Following new year’s eve celebrations that captivated attendees and spectators from around the world, facilities management services provider Emrill was on-site to complete cleaning activities in Emaar’s flagship community, Downtown Dubai.
Despite heavy rain and attendance that surpassed that of the previous year’s event, Emrill cleaned the surrounding areas of Downtown Dubai, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Boulevard and Burj Park, returning the site to its original state and opening it to the public again by 2.30 am on January 1, 2022.
Preparation for the event began months in advance to ensure robust precautions were in place to guarantee the safety of residents and visitors. Ahead of the world-famous fireworks and laser display, Emrill sanitised the entire surrounding area on December 30, 2021. Working closely with the event organisation team, Emrill used crowd movement forecasts to map routes to and from designated viewing and seated areas.
Unlike the 2020 celebrations, heavy rainfall on December 31 made it necessary for Emrill’s teams to carry out further sanitisation activities and remedial works to ensure the area was ready to receive guests. Additional actions were carried out seamlessly as they had been accounted for in the contingency plans the total facilities services provider had prepared before the commencement of works.
Once the evening’s festivities had concluded, Emrill deep cleaned and sanitised the entire area again, using authority-approved personal protective equipment and cleaning chemicals to mitigate the risk of cross-contamination. Emrill also utilised specialised cleaning equipment, including the CMAR street cleaner and modified club car pressure washers, which enabled the cleaning crews to cover a wider area in a shorter amount of time during the sanitisation phase of operations.
Emrill’s operations director, Gopalakrishnan, said, “Despite facing the additional challenges of heavy rainfall and strong winds, our foresight, planning and ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances meant we could ensure high standards were always maintained and customer expectations were met. It was critical Emrill could deliver cleaning services quickly, efficiently and with minimal disruption to visitors and residents before, during and after this prestigious event. We achieved this, completing cleaning ahead of schedule, by closely coordinating with our client and being prepared for any eventuality.”
Increasing its workforce by 9 per cent compared to the previous year, Emrill mobilised 338 cleaning operatives and 23 supervisors and managers. During the evening’s celebrations, the teams were responsible for ensuring the safety and cleanliness of a two square-kilometre area, including the removal of litter, frequent emptying of waste receptacles and ashtrays to minimise the risk of fire, and keeping pathways clear of obstructions.
Gopalakrishnan concluded, “Health and safety is a priority for Emrill and guides everything we do. We took the responsibility of providing a safe, accident-free environment for the thousands of visitors who visited the area very seriously, and we are proud of the dedication and commitment displayed by every member of the team.”
Emrill has provided cleaning services for the Downtown Dubai new year celebrations for nine years and has also cleaned other prestigious Dubai locations Emrill services following new year’s eve events.