Stiff Penalties for Water Misuse in SharjahPublish Date: 2009-06-15 10:00:09 Story Code: 16466 SHARJAH - The utilities authority here has intensified its campaign against water misuse - wasting, polluting and making unauthorised connections - and fined 228 property owners up to Dh10,000 in industrial, residential and commercial areas.
The Sharjah Electricty and Water Authority (Sewa) campaign targets high water consumers such as factories, car wash facilities, laundries and gardens. However, close watch is also being kept on the storage methods of the relatively low domestic consumers. “Water in the emirate comes from desalination plants which are extremely expensive and only a few countries can afford them,” Sewa Acting Director General Ibrahim bin Deemas says. “Water is a valuable resource but is wasted by the public.” Upon the results of last month’s inspection, Bin Deemas told Khaleej Times, “Owners of buildings who fail to maintain water tanks have been issued fines of up to Dh10,000. Some of the water tanks have been found polluted.” He said some of these tanks contained water unfit for human consumption and other domestic use. The crackdown included those who had made unauthorised connections. “(They) were issued fines ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh5,000,” he said. The authority has warned landlords to refrain from using unauthorised water supply connections. Sewa and the municipality have ordered all landlords to engage tank cleaning companies, authorised by the technical affairs section, to clean the tanks at least once in six months. The authority also imposed a fine of Dh150 on those who were found wasting water. The fine will be doubled for the next offence and the business will face closure in the third offence. Inspectors have warned individuals who use hoses for car washing, spray water in open areas in front of their villas and those who water plants using drinking water. “Car wash companies were told introduce the water recycling system to conserve water,” bin Deemas said He pointed out that Sewa, during its ongoing water conservation campaign, aims at promoting the sustainable use of water and energy in the emirate. Sewa had started replacing the old meters with digital ones, considered accurate and efficient. Bin Deemas urged villa and house owners to immediately call the authority’s nearest office in case of water leakage, one of the main factors of wastage. © Khaleej Times 2009. All rights reserved. Share this story:  Digg
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