Reasons why rain had caused damage in UAE

Ras Al Khaimah - Several houses, farms, and roads were badly affected by the rain

Blockage of a drainage network was the main cause for the rain-related damages at Al Rams area in Ras Al Khaimah, which saw heavy showers over the week.
Several houses, farms, and roads were badly affected by the rain which flooded the valleys in Ras Al Khaimah, and three reasons were blamed for the massive destruction.
According to official sources with the emergency, crises, and disasters department here, small bridges, sudden diversion of water and blockage of rain drainage network at Al Rams area were to be blamed for the massive damages in the emirate.
"Heading to Wadi Al Beeh, the field team discovered a big rain pond as deep as that of Shawkah where eight had people drowned previously."
A construction company was blamed for this deep hole where the heavy showers left behind millions of gallons of accumulated water for three straight days, they added.
"No one knows exactly where the sand extracted from the hole has gone, and how the company was left unaccountable for the massive excavation that poses a grave risk to people's life."
The emergency team then headed to the Al Heel and Al Fahleen areas where most of the damage was reported, including killed animals, cracked houses, flooded farms, and road landslides.
"The main reason behind these big losses was the flooded Wadi Naqb where most of the Emirati houses and farms were built amidst or close to the valley stream."
The team collected the residents' feedback. "They mostly urged the bodies concerned to change the current of the valley to protect their houses and farms which they can't leave behind and move out."
Further investigations show that the small bridges on the valley streams, locally known as Abbarat, were not spacious enough to let the strong flow of rainwater pass smoothly that the valley flooded over the nearby houses and farms.
Heading to the Rashid vicinity of Al Rams city where tens of houses were flooded with rainwater, investigation showed that the contractor in charge of developing the Rams Corniche was to be blamed for the problem.
"He had blocked the rainwater drainage pipes," they said. "The people there urged the bodies concerned to open the drainage pipes to prevent the accumulation of the water coming from the nearby mountainous areas."
The department of public works and services managed to suck out over 65 million gallons of rainwater from the roads of the emirate.
The heavy showers have reportedly destroyed parts of 25 houses and many domestic animals were washed away by the floods.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com