A taxi driver, out of work due to severe flooding at an apartment complex in north Dublin earlier this month, has called for accountability to be taken over the incident.
The One Three North complex in Dublin 13, run by Vesta Living, suffered flash flooding late on February 12. The building’s car park was submerged, resulting in dozens of cars being written off.
Other communal areas including the gym, lift and bin facilities were also affected. Currently, the lifts are still out of order and a boil water notice is in place.
Last week, Dublin Live spoke to residents of the complex who told us that “many people are completely devastated and traumatised by what’s happening.” This week, taxi driver and dad-of-two Haseeb Basharat told us he is still out of work because his vehicle was in the car park at the time of the flooding.
“I am a full-time taxi driver, and my vehicle is my only source of income,” Mr Basharat told Dublin Live. “Since the flooding, I have been unable to work, placing my family, my two young children and myself in immediate financial hardship.
Flooding at the One Three North complex in Dublin 13 last week
“Despite indications that the flooding may have been caused by drainage failures or overcapacity issues, there has been no clear accountability, and the insurance process is slow and uncertain. This is not just property damage; it is a loss of livelihood, and residents are struggling without timely support.”
Mr Basharat’s vehicle being written off has also significantly impacted his home life, as he now has difficulty dropping his children to school and shopping. With the lifts out of order and a boil water notice in place, he and other residents are carrying heavy shopping bags and bottled water to the upper floors.
Flooding in gym facilities at the One Three North apartment complex in Dublin 13
Dublin Live contacted Vesta Living this week seeking an update on when the lifts will be back working and the boil water notice will be removed. We have not received a response at the time of publication.
Last week, a spokesperson for Vesta Living told us that the flooding was caused “by the catastrophic failure of public drainage infrastructure located in the road network to the south of the development.” Uisce Eireann has refuted this claim.
“The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our absolute priority, and we sincerely regret the significant impact this incident has had on them,” the spokesperson for Vesta Living said.
“The flooding was caused by the catastrophic failure of public drainage infrastructure located in the road network to the south of the development. While Vesta has maintained emergency pumps on-site for several weeks as a precaution, no private pumping system could have prevented the volume of water that entered the basement following the rupture of these large-scale public mains.
“We can confirm that Uisce Éireann teams attended the scene to address the failure of their infrastructure. To be clear, all internal drainage systems at the property were fully approved by both Dublin City Council and Uisce Éireann at the design and planning stages and are fully compliant with all standards. We are working as quickly as possible to repair the widespread damage caused by this external event, including the restoration of elevator service.
“We remain committed to supporting our residents while we work with the relevant public authorities to ensure the security of the local network moving forward.”
A spokesperson for Uisce Eireann told Dublin Live: “Uisce Éireann is committed to working collaboratively with our local authority partners during severe weather incidents to help protect customers and communities. Following this severe weather event, Uisce Éireann crews responded to requests to provide support on the ground to Dublin City Council and the residents of the complex, with pumping operations and clean‑up works.
“We refute the suggestion that the root cause of the flooding to the basement in the Clongriffin apartments on the 13th February was the failure of Uisce Éireann infrastructure.”
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