UAE denies artificial rain caused historic flooding

According to CNBC, the National Meteorological Center of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the agency in charge of implementing artificial rainmaking projects in the country, denied information that they had created rain before the storm on April 16, which caused severe flooding in many areas, including the city of Dubai.

“One of the basic principles of artificial rainmaking is to identify clouds in the early stages before rain, and when a storm is about to happen, it is too late to influence it,” said Omar AlYazeedi, deputy director of the center.

Cars submerged in water in Dubai after historic rain. (Photo: Reuters)

On April 16, the heaviest rain ever fell in the UAE. Al Ain recorded 250mm of rain, while Dubai saw more than 100mm. The average annual rainfall in the UAE is only between 140-200mm.

In a Bloomberg report, Ahmed Habib, a meteorologist, said that the historic rainfall was partly due to artificial rainmaking. According to Habib, six pilots performed rainmaking missions before the storm occurred.

The meteorological center also denied this. They said that the rainstorm on April 16 was a natural phenomenon.

“We take the safety of people, pilots and aircraft very seriously. The center never conducts artificial rainmaking operations in extreme weather conditions,” Mr. AlYazeedi said.

The UAE began its rainmaking projects to address water shortages in the 2000s. The technology involves injecting chemicals and small particles – often natural salts like potassium chloride – into clouds in the atmosphere to create more rain. The UAE now carries out more than 1,000 hours of rainmaking each year.

Originally a desert country with little rainfall, weather trends in the UAE have changed over time due to the impact of climate change. Rainfall in the Gulf state has increased in recent years. A report from the journal Nature predicts that rainfall in the UAE will increase by 15-30% in the coming years.

Before the heavy rain on April 16, the UAE National Disaster and Crisis Management Authority issued a warning on social media, calling on people to stay home and take safety measures.

However, the infrastructure in the UAE is designed for traditional, low-rainfall weather. Therefore, the drainage system here may not have been able to withstand the unprecedented heavy rain, leading to severe flooding on roads, airports, and many activities being disrupted.

Phuong Anh (Source: CNBC)

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