Abu Dhabi: An unclean or grubby car parked in a public place in the city of Abu Dhabi is an invitation for a fine, yet car washing for residents continues to remain a problem ever since the municipality announced manual car washing by casual labourers to be illegal.
"I got a hefty fine once because my car was dirty. I hadn't washed it in over three weeks because I didn't have two hours to spare to wait in a car wash queue," said 23-year-old H.M.
The lack of car washes in the city and the lengthy queues are among the most common complaints of Abu Dhabi residents. More and more people have been led to leaving their cars grimy and unwashed, the result of which is exceptionally visible in the streets of Abu Dhabi. Many residents are now calling for the legalising of manual car washing by casual labourers and watchmen in residential areas.
Long queues
"I try to wash my car at least once every three days. However, several times I have gone into a station and seen the amount of cars in the queue, then left. I leave it dirty instead of waiting in a queue with more than four cars," said Hassan Khairate, a 19-year-old student.
"When I wash my car it takes me over two and a half hours at the weekend, and one and a half hours on a weekday. I have not washed my car in two weeks, although I have tried twice since then but queues were simply too long," said May, a university professor.
According to Abdul Shukoor, the night time shift supervisor at an ADNOC station, weekends are always the busiest.
"We are busy throughout the whole week but Thursdays and Fridays we get about 160 cars a day," he said.
A high number of Abu Dhabi residents seem to agree that the casual watchmen and labourers whose job has been made illegal used to be a big help.
Karen, who works with children, has not been to a car wash in over a year. She still pays her watchman to clean their car, and he usually does it in a hidden spot behind their building.
Few options
"We don't have any other options; we lead busy lives and don't have the time to wait in car washes. Our watchman makes life a lot easier," she said.
"These labourers used to help decrease the queues in car washes, as more cars were being cleaned outside and didn't have to make the trip to the station. So a higher number of cars around the city in general were relatively cleaner. Now, more than ever, everywhere I look cars are dirty," said Aya Abdul Fattah, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 18 years.
May believes that the rising number of unclean cars contradicts the widespread perception and view of Abu Dhabi as an unsoiled and sparkling city that pleases the eye.
"I also don't understand what is wrong with labourers trying to increase their revenues by washing cars, particularly when it's a decent work and contributes to the enrichment of the city," she added.
"The reason watchmen and labourers are prohibited from washing cars is because the unclean, washing waste water drains into public properties, sidewalks, as well as green and open areas. This is uncivilised, not environmentally friendly, causes a mess, occupies available parking time and ruins the city's image," said a senior official from the Abu Dhabi Municipality.
"Keeping a vehicle clean internally and externally is a simple procedure and equal to keeping one's house clean. It's a part of the general hygiene concept, and to achieve this important concept there are recognised social specifications and standards that organize this process in order to improve the city's image," he added.
— With inputs from Mayar Raouf, Staff Reporter
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