Residents suffer without air conditioning in Abu Dhabi building

Abu Dhabi: There is still no respite from the sweltering heat for dozens of families living in a Shaikh Zayed Street building in the capital, Gulf News has learnt.

And although the air conditioning in the Moza Mohammad Saleh Al Suweidi building has not been cooling for nearly three weeks, no urgent action has been taken, tenants say.

As Gulf News reported on Sunday, many tenants in the nine-storey building have had to install coolers, portable fans and air conditioners within their apartments. On Monday, residents found a sign pasted outside the elevators of the building stating that the air conditioners would be functional from after 11pm onwards, tenants said.

“This is still not the case as of Tuesday afternoon and the air conditioners in my two-bedroom apartment, where I have been living for eight years, continue to blow hot air. And no matter what solutions we implement, they are temporary and do not replace the need for central air conditioning,” said Bhavna Sharma, an educational coordinator and mother-of-two from India.

On Tuesday afternoon, when Gulf News contacted the manager of the company that handles the building, she stressed that the air conditioners were working and terminated the call.

A prominent lawyer in the capital urged the tenants to file a case with the Rent Dispute Resettlement Committee.

“Landlords must protect the interests of their tenants. And since this is not being done, it is best for them to present the case as a group to emphasise the urgency of the situation. The case should also be filed with the Committee under the ‘Urgent’ category, which includes instances of essential utility failures such as power, water, air conditioning and fire alert systems,” she said.

Raghuraj Kuruppath, an accountant from India who occupies a two-bedroom apartment in the building with his wife and son, said many of the residents had already discussed pursuing such legal action.

“We know that workmen have tried to fix the air conditioning, but one of them told me that the building’s chillers are too old and need to be replaced. The air conditioners are still not working and we are suffering, so why hasn’t any solution been adopted?” he added.

The building, which, according to tenants, is more than 20 years old, houses dozens of families in about 30 apartments. The rent for two-bedroom apartments is about Dh55,000 in the building, while those occupying three-bedrooms pay about Dh75,000.