For not securing them in the right ways and closing them tightly. And an environmental specialist warned against using them without examining them

Old household wells in the «Eastern» open traps threaten death

  • The Environment Agency in Fujairah has asked well owners not to use traditional methods of covering them. From the source

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Local authorities in the Eastern Province have dedicated teams to uncover abandoned wells that threaten the lives of people and animals in old farms and open spaces, and conducted inspection tours that led to the backfilling of 27 wells, five of which were in family homes in the emirate.

The Fujairah Environment Authority confirmed that house wells, which were drilled more than 20 years ago for domestic purposes and irrigation of plants, are considered existing traps that threaten the lives of people, especially children, the elderly and domestic workers, in light of their failure to secure them in the correct ways and close them tightly, and rely on unsafe wooden and plastic covers.

Sabrin Hassan al-Yamahi, a member of the Federal National Council, a member of the Federal National Council, called on the responsible authorities to raise the awareness of homeowners who rely on well water for domestic purposes, in order to avoid paying water bills.

In detail, the Director General of the Fujairah Environment Authority, Assila Al Mualla, revealed the backfilling of 27 wells during an extensive campaign organized by the Authority, in cooperation with Fujairah Municipality and the Department of Works and Agriculture recently, to monitor abandoned and open wells, and work to fill them, noting that the Authority received five requests from residents who wish to fill abandoned wells inside their homes, in order to preserve the lives and safety of their children.

She added that the danger of wells in homes increases if children and the elderly are nearby, especially during the night hours or when it rains, due to the lack of adequate protection or warning means.

She stressed that the process of backfilling wells does not require any fees for them, and the authority provides communication channels to receive all inquiries about the proper ways to close wells used for domestic purposes with safe materials that prevent any danger to the safety of the owners of the house, and has also allocated a number for direct communication with the authority to raise awareness and clarify any problem facing residents about these wells, by contacting the number (0501974341).

Al-Mualla called on homeowners who own wells not to use traditional methods to cover them, which rely on materials that deteriorate over time and are affected by natural factors, such as rain, wind and high sun.

In addition, a member of the Federal National Council, Sabrin Hassan Al-Yamahi, said: "The wells of houses have existed for more than 30 years, especially in old houses whose owners have dug them for domestic purposes, watering crops and others, because they believe that well water has preference because it is natural."

She added that the other reason for digging wells in homes in the past is to avoid high domestic water consumption bills, as the agricultural areas in homes were previously larger than the current areas, and needed large amounts of water for irrigation, but the concerned authorities organized the process of drilling wells according to requirements to protect groundwater from depletion.

She pointed out that with the issuance of laws specialized in drilling wells, a number of homes remained to contain wells dug 20 years ago and more, and are used for today, due to the availability of water in sufficient quantities to irrigate plantings, wash vehicles and other daily uses, although they pose a danger, and threaten the safety of people and children in the absence of sufficient awareness to secure and close them and follow sound foundations to prevent them from causing falling accidents.

Al-Yamahi stressed the importance of taking measures to achieve protection and prevention from wells in the courtyards of houses, such as securing them with tightly sealed covers and fixing them tightly, in addition to ensuring that there are no gaps in the covers, pointing to the need to put barriers and safe fences around the surrounding areas, or put warning signs, to reduce the accidents of people falling in them, and warn children not to approach them, as well as communicate with the competent authorities to provide them with instructions and instructions for wells and how to secure them.

In addition, lawyer and legal advisor, Moza Massoud, confirmed that the owners of houses and farms that contain wells, whether abandoned or existing, must follow the procedures that exempt them from legal accountability, which are to inform the local authorities responsible for the existence of the well, and close the well hole tightly, or fill it.

It considered that the responsibility for children, the elderly, domestic workers and persons at risk of falling into open wells in homes or farms lies with the owner of the house or farm.

Dr. Muhammad Al-Ali, a specialist in environmental sciences, warned against the direct use of well water without periodically examining it by specialized laboratories, which allow individuals to test water, in order to ensure that it does not contain chemicals or microbes, in addition to the importance of using water purifiers to improve its quality, pointing to the importance of properly preserving water by closing it well to avoid exposing it to any pollution.

He stressed the need to obtain drinking or cooking water from reliable sources.

Accidents

The country witnessed several incidents of children and the elderly falling into home wells, most notably the fall of a child in a well with a depth of 15 meters in a house in the Wasit area of Dibba Al-Fujairah, while a three-year-old child died last year, after falling into a well with a depth of 72 meters in the Al-Dhahir area in the city of Al Ain, and a citizen in his sixth decade died two years ago, after falling into a well in one of the manors in the village area in the Emirate of Fujairah.

• Backfilling wells does not require any fees. "Fujairah Environment" provides communication channels to receive all inquiries.

• 27 wells were filled in Fujairah during an extensive campaign, five of which were in family homes.