Dubai: Residents of The Gardens and Discovery Gardens in Dubai have called for a permanent solution to prevent flooding behind Ibn Battuta Mall on the access road leading to both communities.
“Stinking water” flooded the roads behind the China Court of Ibn Battuta Mall on Saturday night, affecting a section of the access road that leads to The Gardens and Discovery Gardens. This is the second reported case of flooding in a month.
On July 18, a 1.2-metre diameter pipe of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority cracked and burst, releasing massive amounts of water in the same area. The flooding submerged cars, caused a fire due to a short circuit, and huge traffic jams.
On Saturday night, residents said stinking , ankle-deep water settled on the same relatively low-lying roundabout.
Gulf News contacted Nakheel, the developer of both communities, but no one was available for comment despite repeated requests.
A team from Dubai Municipality on Saturday night pumped out the water. “There was a minor leak in one of the irrigation pipelines and it has been fixed now. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has been working with Nakheel and Dubai Municipality in clearing the logged water. Only the internal roads were affected and there was no issue on the main roads. We have made sure that there is no impact to traffic movement,” said Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic at RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
But since there are only two access points towards Discovery Gardens and motorists inevitably have to use the same roundabout, residents said any minor road block can cause traffic jams.
“I hope authorities arrive at have a permanent solution for this problem, not just a solution that’s good for one day and then after a few weeks we’d be worried about flooding again,” Venus, a housewife on her way home when the flooding occurred both times, told Gulf News.
“Although this Saturday’s flooding wasn’t as bad as that in July, it still is a cause for alarm for us. We don’t want to go through the same nightmare as before,” she added.
Pakistani expatriate Umer Farooq, a resident of The Gardens, said he has become accustomed to “minor flooding” in the area. “This Saturday’s flooding was a small one and the guys were able to pump it out in a few hours. But it will come back again after two or three weeks.”
Beejay Colehiyo, a salesclerk at Ibn Battuta Mall who lives in the community, said additional drainage systems should be constructed in the area to prevent flooding. “There is one small drainage at the roundabout. I think there should be more as water collects in that area even with just hours of light but continuous rain,” Colehiyo told Gulf News.
Diordan Palmes, another sales clerk at the mall, said drainage systems should be properly maintained.
With additional inputs from Shafaat Shahbandari, Staff Reporter
