The municipal authorities are poised to begin work on the sixth phase of a Dh547 million ($147 million) sewage project in Sharjah, a top official said.

The new phase will increase the capacity of the sewerage system by 40,000 cu m daily, Sharjah Municipality director-general Ahmed Mohammed Fikri said. The sixth phase will be completed in 30 months.

Work on the fifth phase, now scheduled to be completed this year, had been extended to meet the growing demands on civic infrastructure because of major growth in the emirate, he said.

The sewerage system is now serving 50 per cent of Sharjah City and the municipality is planning to cover the whole city in the next five years.

The municipality is also executing a Dh22.6 million drainage project for Al Nahda commercial area, and the Dibba Al Hosn, Kalba and Khor Fakkan areas in the Eastern Region had also been supplied with separate treatment stations which receive rainwater by tankers and treat it to be used later for beautification and agricultural services.