Motorists caught in traffic jam at Discovery Gardens

Discovery Gardens residents in Dubai woke up to the ‘worst traffic’ gridlock they had seen in the area, and many said it was a nightmare until afternoon. Overnight rain again caused water-logging on the roads, and commuters bore the brunt of it with many stuck in traffic for over three hours.

When contacted, Nakheel, developer of the area, said the chaos followed the closure of some illegal exits recently by the Roads and Transport Authority.

“The traffic congestion at The Gardens and Discovery Gardens communities is the result of a road closure by the RTA for safety reasons. We continue to liaise with the RTA, impressing upon them the urgent need to address traffic congestion in the area,” Nakheel said in a statement.

It said it had opened a temporary route between Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan and the E77 (Al Yalayis Road), which connects Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Shaikh Zayed Road. The traffic gridlock began around 7am during the regular rush hour and continued late into the afternoon with both incoming and outgoing traffic affected.

People vented their ire on social media and to this newspaper.

The long lines of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam in the afternoon at Discovery Gardens in Dubai on Thursday. - KT photos by Grace Guino

“Flooding is not new to any of us —  we are used to skirting puddles and sometimes even wading across to reach our cars. The waterlogging that was caused due to the heavy early morning rain meant most of us were stuck inside our cars for hours together,” said Sarah S., a long-time resident of the locality.

Sarah decided to take a taxi, but was stuck in traffic for two hours. “Let’s stop blaming the forces of nature and lay the blame squarely where it belongs which, in this case, is the property developer’s lack of providing adequate drainage in the area.”

In a tweet, Sudhansu Varma said: “Stuck in traffic jam in Discovery Gardens dubai since last 2 hours. Nakheel come with a permanent solution to stop water logging problem.”

Others like Mohammed Omair decided to walk to the Metro to avoid the congestion. “Happy Thursday - feeling alive!” he said on reaching his destination. Meanwhile, Director of Dubai Municipality’s Sewage and Irrigation Network Department Hassan Makki, who is also the head of the emirate’s Rain Committee, said no major water-logging was reported in areas under the municipality’s jurisdiction.

“Our manpower and machines were on a fast track and everything is under control,” he said.

Discovery Gardens does not fall under the jurisdiction of the municipality. The developer, Nakheel, is in charge of addressing the drainage issues in the community. Hence, there was no official comment on the issue from the municipality’s side.

However, sources told Khaleej Times that senior officials of the municipality had already taken up the issue with the developer.

“I don’t think it is just the rainwater that is causing the floods in Discovery Gardens. It looks like there is a problem of drains overflowing and irrigation water is also getting mixed with rainwater. But that shouldn’t cause any health issue as it is treated water,” said a source.

Khaleej Times can also reveal that Dubai Municipality Director-General Hussain Nasser Lootah had taken up the matter with the developer.

news@khaleejtimes.com

With inputs from Ambica Sachin