DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Hundreds of Muslim residents were unable to perform a holiday ritual when they woke up to dry taps at their apartment complex on Friday.
A leaking pipe created a sinkhole at the apartment complex in Clarkston on Memorial College Avenue. After a major pipe burst, all the water was shut off.
Nearly 400 residents live at the complex, the majority of whom are Muslims celebrating the Ramadan holiday.
"Every time in Ramadan, before you pray, you have to take a shower. You have to clean up. You have to make aberration. That's how you celebrate," Nassaro Ali told Channel 2's Amanda Cook.
Other residents were upset about hygienic issues caused by the temporary drought.
"Couldn't hop in the shower, couldn't brush my teeth and I had to go straight to work. Went to work smelling bad," resident Nathan Taylor said.
Adding fuel to the fire, repairs were briefly held up as DeKalb County officials and apartment management pointed the finger at each other.
County officials said the apartment should deal with it, because the incident happened on private property.
Around noon, apartment management officials took responsibility and sent a plumbing crew to work on repairs. In an e-mail, management officials promised to fix the problem as soon as possible, knowing residents' patience was running dry.
WSBTV
