Excess satellite dishes remain across Abu Dhabi despite strict municipal warnings

The satellite dishes have become a common eyesore in the city despite strict warnings served to each buildings of Abu Dhabi but it appears to be blatantly ignored.

Satellite dishes mounted on the roof of a residential building in the Mohammed bin Zayed City area of Abu Dhabi. By law, a building can only have four dishes or face a fine. Christopher Pike / The NatShow more

ABU DHABI // Rooftop satellite dishes remain an eyesore in the capital despite strict warnings to building managers to take them down.

From March 1, Abu Dhabi Municipality had announced via state news agency Wam that it would be strictly enforcing a law regulating the number of satellite dishes permitted on the capital’s rooftops.

Landlords and tenants were called on to remove them or face a Dh2,000 fine. Only four dishes are allowed per building.

But the situation today appears to be no different and many of the devices are right where they were in March.

Hussain Abdur Rehman, a watchman at a 12-storey building on Muroor Road, said the dishes were still on the roof.

“We are not removing them. We haven’t received any warning from the municipality.

“Tenants added their own dishes, so it’s all there,” said the Indian.

In his building there are 36 flats with a similar number of dish antennas installed.

Mr Rehman said some residents also subscribed to cable TV providers.

“The municipality’s notice was pasted on the building’s wall and I informed the landlord but nothing has happened so far,” Mr Rehman said.

Decree No 2 of 2012 banned the installation of more than four dishes on rooftops, or installing any satellite dishes on balconies, walls and garden fences.

A security guard at an Electra Street property said 75 families lived there and there were about 50 satellite dishes on the roof.

“I remember in February we were asked to remove them but nothing changed as the municipality didn’t ask us again to clear them. Life goes on like that,” guard Noman Basheer said.

The local cable providers’ hardware was also there and many tenants have subscribed but they still they have dishes to watch international channels, he said.

According to Wam, property owners and managers are obliged to have no more than four rooftop dishes connected to a central antenna system. Those who failed to remove these devices would be referred for prosecution.

Indian resident H Khan said he avoided Etisalat and instead had his own decoders installed as they were much cheaper than the cable TV providers’ packages.

“For the basic Etisalat India pack, we have to shell out about Dh70 a month. For the same amount we can watch full channels throughout the year offered by Indian TV service providers.”

Mr Khan said the decoders were available at local markets.

Abu Dhabi Municipality said the random installation of the dishes had led to an unsightly clutter on rooftops.

However, there were some landlords who complied with the rules and removed all satellite dishes from their buildings except four. They urged their tenants to use a centralised cable connection or subscribe to local cable providers.

“All dishes have been removed from our building’s rooftop except two. One for me and another belongs to a tenant,” said Sabirul Islam who looks after a building on Airport Road.

“Since we received the warning from the municipality we told our tenants to remove them, didn’t allow anyone to add any dishes and urged them to subscribe to TV service providers.”.

In March, the municipality warned that in many cases the satellites were improperly connected and poorly maintained, with cables strewn across walls. This could sometimes make it difficult for paramedics and other emergency response teams to gain access to homes.

Abu Dhabi Municipality declined to respond to questions on the matter.