Living Legends residents finally get Dewa connection in Dubai

Dubai - After living several months off "filthy water tanks"

Residents of the Living Legends community in Dubai have expressed relief after "finally" getting a Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) connection after living several months off "filthy water tanks".
Khaleej Times had reported on August 2 that 60 villas in phase 2 and 3 of the Living Legends community in Dubailand were not connected to the Dewa water supply network. Some villas did not even have power, leaving residents with no choice but to live off power generators
The Dewa had then clarified that they were not responsible for this problem as the issue was "concerning the developer and the main contractor".
Residents have confirmed to Khaleej Times that most of them now have proper Dewa connections. The remaining villas will be connected to the network "in a matter of days", they said.
"We are extremely relieved to be finally connected to the Dewa water supply network after lengthy delays. We are more grateful to the authorities for looking so promptly into the matter," Frederic Paille, a resident, said. "Apart from the obvious convenience aspect of not having to rely on dirty and unreliable tanker water, the peace of mind and health benefits associated with having clean water are tremendous."
Previously, residents had complained about having to take showers in dirty water coming out of the faucets due to the filth that would gather in the water tanks.
The water for the tanks were provided for free by the developer, but residents were concerned about the "unsanitary methods" used to fill the tank. For example, the water would overflow from the tank when being refilled, accumulate dirt from the ground and then go back into the tank.
One resident in phase 3, Elie Saikali, had been given a power generator as his villa did not have a Dewa connection. Today, he finally has a connection. "The Dewa connection has not only reached phase 2 but also phase 3, which is great news," said Saikali.
Now that the residents have proper water and power connections, they are requesting that other promises by the developer be met as well.
"Apart from the security issue with the terminated contractor - which has now been efficiently addressed by the Dubai Police - seemingly nothing else has moved on the ground in terms of landscaping, access roads and golf course completion," said Paille. "Besides, the current contractor (with a very small team) seems to be overwhelmed by the number of snagging issues due to poor finishing of villas, and as a result, moves extremely slowly on the ground."
In all, the Living Legends community has 500 villas, of which 250 have been handed over. The project was initially launched in 2006, but was halted due to financial issues.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com

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