Sharjah and Dubai
Gear Up to Face Rains

SHARJAH/DUBAI - As clouds gather in the sky threatening more rain during Dubai’s winter rainy season authorities in Sharjah and Dubai are preparing to avoid water-logging on roads and accidents as happened in January this year.

By Afkar Abdullah And Joy Sengupta

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Published: Mon 22 Dec 2008, 1:07 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 5:22 PM

Last Tuesday, heavy downpour resulted in water-logging on roads and at roundabouts in Sharjah, Brigadier Ahmed bin Darwish, Head of Anjad patrol unit, said.

“However, we in coordination with the municipality drained the water using pumps and tankers. The rain caused 15 minor accidents in various parts of the emirate,” the officer said.

The police deployed more patrols in affected areas to help motorists move their vehicles that broke down on roads and control traffic movement.

Such precautionary measures are necessary to avoid vehicle pileups, Bin Darwish said. The police have also provided side parking facilities on highways and internal roads to enable motorists stop whenever necessary, he added.

He, however, warned motorists against speeding and urged them to drive cautiously.

Sultan Al Mua’ala, Assistant Director-General of Public Services Department at the Sharjah Municipality, said the civic body has taken measures to avoid rain-related problems.

Apart from improving the drainage on most of the roads, including the industrial areas, it has installed water containers on roads prone to water accumulation. These include Emirates Road and Al Dhaid Road.

To avoid the mess that may be created by the rain like last year, the civic body has enhanced its water pumping services by installing 90 tanks to which a large quantity of water could be pumped in to keep roads dry.

Meanwhile, officials at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai also said they have mobilised all resources and logistics, enhanced the efficiency of road service and boosted security and safety.

Nabeel Mohammed Saleh, Director of Roads Department, said, “The RTA has stepped up the readiness to cope with the rainy season this year by adopting a number of procedures. These include maintaining ready-to-use traffic diversions in case a road gets clogged with water and provision of water tankers fitted with the requisite number of pumps to suck water from the roads.” The RTA is also coordinating with the Dubai Police, Civil Defence and the Dubai Municipality in this regard, the official said.

“Coordination is on with contractors to ensure that they remove ponds at their workplaces. All motorists and road users are requested to exercise care and caution while driving in rainy weather for their own safety. They are also requested to cooperate with the RTA Emergency Team and report any incidents, faults or abnormal circumstances impacting roads under the changing weather conditions,” Nabeel said.

They are also requested to maintain safe distance between vehicles and ensure safety and operational condition of brakes. The Emergency Team is working 24 hours a day and can be contacted over phone (8009090), the official added. afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

joy@khaleejtimes.com


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