Dubai television tower demolished
Dubai: The aging Jumeirah television tower was demolished on Friday, bringing an end to one of Dubai's iconic structures. The 255 metre-high antenna was built 22 years ago, making it the region's oldest television antenna. It had been a well-known feature on Dubai's skyline.
Video: Click here to watch Dubai's TV tower demolished
Demolition crews
began work on
Thursday by
scaling the
structure and
replacing parts
with special
charges. The
antenna was
guarded
overnight by
Dubai police.
About
three-and-a-half
kilos of
explosives were
used in the
demolition
process.
Officials
declined to say
what type of
explosives were
used.
There was heavy
police presence
at the scene and
paramedics were
on standby.
Also at the site
was Shaikh
Maktoum Bin
Rashid Al
Maktoum, Deputy
Ruler of Dubai,
who came to
witness the
demoltion.
Peter Pip of
Gulf Rock
Engineering
Group headed the
demolition
process and said
it went
according to
plan.
"The antenna
came down this
morning
according to
plan. It fell in
the exact
direction as
calculated. We
had no excessive
noise and no
dust so the
whole process
worked perfectly,"
he said.
The crew
consisted of no
more than 10
workers. Some of
them had also
been part of the
team that
erected the
antenna in 1986.
Among them was
Bob Jaggard, who
returned to head
the project.
Jaggard helped
build the tower.
"Unfortunately
time moves on
and it's a sad
day for many
people for this
landmark to be
removed. It's
indicative of
change here in
Dubai; the
longer you stay
the longer you
want to hold
onto what you
know because it
becomes a part
of you. But I
suspect next
week they'll
forget about it
and move onto
something else -
that's life,"
Jaggard said.
The antenna was
initially set up
to help promote
Dubai's image in
the GCC region,
carrying both
Arabic and
English-language
stations for
Dubai Media
Incorporated.
The aging
antenna will now
make way for
cutting-edge
fibre optic
technology.
Bron: http://gulfnews.com
The region's oldest TV tower, and one of Dubai's most familiar landmarks, was demolished on a foggy Friday morning.
- End of an era after 22-year-old TV tower demolished
- Published: 21:22 June 27, 2008