Dubai: With no water supply for two weeks, tenants living in a residential building in Satwa have resorted to taking showers in the building next door.
A four-storey building with hundreds of tenants has had its water connection cut off recently, although the electricity connection is still functioning. However, the lack of water facilities has prompted tenants to search for alternatives to carry out simple tasks such as showering or washing vegetables since, at its best, a trickle of water can be seen running from taps.
“For the last two weeks I have not been able to wash my clothes or take a proper shower. As I don’t have water at home, I take an empty gallon water bottle and fill it up at the building nearby,” said Dary Bascal, who also carries buckets to fill water from his neighbour’s taps.
“If I want water, I fill up a bucket of water very early in the morning because otherwise it’s too hot to use. I then leave it in the room to cool down so I can have use it later in the day,” he said.
Like many other tenants in the building, Bascal takes water from the neighbouring building as it is under the same management.
Residents have pointed out that this is not the first time they have experienced a disruption in their water supply, as a similar incident occurred last year during the summer. Others said that the inconvenience was so unbearable that they had resorted to living with friends in Sharjah until the disruption is resolved. Despite several attempts, Gulf News was unable to get a comment from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
“On some floors there are about 30 people living in a flat and I think the problem is to do with over-consumption. We’ve complained to the landlord and was told that they have already applied for a new water connection line, but there still is no improvement,” said Chitra Nair, a mother of one.
“I can’t cook, wash or even go to the bathroom. It’s so inconvenient for us as I have to take my 12-year-old son to the neighbour’s place if he wants to use the bathroom. In the early morning and late in the afternoon, there is no water at all so I don’t have any other choice but to sometimes cook vegetables without washing them first,” she said.
