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Dubai workers caught storing items in manholes

Dubai - Workers had exploited the manholes in one of the demolished labour accommodations to store kitchenware, blankets, tools, carpets.

Inspectors of the Environmental Emergency Office at Dubai Municipality have succeeded in discovering ten abandoned manholes, which were used as warehouse for consumer items in the labour accommodation in Muhaisina. Workers had exploited these unnoticed manholes in one of the demolished labour accommodations to store kitchenware, blankets, tools, carpets, as well as different home appliances and accessories.
The confiscated items, the estimated quantity of which was 30 tonnes, were completely destroyed, said Mohammed Abbas Al Balooshi, Head of Environmental Emergency Office of the Municipality.
He said his office received information that some people from one of the Asian nationalities were using old unused manholes for the storage of consumable materials and they were camouflaging these sites with some old wood and cartons, so that the inspectors do not turn to it.
"However, our inspectors raided these places and found out that they were filled with accessories, blankets, carpets, and kitchenware. All of them were packed and ready for sale to the public, who were unaware of the danger to them by using those tools and accessories that were polluting the environment and public health," said Al Balooshi.
"A report has been compiled, and in coordination with the Municipality departments of Assets Management, Waste Management and Food Safety, we will ensure, at the earliest, that we control these kinds of people, who play with the health and safety of our workers, whom the leadership is keen to take care of and protect their health," he pointed out.
Al Balooshi also noted that the intensive campaign led by the inspectors of the Environmental Emergency Office resulted in the seizure of 45 vehicles, which were supplying random markets with damaged goods such as vegetables, fish and meat, which they were bringing from outside the emirate after being rejected by slaughterhouses there, in addition to live chicken.
He said this has been brought to the notice of the senior leadership in the Municipality, who ordered to seize all these vehicles for three months with a big penalty and also to take a written undertaking from the owner of the vehicles not to repeat the violations, failing which the vehicles will be confiscated permanently.