• Home

Sharjah grocers get 14-day grace period

SHARJAH — Sharjah Municipality has extended by 14 days the deadline issued to groceries who were earlier asked to stop selling five-gallon water bottles from today, Khaleej Times has learnt.

On receiving several complaints from residents that some groceries were selling fake products, the civic body issued circulars to all groceries asking them to stop selling five-gallon water bottles until they sought the municipality’s approval to sell them by buying such bottles only from reputed companies.

An official from the Sharjah Municipality said after 14 days, the municipality will confiscate all the stocks of five-gallon water bottles from groceries and will impose a fine of Dh300 on them.

He said the decision aims to ensure that customers purchase five-gallon water bottles directly from reputed companies.

Groceries in Sharjah told Khaleej Times that a complete ban on the sale of five-gallon water bottles will affect their business significantly.

Mohammed from Burj Al Nahar Grocery said, “We make good profits by selling desalinated water bottles to customers.”

Khan Al Jabri from Al Ghullam Grocery said that the ban on sale of water will also affect residents who are not regular customers of drinking water companies. “During emergencies, most residents purchase water from groceries in their neighbourhood. But now they will have to wait until the water supply company delivers the bottles which in many cases is only once a week.”

However, residents do not think that a ban on the sale of five-gallon water bottles in groceries is going to affect them as they can always get the water delivered at their doorstep by representatives of drinking water companies.

Maha Al Taweel, a resident of Al Mussala area, said, “If the company can distribute this water to groceries, why can’t they deliver it to our apartments directly? I don’t trust groceries as they buy low quality water from Ajman for Dh 1 and sell it to us at a cost of Dh 6 or 7. I think the municipality has taken the right decision.”

Abu Baker Arbab, who lives in Al Butainah, said he lodged a complaint with the municipality about the poor quality of water being supplied to the public by groceries. “I find it safe to make arrangements with water companies so that five-gallon water bottles are delivered to us directly.”

• UAE