We cannot afford to waste water

After this crash, stringent safety regulations must be enforced on passenger buses

A reader seeks to draw the authorities’ attention to water wastage. Photo courtesy Adriana Holtslag-Alvarez

As a concerned resident I would like to raise an issue that has been bothering me for more than two months. There is a leak in the hoses that water the trees in the area behind Mushrif Palace – between 12th Street and 14th Street – directly across from Um al Emarat park.

I often walk my dogs there and for many weeks I have been seeing a water leak that is as big as a fountain. It floods the area, but doesn’t reach the target, which is the trees. If this continues over the summer, some trees might die.

I have the City Guard app on my phone, with which I filmed the water wastage and sent the video clips with my comments and the location to the authorities. So far, no action has been taken.

This defeats the very purpose of the City Guard initiative that aims to “provide a direct channel to the Government to report incidents within the emirate of Abu Dhabi”.

I also brought it to the notice of the people who work in the area, but they too did nothing about it. We live in a region where water is scarce. Hence my concern.

Adriana Holtslag-Alvarez, Abu Dhabi

A grand gesture by Crown Prince

What a gesture by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at such a critical time to rename a mosque after the mother of Jesus (A grand gesture, June 18).

It is difficult to comprehend the religious understanding of those terrorising Christians and how they reconcile this with Jesus being held as a Prophet in Islam – especially since there is a famous letter of protection and instruction on the treatment of Christians valid “for all time” from Prophet Mohammed to St Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, which is held in the national museum in Ankara.

Surely this letter should be published and displayed at this time to undercut the promoters of intolerance.

Andy Preston, Abu Dhabi

No escape in case of a fire

We live in a 60-floor tower on Sheikh Zayed Road. Many of the stairwell emergency doors have been removed.

If there is a fire in this tower, we will not be able to evacuate via the stairwell as it will be filled with smoke.

We have reported this many times to our company as we are in company-provided accommodations.

Security personnel don’t want to know about it. I’ve watched the inferno in London. How can this issue be ignored?

Name withheld by request

Pray for peace in Middle East

In reference to the news item West Mosul bears the brunt as Iraqi forces press in on ISIL (June 16), I have followed the area for decades.

I am from the United States, commenting from Colorado. Every day I pray for peace and for the bad guys to lose.

Elvin Ross, US