Abu Dhabi Municipality shuts off power in overcrowded building

Abu Dhabi: Unsanitary living conditions and overcrowded apartments at a ten-storey building in Tourist Club Area here recently prompted municipal authorities to shut down its power supply.

Previous tenants of the building, who initially reported the matter to Gulf News, said they had left the building when the power supply was not restored after two weeks. They also claimed that the supply had been abruptly disconnected without prior notice.

"The building's managers did not inform us of the impending shutdown, so we were not even given time to find alternative accommodation," A.H., a 49-year-old professional who had been a resident of the building for the past 14 years, alleged.

When contacted, a representative for the manager of the building refused to comment on whether they had prior knowledge about the disruption to the power supply.

Another tenant said that he had heard of a notice sent by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, which stated that no more than three people could occupy a single room. "We were told of this regulation four to five months before the power was disconnected," the tenant, who declined to be named, said.

Ahmad Fadil Al Mazroui, director of the external centres at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, told Gulf News that the shutdown was enforced after municipal officials conducted repeated inspections.

"The violations detected in the building seriously threatened the health of the residents and even those passing by. Since July 2011, inspectors had made several checks and also directly warned the owner to remove the violations," Al Mazroui said.

Tenants notified

He added that a copy of these violations had also been placed at the building's entrance so that tenants were aware of them. Among these breaches were an infestation of insects and rodents within the building, as well as exposed electrical wiring and an unclean water tank.

"The number of people living in each room also exceeded the maximum limit of two to three people. While some rooms had nearly 10 people living in them, other apartments had people occupying bedspace in the dining halls and living rooms," Al Mazroui explained.

When Gulf News investigated the building, it was discovered that a handful of families still remained in their apartments.