Dubai: The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has conducted a study to prepare for the rainy season, with the aim of discovering the causes of water deviations and flooding.
The study also seeks to improve the design and implementation of a rainwater management and drain system for exit numbers 129, 119, 103 and 110 at Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road.
It also seeks to facilitate the installation of 16 drainage pipes to the underground storage basins beneath these four exits, and construct two new underground storage basins.
Infrastructure development
Ahmad Al Hammadi, director of Roads Administration, highlighted the ministry’s desire to adopt the best international practices in infrastructure development to meet the requirements of the UAE’s local environment, as per the directives of Dr Abdullah Mohammad Bel Haif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development.
Al Hammadi added that the ministry has considered rainwater density while drafting the study, and has recommended the construction of two 1,250-square-metre underground storage basins at the locations of the relevant exits at Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Street, to store excess rainwater and then slowly pump them down as underground water.
100 dams
He emphasised the ministry’s readiness to face any dangers from excess rainfall, as it has maintained, during previous years, 100 dams whose lakes have a total capacity of 75,963,000-square metres.
These 100 dams include 54 dams in Fujairah, 30 in Ras Al Khaimah, nine in Ajman, seven in Sharjah and one in Umm Al Quwain, he added.
The ministry has also restored a 166-square-kilometre area to stabilise the local sand and stop it gathering on the roads due to the rainfall, he further added.
Reporting road damage
Al Hammadi stressed that the ministry had launched the “Ghaith Team” that specialises in studying and monitoring areas of flooding and finding suitable solutions. The hotling is currently
He added that the national infrastructure had proved its efficiency while facing climate change and instability during previous years.
Based on best design practices, it uses a number of rainwater pumps and drain systems, built according to the best international specifications.
The ministry adheres to best international practices when planning infrastructure projects, with the aim of advancing its development system., he said, adding that the ministry aims to create solutions to the problems caused by excessive rainfall.
The UAE’s infrastructure and operational systems are among the most advanced in the world, said Al Hammadi.
He noted that the country, since its establishment, has been keen to develop quality and effective local infrastructure, which has led it to occupy leading positions in global competitiveness indexes in the area of infrastructure.
