Disputes among neighbours have emerged as the most frequent concern raised by residents in Bahrain’s Capital Governorate this year, according to 2025 statistics on the nation’s suggestions and complaints system Tawasul.
The data, covering the period from January 1 to October 31, showed that 2,415 cases were submitted, with cleanliness, monitoring and inspection issues, and municipal fees topping the general categories.
However, municipality officials revealed that a significant share of the complaints involved conflicts between neighbours, ranging from noise and nuisance issues to property disputes.
Capital Trustees Authority public relations and information head Amani Al Khayyat confirmed that neighbour-related issues were becoming increasingly common.
Ms Al Khayyat, left, revealing the statistics and analysis
“A large portion of the cases we receive revolve around disagreements between neighbours – whether it is about noise, property boundaries, shared facilities, or behaviour-related issues,” she said.
“These cases require sensitive handling because they involve personal relationships and shared living spaces.”
While cleanliness complaints ranked at the top statistically – recording 825 cases (24.5 per cent) – officials highlighted the growing number of submissions tied directly to neighbour conflicts.
These included:
- A resident reporting water-pumping disturbances caused by a neighbour
- A complaint seeking help to file a case against neighbours in Manama
- A complaint against a neighbour over ongoing disruptions
- A dispute over a tree on a neighbouring property
- A resident objecting to the ministry’s handling of a violation he committed
Ms Al Khayyat emphasised that while these issues do not always fall neatly into the standard Tawasul categories, they form a substantial part of municipal community-relations work.
Despite the volume of cases, the Capital Governorate achieved a 100pc response and follow-up rate, ensuring every valid complaint was reviewed and addressed.
Customer satisfaction for 2025 reached 89.44pc, up by 5.1pc compared to the same period in 2024 (84.38pc), based on nearly 500 completed surveys.
The 2,415 cases included complaints (2,023), inquiries (331) and proposals (61).
There were 463 irrelevant submissions, while 567 were duplicates.
Category-wise complaints included cleanliness – 825 cases (24.5pc), Monitoring and Inspection – 325 cases (9.5pc), Municipal Fees – 320 cases (9.37pc), Parks and Gardens – 183 cases (5.3pc), and Others – 231 cases (6.7pc).
The vast majority came from individual residents (2,264 cases), followed by institutions and other entities.
The system also registered 38 official messages of praise for government services, employees, and entities – reflecting positive engagement alongside concerns.
Ms Al Khayyat said the authority plans to continue improving communication channels and community outreach.
Authority director-general Mohammed Al Sehli said that the satisfaction percentage could have been easily 96pc, if it hadn’t been for multiple complaints from the same people on the same issue.
“The system sees multiple complaints by the same person on the same issue as different cases altogether and we have to accept that,” he told the Capital Trustees Board.
“We still have until the year’s end to reach above 90pc – we are working to resolve problems in record time.
“Our compliance continues to be 100pc.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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