Dubai to build US$8 billion rainwater drainage system after record floods June 25, 2024

File photo of a street view in Dubai, intended for representational purposes only

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Dubai to build US$8 billion rainwater drainage system after record floods

Dubai on Monday announced a US$8 billion (R145 billion) plan for a stormwater drainage system, two months after an unprecedented deluge and widespread flooding brought the desert state to a standstill.

The stormwater drainage network announced by Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, on the social media platform X, is due to be completed by 2033, with construction starting immediately.

"It will cover all areas of Dubai and absorb more than 20 million cubic meters of water per day," Sheikh Mohammed said of the plan for Dubai, the futuristic business hub of the United Arab Emirates.

It will "increase the emirate's rainwater drainage capacity by 700% and improve the emirate's readiness to face future climate challenges," he said, calling it the largest network of its kind in the region.

Record rainfall hit the UAE on April 16, flooding homes and turning streets into rivers. The rain, aggravated by a lack of storm drains, damaged Dubai Airport, the world's busiest for international passengers.

The rain, the heaviest in the UAE since records began 75 years ago, killed at least four people, including three Filipino workers and an Emirati.

The UAE authorities have not released an official death toll.

Dubai's glamorous downtown faced serious disruptions for days, in a blow to its polished image. With no drainage for the excess water, the authorities relied on trucks to pump out the water with giant hoses and carry it away.

The World Weather Attribution group said that global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions "most likely" exacerbated the heavy rains that also hit the neighboring sultanate of Oman, where 21 people died.

bur/fz