Why Expo 2020 area will not flood… not in 100 years

A new rain and groundwater drainage system is in the pipeline to innovate the drainage capacity in newly developed areas in Dubai.

Al Maktoum Airport and its surrounding area is the primary target of the project, preparing these lands for mega event Expo 2020.

However, the network will cover certain parts of Sheikh Zayed Road, areas behind Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road and Bur Dubai, totalling an area of 400 square kilometres, said Talib Abdulkarim Julphar, Director of the Sanitation and Irrigation Department at Dubai Municipality.

The two-billion dirham project entails a deep tunnel network for the collection and disposal of rain and groundwater and represents a long-term solution that will be sufficient for the next 100 years, added Saleh Amiri, Assistant Director-General of the Environment and Public Health Sector at Dubai Municipality.

The area surrounding Al Maktoum Airport is a new area and is currently not supported by a pipeline network. A prime area in the future, it will benefit from the high capacity system to be implemented, explained the officials.

“This system has the capacity to treat 65 cubical tonnes of water per second, or the equivalent of 3900 cubical tons per minute. This equals 100 times the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool,” said Julphar.

“This will help in dealing with floods as a result of excessive rainfall, which could hamper the development process if this area," he added.

Asked whether the system would eventually be implemented in the entire emirate, Julphar replied that it was limited to the mentioned areas for now.

"It is a very expensive project, and these areas currently do not have a sewage system."

As part of the project, a deep tunnel sewerage system will also be implemented with the capacity to cope with the expected population increase in the emirate.

Innovative tunnel technology will be used in order to minimise construction damage including roads, traffic and other facilities in the area.

Work on the project is expected to commence early 2016 to be completed before the start of Expo 2020.

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