Web posters react to Dubai industry report

Some readers disagreed with the content of a report published in September.

A report relating to the state of the construction equipment market in Dubai has provoked a large number of comments from readers of ConstructionWeekOnline.com in September.

The document, compiled by research firm Proleads for the organisers of the Cityscape exhibition suggested that the emirate was the worst hit in the GCC, with nearly 30% of projects being cancelled, or postponed indefinitely, with the obvious knock-on effect this has had in terms of tools, equipment and building materials

“While some of Dubai’s ambitious plans are among the UAE projects that have been dropped, the Proleads database shows a continuing high level of activity in the emirates which would be the envy of many economies elsewhere,” said Cityscape group director Chris Spiller, who commissioned the research document.

The report also said that Qatar had weathered the storm well, with only 5% of projects cancelled, while Saudi Arabia had the highest number of ongoing developments, said to be 442 with a 19% ‘on-hold’ rate.

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However, readers of the ITP website, where the findings of the report were published had mixed, but forthright views about its conclusions. Vijay Anand from Doha said: “The best time in UAE has gone ... now the construction industry is subsiding and will stablise.” The same poster also said that Dubai has lot of negativities when it come to owning of property. “Why should an investor invest in Dubai with such risk factors?” he asked

Many posters disagreed with him. One of them, Anilkumar Yesodharan from Muscat wrote: “One of the world’s best economists is His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has built-up Dubai to its present status, would have already made plans to recover at the same pace. I wish him all success.”

Others were optimistic about a recovery in some of the region’s major industrial sectors. Samrat Ghosh of Doha belives that the recovery of the oil and gas sectors would mean a gradual restoration of our industry, while Jaleel Nazirudeen of Ruwais noted: “The construction for essential commodities have to continue being built, for example the construction related to water and electricity like IWPP (independent water and power projects) have continued, also road construction is still booming.”