Abu Dhabi An abandoned building in the heart of the city has become a garbage dump.
Residents are complaining that the mounds of garbage piling up inside the dilapidated building on Hamdan Bin Mohammad Street are an eyesore and health risk. The ten storey building opposite Qasr Al Hosn Fort is reportedly earmarked for demolition.
“People are using the structure as a dumping ground. It is such a bad sight when I walk past the building every day,” said Fathima Hashim, a housewife from an adjacent building.
The ground floor is overflowing with garbage apparently disposed of by residents and small businesses. Thousands of plastic covers used for waste disposal can be seen spilling onto the kerb through broken glass doors of what used to be commercial shops.
“The building had been evacuated for a long time now. Nobody lives here. But we do not know when the municipality is going to bulldoze the structure,” said the watchman of a nearby building .
A Sudanese expat living in the vicinity said it is a health hazard in the middle of the city. “We do not know what kind of waste is deposited here. It is not stinking. So I hope it is not food or any biodegradable waste,” he said.
“This is definitely an environmental hazard. Look at the pile of plastic covers. Authorities should take some environment-friendly steps to dispose of this,” he added.
Ahmad Ramzan Siddiqui, another resident said groceries and restaurants in the area were misusing the building. “It is convenient for them to dump waste here,” he said, adding that lack of garbage chutes in the area is forcing people to use the building as a dump-yard.
A grocery staff told XPRESS a lot of the waste was left behind by tenants and shops before they were evicted. “I do not think shops and restaurants in the area dump their waste here. At least we do not,” said Moosa.
According to him, people have been complaining for long. “But I think nobody has bothered to take up the matter with authorities. Now we too are used to this mess,” he said.
Civic authorities were not immediately available for comment.
