Sharjah: Some Sharjah residents, especially those in Al Nahda area, were experiencing a disruption to their water supply, which began on June 30, well into Friday afternoon, while other tenants said by afternoon the issue had been resolved.
On Thursday, Gulf News contacted Sharjah Water and Electricity Authority’s (Sewa’s) emergency call centre, which said the disruption to water supply was due to a burst 32-inch pipeline in Al Khan area and water supply had been affected in some parts of Al Nahda, Al Mamzar, Al Majaz and Abu Shagara.
They said that they were working on fixing the issue, which was expected to be resolved by Friday.
Geju John, a resident of Al Qadisiya building in Al Nahda, said the water supply was disrupted on June 30. “Our building maintenance informed me that it is a Sewa issue. I checked with Sewa and they said that it is expected to rectified by the afternoon of July 1,” he said.
He said that Sewa said many buildings in his area had been affected.
“I understand that there are around 700 apartments in the building I stay in. This shows the magnitude [of the problem]. It is unfortunate that given the conditions, the concerned people provide no alternative solutions [while the supply is disrupted]”.
Water supply was restored on Friday afternoon at around 11am.
“Even though supply is restored, there is a need to think about how tenants can be supported during such emergency services,” John said.
Maryam Malik from Pakistan, who stays at the Majid Abdul Aziz building in Al Nahda, said that her family had to resort to using washrooms at the Sahara Centre.
“It has been a hassle. We are five adults and a child [in the family],” she said.
On June 29 at around noon, Malik realised that the water pressure was decreasing. By 1pm, there was no water.
“I called up the building’s watchman who said it was an issue with Sewa. I called up Sewa and they said, ‘it’ll be resolved the same day’. At night, I called Sewa, and they again [said], ‘the water supply will be resumed by morning’. But we had no water until Fajr of July 1.” she said.
Malik said although the water supply resumed on Friday, it was weak, and “not with the usual pressure. We assumed that either the issue was getting fixed or water tankers were used to fill our tank, but now the water flow has almost stopped again. Be it the kitchen or the washroom, life has come to a halt,” she said.
D.S., 36, a tenant in a building in Al Nahda, Sharjah, said that they have had the water supply come and go for a few days. “The water [supply] was cut on Wednesday ... We did not have water for a few days and then on Thursday evening at around 3.30am, the water supply resumed and by Friday noon, it was out again,” she said.
The resumption of the water supply, she said, was thanks to the building management’s call for water tankers that topped up the buildin’s tanks; however, the supply had run out again.
When Gulf News spoke to D.S. at around 2.45pm, she said the water was still out.
“I have not spoken to Sewa, but the building management told us that the issue should be resolved soon,” she said.
However, some tenants in the affected areas said they had no issue with water supply.
Gihan Khairy, an Egyptian Majaz area resident, said that she did not have any problems with the water supply.
Another tenant, Mohammad Hamouda, who lives in Abu Shagara, echoed a similar sentiment.
When Gulf News contacted Sewa on Friday, a call centre representative said they are informing tenants that the issue is being looked into and will be resolved as soon as possible.
