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Power failures, water shortages becoming frequent in Sharjah

SHARJAH — With power breakdowns and water shortages hitting Sharjah frequently, residents have questioned the readiness of civic bodies to meet the rapidly growing infrastructural needs of the emirates.

Irked by frequent power breakdowns and taps running dry suddenly, residents of Sharjah, especially those living in industrial areas, say that the emirate and its civic bodies — Sharjah Municipality and Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority — might not be ready to cope with the rapid pace of development that was taking place in the emirate. According to real estate agents, over 300 newly constructed buildings located in different areas were still awaiting power and water connections since the end of last year.

Said Hisham Mohammed who lives in Al Qasimiya: “Recently, we have been having power breakdowns intermittently and this has caused a lot of problems for us. I live on the ninth floor and commuting has never seemed so difficult. Sewa includes maintenance and sewerage charges in my monthly bills which, too, are quite high, so I expect a proficient service in return, but the recent power failures for hours at a stretch have made me question the civic body’s capability and capacity to meet with unforeseen events that might happen in future.”

Mohammed also opined that whenever he called Sewa to report the disconnection, he was never given a reason but was told that power would be reconnected after some time.

Pradeep N. from Al Buteena said that on several occasions, the taps in the building had run dry. “We used to feel that water was flowing with lesser pressure before it disappeared totally and this has happened on several occasions. I have started keeping jerry cans full of water so that I can be ready for any eventuality,” he said. He also expressed apprehension that the rapid pace of construction and the innumerable buildings coming up might lead to further such problems.

Putting to rest the worries of the residents and describing the civic body’s readiness, an official from Sewa said: “Sewa is installing two additional water desalination units to increase the amount of water supplied and to meet the demands of the increasing number of people living in Sharjah. He said that the first unit will produce eight million gallons per day and is expected to be operational by the summer this year, while the second unit will produce five million gallons per day and is expected to be operational by February 2007.

“Two additional water units are present to tackle emergency situation and a reservoir with a capacity of seven million gallons is already operating, though it should only operate during any sudden breakdown. Another reservoir with a capacity of 15 million gallons is also under construction,” he added.

He also said that in order to meet the demands of the mushrooming population, Sewa has recently signed a mutual agreement with the Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority and according to the accord, Sewa will be supplied with 10 million gallons per day through the transmission main or water main which is passing through Sharjah boundary near Shawka area. He also suggested that owners of residential buildings should ensure that the water tanks are big enough to store extra water for 24 hours.