Gate Towers’ lifts fall foul of flooding

ABU DHABI // Flooding caused the shutdown of lifts in a high-rise building on Reem Island to the frustration of residents.

On Monday night, tenants at Gate Towers reported flooding on the upper floors of middle tower number 2, along with the shutdown of some of the lifts.

Nikki Connelly, 35, who lives on the 56th floor, said she had a lengthy wait for a lift on Tuesday morning.

“I had to wait 30 minutes for the lift, which was a little annoying, but I’d rather that than unsafe lifts,” she said.

Ms Connelly said the water in her apartment was turned off for 30 minutes on Monday night. She said she was notified by maintenance staff who visited her flat, but had yet to hear from Khidmah, the facility management company for Gate Towers, on the cause of the leak.

“I find the lack of communication from Khidmah irritating. I am still waiting to be told about the problem,” she said.

Apart from communication issues, she said she was generally happy with her home and building management.

“Of course there are little things that could be improved but that’s the same in every building in the world,” she said.

In a statement, Khidmah said the leak occurred in a coupling in the main water line. Upon discovery, the water was immediately shut off to minimise damage, the company said.

“After an investigation, the weakness has been identified, and Aldar is working with the contractor to rectify the issue,” reads the statement.

Maha Khatib, who lives on the 54th floor, said she was aware of the flooding and had to deal with the broken lifts.

Ms Khatib recalled a previous breakdown that caused her and her daughter to wait an hour before she could get into her apartment.

One resident, who identified himself as Talal, was moving into his 29th-floor apartment on Monday. “It hasn’t been going well,” he said.

On a Facebook page set up by residents, one tenant reported having to use the lift in another tower, making it up to the penthouse bridge that connects Gate Towers’ three 65-storey apartment blocks. From there, they made their way to their apartment using the stairs.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said she was not surprised to hear reports of flooding. Since moving in last year, she said her flat had repeatedly been flooded from the unit above, releasing terrible odours. Khidmah has been responsive, she said, but the problems have persisted.

This year, several tenants reported windows spontaneously shattering in their apartments, prompting repairs from Aldar Properties, the building’s developer.