By Sajila Saseendran
Copyright gulfnews
Dubai: Dubai Municipality has announced that it impounded 1,387 abandoned vehicles and equipment during the first half of 2025.In the same period, 6,187 removal warnings were issued across residential, commercial and industrial areas of the emirate, the civic body said on Wednesday.“These actions form part of Dubai Municipality’s continuous campaigns to preserve the city’s aesthetic appeal, safeguard public health and safety, and uphold the highest standards of urban cleanliness,” it said.Public responseSaeed Abdul Rahim Safar, director of the Waste Operations Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “Addressing abandoned vehicles is one of our top priorities in maintaining Dubai’s urban environment and enhancing its attractiveness. Our field teams work year-round to monitor and remove abandoned vehicles wherever they are found — whether on roads, in public parking areas, or on sandy plots.“In the first half of this year alone, we achieved a positive public response rate of 77.6 per cent in resolving abandoned vehicle cases, and we will continue strengthening partnerships and awareness efforts to raise this figure even further.”Awareness effortsSafar added that Dubai Municipality has implemented field programmes and community awareness campaigns to reduce the spread of abandoned vehicles and equipment in public places that detract from the city’s appearance.He also pointed out that the municipality aims to raise public awareness about the harm caused by abandoned vehicles, encourage community responsibility, and emphasise the importance of collaboration with government and private sector partners to sustain Dubai’s appeal and ensure the well-being of residents.Vehicle removal processThe municipality outlined the process of handling abandoned vehicles. Field teams first identify and record vehicle details in the smart system, followed by the issuance of a warning notice giving the owner between three and 15 days to act, depending on the vehicle’s condition and location.For Dubai-registered vehicles, an SMS alert is also sent to the owner via the Roads and Transport Authority’s system. Once the warning period expires, the vehicle is removed in coordination with Emirates Parking and transferred to the company’s impound yard in Al Awir.Shared responsibilityDubai Municipality urged residents and vehicle owners not to leave cars unattended for extended periods, particularly during summer holidays.The municipality emphasised that preserving the city’s cleanliness is a shared responsibility between the government and the community. Residents can contribute by maintaining their vehicles properly and following simple measures such as regularly cleaning them, using protective car covers, parking in designated safe areas, and avoiding leaving vehicles in deserted or sandy locations that accelerate deterioration, the civic body added.
