Partitioning rooms is illegal
The recent inspections by the Dubai Municipality (DM) of accommodations have shown a big rise in the practice of many families sharing a single apartment by erecting partitions, said a senior DM official.
Engineer Omar Mohammed Abdul Rahman, Head of the Building Inspection Section, said the inspectors are coming across a lot of cases in which two or more families are sharing one accommodation by putting up partitions, which was an “unhealthy practice”.
The official pointed out that it was illegal for more than one family to stay in a single accommodation after putting partitions without the permission of the civic body.
“At this moment, we are facing a lot of problems due to this. During the many raids, we have seen a steep rise in this particular phenomenon. We have come across a lot of apartments and villas where people have put several partitions in a single room. There are many families staying in one room. And this is being done without the permission of the municipality. We cannot allow this to happen,” he said.
The official added that one needed to take proper permission from the civic body for partitioning the rooms. “It depends on the size of the room. If the municipality finds that the room is big enough to be partitioned into two, we would allow it. We look at a lot of aspects before giving the permission. The room should be big enough, there should be more than one washroom, the partition should be done with a material that is not harmful, the rooms should have proper ventilation facilities, etc. Right now, what we are witnessing is something very unhealthy and unhygienic,” Eng. Omar opined.
People have divided very small rooms into three spaces with three families living in each, he claimed.
“The same can be said about apartments and villas. The partitions are being done by harmful material like asbestos. The rooms tend to get even more dingy due to this. We have seen rooms with three to four families living in it. There is just one washroom and toilet and inadequate ventilation. The municipality has now started an intensive inspection campaign to bring this menace under control,” he added.
Engineer Omar pointed out that once violations are detected, the municipality begins the process of disconnecting power and water supply to such accommodations.
“We also summon the owner of the flat or the real estate company. This practice must be stopped,” he said.
People though are an unhappy lot. “The rents in Dubai are such that it is impossible for a normal middle class family to afford a studio or a one-bedroom hall. We have no choice but to live like this. The authorities must first concentrate in controlling the rents so that people could afford to live in a healthy way. A majority of people will have no place to go if the authorities concerned just talk about rules and laws without fixing the core problems,” remarked Ashwini Sachdeva, who works in a bank.
/Khaleej Times/
Engineer Omar Mohammed Abdul Rahman, Head of the Building Inspection Section, said the inspectors are coming across a lot of cases in which two or more families are sharing one accommodation by putting up partitions, which was an “unhealthy practice”.
The official pointed out that it was illegal for more than one family to stay in a single accommodation after putting partitions without the permission of the civic body.
“At this moment, we are facing a lot of problems due to this. During the many raids, we have seen a steep rise in this particular phenomenon. We have come across a lot of apartments and villas where people have put several partitions in a single room. There are many families staying in one room. And this is being done without the permission of the municipality. We cannot allow this to happen,” he said.
The official added that one needed to take proper permission from the civic body for partitioning the rooms. “It depends on the size of the room. If the municipality finds that the room is big enough to be partitioned into two, we would allow it. We look at a lot of aspects before giving the permission. The room should be big enough, there should be more than one washroom, the partition should be done with a material that is not harmful, the rooms should have proper ventilation facilities, etc. Right now, what we are witnessing is something very unhealthy and unhygienic,” Eng. Omar opined.
People have divided very small rooms into three spaces with three families living in each, he claimed.
“The same can be said about apartments and villas. The partitions are being done by harmful material like asbestos. The rooms tend to get even more dingy due to this. We have seen rooms with three to four families living in it. There is just one washroom and toilet and inadequate ventilation. The municipality has now started an intensive inspection campaign to bring this menace under control,” he added.
Engineer Omar pointed out that once violations are detected, the municipality begins the process of disconnecting power and water supply to such accommodations.
“We also summon the owner of the flat or the real estate company. This practice must be stopped,” he said.
People though are an unhappy lot. “The rents in Dubai are such that it is impossible for a normal middle class family to afford a studio or a one-bedroom hall. We have no choice but to live like this. The authorities must first concentrate in controlling the rents so that people could afford to live in a healthy way. A majority of people will have no place to go if the authorities concerned just talk about rules and laws without fixing the core problems,” remarked Ashwini Sachdeva, who works in a bank.
/Khaleej Times/
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