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Tenants complain of contaminated water

AJMAN/SHARJAH — Tenants of buildings in Ajman and Sharjah are complaining about a foul smell emanating from the tap water, which they attribute to dirty water tanks on terraces.

Talking to Khaleej Times, they alleged that landlords of these buildings don't bother to clean the tanks periodically and consequently the water gets contaminated and becomes unhygienic for human consumption and even domestic use.

Most residents are worried about using contaminated water supplied through the taps fearing that it might affect the health of their little children, who are more at risk, and cause skin irritation and other dermatological problems.

Osman Khalid, a resident of a building in Al Nuaimia in Ajman said that the water smells and appears muddy which means that it could possibly be carrying bacteria that may pose a health risk for the public here. The Egyptian employee who collects the monthly rents from tenants has failed to act upon their complaints and to urge the landlord to get the water tanks cleaned regularly, he alleged.

Jawahir Hamdan, another tenant in Ajman said that the water was murky and unfit even for carrying out cleaning chores at home. Instead it only resulted in leaving stains on clothes and the dishes. H.H, a resident of the Al Wifaq building in Sharjah said that the real estate office was told several times about the need to clean and disinfect the tanks, but was not willing to spend money to hire a professional company for the purpose.

She expressed concern that the dirty water posed a serious health hazard to the tenants and their families are being exposed to high levels of contamination besides suffering the foul smell.

Q. Gopal, a resident of Benkwan building in Sharjah, said the municipality should take some stringent action in this matter as it directly affects public health.

Speaking to Khaleej times, Hassan Al Balgoumi, an official of the Sharjah Municipality put the onus of cleaning up the water tanks on the owners of the buildings. The municipality is not carrying out inspections of the water tanks in all buildings, but if the tenants complain about the contamination of water, civic inspectors will be sent to collect water samples for lab tests. If the water is found unfit for usage, the owners will be warned and given time to take corrective measures. But, if they pay no heed to resolve the problem, then the owners would be fined Dh1,000 or more, the official warned.

Saif Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Ajman Municipality, said that the civic inspectors are making random inspections of the water tanks in buildings, and if any violations come to light the building owner is notified and fined. The municipality's hot line is always open for the public and the inspectors will respond to public complaints as the issue concerns public health, he added.

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