Rain is a fairly unusual meteorological event in the United Arab Emirates, a country located in an arid region of the Arabian Peninsula. Although numerous showers of rain occur sporadically during the cooler months of winter, what has happened in the last few hours is certainly newsworthy: the United Arab Emirates has been hit by intense rains which have caused flooding on the main roads Dubaisubmerging vehicles and sowing panic among the population – certainly not accustomed to this type of tropical, almost apocalyptic rainfall. Meanwhile, the number of victims due to severe flooding in Oman (a Middle Eastern country that does not have cutting-edge infrastructure like the metropolis of Dubai) has risen to 18, with several people still missing. The rain began to fall during the night between 16 and 17 April, flooding crucial points of the city and the entire country. As if the inconvenience generated by the unexpected rain were not enough, strong gusts of wind caused the cancellation of everyone to and from Dubai International Airport, the busiest in the world for international travel – but above all the airline’s operational base Emirates. The images and videos that have been shared by users (residents and tourists in Dubai) are frightening: lightning struck the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world. The country’s rush to take action was timely, and immediately following the outbreak of the storm, it chose to close schools throughout the country; public employees worked exclusively in smart working.
According to Bloomberg, in part, the brutality of the flood can be attributed to the practice of cloud seeding, underway since 2002: a technology that consists of dispersing chemical substances into the sky capable of promoting condensation and therefore triggering artificial rainfall, fundamental for the health of a country like the United Arab Emirates. The induced rain, which was initially a curiosity to be documented, now risks having caused serious consequences. In addition to the closure of Dubai International Airport, the rains led to damage to buildings, blocked roads, damage to various private properties (cars and homes). On the morning of Tuesday 16 April alone, it is estimated that over 30 millimeters of rain fell, with a total of 128 mm over the course of the entire day. The very serious weather conditions also affected Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The expert meteorologist Ahmed Habib states that the National Meteorological Center sent planes responsible for cloud seeding from Al Ain airport on both Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 April: only subsequent investigations will be able to establish whether the disastrous situation created along the desert area was fueled by an abuse of a technology that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
