quality.
• Community input to shape the development of public parks and green spaces in line with local needs.
• The engagement reinforces community partnership as a core pillar of Dubai Municipality’s service model.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21 January 2026: Dubai Municipality’s leadership, headed by His Excellency Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, met with residents and families of Al Warqa in an on-site community dialogue session aimed at reviewing key municipal projects and strengthening direct engagement with the local community.

The session formed part of Dubai Municipality’s ongoing approach to field-based leadership engagement, which places residents at the centre of service design and delivery. It provided a platform for open discussion on current initiatives in the area, while enabling residents to raise inquiries and share proposals related to service improvement, urban development, and quality of life.

Residents’ feedback and questions addressed a range of issues affecting daily life, including improving stormwater drainage and sewerage systems, addressing sewer odours, regulating inspection and monitoring processes, urban planning considerations, housing challenges, and the availability of flexible housing facilitation solutions. Discussions also explored proposals for developing public parks and green spaces to meet the needs of families and children, ensuring safe, inclusive, and sustainable recreational environments.

Serving people comes first

His Excellency Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita said: “At Dubai Municipality, serving people comes first. This is achieved through proactivity, flexibility, speed in service delivery, and, most importantly, listening closely to residents’ feedback and suggestions. Direct engagement with communities allows us to align our services with real needs and continuously enhance the way we operate.”

He added: “A core part of our approach is to deliver attractive, accessible, and inclusive facilities designed to global standards, while remaining deeply connected to how residents live and use their neighbourhoods. This ensures a balanced integration between infrastructure quality, sustainability, and community wellbeing, while preserving social and cultural diversity across Dubai.”

In response to inquiries regarding sewer odours, His Excellency explained that the issue is primarily linked to the Warsan Sewage Treatment Plant, which was developed based on earlier planning requirements. He noted that Dubai Municipality teams are currently upgrading the facility through parallel tracks focused on infrastructure, technology, and treatment systems, in line with urban and population growth.

Three councils to address community priorities

During the session, Dubai Municipality presented a range of projects and initiatives through three dedicated councils: the Urban Planning and Building Council, the Infrastructure, Health and Safety Council, and the Public Parks and Recreational Facilities Council. The Municipality also introduced new digital services designed to enhance customer experience and provide on-site solutions for service inquiries and requests.

Within the Public Parks and Recreational Facilities Council, Dubai Municipality highlighted ongoing landscape and beautification projects, as well as current and planned public parks and family squares, with three projects under implementation and three under design. Future plans were also outlined, bringing the total number of planned parks in the area to 17.

The Municipality further presented the indoor sports facility project in Al Warqa 1, a destination designed for indoor sports enthusiasts. Spanning 22,860 square metres adjacent to the public park, the facility will serve Al Warqa and neighbouring areas including Mirdif, Nad Al Hamar, Nad Shamma, and Al Rashidiya, and will include padel, tennis, and football courts, a children’s play area, retail outlets, service facilities, and parking.

Integrated housing facilitation

Dubai Municipality’s leadership also outlined planning and housing facilitation measures aimed at supporting family and community stability. These include reducing villa setbacks to 1.5 metres, removing setbacks between main villas and annexes, increasing permitted building heights to three floors, and allowing full construction coverage for first and second floors. Additional measures include permitting ground-floor annexes prior to completion of the main building, allowing a villa for a son on the same plot subject to social eligibility, and permitting two-storey annexes.

Sustainable future projects

The meeting also reviewed the redevelopment of the Warsan Sewage Treatment Plant, based on an innovative design aligned with circular economy principles and carbon neutrality standards, supported by advanced smart operational systems. The expansion is expected to increase treatment efficiency to serve approximately 3.2 million people, raise capacity to 800,000 cubic metres per day by 2029, and produce one billion litres per day of recycled water for irrigation, supporting approximately 1.18 million square metres of green landscapes.

Dubai Municipality also presented the outsourcing project for waste collection, segregation, and transportation in Al Warqa, scheduled to commence in July 2026. The initiative aims to strengthen environmental compliance through waste segregation at source, reinforcing Dubai’s position as one of the world’s cleanest cities. Each household will be provided with two waste containers, one for general waste and one for recyclable materials.

Through these community engagements, Dubai Municipality continues to reinforce its people-first service model, strengthening trust, transparency, and partnership with residents while advancing sustainable, liveable neighbourhoods across Dubai.