Community report: Open pit poses danger

On November 7, 2011 my community report was published in Gulf News about the pathetic state International City has been left in due to the construction sites, which have been left unattended for over a year.

Seven months down the line we still find ourselves far from a solution.

Throughout December the municipality came and tried to cover the pit near my building with sand, stone and trash, literally using garbage trucks to fill it.

They were supposed to level it so that it was even with the road, but after filling it with whatever they could find, they just left the scene abruptly without finishing. For the past few months we have been stuck with piles of sand, garbage and water, resulting in an amazingly foul smell and disturbing visuals.

Not only is it an eyesore, but it is dangerous for the community, especially the children. Only one side of the pit has a partition, but the rest is completely exposed, so anyone walking by that is not aware it is there could fall in.

However, the worst is the smell as the remaining water has stagnated and also become a possible breeding ground for mosquitoes.

I want to know who is responsible for taking care of this and why the work was suddenly stopped.

Who can we contact to raise our concerns? Who will hear us out?

— The reader is an architect based in Dubai.

Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com