Jumeirah Islands is a tranquil community of man-made islands located just off Sheikh Zayed Road and close to Ibn Batutta mall.

As with most new developments in the city, JI is greatly influenced by thematic architecture, and the villas are segregated into separate clusters that symbolise European, Islamic, Mediterranean and Oasis styles.

Every cluster has villas grouped around its theme, and set as they are amidst canals, gardens and lakes, these homes are not only very large, but look luxurious. Owners who moved in two years ago seemed to have spared no resources or efforts in beautifying their homes. As a result, most of the four- and five-bedroom villas feature large, luscious, flowering gardens. Most also have swimming pools located inside these gardens.

But there is trouble in the garden of Eden. Residents say that they cannot use their gardens or pools because they are plagued by insects breeding in the adjacent lakes.

Plagued by mosquitoes

As the name implies, JI is located on water with almost 25 per cent of the total area of the community comprising artificial lakes fed by channelled sea water. Although widely touted as an engineering marvel - for the cutting-edge technology deployed in pumping and circulating the sea water - these lakes suddenly seem stagnant. An Asian couple who has been living at JI for a year - as tenants and not homeowners - say that the composition, colour and quality of the lake located nearest to them has deteriorated considerably in the last three months.

They also say they are plagued by mosquitoes, fruit flies and insects that seem to breed copiously in the said lake, and have to restrict the use of their pool and garden to bright daylight hours.

"We are here on a temporary posting, and we got this house as part of our relocation package, so we can't really take up cudgels with the developer or our landlord. But I have been doing some research and reading, and I believe something has gone seriously amiss," says the husband. The wife adds that when the wind blows, the lakes emit a foul odour. Both are convinced that the water body is now stagnant. An old statement issued by the master developer is still available for the record: 'The underground pipeline, the main source of water for the path-breaking project - comprising 46 clusters of islands spread across an area of 300 hectares - pumps 400 litres of water per second. Advanced technology ensures that fresh seawater is brought into the canals to control salinity. The canal water is flushed out by gravity back into the sea through a discharge chamber at the edge of the canal'. And a quote issued at the time of launch reads: 'Being the first of its kind in the world, the Jumeirah Islands development had to be powered by technology that meets the particular needs of this pace-setting waterfront community. We have used the world's best expertise to ensure that this exclusive enclave offers an out-of-this-world experience.

'Out of the total area of 300 hectares, 68 hectares, or nearly 23 per cent, of the project is filled with water that flows constantly ensuring clean water around the clusters throughout'.

GK says that channelling the water may still be one of the world's greatest achievements, and that the water bodies still look beautiful, but the water is distinctly unclean, and lakeside living has lost its charm.