Dubai: If you’ve caught a strange smell in the air in Dubai for the past couple of days, you’re not alone. Residents across several neighbourhoods, including Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Beach Residence, The Springs, The Meadows, Al Barsha, Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens, have been reporting a persistent foul odour, and Dubai Municipality’s Call Centre has confirmed it is aware of the problem.
Chinju Navas, a resident of Springs 6, said she had noticed a mysterious smell for the past two days. She described it as a “rotting” and “foul” smell rather than a burning odour.
“I didn’t notice it inside the house or in the car, but I could smell it when I was out in the open,” she said.
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Chinju said she first noticed the smell on Tuesday while dropping her daughter off at school. She noticed it again on Wednesday and, unsure whether something was wrong in the area, decided to carry a body mist with her after her car air freshener ran out.
“I could feel the same smell today as well. Hence, I used the body mist now. I have to get a car freshener now,” she said on Thursday morning, sharing a photo of the body mist in her car.
Reports from several locations
Chinju isn’t the only one who has noticed it. Residents posting on Reddit have reported the strong odour in several areas of Dubai, suggesting the smell isn’t confined to one location. Some have described it as similar to a sewage smell, while others say it’s more like burnt plastic or chemicals. Some also described the odour as pungent and rotten.
A resident in Dubai Marina wrote that they could “smell it now from the marina” and described it as “horrible”. Some others in Dubai Marina said it was pungent and rotten.
In Dubai Production City, formerly known as International Media Production Zone (IMPZ), another user wrote: “Yes, can confirm horrible smell in IMPZ. Woke us up” (on Wednesday).
Several JLT residents also described experiencing the odour. One said it had been strong enough to wake them, while another, who said they had lived in JLT for three years, wrote that it was the first time they had experienced anything like it, and that the smell was coming through their air conditioning. The user said they had noticed it across multiple JLT clusters, including Clusters D and V.
While the Reddit reports remain anecdotal, they paint a picture of an odour affecting residents in different parts of the city. Some have questioned whether the Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant could be the source.
DM Call Centre confirms complaints
Gulf News contacted the Dubai Municipality Call Centre about complaints from residents regarding the foul smell reported in different parts of the city. A representative confirmed that the municipality was receiving complaints and described it as a “general problem”.
“Our team is working to fix that, okay? Don’t worry about that,” the representative said.
Asked whether the smell was linked to a sewage plant, the representative appeared to confirm the connection. Pressed again on whether the source had been confirmed, the representative responded, “Yeah, yeah,” before reiterating that the team was working on a solution. The representative also acknowledged that the issue had been ongoing for two days.
Gulf News has reached out to Dubai Municipality for official clarification on the reported odour, its source and the steps being taken to resolve it. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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