Dubai might be blessed with year-round sunshine, but municipality chiefs are always ready for a rainy day.
Dubai Municipality has revealed that plans are in place for a potential downpour - more likely during the winter period - with extensive maintenance of surface and rainwater drainage stations having already taken place.
Authorities say precautionary measures to deal with a Dubai deluge got underway in September.
Talib Julfar, CEO of the infrastructure services sector at the municipality, said the city has a comprehensive drainage system in place to cope with whatever the weather may bring.
“There are 51 pumping stations in Dubai, which are fully supervised, operated, controlled and maintained by Dubai Municipality,” he said.
After the end of the so-called 'rainy season', the municipality will lift most of the 72,000 drain covers and enclose them so that sand and solid waste do not seep in during the rest of the year.
The municipality advises that in areas not served by the drainage network due to issues such as works not being completed or new road projects taking place, water removal and suction is carried out, using mobile pumping units and by using tanks later.
Areas of the emirate not connected to the drainage network will be supported by a fleet of 86 mobile pumping units, equipped and ready to be used whenever needed.
Some of the pumps have already been transported to sites where water is likely to be collected in the event of heavy rainfall or thunderstorms.
In addition to that, 41 tankers are also kept ready to serve the unconnected areas.
The municipality urges residents to provide feedback or observations regarding rainwater collection by contacting its Call Center at 800 900 or by downloading the Dubai 24/7 App.