Muscat: A new cable car project that will show visitors the rugged beauty of the region of Hatta near the border between Oman and the UAE is currently under construction. The Dubai Mountain Peak project features cable car rides across a 5.4 km cable that will take visitors to Umm Al Nisour, the highest peak in the emirate that stands at 1,300 metres.
On top of the mountain will be erected a circular observation deck from where people can enjoy uninterrupted views of the rocky terrain, interspersed with mountain lakes, for miles around. They can also explore the mountains around them through hiking paths that are also being laid out.
The project is one of six new developments slated for Hatta, which has been earmarked as a new tourism destination in the UAE. Other projects include the construction of 200 holiday homes to support domestic tourism, as well as the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project, both of which will be implemented by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
Cable cars will pass over the Hatta Dam, which is also under construction, and forms a major component of the waterfalls being designed. The upper slope of the dam will be used to create a natural waterfall, which will cascade onto a waterway, collected at the end, and then pumped back into the top of the dam. The stream formed by the waterway will be home to fish bred within, which will improve the quality of visits to the area. The area near the waterway will also be used to create recreational spaces and restaurants.
Updates on the project were recently provided to Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the MD and CEO of DEWA, when he visited the sites for the two projects, reported WAM. Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at DEWA; Khalifa Al Bedwawi, project manager, and the project team accompanied Al Tayer.
During the visit, Al Tayer was briefed by the project manager on the latest developments related to the engineering designs of the Dubai Mountain Peak project, the time plan, and the challenges at the site and how to overcome them. Specialised international consultants have been appointed to ensure the project is implemented according to the highest international standards of quality, safety, and security.
“The projects will contribute to overall development in the Hatta region, especially the Dubai Mountain Peak, which includes the construction of a 5.4-kilometre cable car to transport tourists to the summit of Umm Al Nisour,” he said.
“At 1,300 metres above sea level, it is the highest natural summit in Dubai,” he added. “The project is expected to be a major tourist attraction in the UAE. The cable car route passes over the Hatta Dam lake and the upper dam lake, which are parts of the Hatta pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant currently under construction, as well as over the mountains. The route ends at the summit of Umm Al Nisour mountain.”
Al Tayer also reviewed the progress of the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project. The project started in May 2021. The tender for the work will be floated in the fourth week of September 2021 and is expected to be finalised by mid-November 2021, with construction to be completed by mid-November 2022.
