SHARJAH // Families in Sharjah are increasing precautions after three children fell to their deaths in the emirate in less than two weeks.
Residents of Al Nahda are installing extra locks on their windows and balcony doors to keep their children from potentially fatal accidents.
Neru, a mother of two, said: “The stories we heard about children that died these past days is terrifying.”
The Indian mother does not have grilles installed on her balcony, but she keeps the doors locked at all times.
Her neighbour, Seema, said that the balcony barrier should be higher to protect her 11-year-old daughter and five-year-old son.
“The balcony height is a metre as far as I remember. The owner of the building should install protection grilles,” she said.
Yousef, a manager responsible of maintenance crews in several buildings in Al Nahda, said: “The balconies here are more than one-metre high, some have grilles installed as an extra protection. The buildings I’m in charge of are safe and comply with the municipality safety codes, otherwise they wouldn’t get the proper licences from the municipality,” the Jordanian said.
“Tenants should always make sure that their locks and grilles are working and secure to avoid these accidents.”
Talal Barakat, a leasing executive in Sharjah, said: “Tenants have permission from us to install extra protective measures in their apartments as they wish, such as extra locks on the balcony doors or windows. But if they want to install grilles, they need to get permission from the municipality.
“Last year, we had an incident in one of the buildings nearby about an Indian child falling from the balcony. The police came and investigated the incident and found out that the mother left the child unattended on the balcony while talking to a neighbour,” he said.
“More than 90 per cent of the accidents we hear about are related to family negligence. The building owners and architects work according to the municipality laws and regulations,” he said.
Indian Deepthi Guptu has been living in a high-rise building for six months.
“Our apartment does not have a balcony, and the windows we have can’t be opened more than 10cm,” she said.
Almas Khan, a mother of two, said: “My kids are not allowed near the balcony. My seven-year-old son was scolded several times for playing near the balcony.”
She and her husband, a carpenter, installed an extra lock on the balcony door after they heard about several deaths last year.
“The lock is really high, my kids will not be able to reach it for several years,” said the Pakistani mother, adding that parents should keep an eye on their children at all times and never leave them unattended.
Ziyad Kiswani, an engineer at a construction company in Sharjah, installed grilles in his apartment to protect his children from falling.
“Security regulations are good but not enough to protect the children. Families should do whatever they can to secure their apartments,” Mr Kiswani said.
Sharjah Municipality said it has regulations in place that exceed international standards to limit the number of incidents in the emirate.
The municipality requires windows and balconies to be at least 120cm from the floor, as opposed to the one-metre international standard.
Col Sultan Al Khayal, director of media and public relations at Sharjah Police, appealed to the families and parents to take extra measures to prevent these accidents from happening.
“We had many tragic accidents recently, and families should heed the warnings we issue to keep them safe. Parents should remove furniture and other items from near the windows and balconies.”
Several campaigns were launched by Sharjah Municipality and Sharjah Police last year to raise awareness about safety of children at home.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
