Days after the historic rain, Dubai remains submerged in floodwaters – a profound example of how the world is losing the race against climate change.
The flooding in Dubai last week highlighted that urban construction techniques are failing in the grand experiment of climate change. In a world witnessing increasingly extreme weather phenomena, regardless of how large and modern a city is, it is proving to be losing the battle against unprecedented flooding.
The wealthy city of the UAE and similar urban centers were built on previously uninhabitable areas. Ironically, this achievement reflects that the urban development concepts of the 20th century have led to the “squeezing” of natural water absorption systems.
An ambulance left behind in floodwaters after the historic rain in Dubai. (Photo: Getty).
Population growth leads to more waste, which in turn requires additional landfills and waste management methods. This formula makes drainage a challenge for major cities worldwide, including Dubai, especially as they will face heavier and more frequent rainfall.
On April 15-16, the UAE experienced over 250 mm of rainfall in some areas, with nearly half of that falling in Dubai, equivalent to the average annual rainfall for the UAE. Increased rainfall in recent years in the UAE is expected to worsen in the coming years, particularly as daily precipitation is projected to rise further.
Last week, there were claims that the UAE’s cloud seeding experiments contributed to the historic rain, but this information has been refuted by the country’s authorities and many experts.
The desert city was not designed to drain during unusual heavy rains; in the photo, people navigate the streets of Dubai on April 17. (Photo: Reuters)
It is important to note that Dubai is built on sand, a natural environment that allows water to seep into the ground easily. However, by constructing vast amounts of concrete over the city’s natural terrain, urban developers have effectively prevented the land from absorbing water. The amount of rainfall last week was the highest recorded since the country began monitoring data in 1949.
Architect Ana Arsky, CEO of the environmental startup 4 Habitos Para Mudar o Mundo, one of the climate experts interviewed by CNBC about Dubai last week, stated: “The city once had natural drainage systems that directed water straight to aquifers and then to water reserves. But after paving, they no longer exist.”
The population explosion linked to global urbanization trends increases waste, and although waste is not visible on the streets of Dubai, it has to be disposed of somewhere – often in less-than-ideal locations. Plastic waste does not absorb water, and when dumped into landfills worldwide, those massive piles contribute to clogging natural drainage systems.
Even older cities with stable drainage systems face similar issues, as New Yorkers witnessed last fall when schools, roads, and homes were flooded, and public transportation stalled after a single day’s rainfall reached between 125 mm and 200 mm.
New York flooded with water and debris after the September 2023 flood. (Photo: Getty).
Tiago Marques, co-founder and CEO of Greenmetrics.AI, noted: “Stormwater drainage systems are not keeping up with climate change trends and the extremely concentrated rainfall we see today. The excess water ultimately leads to urban flooding, whether in tunnels, highways, or the lowest points in cities.”
Marques pointed out that people tend to blame city officials when floods occur for not properly cleaning the drainage systems, but severe flooding occurred in some areas of Porto, Portugal last year even though the drainage system had been cleaned. He added: “The amount of water rises so high and unusually that it essentially sweeps away all branches, even debris, into the previously clean drainage system and clogs them. When this water begins to accumulate, authorities find it very difficult to monitor the situation everywhere at once.”
“Phenomena that used to happen once every 100 years… are starting to happen every 10 years. Floods that used to occur every 10 years are now starting to happen every few years. Adapting to climate change requires us to develop more advanced technologies,” the CEO emphasized.
Streets of Seoul turned into rivers after the historic rain in 2022. (Photo: Reuters).
Arsky concluded that more frequent flooding in the world’s most densely populated environments is a stark reminder of the global challenge: No place is immune from the impacts of climate change.
