UAE | General

Sharjah residents sleep on pavements to escape heat

Unable to bear the summer heat, residents in industrial areas in Sharjah who are going without electricity and water are now sleeping on pavements and terraces.

  • By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:23 September 16, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Javed Nawab/Gulf News
  • Workers try to sleep on the floor as a power outage hits their accommodation in the Sharjah Industrial area.
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Sharjah: Unable to bear the summer heat, residents in industrial areas in Sharjah who are going without electricity and water are now sleeping on pavements and terraces.

By 10pm, residents come out in groups, spread a large carpet or a bed sheet and lie side by side, crammed like sardines.

Watch video: Power cut forces Sharjah residents to sleep on street

Some said that they sit outside their buildings on street corners and stay up late and chat most of the night away. There were also those who said that they had not taken a proper shower.

"There is no water supply and we have to buy water from outside even if we have to go to the toilet. There are four of us, just imagine difficulties that we are forced to go through," said a salesman.

"The room is piled up with soiled clothes and taking them to the laundry is not going to be easy on our pockets."

Munir Ali, a Pakistani crane operator who had just returned from work, was greeted by his roommates sitting in the dark. To see their faces, Ali used the light from his mobile phone. An exhausted looking Ali said: "This is how we are living for the past one month. The kitchen sink is filled with pots and pans waiting to be cleaned, but that can only be done once we get electricity and water supply restored."

Asked whether they have contacted the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa), Ali said: "Sewa? What Sewa offices are you talking about? They hardly pick up their telephones. We are tired of calling them up.

"Coming home to have iftar in the dark is really disappointing. I now plan to go to a nearby mosque to wash my hands and feet, come back to my room and eat my iftar under the mobile lights. Eating out everyday is not a lucrative option for people like us."

Prior getting a generator up and running, Dr Shuhaib S. Hameed, a dentist, had been caught off-guard on several occasions when the electricity supply went off abruptly while he was busy with his patients.

"Once, I was extracting a wisdom tooth and all of a sudden the electricity went off. It took a while before we got the generator up and running, but in the meanwhile it could bring harm to the patient.

"Load shedding happens everywhere and in every country, but all that we want is for the Sewa to inform us on the timings when power failure is going to take place. This way people will be prepared and make necessary arrangements."

Gulf News tried to get in touch with Sewa, but no one was available for to comment.

Are you affected by the power outage? How are you getting through the days?

Your comments


I am really concerned for the people not able to get thru to SEWA. It is this time that they have to answer the phones and this is the time they are not doing this. Need to get that fix
Nihil
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 14:37

This is really sad to find people in miserable conditions i also had been gone through with this for more then 4-5 times in last 2-3 months. its really hard to bear without electricity for even single minute there is power breakdown nearly for 4-5 hrs. i sincerly pray that it should be taken care by sewa asap. Atleast they should pick call and answer the queries
Abhishek
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 14:09

Can Gulfnews provide a newspaper to SEWA daily. It seems they are not reading the complaints and misery the people are going through. If they were they would certainly have either done something about it or atleast come out openly and share the problem and solution with us.
Israr Shaikh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 14:01

Respected authorities of gulf news, Please think about the workers who return back home for iftar and find the darkness where they would sit and have ifthar. Wat they would pray to allah. Pls do something for them. They are really suffering.
Syed Mohammad Shaji
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 13:32

Its very distressing to see residents sleep on streets,On behalf of all stressed out families I appeal to the Government of UAE to bring help soon. My worry is with ramadan almost over, power consumption will increase as office will working full day.
Sameer
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 13:26

I live with my family in Ind area 17, The unbearable part is that for a whole month there was no communication from SEWA at all, we need to be noticed about power cuts timings
Mostafa
sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 12:01

This is insane and brutal. People are getting worse without electricity. Sharajh GOVT PLEASE HELP US
Pravin Kumar
Abudhabi,India
Posted: September 17, 2009, 11:36

As a long term ex resident and now a frequent visitor to the UAE, I am sadened that the approach of the authorities to the power related woes of Sharjah have ben one of denial, rahter than accepting a problem and trying for a holistic solution. Unlike the other emirates like Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah or Abu Dhabi which have ably tackled the urban problems of power, transportation, etc, I only hope a planned approach to theproblem is at least made now
Jai Babu
Bombay,India
Posted: September 17, 2009, 11:34

My heart goes out to people, it is painful to see the condition people are living in, I see total lack of empathy here! A proper call center needs to be set up where people can speak to someone who can understand how helpless people feel ! No electricity and desperate measures to reach someone at SEWA makes it even worst !!!
Poonam Suri
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:58

These power cutoffs made our lives miserable. It is difficult to describe troubles we are facing with the situation. Our routine is unpredictable now and our children are the most affected victims. Imagine, nights without electricity and water, sleeping inside cars. Some of families from our building are already taken flats in other emirates, some others are started searching and many families are unable to afford alternatives immediately by several reasons. A lot of issues puzzle us now.
Manju Natraj
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:56

We are dealing with humans not objects ! Show some empathy and sympathy here !
Shafrin Shaikh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:41

That's awful, can GN atleast for the moment arrange for a campaign where we can send lots of boxes of drinkable water to the people, so that they are able to do basic house chores like washing dishes
Anonymous
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:35

what so ever may be the cause is should'nt be a hastle to fix it. What is really going on? may Allah help us all ameen.
Mohammad
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:32

We been suffering for one month now and its no joke. Seeing children inside the car sleeping until the power returns is one of the major issue aside from us who came from work and hoping to get some rest and good sleep. If SEWA cannot give any comment or advise, I think this time, Sharjah municipality should speak and look after this. They must do something to ease this situation.
Anabelle
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:28

What happened to Sharjah? Is there any theory behind this?
Alison
Ajman,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:43

Power cut in Sharjah is still on going. Life is miserable as usual without proper power supply in Sharjah. It has been an equation that the power supply goes off every day morning at 8.00 am and resume at 4.30 p.m. Again goes off at 8.30 pm and resume at 12.30 am in the Al Khan street-Sharjah college road. Children are falling sick due to the heat. They are going to school without proper sleep. Parents also suffering from proper sleep and rest ,while going to the office. The power cut in Sharjah remains as a permanent and ignored problem without solution.
Abdul Latif
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:41

Very recently Sewa introduced the service charges of Dhs.70 for better service. I wonder how an organisation putting people in darkness even after taking the money.
Mathew
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:34

I thought we had issues but Sharjah is nevertheless welcome to our elite club. Its really sad when the authorities do not come out to realise the problems people are facing. If they faced the same problems then maybe they would realise other's pain
Faisal
Karachi,Pakistan
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:27

I stay in Industrial Area 3 and having survived the one-month ordeal of being back to the Stone Age, I can only say that its pushing the residents to their limits. The outage occurs everyday from roughly 1 pm to 5 pm and then again from 8 pm to 11 pm give or take an hour. The sad part is that SEWA is zeroing in on mainly the Industrial Areas overlooking the fact there are families living there too! If they have a quota to not provide electricity (for whatever reason) for 10 hours per day, why can't they target 10 zones in sharjah and take away electricity for 1 hour from each zone? Ironically, some parts of Sharjah are lit like anything (decorated trees, etc) and it really feels bad. School kids coming back from school need to do their homework and study. When? People having bad days at work and suffering from road stress need to come home and relax. When? Exhausted women in the kitchen dripping with sweat need to cool down. When?
Hesham
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:26

Power cut like this i have never experienced or heard aboout in India also
Jinu
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:17

This is a pathetic condition. People have to sleep outside their houses. Some families sleep in their cars in the night. I would urge SEWA to do something.
Saquib
Mumbai,India
Posted: September 17, 2009, 09:07

YES we have been severely affected by this power cut. we are having sleepless nights in the car. after coming back from office you cannot rest also properly in this heat. this is high time SEWA should take some step to sort out this issue. situation looks like SEWA also dont have any clue thats why they are not giving the timelines. Authorities from SEWA should spend at least 1 night without power with their families and then only they will realise our pain. this is worse than any other country's power issue.
Sathish
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 08:59

Dear Gulf News, first of all thank you so much for your support in our difficult time. This is the toughest experience we are facing in our life especially in Ramadan. We have been suffering from August. Our kids also suffering a lot. My daughter is always getting late to school and cant complete her home work. The last 10 days of Ramadan is so precious for Muslims. But we are such unlucky people we cant even concentrate in our prayers especially our night prayers. Inviting people for Iftar is a great deed in Ramadan. We missed that opportunity in this Ramadan. Who is going to compensate all this? Apart from this, after working hard in office we dont have a place to rest. We are forced to take our fasting in this tough situation. May Allah reward us immensely. It would be great help if SEWA inform us the timing of power outage so that at least we can take our kids to near by shopping malls or relatives.
A Reader
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 08:31

My heart goes out to those people who have been living without light and water. this is the heights I see lack of empathy here, some serious action needs to be taken, its time a proper customer service call center is set up for SEWA where employees answer the phones and respond.
Poonam Suri
Dubai,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 07:43

In the time of load shedding we remember our own country Pakistan, where the situation is not much different. But the major difference between the two are that, in pakistan many people do not pay the electricity bill but in Sharjah electricity bills are paid 100% and on time. In this case its really painful.
Abid
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: September 17, 2009, 07:25

It was really a shocking scene. I think this issue is being dragged on since long time with no proper remedial action from authorities concerned. There should be a mechanism in place to immediately rectify issues of this nature. Since the workers have to get up early and ready for their duty, they should be given enough rest and proper accommodation facilities. Perhaps companies which employ these workers should look into the matter seriously on a temporary basis since it falls under its health and safety practices, until authorities find a solution to it.
Ramachandran Nair
Ruwi,Oman
Posted: September 17, 2009, 02:17

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