100% recovery rate from the weather condition on the streets of Dubai

The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai confirmed that the recovery rate in the main road network and vital areas reached 100%, and that the effects were limited to simple and partial cases that were dealt with immediately.

She explained in special statements to “Emirates Today” that she relied on modern technologies and equipment that were used for the first time, in addition to implementing advanced engineering solutions on the main roads before the onset of the depression.

In detail, the Director of the Roads Department at the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, Hamad Ali Al Shehhi, said that preparations to deal with weather conditions began before their onset, through proactive measures implemented by the Authority in cooperation with its strategic partners.

He explained to “Emirates Today” that the authority implemented advanced engineering solutions on main roads in more than 14 vital locations before the start of the situation, which included increasing the number of drains, creating temporary connections using large pumps linked to the deep tunnel, in addition to increasing the final drainage points in the creek and water channels, as well as creating collection lakes in a number of areas, with the aim of absorbing water quantities and reducing pressure on the drainage network.

He added that the Authority has developed comprehensive field plans in cooperation with Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Civil Defense, and the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, in addition to developers and the private sector, noting that one of the most prominent of these plans is dividing the city of Dubai into operational sectors, allowing the distribution of resources in a thoughtful manner that ensures immediate intervention in water collection sites, and reduces the impact on traffic movement.

He explained that the management of the weather situation is carried out through the joint command room in the authority’s unified control center, which includes all relevant partners, where coordination is made with the National Center of Meteorology to follow up on developments in the weather situation and determine the levels of readiness required before the situation begins, in addition to monitoring the field situation during rainfall.

He pointed out that the center relies on more than 10,000 cameras distributed throughout the emirate, in addition to benefiting from historical data, big data analysis, and lessons learned from previous weather conditions, which contributes to directing work teams and making decisions quickly.

Al Shehhi stressed that the operational capabilities in Dubai are great, thanks to the integration of efforts between various agencies, as more than 380 pumps have been deployed across the emirate, more than 500 tanks for drawing water, 100 emergency vehicles and implementing traffic diversions, in addition to approximately 1,300 human cadres from the Roads and Transport Authority, all of whom work under the management of specialized and trained national cadres in the fields of infrastructure and emergencies.

He continued, “These efforts were clearly reflected in the road network, as no cases of complete closure of any road were recorded during the weather condition, and the effects were limited to simple and partial cases that were dealt with immediately,” pointing out that “the recovery rate reached 100%, while the main roads and vital areas returned to their normal condition as if the weather condition had not affected them.”

He revealed that the Authority used modern equipment and technologies for the first time during a weather situation, most notably special vehicles specially designed by the Authority to deal with severe rain conditions, as they are characterized by high pumping speed and the ability to reach water collection sites and deal with them with great efficiency.

He added that the authority also implemented smart sensor systems in a number of tunnels and crossings under main roads, to read the water level and send the data to control centers, allowing proactive decisions to be made such as implementing traffic diversions or intervening to withdraw water before it reaches levels that may affect traffic movement.

He pointed out that the authority also worked to develop its own equipment to increase the efficiency of rapid intervention, especially with regard to the speed of withdrawing water and the ability to reach areas with clusters, stressing that these technologies contributed to enhancing the speed of response and reducing the time the water remained on the roads.

He stressed that Dubai Roads continues to develop its technical and engineering system, and to benefit from the lessons learned from every weather situation, to ensure raising the level of readiness and dealing more efficiently with any future situations.