After unprecedented floods, Dubai is building a rainwater drainage system at a cost of $8 billion

Dubai announced on Monday an $8 billion plan to establish the largest rainwater harvesting project in a single system in the region, two months after unprecedented floods that led to paralysis in the emirate.

It is expected that the development of the rainwater drainage network, which was announced by the Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum through his account on the “X” platform, will be completed by the year 2033, with construction starting immediately.

Sheikh Mohammed said about the plan for Dubai: “Today we approved an integrated project to develop the rain drainage network in Dubai at a cost of 30 billion dirhams (about 8 billion dollars), the largest project to collect rainwater in one system in the region.”

He added that the project "will increase the capacity of rainwater drainage in the emirate by 700% and enhance the emirate's readiness to face future climate challenges. The new project will cover all areas of Dubai and absorb more than 20 million cubic meters of water per day."

He pointed out that the project "will serve Dubai for the next hundred years," stressing that work on it will begin immediately and "it will be implemented in stages ending in the year 2033."

It is noteworthy that in the middle of last April, heavy rain fell in quantities that the UAE had not witnessed in 75 years, leading to floods on the roads and water entering homes throughout the country, causing paralysis for days, with many roads being cut off.