Dubai sky,
Why?
[Break]
[Instrumental, Oud, Guitar Solo, Lute, Oboe, Tambourine]
[Verse 1]
More rain in a day than a year
What can I say, living in fear
The sky opened, the heavens fell
Forecast for the future, doesn’t bode well
[Break]
The pain of desert rain
[Break]
[Chorus]
Land so dry can’t even cry
No so wet you’re gonnna regret
What use to fry won’t stay dry
Times are changing, climates rearranging
[Break]
Hail!
[Break]
The Prince of Fail
[Instrumental, Oud Solo,
[Break]
Dubai sky,
Why?
[Break]
[Instrumental, Oud, Guitar Solo, Lute, Oboe, Tambourine]
[Verse 2]
As the rain pounds out the beat
Water fills the street
The water is pouring down
No dry ground found…
It’s flooding all around
[Break]
The pain of desert rain
[Break]
[Chorus]
Land so dry can’t even cry
No so wet you’re gonnna regret
What use to fry won’t stay dry
Times are changing, climates rearranging
[Break]
Hail!
[Break]
The Prince of Fail
[Instrumental, Oud Solo, Lute, Oboe, Tambourine]
[Break]
Dubai sky,
Why?
[Break]
[Instrumental, Oud, Guitar Solo, Lute, Oboe, Tambourine]
[Verse 3]
The sands of time are drenched
Desert no more, ocean floor
Parched passed, thirst quenched
What was sure is now shore
Pour, pour, pour
[Break]
The pain of desert rain
[Break]
[Chorus]
Land so dry can’t even cry
No so wet you’re gonnna regret
What use to fry won’t stay dry
Times are changing, climates rearranging
[Outro]
Hail!
The Prince of Fail
[End]
A SCIENCE LESSON
On April 16, 2024, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced an unprecedented storm that resulted in the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the desert nation. Heavy thunderstorms lashed the UAE, leading to extensive flooding of roads and Dubai’s international airport. The rainfall, which began late Monday, saturated the sands and roadways of Dubai with approximately 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at Dubai International Airport. The intensity of the storms intensified on Tuesday, dumping even more rain and hail onto the overwhelmed city.
By the end of Tuesday, Dubai had received more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rainfall within a 24-hour period. This amount far exceeds the average annual rainfall of 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) at Dubai International Airport, which is the world’s busiest airport for international travel and a hub for the long-haul carrier Emirates.
The state-run WAM news agency described the rainfall as “a historic weather event,” surpassing any previous records since the start of data collection in 1949.
The sudden deluge highlighted the vulnerability of Dubai and the UAE to extreme weather events, prompting concerns about climate resilience and urban planning. As one expert on climate resilience and urban environments noted, the unprecedented rainfall underscores the need for the UAE to reassess its approach to infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
The heavy rainfall also had significant impacts on businesses and individuals in the region. For example, Somia Anwar, co-owner of Bookends, a used books seller, experienced flooding in her basement-level shop, resulting in the loss of thousands of books. The incident highlighted the need for improved waterproofing measures and insurance coverage against such events.
Scientists attributed the severity of the rainfall to a combination of factors, including the warming of the Pacific Ocean associated with the El Niño pattern and human-caused climate change. While the precise contribution of climate change to the extreme weather event is difficult to quantify, the warming climate is increasingly making such events more severe and frequent.
With the UAE hosting the COP28 climate summit last year, awareness has grown about climate change dangers. The country has an adaptation plan, and Dubai was the first to apply for a UN scheme to become a “City Resilience Hub” in 2020.
UAE capital Abu Dhabi weathered the latest storm better than the larger glitzy trading and financial hub of Dubai. The futuristic city is the UAE’s biggest by population and the location of the world’s second busiest airport, which was forced to cancel more than 1,000 flights, leaving passengers stranded for days.
“The infrastructure was built before these weather changes happened,” said an insurance executive, who said it was too early to estimate overall damage costs. “In certain instances, the quality of construction by the developers was not good enough.”
Sprawling Dubai was especially vulnerable to flooding because it was relatively flat, covered in impermeable concrete and asphalt surfaces, and its desert sands lacked the ability to grow vegetation that could absorb floodwater, said a Dubai-based town planning specialist.
Following the floods, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, the crown prince, approved a Dh66bn upgrade to the drain network © AP
Underlying those drainage problems is a groundwater table already oversaturated by irrigation and pipe leakage, a common issue in the Gulf. “The cities are really floating,” said Hrvoje Cindrić, Middle East planning lead at international engineering firm Buro Happold.
When Dubai floods, he added, “the water has got nowhere to go”.
Dubai officials over the years have considered comprehensive drainage systems but carried out limited works because of the high costs involved versus the perceived relatively low risk.
Upgrades to the network have included a 10km drainage tunnel under southern Dubai, opened ahead of Expo 2020, to serve the huge exhibition facilities, which was also the site of the UN climate summit, and the airport.
“You wouldn’t engineer for the worst possible scenario . . . it’s prohibitively expensive,” said Huda Shaka, a chartered urban planner based in Dubai. But following the storm, “it’s not just a theoretical scenario.
In the wake of the floods, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, the crown prince, approved a Dh66bn upgrade to the drain network. Tenders were first issued last year for the project, though bids were not received until February.
The announcement came after the UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan ordered officials to monitor the nation’s infrastructure and “limit the damage caused,” according to the state news agency.
Town planning experts say Dubai could adopt “sponge city” principles, making detailed flooding plans and allotting areas with permeable surfaces for better drainage. Given the damage sustained by many buildings, “there may be a need for tougher building codes,” said a former Emirati official.
“Now the cost of mitigating [extreme weather] becomes not unreasonable,” said urban planner Shaka, adding: “sometimes it takes an extreme event for action to happen.”