Sharjah ruler pledges $5.4m for emergency housing

Sharjah's ruler has approved an emergency fund to alleviate its housing shortage.

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The Ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Doctor Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al Qasmi, has earmarked $5.44m for emergency housing cases in the Emirate.

Sheikh Sultan issued the instruction for the fund, which can be topped up if required, to the Housing Department to find alternative housing for Sharjah citizens living in dilapidated or unsafe housing.

“The capacity of the Sharjah government to build houses is 1,000 units a year, while receiving 5,000 housing applications,” he said in a report carried by the state news agency WAM.

Sheikh Sultan added that the Emirate was looking at ways to speed up the building and handing over of units to eligible people.

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“Although we are stepping up our efforts to speed up the building process, some people are impatient. However, I promise that the emergency housing will be completed in one-and-a-half years,” confirmed Sheikh Sultan.

Sheikh Sultan stressed he would be taking a personal interest in the project, as overcrowding could cause a plethora of social problems.