Tougher legislation and frequent surprise inspections of properties crammed full with low-paid expatriate bachelors have been demanded by the Northern Municipal Council.
The move follows numerous complaints from families living in residential neighbourhoods worried about inhumane living conditions and the danger posed to the whole community.
Official documents revealed that a total of 428 properties were identified in the Northern Governorate as ‘joint accommodation’ with 117 of them referred to the Public Prosecution for violating the law. Only 28 have rectified the violations exposed and nine are said to be in the process of carrying out the neccesary action.
Details were revealed yesterday during a joint co-ordination meeting held between the Northern Municipal Council, the Northern Governorate Police Directorate, Northern Municipality, the Civil Defence, the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) and the Labour and Social Development Ministry.
The Council’s services committee chairman Abdullah Al Qubaisi described the situation as ‘a ticking time-bomb and a disaster waiting to happen’.
“If we go back down memory lane we will remember many of these properties went up in flames. Some had gas explosions and lives were lost,” he said.
“Some of these ‘homes’ don’t even have basic safety measures in place as there are exposed electrical wires, haphazardly stored flammable items and gas cylinders and wooden planks with buildings falling apart.
“We need a unified stand against this because it’s a humanitarian issue that touches Bahrainis and expatriates alike.
“There are people taking advantage of government housing to turn a commercial profit and that’s just unacceptable.
“The Housing Ministry should crack down on these violators and withdraw these homes in which these violations occur.
“We need to use the law as our backbone and identify any loopholes and tackle them.”
According to the law, joint accommodation is where five or more unrelated people reside in a single property.
Official statistics provided to the GDN revealed that one property housed 165 labourers in 27 rooms, while another housed 29 workers in three rooms, and another had 18 labourers in two rooms.
Meanwhile, a Northern Governorate Police Directorate officer highlighted that this issue has been discussed for years.
He also stated that numerous inspection visits to these properties had revealed many concerns, as well as a failure to adhere to safety laws, and an overall lack of awareness.
“Through one of our visits we have uncovered a potential disaster because of the greed of a landlord and renters’ lack of awareness of their rights,” he said during the meeting.
“A single bed is rented out to three different people as they take advantage of people working various shifts and make triple the profit. This is a disaster waiting to happen.”
He stressed the need for a comprehensive study highlighting the relevant statistics with action taken based on legislation.
His concerns were shared by a Civil Defence officer who added that improper storage of materials was also escalating the fire hazards present in some of these properties.
“The labourers aren’t aware of the dangers present in their accommodation as they are using electricity above its capacity and gas cylinders placed in their bedrooms where they cook,” he said.
“Homes are designed with escape routes in the case of emergencies but we see haphazard materials blocking the way out. This threatens the lives of residents, as well as firemen called in to combat flames when a fire breaks out.
“A safety certificate must be issued by the Civil Defence annually to ensure each property provides adequate labour accommodation.
“However, joint labour accommodation is more dangerous because the buildings offering it are old, falling apart and unfit for people to live in.”
More frequent inspection campaigns will now be carried out by a joint committee with an intensified media campaign launched to raise awareness. Current legislation will be studied to identify and rectify any loopholes.
The council also approved co-ordinating with the relevant authorities to stop government services – such as electricity and water – to violators discovered during field visits, while referring repeat offenders to the Public Prosecution.
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