Residents in Sharjah desperate for answers

Sharjah: Residents struggled to go about their daily business in the heat and humidity as power blackouts spread across to the densely populated areas of the emirate on Tuesday.

The agonising part is that nobody knows what is happening as calls to Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) are unanswered, residents said.

With Ramadan around the corner and the weather bureau predicting very high humidity even in the nights for the next couple of days, some residents are thinking of moving to neighbouring emirates.

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Doctors have warned that the suffocating atmosphere in apartments will stress out people, especially children and the elderly. But going out in the hot sun can lead to heatstroke.

The blackouts started in the massive Industrial areas last Saturday. In some places such as Industrial Area 2, power has been out for the last 30 hours.

Hemant Bakshi, who runs an automotive spare parts shop in this area, said that the power went out on Monday at 8.30 am and there was no sign of power being restored even at 4pm on Tuesday.

Car comfort

A doctor who lives in Rolla said the heat has made his six-month-old daughter vomit. He has been on the road since morning trying to keep her cool in his car.

Banks on the main Rolla Street were closed and ATMs were out of service causing inconvenience to many. The doctor said clinics in the area also closed for the day and sent back patients. "All our equipment needs electricity to run," he said.

Dawn Renaux, who lives on the main Al Wahda Road and has a bad knee said it was agonising to walk down seven floors from her flat on Tuesday.

Residents have flooded Gulf News with e-mails about their woes and slamming Sewa.

"I don't think there is an overload, it is just being managed badly," said a Al Nahda resident, adding that it was a "punishment' to climb down 12 floors.

The blackout has turned fridges into hot boxes and perishables have to be thrown out, residents said.

Health risk

It is a huge health risk staying in a flat without air-conditioning in these conditions, according to Dr Vijay Kumar. "There is a risk of heat stroke," he said, as the temperature climbs in the heated flats and the stale air builds up.

Diabetics and those with high blood pressure have to take special care, he said. The psychiatrist said the heat is mentally disturbing and people get irritable.

He advises those stuck in their flats to drink water frequently. Children should drink lot of fluids, he said.