Dubai authorities are threatening severe action against contractors and companies that fail to follow correct construction procedures after flooding yesterday that caused one of the worst traffic jams seen on Emirates Road.
Water gushed from an artificial lake beside the road near the Dubai Silicon Oasis on Emirates Road, causing flooding that brought vehicles to a standstill.
The incident happened at 8am, during peak traffic on the road, and motorists heading to work were stranded for up to five hours as the authorities struggled to cope with the water and divert traffic.
Hussain al Banna, director of traffic at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and head of the RTA emergency team, said a crew had been dispatched to the spot immediately.
"The team, in collaboration with Dubai police, immediately closed [the] Al Qusais-bound stream of the road and diverted traffic to Al Ain Road, University City Road and Dubai Bypass Road," he said.
Dubai Municipality said it received a call at 7am and immediately dispatched water tankers to the scene.
"Initially, we were using five tankers but we then had to send many more because of the huge quantity of water on the roads," said Abdul Majid Sifaee, the director of drainage and irrigation at Dubai Municipality. It took 16 tankers more than six hours to clear the road.
He said it was "still not clear whom the water reservoir belonged to but we know that it was not a Dubai Municipality project".
The RTA said an investigation was under way to identify the company responsible for the flooding.
"Necessary actions will be taken to prevent recurrence of similar incidents in future," said Mr Banna. "Such incidents involve huge financial losses and may involve human losses, as well as wasting time and effort."
He warned companies it was "vitally important to keep preventive measures in place as [the] RTA will not be lenient in taking appropriate measures against offenders".
The company responsible for the flooding faces a fine.
The effect of the traffic jam was felt as far away as Sharjah and conditions on Emirates Road did not ease until late in the afternoon.
"Being peak hour, traffic was already heavy on the road and the large number of heavy vehicles also added to the mess," said Anil Kumar, a motorist who became stuck in the jam.
Last night, rush hour traffic at 6pm was crawling as the impact of the flood continued to cause havoc on the road with drivers stuck in slow moving queues. As the clean-up continued, some parts of the road were still not clear by 6pm.
@Email:pmenon@thenational.ae
Reading List
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Race card
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; 5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; 6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m
MATCH INFO
Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)
Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no
Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)
Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22
Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets
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Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The biog
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Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
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