Indian expat SS*goes to the office and comes back multiple times daily due to the nature of his work. A resident of the New Zubaidi Building on King Faisal Street, at 61, SS, struggled to climb up and down more than 2,000 stairs daily as the elevators stopped working after the heavy rains pounded Sharjah and other emirates in the UAE over the weekend.
“I go to the office in the morning and come back around the afternoon. Then, I go again after a few hours and return home in the evening. I have to walk 350 stairs in each direction because elevators are not operational. The company managing the building is trying to pump out water from the flooded basement. There is still some water on the road, and it smells,” SS told Khaleej Times in an interview.
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When KT visited the site on Monday afternoon, elevators in the two towers were still not shut, and officials were trying to pump out water from the building’s basement. The banks located on the ground floor of the building and apartments had electricity, but the elevators were not working.
A UAE resident for nearly 35 years, SS hoped that the company managing the building would be able to solve the problem soon as it is a big hassle for people, especially those who have knee or joint pain problems.
During the visit, KT saw tenants coming out from the building and complaining to the management officials on the site, trying to coordinate with the Sharjah Municipality to arrange trucks to flush out water from the basement.
ZA*, an Arab national who is in her 40s and suffering from knee problem, also requested the officials to expedite the process.
Two days after the rain, some areas in Al Khan an Al Majaz, Jamal Abdul Nasir Street and Al Wahda Street in front of Sharjah City Centre were flooded on Monday afternoon.
The sights of the first day of the rains could be seen even on the fourth day in Sharjah, with the husband holding his wife’s hand to cross the flooded Jamal Abdul Nasir Street, drivers parking their cars along the pedestrian footpath so that they can use the front passenger side to get in and out of their cars as the road is flooded.
“My daughter skipped her class on Monday because she goes to Dubai by bus, and the bus stop to embark and disembark was flooded,” said Umm-e-Aiman, an Al Majaz resident.
*Names withheld on request