Ruwais - Ruwais Housing Complex

Ruwais Housing Complex

Ruwais Housing Complex (RHC) — which has its own shopping centers, schools, mosques, medical services, sports and recreation centers, banking and postal services, and even a cable TV and video station — covers an area of six square kilometers. It lies between Ruwais Industrial Complex and Jebel Dhana, just off the main highway running westwards into Saudi Arabia. RHC was built in two phases between 1979 and 1984, and in line with ADNOC's policy of ensuring that employees and their families have the very best of social and welfare facilities, all efforts have been made to make it a fully integrated community. The complex has 1,357 residential units, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom, double-story 'executive' villas. All have modern furnishing and fittings and are pleasantly set amidst landscaped grounds. A large area of RHC has been planted with a variety of trees, shrubs, flower beds and lawns. It has a number of recreation parks and a green belt around the perimeter covers 140 hectares and is planted with more than 22,000 trees. To ensure a regular supply of plants all year round, the complex has its own nursery to propagate seeding. Tills is a veritable gardener's paradise, with up to 250,000 plants in stock. Although families who live in RHC are some 250 kilometers away from Abu Dhabi, a limited range of consumer goods is available. The complex has three commercial centers with more than 40 shops and two markets selling everything from foodstuffs to electrical goods, household items and basic clothing. The educational needs of Ruwais children, from nursery through to secondary level, are met by a total of 10 schools. Seven are managed by the Ministry of Education and three are privately owned, offering British or Indian systems. The schools, private and government, are equipped with modern classrooms and other facilities, such as science laboratories and libraries. RHC has two recreation centers, one exclusively for women. The other is currently undergoing major renovation but will be open to all. Sports facilities include a swimming pool open to men, gymnasium, theatre, bowling alley, general activity halls, tennis courts, library, restaurants and cafeterias. Cultural events, often involving troupes and performers from overseas, are staged regularly at the recreation centers. For days at the seaside, residents have access to a beach club at Jebel Dhanna, which in addition to water sports facilities has a TV and Games hall. RHC residents can always be sure of something interesting to watch on their television sets, thanks to a local TV and video station which operates on a cable network. The complex has all the ancillary services required of a modern town, including a well-maintained road network, street lighting in all areas, and a sewage system which includes a treatment plant for recycling sewage water for irrigation purposes. Electricity and desalinated water supplies are provided directly from the refinery.