Hatta waterfalls to be completed in 2022

The ambitious Dubai tourism project looks set to be a major draw for visitors

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has unveiled details of six new tourism projects in Hatta. Twitter / @HHShkMohd

Designs include a 5.4-kilometre cable car system, a sustainable waterfall attraction, an international hotel and new hiking tracks up to Jabal Umm Al Nusour – Dubai's highest peak at 1,300 metres. Courtesy Twitter / @HHShkMohd

There are also plans to build 200 holiday homes to support domestic tourism. Courtesy Twitter / @HHShkMohd

The aim is to turn Hatta into a major tourist destination. Courtesy Twitter / @HHShkMohd

Deborah Thomson, general manager of JA Hatta Fort Hotel, believes the region could become a bucket list location. Photo: JA Hatta Fort Hotel

Construction of the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project is expected to be finished by mid-November next year, officials have said.

The project was one of the major attractions unveiled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, two months ago as part of the emirate’s plans to develop Hatta as a tourism destination.

An upper dam's slope will be used to create the waterfall. Water will be collected at the end of the stream, recycled and pumped back into the dam.

The area will include recreational spaces and restaurants.

The project will be awarded to a contractor by November and completion is expected within one year, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority announced.

Another attraction will be the Dubai Mountain Peak, which will have a 5.4-kilometre cable car to carry tourists to the summit of Um Al Nesoor – the highest natural summit in Dubai, 1,300 metres above sea level.

Saeed Al Tayer, managing director of Dewa, recently visited the construction site.

“Leveraging state-of-the-art technology and taking into account the unique geology of the Hatta region, we are implementing the Dubai Mountain Peak and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls projects in accordance with the highest international environmental standards,” he said.

“Our aim is to preserve the Hatta Mountain Reserve and to harmonise both projects with their surroundings in the Hatta region. The projects will offer a unique experience for UAE tourists and show the beauty of the mountainous regions of the country.”

The projects are expected to create 500 jobs, including 200 in the technical, administrative and operational sectors. Three hundred jobs will be created in the visitor centre, the project's outdoor activities and tourism facilities.

More than Dh100 million of annual income will be generated for the region's people through the holiday homes that will be built in the area.

“The project is expected to be a major tourist attraction in the UAE,” Mr Al Tayer said.

"The cable-car route passes over the Hatta Dam lake and the upper dam lake, which are parts of the Hatta pumped storage hydroelectricity plant currently under construction, as well as over the mountains."

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