Al Nouf area turning into 'public toilet'

It was a beautiful, clean and walk-friendly area until a few months ago, recalls Umm Mohammed, a resident of Al Nouf in Sharjah.

Al Nouf has traditionally been an Emirati-community, which has of late seen workers’ accommodations come up nearby.

“Now, you can’t even take a leisurely walk,” complains Umm Mohammed.

She – and other residents of Al Nouf - blames workers for using lanes and by-lanes of the area as toilet at nights or early morning.

“There is stench of human waste in the air,” says Umm Mohammed, especially in the morning when the kids are leaving for school. “It stays even until my husband leaves for office, a little later.”

One of the favourite spots is a traditional fishing boat that is parked in front of one of the houses.

“It probably is convenient as it offers some shelter from prying eyes, especially when one is engaged in so-embarrassing a task,’ said another resident, who declined to be named.

The person, to whom the boat belongs, refused to comment.

“We haven’t caught anyone in the act yet, but if we do we want to send a clear message that you can’t do such stuff in our area,” said Rashid, a resident.

Residents of Al Nouf are urging authorities, especially the municipality to keep the area clean – and most of all have awareness drive in camps nearby to let workers know that they cannot leave their night-time waste near other people’s houses.

 

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