UAE: Repairs on rain-hit roads, dams ongoing; expansion plan in the works

The UAE is working on repairing roads that were damaged during the unprecedented rainfall and floods that hit the country last month and is also looking to build an efficient rainwater drainage network and increasing the capacity of dams.

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, undertook a tour of areas, roads, and dams on the eastern coast that were affected by the record rains.

The tour was aimed a reviewing the work progress in rehabilitating these areas and improving the efficiency of dams and roads. The safety of residents, protecting their properties were top priority, he said.

Al Mazrouei also pointed to the rock berm project, which serves as a radical and permanent solution to future-proof roads on the eastern coast.

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The Minister said that work is in progress in preparing a thorough study of dams’ need for expansion. The Ministry, in collaboration with its strategic partners, is working on developing the infrastructure and improving its resilience to floods and rain. This includes building an efficient rainwater drainage network and increasing the capacity of dams to contain large volumes of water.

Due to the unprecedented rainfall the country experienced in April, the 103 dams and lakes run by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure collectively retained 40 million cubic metres, representing 50% of their total storage capacity, which amounts to 80 million cubic metres.

“The Ministry has put in place an integrated operational plan to repair affected roads and set up precautionary measures to ensure the continuity and preparedness of rainwater drainage network. We are working diligently on developing a host of solutions to mitigate the damage caused by rain events in the winter," Al Mazrouei said.

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