Water leak lasts for 14 hours in Abu Dhabi building

Abu Dhabi: Stressed out residents were seen walking out of Al Wahda Tower building on Defence Road in Abu Dhabi on Sunday due to a water leakage that left the 30-storey building without water supply for nearly 14 hours and elevator service for two hours.

Residents had been promised by the building’s owner that the water leakage wouldn’t happen again. However, once again they saw the notice placed at the building’s entrances and elevators stating that there will be no water supply for almost 14 hours.

They flocked to buy bottled water and fill plastic containers as always to help them last through the day.

Residents expressed their anger over constant cuts in their water supply.

“I don’t know weather to refer repeated cases of water leakage to the owner’s inadequate maintenance or to the lack of concern of the contractors and architects,” Mohammad Abdul Latif, resident of Al Wahda Tower, which is located next to Grand Millennium Hotel, told Gulf News.

“Owners have the responsibility for maintaining and managing their building. They should quickly reach a solution,” he added.

Many residents were seen standing at the building’s entrance at around 11pm on Sunday. Some were seen using the stairs, while others were walking out with bags and blankets to spend the rest of their night at friends’[ apartments or nearby hotels.

“We can cope with such a situation; however, it is really hard for children. I stayed for almost two hours at the building’s entrance with my sleeping baby,” Samira Ahmad, a resident of Al Wahda Tower, told Gulf News.

Gulf News spoke to the United Abu Dhabi Real Estate Company, which is responsible for the Al Wahda project.

“We had an emergency at Al Wahda Tower on Sunday. It was different from any other time before and residents were notified earlier. We are currently working on a substitute option for the water programme. We will install new pipelines which will reduce water pressure and increase capacity,” Shehzad Ahmad, administrator at the United Abu Dhabi Real State Company, told Gulf News.

“We are waiting for an approval from the Abu Dhabi Municipality to install a new water pipeline that can accommodate the volume and improve water pressure. There is an additional water demand that requires improvements to water transmission, pumping and storage infrastructure,” he added.

When asked about the reason behind cutting water supply and elevator service several times, he answered: “The water temperature and the pressure caused pipes to break, and when a pipe leaks or a break happens, water can escape because it is under constant pressure. It can reach elevators and cause damage to the building’s electrical system,” Ahmad said.

When asked how much time it would take to install the new pipeline, he answered: “We are starting this week and it will take us around 45 days,” he told Gulf News.

Some residents also complained about high rents and poor facility management.

“We are not paying sky-high rents to have such poor facilities and maintenance. Should I feel safe about riding in an elevator which has been out of service several times due to a water leakage? I live on the 25th floor. Shall I take the stairs to reach the ground floor? What if there is an emergency case?” an Emirati resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, asked.

There are many reasons for water leakages.

“There is no specific reason behind water leakage. It can happen year-round and we can’t predict the time or the main factor. However, wrong calculations for water speed, capacity and pressure might be a reason. Very hot and dry days require high water usage that can cause changes in pressure that lead to main breaks,” Moataz Abdul Wahab, project manager at KEO International Consultants, told Gulf News.

“Additionally, the pipe material can be another factor. It should be made of a very good quality to avoid water breaks. Inspection visits should be conducted regularly to perform pressure testing on water pipelines and avoid repetition of such incidents,” Abdul Wahab said.

“It is also important to shut down all elevators immediately in case of water leakage for safety purposes,” he added.

Similar cases of water leakage were also reported by residents in different areas, such as Gate Towers on Al Reem Island and Al Bandar residential complex at Al Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi.