Abu Dhabi to start introducing home addresses

Every household in Abu Dhabi is to be given a unique address in the next 30 months, as the UAE capital roles out a system similar to that operated in the UK, daily newspaper The National reported on Sunday.

The project will start with a pilot project on Al Maryah Island and in Al Falah, before it is gradually expanded to the rest of the emirate and then across the remainder of the country, the report added.

Abdulla Ghareeb Al Bloushi, managing director of the land and property management sector at the Department of Municipal Affairs said: “We need this especially for security, for the emergency services, and also we want visitors and tourists to see us as a tourist destination without having any problems while travelling in Abu Dhabi. For the economy, also, we need this system in place for the distribution of goods.”

DELIVERIES MADE EASIER

Under the existing system, which was created in the late 1990s, is a complicated network of zones, plots and buildings, as well as codes, too long for anyone to remember. It makes ordering a pizza or taking a cab that extra bit challenging, requiring you to navigate by landmarks, explaining to people that the destination is, for example, the ‘building on the left by the roundabout, next to the large mosque and a supermarket.

The new addresses will feature a building name, the name of the street, city, country and postcode, the report added. Street names will not be duplicated, instead they will be selected from a data bank of hundreds that have been suggested. Where street names already exist, some will be shortened.

Once introduced, it is hoped that it will help the response times of emergency services, making it easier for them to navigate the streets and taxi drivers will be trained to use the new system.