Abu Dhabi: In a bid to prevent children falling from high-rise structures, owners of residential buildings in the emirate of Abu Dhabi have been instructed to install protective devices on windows and openings in residential buildings.
The decree, which was announced by the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) Tuesday, specifies that residential building windows, balcony openings and other openings that lead to the outdoors must not open wider than ten centimetres.
Locks and protective measures must also be in place for windows and openings that are less than 1.5 metres in height from the apartment floor.
Checks
Building owners have six months to install all necessary protective devices, after which municipal and civil defence authorities will begin to conduct checks on apartments in the emirate, a statement sent by the DMA said.
"Only owners of single-floor villas are exempt from installing these locks and protective devices, on the condition that windows and openings in the villa are not higher than 1.8 metres from the external ground level," said Fatima Amer, consultant to the DMA, told Gulf News.
New leases for residential apartments must also include a provision that the owner will provide protection for windows and openings. The decree was issued in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior's Child Protection Centre and the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence."
The move follows a spate of falls from high-rise buildings in 2011 and early 2012 that led to the death of a number of children across the country and left residents terrified.
While many of the incidents occurred in Sharjah, a 13-year-old Indian girl in Abu Dhabi plunged to her death in January from an 11th-floor apartment on Falah Street.
Awareness campaigns
In February, a three-year-old girl of Arab nationality fell to her death from a fifth-floor apartment on Airport Road, a month after being prevented from falling by a policeman who noticed her leaning out of another window in the family's residence.
"The DMA will soon begin to conduct awareness campaigns about the requirements of the new decree," Fatima said.
Much-needed move: Parents welcome news
Parents across Abu Dhabi welcomed the new initiative.
"The falls that have occurred were very tragic, and this is a much-needed move by the municipal authorities," said Bushra Saeed, 27, a public relations executive from Palestine who has a three-year-old daughter.
"About six months ago, I had chains and bolts installed on all the windows in our three-bedroom apartment," she said.
Abhini Nair, a 35-year-old from India said: "After a number of children fell to their deaths last year, I was terrified. This step will allow parents better ensure the safety of their children. I have warned my six-year-old son about the risks of windows and balconies, and we ensure no furniture that will allow my child to reach up to the window locks is kept near the window."
A similar decree to limit window openings to ten centimetres in new residential buildings, and increase balcony safety grill heights to 1.2 metres, was made earlier this month by Sharjah Municipality.
Krishna Kumar, a civil engineer in the capital, said a number of safety devices were also available on the market to enhance safety for all window types.
