DUBAI The constant rumble of power generators and chillers next to a residential building at Dubai Sports City (DSC) is depriving residents of sleep.
Residents of Elite 1 and Olympic Park 4 buildings whose units face east said the noise from a trio of generators and chillers downstairs from their dwelling has caused them an endless headache.
“It’s a constant nightmare. The whirr of these machines makes sleep impossible,” said an Arab resident of the 14-storey Olympic Park 4 building at DSC.
A site engineer for Elite 2, adjacent to Elite 1, said: “These are temporary chillers and power generators provided by the district cooling company, Emicool.” But he, too, can only guess when the generators will be taken out. “Even I don’t know when the building will be hooked up to a district cooling plant,” said the engineer who asked not to be named. He said the plant has been completed and the underground cooling pipes had been laid.
Many buildings near the Autodrome and Dubai Cricket Stadium are under construction, including a man-made canal. Hamza and the four Olympics Park residential buildings have their own chillers mounted on rooftops, said leasing agents.
Residents said they do not seem to have much choice: either they endure the noise or live without cooling.
An Arab resident of Elite 1 lamented: “These machines are running 24/7 right under our bedrooms. It’s depriving us of badly-needed rest after a long working day.
“These units shouldn’t have been rented until the chiller issue had been sorted. Now we’re left to suffer from this terrible situation.”
A furnished two-bedroom unit in Elite 1 rents for Dh55,000.
Joe, a resident of Elite 1, said: “On 25/06/2012 we lodged a complaint with the authorities (Dubai Municipality hotline 800900) about the two chillers and two generators down below. And again on 23/7/2012, we did the same thing. We were assured action would be taken. But on Sunday (August 5) around 12:30am, we were surprised to see another chiller and power generator. Now there are three sets and it’s noisier than ever.”
An Asian resident complained the noise can be heard even from the building’s basement parking.
“The only wish we have is to live in peace and quiet … but that seems impossible as we can’t leave this place now after having paid a premium on the rent,” said another resident, Mohammad.
“It’s a nice place and I like it,” said Mohammad, “except for this terrible noise problem. It’s like a constant hammering in the middle of the night... It’s worse than living under a flight path.”
