What Earthquakes and Downpours Have in Common

23 Feb 2006, Onset of heavy rians, 7:48 a.m., Jebel Ali, Dubai.

When It Rains It Leaks

The UAE was hit by heavy downpours at dawn 23 Feb 2006. Reports later in the day spoke of flooded conditions in parts of Dubai, most notably in the new developments. (Gulf News, Morning thunderstorms flood Dubai and Rain washes away the gloss from Dubai's prime properties.) Bloggers and forumers post pictures and commentary--Wow - did it rain and Yay, it is raining. Also, some wonderfully artistic shots at Two Hydrogen atoms plus a single Oxygen.

As reported in the second of the Gulf News articles linked to above,

Householders blamed poor construction and inadequate maintenance for the problems, which began soon after the skies opened in the morning. People living in new developments such as The Meadows, The Springs and Arabian Ranches in the southern end of Dubai were among the worst affected.

Homebuilder and major developer Emaar has responded (in typical spin-doctor fashion, itallics mine):

Emaar staff have been on site in its communities assisting customers following the unusually inclement weather which has revealed some leakages and, in isolated cases, some minor flooding due to drain blockages.

It would be useful if clear numbers were generated that could reveal the true extent of leaking and flooding, rather than anecdotal reports. This would be relevant for apartment dwellers in Dubai Marina as well, where the author of "Wow--did it rain" comments (anecdotally), "We heard some people in our apartment building on the phone trying to get help for their flooded apartments higher up."

And the connection with earthquakes...

It is dramatic events such as these--rare heavy downpours or even rarer earthquake tremors (latest occurance 27 Nov 2005)--that get people to take more notice of build quality. There have, indeed, been ongoing reports in the news about problems in build quality since the first large numbers of completed villa and apartment units began to come down the pike in 2004 and 2005. But until the November tremor there was little discussion about the ability of new structures to withstand earthquakes, just as very little attention has been given to structure and infrastructure ability to cope with heavy rain.

Hopefully the current "inclement weather" will get developers, consultants and buyers alike to pay attention to keeping water out of home and shelter--something naturally taken for granted in most parts of the wolrd. To pay half a million dollars (US) for a 3-bedroom villa or 2-bedroom apartment and then spring water leaks when it rains is absurd, and the companies and developers responsible should take full and immediate responsibility or face lawsuits. This isn't a case of constructing new islands in the sea or kilometer-high towers. It's the simple matter of keeping water out when it rains.

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