January 2008 will be remembered across much of the Middle East for its unprecedented meteorological events. Iran and Saudi Arabia saw previously unimaginable levels of snowfall, while the UAE, for its part, was lashed by rain.
With climatologists predicting that weather patterns will become even more erratic in the years ahead as a result of atmospheric pollution, governments and town planners need to sit up and take note.
They need to ensure that effective coping mechanisms are built into new developments and highways. Principally, that means storm-drains to take away rainwater and snowmelt. And where storm-drains already exist, municipalities need to check that they are kept free from blockages, particularly in the months of higher precipitation.
Last month, Dubai saw more than 105 mm of rain fall over two days, some 20 mm higher than the previous January record. The average rainfall for the month is 15.6 mm.
The deluge brought traffic to a standstill across the city-state and also in neighbouring emirates, Sharjah and Ajman, as the waters were unable to drain away. Commentators were quick to note that the older parts of Dubai were spared serious disruption, as effective drainage systems are already in place there. The worst hit areas were the newer developments, which lack such infrastructure.
Inevitably, the floodwater also overran the sewerage system and affected the electricity network in some of these areas.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority sent customers a text message, warning of potential supply problems. “Customers may face difficulties with electricity mainly due to internal water leak in the DB [distribution box] of your premises. Please check and call private maintenance company,” it read.
In a country where rains visit infrequently, it is no surprise that certain designs neglect to factor in flood defence measures or sufficient waterproof sealants.
But if these are to be the weather patterns of the future then planners and developers need to act responsibly and ensure that constructions under way today will be able to cope with the events of tomorrow.
Staff Writer
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and...
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Storm clouds gathering
Planners need to bear the warnings of climate change in mind when designing future urban development projects.
January 2008 will be remembered across much of the Middle East for its unprecedented meteorological events. Iran and Saudi Arabia saw previously unimaginable levels of snowfall, while the UAE, for its part, was lashed by rain.
With climatologists predicting that weather patterns will become even more erratic in the years ahead as a result of atmospheric pollution, governments and town planners need to sit up and take note.
They need to ensure that effective coping mechanisms are built into new developments and highways. Principally, that means storm-drains to take away rainwater and snowmelt. And where storm-drains already exist, municipalities need to check that they are kept free from blockages, particularly in the months of higher precipitation.
Last month, Dubai saw more than 105 mm of rain fall over two days, some 20 mm higher than the previous January record. The average rainfall for the month is 15.6 mm.
The deluge brought traffic to a standstill across the city-state and also in neighbouring emirates, Sharjah and Ajman, as the waters were unable to drain away. Commentators were quick to note that the older parts of Dubai were spared serious disruption, as effective drainage systems are already in place there. The worst hit areas were the newer developments, which lack such infrastructure.
Inevitably, the floodwater also overran the sewerage system and affected the electricity network in some of these areas.
The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority sent customers a text message, warning of potential supply problems. “Customers may face difficulties with electricity mainly due to internal water leak in the DB [distribution box] of your premises. Please check and call private maintenance company,” it read.
In a country where rains visit infrequently, it is no surprise that certain designs neglect to factor in flood defence measures or sufficient waterproof sealants.
But if these are to be the weather patterns of the future then planners and developers need to act responsibly and ensure that constructions under way today will be able to cope with the events of tomorrow.
Staff Writer
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and... More by Staff Writer
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