Climate change or Cloud seeding? This is the question many people around the world have been asking after the catastrophic events that took place on Tuesday 16 in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Dubai. At approximately 9 am, on a Tuesday, storms that looked normal began to intensify and started pouring alongside 4-5 lightning strikes every 4 seconds.

What is cloud seeding?

Cloud seeding is the process of chemically manipulating clouds into rain. It is caused when silver iodide is burned up by a Ground-Based generator. Cloud seeding is used by many countries like the United States, Mexico, Russia, China, and of course the UAE (United Arab Emirates). However, the UAE government has stated that cloud seeding didn’t take place before the Dubai floods. So what was the cause of this catastrophe? Climate change.

How did climate change cause this?

First, let’s go through what climate change is. Climate change is the process of a long-term shift in our weather patterns and temperatures. It’s becoming abundantly clear that it is getting worse and worse. Climate change affected Dubai because ocean temperatures on the Arabian peninsula and across the Indian Ocean, were well above the average temperature for this time of year.  Due to this, it allowed low-pressure areas to draw in lots of moisture, and bring it out over land to form crazy thunderstorms. However, part of the reason we have seen so much flooding in pictures online, is due to the fact that Dubai lacks drainage structure. With over a year’s worth of rainfall in only a day, to put that into measurements. In a full year, Dubai or the UAE, usually only experiences 5.5 to 8 inches of rainfall. However, on Tuesday, April 16 Dubai experienced 10 inches of rainfall within 24 hours.

Who was affected? 

Many people were affected by this storm. In fact, sources claim that there were 4 casualties in the UAE and at least 20 in Oman. With this in mind, we can see just how much this has affected the city. Many homes, shops, and offices were left flooded, as were many cars on streets that were left completely submerged. It also left thousands of customers stranded at Dubai’s international airport with hundreds of flights being delayed.

 What will Dubai Do to prevent this from happening again?

Given the fact that Dubai is built in a desert, it is known that sand can absorb most rainfall they get. However due to Dubai expanding and making its city larger that natural drain is slowly starting to fade away. Dubai is also known as one of the most visited cities in the world and due to this, it is obvious that the more people there are the more waste there will be. Waste plays a big role in drainage as waste can cause a backup in the drainage system. Dubai’s drainage system hasn’t yet adapted to climate change weather conditions. However, technology such as smart sensors, and vapar (uses AI to identify any defects or troubles in the pipes quickly and efficiently) can help prevent this from happening again.