This is something that I’ve been talking about for quite a while and it’s something to be concerned about.
The water in many places in Qatar isn’t healthy. I don’t mean that it’s not drinkable, but it’s the cause for bad skin, dryness, hair loss, and even damaging to pipes.

I wonder if the government inspects any of the towers and does water sampling to ensure that we’re all living with healthy water. People often talk about the calcium level of the water being quite high. You know it’s high when you can’t even scrub the limescale off of glass! You can judge by yourself by looking at your faucets or around your sink for white scaling. High calcium content damages the skin and hair, that’s for sure, but I’m going to talk about something even more worrying. Rust/Dirty water.

I’ve recently been told (by a source that prefers to be anonymous) that there are construction companies that are using the wrong types of pipes. They should be using anti-corossion coated pipes. Basically, metal pipes (like any pipe) rust from the inside. They actually rust and get damaged even worse in our type of environment. This means you could be drinking rust…

Now I’m a sensitive person. So I decided to buy a 10,000 Riyal water filteration system from Japan (I know, it’s a lot). It’s state of the art and supposed to last 3 years. It’s attached to a secondary filter which is replaced every month and a half to two months.

Now take a look at this picture. I don’t need to say much.

See that transparent tube with that brown sponge in the middle? That’s what it looks like after just a 10 days! In the center, that super white roll is what the filter used to look like. Now this is quite scary to me. Something that’s supposed to last MUCH longer, turns a filthy brown in just a short period of time. I’m concerned for people who don’t have filters..

Think about this for a second… washing your face, your hair, brushing your teeth, or possibly event drinking this… This is the result of an apartment that’s only a few years old.

I wonder if anything is being done? How harmful is it?

So my question is, how many other people are concerned about the water in Qatar?

It’s an extra dusty day toda and it’s also super windy. I thought I’d just write a quick blog so that people know what they should be doing in this kind of situation. I’ve just come back home (had to go to the hospital for a bad stomach) and it’s clear that most are being careful but there are still idiots that don’t seem to care about lives.

- Stay inside if you can. This dust is ultra fine and can get into your lungs.
- If you have Asthma, wear a mask!
- If you absolutely must go out, drive slow, switch on your foglights, and avoid the fast lane. Make sure you take extra care in signaling
- Don’t open any windows, they’ll blow off!
- If you’re walking outside, be extra vigilant, if you are near a building, be careful as things can fall off.

So stay safe This’ll pass soon.

Vid:

Pics:

Near Rainbow Roundabout

Photo by Lili Tagud

Was probably driving too fast

Photo by @cabreraeh

Olympic Tower in Westbay – Panels fell off

Photo by @thenkencame

A panel that fell off

Photo by @thenkencame

I’ve had it. I’m going to sue Al Dar and ecovert and I’m going to sort out a petition

1) 1 and a half years later and they STILL haven’t paid me my penalty (for being 1 year late with handover). They keep lieing and saying ‘Oh the Sheikh is away, he’ll sign the cheques next week’. I wonder if the ‘Sheikh’ knows that Al Dar is making him look like a dishonest person. (I’m sure he’d be very upset that this is happening.)

2) 1 and a half years later and they STILL have the building falling apart, fixing cracks, dull marble, leaks, broken elevator.

3) They gave the services and maintanence contract to a company called ecovert. I didn’t vote for them. MY contract states that the tenants association would be responsible for voting for the company that takes over from Dar 1 year after hand over. I didn’t vote for ecovert. In FACT I’ve spoken to around 19 tenants who all said they didn’t either.

I don’t want ecovert. Their security guards SUCK, useless and RUDE. They don’t fix ANYTHING. Only good for digging holes in the underground parking and wasting water EVERYDAY since they have a burst pipe or something for the past 3 months. (Where’s the government inspections?)

All ecovert has done for us is paint the swimming pool area in vomit colour peach and put up a few cheap carrefour chairs.

4) The alarms go off DAILY. You’re telling me that it takes over a year to fix the damn problem? Their excuse to me was ‘There are indians living in the building that cook with fire’. Ok let’s say that’s true, you’re telling me that they’re cooking with fire at 3am in the morning? You’re telling me you can’t stop them or kick them out for health and safety risks?

5) The gym is pathetic and unhygenic. The equipment looks 10 years old, there’s no sheet that mentions when and who has cleaned the area. It’s also tiny! in fact! Ecovert has gone and taken TWO large offices right opposite of the gym that’s FOUR TIMES bigger than the gym.

6) My apartment still has issues which they keep on delaying or simply don’t take care of. (My main door looks like it’s covered in oil, marble is cracked, wall is cracking, hallway marble is dull, toilet pipes don’t flush well in one bathroom, oh and get this, my apartment has three television satellite ports, they installed a two way splitter so one room doesn’t have access to satellite!!

7) NOW FOR THE BIG ONE. Ecovert is so busy trying to make MORE money rather than fix the damn problem with the service fee that they got (By the way 1% of value of property. So avg of 1m propert X .1 X 750 = 7.5 million riyals a year). They have gym instructors (CLEAN THE GYM!), they have swimming instructors (GIVE US SOME DAMN POOL SIDE EQUIPMENT), they even tried to impose a rule that people can’t invite guests and have a ‘party’ without their permission (yeah right), and they even gave space to QTEL to open up a booth and put up roll-ups!!

BUT that’s not what I’m getting to! Now they’re covering up the Zig Zag with a giant advert! Yes! The one thing that was nice about the Zig Zag was the VIEW. Now they’re blocking it? They didn’t ask me if they could do it. I don’t want my window covered with a semi transparent vinyl coating. As soon as they do, I’ve going to open the window and rip it off.

I’m going to fight to get my penalty fee. I’m going to get rid of ecovert. They’ve messed with the wrong Qatari. Who’s with me?

Note: this is a note someone posted on the floors. At least there is someone else in the building with opinions and a brain.

(Sorry for the rant guys but I’m furious)

Al Dar frustrates the hell out of me and some of the other apartment owners. Not only is Zig Zag still not in the state that it was promised (underground parking has leaks and is filthy, ‘recreation’ area looks unfinished, the damn fire alarm still rings randomly, and elevator L1 is broken (door opens and shuts twice before allowing you to press the floor you want to go to), but now they think that they can do whatever they want in the building.

1) We’re supposed to vote for a new maintanence company and the owners/tenants still haven’t had a transfer yet (who wants to bet they want to try and keep the ownership? They’re making a fortune after all since they’re pocketing the money rather than actually spending it on the building).

2) They don’t do regular sweeps and companies keep putting their marking materials around

3) The security guards are just for show. They just sit there, allow cars to block the entrance and exits, and love just stare at you rather than greet you.

4) They cost cut at any chance they get! (all you have to freaking do is turn down the a/c by ONE degree Dar. ONE degree!

5) They think they actually have the right to tell owners how to live in the tower!

Let’s talk about my last point. I love rules that make sure that everyone’s happy but some of the things they do are ridiculous. I went to the pool today to be surprised at the fact that the filter isn’t on, the pool lights aren’t on (couldn’t find the switch), and was disgusted by the ugly flamingo peach walls they had painted as usual. On the door were a few notices by a company offering swimming lessons. At first I was annoyed that Dar allowed a company to advertise their services by sticking an A4 paper on the glass but then noticed another note by the same company. It was a list of rules for swimming in the pool. I agreed with many but a few just aggravated the hell out of me.

One rule said that guests had to get permission from the management before being allowed to use the pool. Wait what? I am expected to ask the management their permission if I have friends over? Screw that!

Another said that people with long hair (that’s relative but I’ll let it slide), have to wait bathing caps…

Another rule said that people were not allowed to swim solo…. So I guess if you’re living alone you’re pretty much screwed since you have to call the management and if they say no then the President has spoken.

Give us some damn seats to sit on by the pool! Give us some damn shade! Give us a tiny bit of quality!

Aha! So it’s Dar posing as another company? Did they set up another company just to make some MORE money by teaching swimming? PLUS they think that they own the pool? *sighs*

Anyway, I’m just biding me time. They’re not going to take over the building for another year. I’ll fight it with every bone in my body.

They already messed up a beautiful building and I can guarantee that I’ll never buy a property from Al Dar again. I advise you all not to either.

Look, I know that this tower is going to end up being great. Tower A is looking fantastic, but this is getting rediculous. I’m planning on taking over as the building maintanence and service provider when we get the tenants voting for who they want to take care of this building (so remember to Vote for Khalifa Haroon!).

In the mean time, this is what I have to deal with, a huge section was taped off because it looks like there was a major leak.

Nope, that’s not a nice shiney floor. Oh and also just to make sure that you’re CONVINCED that Dar isn’t doing anything, here’s a bottle of piss right next to my car parking spot.

So yesterday was a day of Fog, today is an amazingly dusty day!

It started at 11 and the dust covered the city in literally a matter of seconds.

Let’s hope it snows tomorrow!

When we went out to take these photos I inhaled a good amount of this microdust, it was unbelievable. Believe it or not the time of these photos is 12pm

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