Dubai receives record rainfall

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 4 March 2010

Dubai had received a record total rainfall of about 812 cubic metres right through Tuesday's continued showers that disrupted the life in the Emirate with heavy water logging in its low-lying clusters.

During the early morning hours of Tuesday, the tidal stations of Dubai Municipality's (DM) Survey Department recorded rainfall that ranged from medium to heavy levels in part of the Emirate, according to the civic body sources.

The rate of rainfall registered in the DM's Jebel Ali station was 200 cubic metres, reaching a maximum rate of 20 cubic metres of water intensity with the minimum rate of water intensity being 4 cubic metres, said a senior DM member.

Mohammed Mashroom, Director of Survey Department of the DM, added that data from the Umm Suqeim monitoring station said the rainfall recorded over there was 204 cubic metres, with a maximum water intensity at 20 cubic metres and 4 cubic metres minimum.

"Meanwhile, the Jaddaf monitoring station in Dubai registered 216 cubic metres of rainfall during the first few hours. The highest rate of water intensity over there was 12 cubic metres, and the lowest rate was 4 cubic metres," explained Mashroom.

According to him, the average rainfall recorded in Dubai Marina station was 192 cubic metres, with a maximum rainfall intensity of 8 cubic metres and a minimum of 4 cubic metres.

Abdulmajeed Sifai, Director of the Sewage Network Department of the Municipality, said the volume of storm water drainage through the drainage network during the past 24 hours amounted at 936,000 cubic metres, which was discharged at 46 approved discharge points.

"The situation was brought under control using 39 tankers and 89 sucking pumps of the Municipality. Each tanker took 15 to 20 trips depending on the distance of discharge," he added.

According to him, the Municipality's emergency operations teams, formed by its operations and cleaning services section, were deployed at areas where water ponds took shape due to the heavy downpour.

Sifai noted, "The Municipal emergency management teams with a human resource capacity of up to 550 members, including administrative staff, engineers, technicians and labourers were put on high alert with the operation divided in to two shifts, apart from the normal schedule."

"The civic body had mobilised its complete resources to manage the emergency situation shaped due to the unsettled and irregular climatic transformation, alerted by the Meteorology Centre predictions," he said.

Hassan Makki, Director of Waste Management Department at the DM, said, "Upon receiving complaints at the DM Call Centre as well as the communications and calls from inspectors, the emergency management team members were immediately deployed in the concerend location to ease the situation," he added.

Sifai pointed out that the emergency teams also responded to reports received about the waste containers that were moved away from their original locations. The waste that had spilled out of the containers due to the strong wind were collected and deposited back into the containers until the arrival of the garbage trucks.

"The team also cleaned up the main streets of the sand accumulated on the shoulders of the streets that was causing obstruction to traffic. Work is still in force in accordance with our plan of action," he added.
(Pic Kamal Kassim)