UAE | Environment
Garbage piles up in Sharjah building construction sites
The Sharjah municipality refuses to provide garbage bins in construction sites, fearing their misuse will result in refuse being scattered.
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:38 January 7, 2009
- Image Credit: Atiq-Ur-Rehman/Gulf News
- Rubbish blights the Musalla area in Sharjah. The municipality says it does not provide refuse bins in areas where construction is underway because the bins are abused.
Sharjah: The Sharjah municipality refuses to provide garbage bins in construction sites, fearing their misuse will result in refuse being scattered.
"Nobody is bothering to clean it up. Ever since I moved into the neighbourhood seven months ago, there has always been people's garbage piling up. There is everything from glass bottles to plastic bags and aluminium cans," said Ayoub Omar, a resident of Al Nahda near Al Maya Supermarket.
The problem of rubbish in residential areas is not confined to Al Nahda. It can be seen in several areas including the University City Road, Al Taawun and Al Majaz.
Residents are at their wits' end because the rubbish is not restricted to a small area but spreads across the sandy stretches where cars park.
Tenants living in areas where construction is going on have regularly complained that their vehicles can be damaged by debris falling from construction sites.
"Children play football outside and it is very dangerous because they sometimes play barefoot in the sand and could get hurt. It is also a problem while parking the car because I am always scared that I will drive over glass and get a punctured tyre," said A. Saif Al Deen.
The rubbish heaps have given them a bad reputation and many advise others to avoid venturing over there.
Residential area
A Sharjah Municipality spokesperson said the Solid Waste Department is responsible for cleaning up waste and litter from the roads and residential areas.
However, the official pointed out that they do not extend services to areas where construction is going on.
"It is the contractors' responsibility to clean up the rubbish in the area where they are working. We are not at liberty to provide residential buildings with skips because they will then be used to dump the construction waste," said Abdullah Al Shwaikh, spokesperson of Sharjah Municipality.
"We can only clean up the rubbish once all the buildings under construction have been completed," he added.
Al Shwaikh pointed out that Sharjah imposes a fine for littering ranging from Dh250 to Dh500, and is issued when municipality inspectors catch people polluting.
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