Authorities are intensifying efforts to tackle dilapidated and abandoned houses in Old Muharraq, following safety concerns raised by residents and legislators, with 34 such properties identified over the past three years.
Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Minister Wael Al Mubarak said municipalities were conducting regular inspections and legal procedures to address unsafe buildings in Muharraq Governorate’s Fourth Constituency, represented by MP Hisham Abdulaziz Al Awadhi.
The area includes parts of historic Old Muharraq, home to the internationally recognised Unesco World Heritage Site Pearling Path and the Qaysariyah Market.
The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Mr Al Awadhi regarding the threats posed by abandoned and structurally unsafe buildings in the district.
Mr Al Mubarak explained that under Bahraini law, the responsibility for maintaining private property lies primarily with its owners.
“The existence of dilapidated houses is generally the result of their owners failing to take the necessary measures to repair them in a way that ensures their structural integrity and prevents them from deteriorating to this stage,” he said.
