Palm Jumeirah, the first of a series of man-made islands off Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is bracing itself for the arrival of its first residents, even as questions remain about how big projects such as this one will effect the environment.
"These projects are a positive thing for the country" because they have propelled Dubai to world fame, said environmentalist Ibrahim al-Zu'bi. But "they are introducing more people, so it's more pressure on the natural resources," he said.
A few kilometers from Palm Jumeirah, which is shaped like a palm tree and is the first of several artificial islands rising off the coast, work is continuing on "The World", a cluster of some 300 islands that look like the nations of the planet.
PHOTO: AP
"The World," which is due to be completed near the end of the year 2008, and three "Palm" islands are the work of Nakheel, a government-controlled property developer.
Nakheel recently announced that it would hand the keys of 3,900 flats and villas on Palm Jumeirah to their owners by the end of the year, about six months behind schedule.
The most expensive villas on the island are as much as US$4 million (over NT$131 million).
The arrival of the first residents on the island will follow a publicity blitz starting Nov. 9 in London. Work is meanwhile also continuing on two other palm tree-shaped islands even bigger than Palm Jumeirah.
One, Palm Jebel Ali, is on the west side of the Gulf, and the other, Palm Deira — planned to be 18km long and 9km wide but still in its early stages — is located to the east.(AFP)
位於阿拉伯聯合大公國的杜拜外海，人造島嶼的第一波完工的「朱美拉棕櫚島」，正準備迎接首批居民，然而對於龐大的計畫是否會衝擊環境仍是個問號。
環境保育人士伊布拉姆．歐蘇比表示︰
「這些計畫對國家具正面影響力，」因為這些島嶼提升了杜拜的國際聲望，但他說
︰「這些島嶼吸引愈來愈多人，所以對自然資源產生的壓力也愈大。」
朱美拉棕櫚島狀似棕櫚樹，是幾座填海人工島嶼的第一座成品，幾哩之外，「世界島」的工程也在進行中。它由三百多個島嶼組成，就像地球上的國家一樣。
預計在二○○八年底竣工的「世界島」
和三座「棕櫚」島都是納克西爾建的營造計畫。納克西爾是由政府出資掌管的營建公司。
納克西爾近日宣布，儘管進度落後六個月，三千九百戶朱美拉棕櫚島的公寓和別墅將在年底前交屋。
島上最昂貴的別墅要價四百萬美元（超過新台幣一億三千一百萬元）。
朱美拉棕櫚島的公關造勢活動十一月九日在倫敦開跑，第一批居民隨後進駐，其他兩座棕櫚樹狀島嶼的建造工程也同時進行中，其規模更勝朱美拉棕櫚島。
其一是位在波斯灣西側的「傑貝勒阿里棕櫚島」，另一座初具雛型的「德以拉棕櫚島」則位於波灣東側，預計長度十八公里，寬九公里。
（法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
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