Dubai: Dubai Investment Park (DIP) is building its own internal storm water network by adding pipelines to drain flood water into the sea and other measures to avoid any flooding in the future.
Many parts of DIP 1 and DIP 2 were inundated with water, the deepest at around 4 feet at most roundabouts, when torrential rain hit Jebel Ali and neighbouring areas on March 9. DIP workers were stranded while scores of cars were in waist-deep water.
Omar Al Mesmar, general manager of Dubai Investment Park, said their management is working closely with Dubai Municipality in the flood mitigation efforts.
“DIP has initiated construction of its internal storm water network in the identified areas and targets to finish the same by end of this year. As part of this, we have appointed a consultant to design a storm water collection facility on-site, which will be connected with a temporary inlet till the master storm water network for Jebel Ali district is completed. Areas which tend to get flooded fast have been identified and we have taken steps to mitigate flooding in the future,” Al Mesmar told Gulf News.
A master storm water network for Jebel Ali district is in the works and will be ready by the end of 2019. The network will give DIP more access to the sea to drain collected rain water from DIP.
According to records, DIP received an unprecedented amount of rain — 12 times more than normal at 290mm — on March 9.
The waters exceeded the capacity of the soak pits and lagoons in DIP.
More than 25 pumps were used to remove water from the flooded areas within DIP. In addition to this, over 4,500 tanker trips were made.
