Residents left in the dark over evacuation due to road collapse

Three weeks on Al Khubairah Towers tenants are still none the wiser, and must also deal with concerns over their building’s management.

Cracks in the pavement and a hole in the road are still visible at the site of the collapse in Al Khalidiya. Al Khubairah Towers residents next door are still awaiting information. Silvia Razgova / ThShow more

ABU DHABI // Residents of a 14-storey tower in Al Khalidiyah are waiting for answers about a road collapse next to their building three weeks ago.

The collapse happened on September 9 inside an excavation site for a plaza development off Zayed the First Street, next to the Oryx Hotel.

Families in Al Khubairah Towers said they were given little information about the status of the road, although they had been assured by Abu Dhabi Municipality and Civil Defence that their building was safe.

They were moved from the building for two days after the incident and given hotel accommodation by the Emirates Red Crescent.

The tenants also are unsure about their building’s management, problems with which have been unresolved since June. The property had been managed by Al Farida Investment.

A letter from Abu Dhabi National Properties said it had been unable to complete the transfer of the property from Al Farida because of “some outstanding legal and administrative issues”.

Residents said they had not received official information about the situation from their landlord.

Wael El Menawy, 43, from Alexandria in Egypt, said he and his wife Nermeen Nagdy, 39, would like to know whether excavation plans would continue.

“We need to know if they’re going to do this again,” said Mr El Menawy, a consultant ophthalmologist.

“The most important thing is that they don’t go back and dig again in the same area.”

Tenants have organised a group on WhatsApp to share information they have about the building management and collapse, said Ms Nagdy.

They said that despite the management uncertainty, building staff were still working on maintenance, and security guards had been so helpful during the evacuation that tenants collected money for them as a reward.

A British expatriate who has lived in the building for more than 10 years said many tenants were curious about the adjacent property .

“Nobody’s telling us anything, so we don’t know exactly what’s going on,” said the tenant, who asked not to be identified.

“My rent is due shortly and I should have received notification as to whether I’m going to extend my agreement.”

Ali Al Yammahi, 37, said he was not worried about the safety of the building and was happy with the Government’s handling of the problem.

But Mr Al Yammahi had to rely on the security guards for information about the construction.

He said building had continued at the site since he moved into the towers, where he had lived with his wife and two daughters for four years.

“Before this crack, there was a five-metre crack,” said Mr Al Yammahi. “There’s no parking and it’s noisy.”

The tower residents are mostly families living in two to four-bedroom flats costing about Dh150,000 or more.

Abu Dhabi Municipality and the manager of the construction site, Al Fara’a Engineering General Construction, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.