The Dubai authorities have identified 14 flood-prone areas in the emirate; the authorities had pinpointed areas susceptible to probable incidents of severe weathering, including floods following rainstorms like those seen a few weeks ago in April. The identified hotspot includes places along Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Emirates Road, and Ras Al Khor Street among several other areas.
Experts believe this decade may see increased rainfall, and therefore forecasted that the intensity will rise by up to 30% in the coming years. Speaking on the urgency of this climatic change, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abri, Director, Meteorology Department, National Center of Meteorology said, “We shouldn’t wait until this [rainfall] changes.”.
In this regard, Dubai’s government initiated successive upgrade plans for its infrastructures. As stated by Mohammed Al Dhanhani, Dubai Municipality Director of Corporate Risk Management, some 90% of the flood-prone areas have already been upgraded following previous rainy seasons, and more investments are on the way to boost drainage capacity. Moreover, pumps will be installed at strategic points to efficiently drain the rainwater.
In this connection, news is coming that the RTA, Dh30 billion Tasreeh rain drainage network will be ready by 2033, proof that the emirate is committed to long-term provision against floods. The authorities have also set up a committee to look into ways of improving crisis management – a committee made up of representatives from different governmental bodies, including the Dubai Police, and Civil Defense.
Lt. Gen Dhahi Khalfan, Deputy Chief of Police, said there is a need to educate residents in Dubai better in preparation for natural disasters, where possibly all crisis contact numbers can be set up together to help residents in times of heavy rainfall events.
