DUBAI: A Cypriot tenant has lodged a police complaint against his landlord for not fixing a broken sewer in his villa, thereby exposing his family to toxic fumes and causing potential risk to their lives. The Emirates Living resident claimed in recent months his family, including two children aged two and four, have landed in hospital several times with acute respiratory infections after inhaling toxic gas emanating from the toilet drains.
“In the past four months, there have been 14 instances of gas leaks including two just this week,” he said. The Cypriot, who rented the three-bedroom villa in Al Ghadeer 2 for Dh195,000 last April.
That stinking feeling
“I was still undergoing medical treatment following a gas leak on February 4 when there was another, more toxic discharge from another toilet drain around 10.30pm on February 7. The stench was so overpowering, my wife and I thought we would faint. So we grabbed the kids and rushed out. They spent the night in my car. My elder daughter Eliz coudn’t breathe and had to be eventually put on a nebuliser. Later I called Dubai Police. They arrived immediately as did representatives from developer Emaar. None of them could stay in our villa for more than two minutes and rushed out coughing. The same night I went to Al Barsha police station and lodged a complaint against the landlord as he has done little to fix the problem despite repeated reminders,” said the resident.
Showing a recent medical prescription for respiratory tract infection, the Cypriot said they have been living in constant fear since October 11, 2015 when they were first exposed to hazardous sewer gas.
“Now it has become almost like a routine affair. All of us have suffered from respiratory infection at some point or the other because of toxic gas inhalation. Even my parents who were visiting us succumbed to it about two weeks ago. Of late, the gas leaks have become so frequent, we fear for our lives when we go to bed.”
Developer Emaar said they cannot step in as it was an issue between the tenant and the landlord.
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