UAE | General
Overcrowding blamed for blockage of septic tanks
Formation of stagnant sewage water pools comes as a result of over crowding at labour accommodations, said a Dubai municipality official.
- By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:40 November 18, 2008
- A person walks past a pool of stagnant sewage near a labour accommodation in Jebel Ali industrial area, Dubai.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Dubai: Formation of stagnant sewage water pools comes as a result of over crowding at labour accommodations, said a Dubai municipality official.
It has been brought to the notice of the civic body that some companies who have labour accommodations in Jebel Ali, Al Quoz and Sonapur have taken in double the number of workers in their accommodations, putting a strain on the septic tanks located at their premises.
The other recent factor that has also contributed to the flooding of sewage water on to the roads at these accommodations is the sudden increase in charges made by tanker operators to empty the septic tank. Irresponsible owners of labour accommodations are reluctant to pay up terming it 'unreasonable'.
Gulf News has learnt that Dubai Municipality will soon punish the violators at these labour accommodations.
Abdul Majid Sifae'e, the director at Sewage Network Department, said that the municipality will not take responsibility for the reckless actions by companies that do not have the welfare of their workers, by exposing them to the stench that poses as health hazard.
Extra charges
"When the accommodations are overcrowded, the number of times the septic tanks needs to be emptied also increases," he said, adding, "my department is here to provide the services but in places where there is no network, I cannot take up the responsibility."
Some owners of the labour accommodations have refused to pay extra charge that are brought about by the tanker operators.
Sifae'e said that that one of the reasons for these tanker operators to increase their charges and make some quick money is due to the waiting period at the Al Aweer Sewage plant.
"The plant is overloaded and the waiting period is seven to eight hours. Some tanker operators - in order to escape this waiting period - discharge the sewage water in man-holes that are meant for draining rain water to the sea. We have increased the fines for such violators from Dh10,000 to Dh100,000 in addition to confiscating their trucks for a month," said Sifae'e.
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