Cloud Seeding – Cloud seeding is the process which is done to create artificial rainfall. The process involves dropping substances such as silver iodide or potassium iodide into clouds using an aircraft or helicopter. The UAE’s National Meteorological Center confirmed that seeding planes had flown seven times over two days to ensure maximum rainfall.
Let us tell you that it is raining heavily in various parts of UAE since late Monday. A year’s worth of rain was recorded in Dubai on Tuesday in a single day. Due to this, there was heavy flooding in the entire city, due to which roads turned into rivers and houses were flooded. You can imagine the seriousness of the situation from the fact that due to this torrential rain, even the runway of Dubai International Airport got submerged, due to which it started looking like a sea. Due to this, flight operations at the airport had to be stopped for about half an hour.
On Tuesday, about 100 mm of rain was recorded at Dubai Airport in just 12 hours and a total of 160 mm of rain was recorded in 24 hours. The thing to note here is that around 88.9 mm rainfall is recorded in Dubai city throughout the year.
Several videos shared on social media showed the Dubai airport runway completely submerged, with large planes looking like boats as they took off on the flooded runway, which looked like the sea.
The National Meteorological Center of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday morning issued a weather warning for large parts of the country including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Dubai Police also issued advisories to avoid some roads in the city due to flash flooding. Meanwhile, other countries in the region also witnessed heavy rains and subsequent floods. At least 18 people died in flash floods caused by heavy rains in the neighboring country Oman.
The victims include 10 students who died on April 14 when the vehicle they were traveling in was swept away by strong currents while trying to cross a flooded area, the BBC reports. I went.
Heavy Rain Battered Dubai pic.twitter.com/QKHM7lnDrU
— 𝐎𝐧𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐮 (@Onyeani_Kalu) April 16, 2024
Cars are flowing on the roads
People posted photos of the Dubai Mall being flooded, cars being swept off the roads and the roof of a shop collapsing. Authorities were forced to deploy tanker trucks to remove water from roads and highways. Meanwhile, Oman and the UAE hosted the COP28 UN climate talks last year. Both had previously warned that global warming could lead to more flooding.