Abu Dhabi residents complain about 'a strong gas smell'

Picture used for illustrative purposes alone

A gas odour, which was detected in various residential areas of Abu Dhabi, including Al Reem Island on Saturday, did not pose a threat, although it is still being addressed.
On Saturday, concerned residents reported "a strong gas smell" to their property management companies, including Khidmah.
"We could smell an overwhelming gas odour from Saturday morning and I was worried it might have been a gas leak from our building," said one resident living in Gate Towers.
"My husband was also anxious, so we immediately reported the smell, although we were not given clarification until late Saturday afternoon when Khidmah sent out a text message confirming the smell poses no threat," she added.
Khidma's Owners Association Management said they received a number of calls reporting "a gas smell" in the area of Shams Abu Dhabi, noting that Royal Gas, the utility service provider, denied any gas leak.
"There is no gas leak from their supply and this may be related to some sort of chemicals sprayed by one of the contractors working outside our community. Our team reported the above to the master community management for their perusal and follow ups."
An official from Sergas said the company received as much as 50 calls from concerned residents.
"We received 50 calls and we sent our technicians to the locations of where the calls came from. We found that there are no issues with our system, even the gas detector was not active.
"The gas smell came from the air, not from the system, so maybe the wind direction made it spread completely in Abu Dhabi."
He noted that the smell was detected from Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Mussafah, as well as Abu Dhabi City.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com 

• Abu Dhabi