Overnight rain leaves traffic out of gear in UAE

Dubai:  Thundershowers hit most parts of the UAE from early Thursday.

Residents gearing up for the last working day of the week woke up to heavy rain and the accompaniment of lightening and thunder.
A resident at the Palm said that while he never wakes up for anything at night, the thunder was of such a magnitude that he was shaken out of slumber.
“I used my umbrella to shelter from rain… instead of the sun,” said Faisal, an early morning  commuter from Al Nahda to the Al Safa area in Dubai.

According to the national weather centre, prospects are high for more rain during the day.

Overnight showers in Dubai and Sharjah have caused further traffic chaos during the morning rush hour on Thursday, leading to many arriving late for work.

Water accumulation on Dubai-Sharjah border areas, particularly on Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Al Qusais left people stuck in traffic for several hours.

However, a senior Roads and Transport Authority official said that workers and water pumps were on hand to suck the water out and that roads on the Dubai side were clear.

“We pressed our emergency teams in service immediately and the water pumps are stationed in most low-lying areas, particularly the border area near Sharjah. From our side we have ensured that the traffic flow is smooth,” said Engineer Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic, RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.

However, he said that traffic normally slows down during rain and it is important that it slows down for safety reason. “We advice motorists to slow down during rain or during foggy weather conditions. It is for their safety and this slows down the traffic. This is the only reason there were traffic tailbacks during morning rush and not because of water accumulation,” he added.

Reports of water accumulation were received from several areas, including Discovering Gardens, which is once again flooded with rainwater.  “Discovery Gardens is a privately developed area and the developer is responsible for the situation there. If we are invited, we will definitely help improve the situation but right now it’s not in our hands,” said Al Banna.

Reporting: Shafaat Shahbandari