Recently, countries in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates and Oman, have been hit by rare torrential rains, causing severe flooding and paralyzing transportation. Among them, Dubai International Airport was forced to close, and there was a sight of planes trapped on the runway.
According to the analysis, extreme weather is related to global climate change. The heavy rainfall is a warning to urban planning and construction in the Middle East, which needs to adapt to extreme weather and improve infrastructure construction in advance.
Many countries in the Middle East have been hit by severe flooding
In mid-April 2024, an unusual cyclone system hit the Middle East, bringing rare heavy rains and floods to the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other countries. Dubai and other cities have suffered severe waterlogging, and airports and subway stations have been flooded, causing traffic paralysis.
According to reports, the runway of Dubai International Airport was completely flooded, resulting in hundreds of flights being unable to take off and land, and had to stop in place. In some areas, the water is as deep as an adult's calf. In many areas, the total amount of rainfall in 24 hours is twice the amount of rain in a year in the country, which is a rare occurrence in a century.
The torrential rains have had a severe impact on the Middle East, with schools closed in many countries, government departments closed, and tens of thousands of people trapped helpless. For a time, the Middle East region was in chaos.
The frequency of extreme weather is linked to climate change
According to the analysis, the extreme weather in the Middle East is related to global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions are driving ocean warming to evaporate water into the atmosphere. Increased water vapour in the atmosphere also increases the likelihood of precipitation.
The IPCC report predicts that climate change will increase the intensity and extremity of precipitation in the future. The Middle East is dominated by deserts and arid climates, and is prone to flooding in the event of heavy rainfall. This poses challenges to urban planning and construction.
Cautionary that urban planning should take into account the impacts of climate change
Cities such as Dubai have been exacerbated by the floods, highlighting that their urban planning and construction do not take into account the impacts of future climate change. We can enhance the city's ability to resist flooding in the following aspects:
Strengthen the construction of drainage systems. Cities in the Middle East have weak drainage capacity due to lack of rainfall, so they need to take precautions to expand the scale of drainage networks to prevent urban waterlogging. Raise the flood protection standards of buildings. Underground parking lots, subway stations, etc., need to be equipped with waterproof systems, and water pumps should be added to cope with sudden waterlogging.
Improve the meteorological early warning mechanism. Further improve forecasting technology and issue red warnings for heavy rain, so as to prepare enterprises and residents for prevention in advance. Establish an emergency management plan. Develop detailed flood prevention and disaster relief plans to guide departments and residents on how to reduce losses in extreme weather.
Strengthen international cooperation to jointly address climate change
The floods in the Middle East have once again demonstrated the growing severity of extreme weather and climate change, and the need for international solidarity and cooperation to address this common challenge. The frequency of extreme weather events has once again demonstrated that the threat of climate change has become a global problem. It is necessary for the international community, especially major emitting countries, to strengthen cooperation and vigorously carry out climate change adaptation and disaster prevention.
Developed countries need to fulfill their commitments and provide climate finance and technical support to developing countries to help them become more resilient to disasters. Developing countries also need to improve their governance and planning capacity to actively adapt to climate change.
Only by working together can the international community mitigate the effects of climate change, ensure the safety of people's lives and property, and achieve climate adaptation and sustainable development.
The whole network has been opened to protect rights and carry plagiarism reports