Civic bodies follow emergency plans

DM calls in more employees, intensifies patrolling

Hundreds of employees of the Dubai Municipality are on standby to handle rain-related incidents after the civic body activated its emergency preparedness plan to tackle the forecast of heavy rainstorms in the emirate.

Officers and staff from the departments of Sewage and Irrigation Network, Waste Management, Public Health and Safety, Environmental Emergencies and the contact centre have been on high alert to tackle rain damage and flooding since Wednesday night.

All emergency teams have been put to service and patrolling has been intensified. While some sections have extended working hours, some others have called in more staff for the afternoon and night shifts.

Public Health and Safety Department Director Redha Hassan Salman, who heads the emergency management team at the civic body, said the team activated the emergency preparedness plan on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have been getting regular updates from the NCMS (National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology) and NCEMA (National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority) and coordinating with various departments,” he told Khaleej Times.

“We have teams, tankers, pumps, heavy equipment and special vehicles standing by for removal and clearing of waste, fallen trees, scattered debris etc.”

Sewage and Irrigation Network Department Director Hassan Makki said the drainage was equipped to accommodate the expected downpour. “We have deployed more than 100 people including supervisory staff, field workers, and tanker operators. They are equipped with 70 pumps and 40 tankers which are on standby.”

The Environmental Emergencies Office dispatched a dozen officials to various parts of Dubai to evaluate flooding, said Khalid Salem Suleitin who heads the office. “They are driving around to check for flooding on main roads, roundabouts, open areas, beaches, gardens and farms. We are coordinating with the Sewage Department to clear water ponds, if any.”

The Waste Management Department, which had already cleaned up the drains in the city and cleared the storm water drainage pipes carrying the waste to the Dubai Creek in October, has three emergency teams working round the clock in three shifts for clearing the highways of rain-related accident debris, said Yaqoub Mohammed Al Ali, head of the Specialised Cleaning Section.

“We kept our emergency teams on call from 1am on Thursday. They are patrolling different locations in three sectors — Deira, Bur Dubai and rural areas of Dubai — so that they can reach the spot quickly when there is any emergency call.”

Al Ali said the department had to call off Thursday’s activities for the Clean Up the World Campaign that was launched on Tuesday. “Today’s event was with the participation of students from private schools. We were about to start the activities in Al Sufouh when the radio channels started announcing the ministry’s directive to close schools early. So, we sent back the students who had already reached the site and stopped the rest from coming over.”

The Head of Dubai Municipality’s Call Centre that operates the hotline number 800900, Mohammed Ahmed Al Luz, said the centre has called in additional staff for the afternoon shift to handle calls expected to pour in due to the predicted downpour and stormy conditions. He urged the residents to call the municipality’s hotline only in case of real emergencies and to avoid making calls to report petty issues.

Pumps, tankers out in Ajman, Sharjah

Yahya Al Reyasa, Director-General of the Ajman Municipality, said all measures have been taken to control flooding.

The municipality has installed pumping units in various parts of the emirate to drain water from the roads in case of flooding. Besides, it has dug 16 wells, set up 300 temporary pools to collect water from surrounding areas and kept ready 60 mobile tankers.

Maintenance works of drain networks have also been completed in areas which have witnessed heavy water-logging earlier.

A top official at the Sharjah Municipality added that 120 diesel pumps and 60 water tanks were used to drain out water from the affected areas in the emirate. He added that priority was given to residential areas and main roads.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com, afkarali@khaleejtimes.com