After President's order, UAE ministry starts to review, assess damages caused by extreme weather

Following President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's order to study the condition of infrastructure throughout the country following extreme weather conditions, Infrastructure and Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) joined forces with its partners to form an on-ground force that immediately started to review and assess the damages caused by the intense rainfall.

"The workforce will prepare a complete study on the need to expand dams and waterways so they are ready for and can contain future extreme weather events. Moreover, it will prepare an integrated operational plan to repair the damage caused to federal roads and take proactive measures to ensure the continuity of the roads' rainwater drainage network.

"In addition, MoEI is about to follow a proactive plan to maintain water pump stations on federal roads to ensure their preparedness," Hassan Al Mansoori, Undersecretary for MoEI said.

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The Ministry, he said, has put in place integrated plans and schemes for immediate and swift response to emergencies to ensure the safety of people and protect properties and infrastructure.

"To ensure the infrastructure's preparedness, the Ministry held multiple meetings that set immediate response plans and priorities. Seven field teams were formed in collaboration with partners from the private sector to swiftly respond to any emergency on federal roads and dams. We also opened dam gates to empty the water, reduce pressure, and make dams ready to accommodate more rainwater," he explained.

The Ministry ran a series of extensive technical tests to check the integrity of dams' infrastructure, focusing on drainage systems and their ability to handle large volumes of water. Therefore, the Ministry cleaned waterways leading to dams and removed all obstacles that prevented water flow.

He stated, "Latest technologies used by the Roads Network Command and Control Center and in dams' management played a key role in increasing the effectiveness of the measures taken."

The Roads Network Command and Control Centre received several reports of obstruction on federal roads handled effectively by field teams. A total of 20 teams were formed to remove accumulated rainwater and repair damages on federal roads.