UAE steps up efforts to repair rain-hit roads, infrastructure

Authorities in the UAE have reviewed efforts to repair federal roads that were damaged during the unprecedented rains and floods that hit the country last month.

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, toured several areas along the eastern coast that were affected by the adverse weather.

He said that efforts are underway to build an efficient rainwater drainage network and increase the capacity of dams to handle large volumes of water.

The minister emphasised the importance of collaboration between federal and local entities to future-proof vital infrastructure and improve its resilience to floods and rain.

"The Ministry has put in place an integrated operational plan to repair affected federal 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 explained.

During the tour, he was also briefed about the rock berm project, which is billed as a radical and permanent solution to future-proof federal roads along the UAE's eastern coast.

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