Sponge cities could be solution for UAE amid extreme weather events
Experts believe that sponge cities could help countries in the Arab Gulf region cope with extreme weather events caused by climate change, including heavy rainfalls and the ensuing floods.
Many cities in the world face increasing threats due to climate change, including heavy rainfalls and extreme heat.
In July of this year, several Gulf countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as Iran in the Persian Gulf, were hit by heavy rainfalls that led to deadly floods.
In the United Arab Emirates, namely in the Fujairah emirate, nine people were killed as cars were submerged, and thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and seek shelter in temporary places of residence. The flood also displaced dozens of families from Ras al-Khaimah and parts of al-Sharjah.
Samir Haddad, a civil engineer based in Dubai, told Al-Monitor that it had not occurred to any engineering company that worked on the construction of buildings that floods could one day hit the Arab Gulf region.
