Minor leak in Dubai Mall aquarium fixed

The authorities, who confirmed a small crack on the glass wall, have since got the situation under control with the help of technical experts.Official news agency Wam, quoting a Dubai Mall Spokesman, said the leakage was promptly brought under control by the aquarium maintenance team without causing any environmental effect or harm to the species.

The spokesman added that the Dubai Aquarium cooperated with the international experts in the aquarium management fields and adhered to world class safety specifications. Dubai Civil Defence Spokesman Mahmoud Hamad said they received information of a minor leak in the aquarium at 12:06 p.m.

He said two teams from Al Qouz and Hamriya led by Colonel Ahmed Al Sayeq, Deputy Director of the Dubai Civil Defence, rushed to the mall and cordoned off

the ground floor and basement.

It was a usual morning when the mall opened at 10 a.m., except for a pool of water on the floor on the Ground Floor near the Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.

First it began to seep and, as the minutes ticked away, it started gushing. By the time authorities took notice the water pool outside the aquarium had grown substantially in area and volume.

A sales executive at a showroom close to the aquarium said, “From the shop I saw some people running, trying to avoid something on the floor, while others gathered. When I went out I was surprised to find a pool of water on the floor.”

Eyewitness accounts suggested the authorities swiftly got into action. Within minutes, the police, Civil Defence Personnel and security guards arrived and cordoned off the area surrounding the aquarium. Nearby shops were closed and the area evacuated.

But in the other parts of it was business as usual, and it seemed many visitors to other parts of the mall were unaware of something amiss a few metres away. Many got to know when they were stopped by barricades and security guards. The aquarium has drawn hundreds of thousands of tourists since its inauguration and is one of the top attractions for foreign visitors in Dubai. As the venue has now been indefinitely closed, the tourists' angst was only obvious.

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