Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah: Municipalities across the country sprung into action to clean up the aftermath of the heavy rains seen in the past two days.
The Dubai Municipality Drainage and Irrigation Network has been working nonstop since Thursday to clear rain water from the streets.
"More than 300 staff members have been working 12-hour shifts since the rain started, and we have deployed 40 tankers and 70 portable pumps," Abdul Majeed Saifaie, director of the department, told Gulf News.
Saifaie said the drainage system is designed to handle 35 cubic millimetres of rainfall.
"The problem was that we got up to 70 cubic millimetres of rainfall which was far above our expectations and double the capacity of water that the system is designed to handle, so it took longer to clean up. The peak rainfall happened during rush hour which hindered the process further," he explained.
"The main roads have all been cleared up but we are continuing the clean-up process on the smaller streets," he said.
A look at the season's heaviest rainfall
The municipality of Abu Dhabi said on Sunday that it had engaged about 75 tankers to pump the water accumulated in low-lying areas in the city. A press release issued by the municipality had detailed the arrangements made to deal with the emergency situation.
Excellent system
Heavy rain affected the Al Ain region and some of the low-lying areas were inundated as the drainage system overflowed. Streets were also flooded, which blocked pedestrian paths. The rain also damaged several houses in different localities.
Although the water had receded in most areas, there were still pools of water in some low-lying areas and municipality workers have been working hard to remove sand, debris and fallen trees from the streets as well as open blocked drains.
An Al Ain Municipality official said water-logging was a problem in some low-lying areas, but the city's drainage system has proved to be excellent in handling the rain water, he added.
Sharjah Municipality focused all its efforts on draining the rain water from residential areas and highways, according to a municipality official.
The city experienced flooding along Emirates Road, which was drained in cooperation with Dubai Municipality and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority.
"It took up to yesterday morning at 3am to [clear] the water ... on Emirates Road. The capacity of the city's network is designed to hold 20 cubic millimetres but the city experienced 50 cubic millimetres, which resulted in flooding," said Abdul Aziz Al Mansouri, deputy director of the Drainage Department, Sharjah Municipality.
The centre of the city was eventually cleared and the lane that was closed at the Sharjah Ring Road was opened up to traffic later in the day.
Priority
"Sharjah Municipality deployed 50 tankers to drain water from the main roads and highways, including those near Sharjah International Airport. The roads in the industrial areas will take time to be completely drained, and at present we are focusing our efforts on residential areas," said Al Mansouri.
In Ras Al Khaimah, authorities worked round the clock to clean up the emirate's streets and public areas and fix the damages which the rain has caused.
The emirate's municipality and Department of Works and General Services worked in the affected areas to fix the damages, mainly in the northern parts of Ras Al Khaimah.
With inputs from Aftab Kazmi, Al Ain Bureau Chief; Mohammad N. Al Khan, Binsal Abdul Kader, Mariam M. Al Serkal and Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporters
