Residents of Zayed Town have been living with an unusual fear – the sound of rain.
What should be a blessing has instead become a source of anxiety for families on Road 1840, Block 718, in Zayed Town, where rainwater repeatedly pools into large lagoons, seeps into homes and damages property.
Although the rainy season has now ended, residents say the recurring problem remains unresolved and continues to weigh on the community.
Southern municipal councillors are now calling for a permanent engineering solution, rather than the temporary deployment of water suction tankers during periods of rainfall.
The issue was formally raised through a proposal submitted by area councillor Abdulla Daraj, himself a resident of Zayed Town. It was studied by the services and public utilities committee and unanimously endorsed recently.
Mr Daraj said the situation had reached a point where residents dread the arrival of each rainy season.
“I pray that it doesn’t rain,” he said. “I don’t want to be a prisoner in my own home – nor do I wish that on my neighbours. Every time it rains, the same scene repeats itself. Water gathers in huge quantities, reaches the doors of houses and sometimes enters inside, damaging furniture and property.”
He explained that the problem is concentrated in a specific low-lying stretch of the neighbourhood where no effective connection exists to the main rainwater drainage network.
“Tankers come and go, but that is not a solution. It is a reaction. What we need is for this road to be connected to the rainwater drainage network once and for all,” he added.
Zayed Town, which began receiving residents around 15 years ago, has expanded steadily, but parts of its infrastructure have allegedly not kept pace with the demands created by development and changing weather patterns.
For families on Road 1840, the hope now rests on swift action by the authorities concerned.
According to the services and public utilities committee, residents have repeatedly petitioned the council, providing photographs showing the extent of flooding during past rainy seasons.
Committee chairman Ali Al Shaikh said the members took the residents’ complaints seriously and conducted a detailed review before issuing its recommendation. “This is not a cosmetic issue. This is a recurring infrastructure problem that affects people’s homes and daily lives,” he said.
“The committee agreed that the authorities concerned must find a radical solution by linking this location directly to the rainwater drainage network at the points identified in the study.”
He noted that the committee’s recommendation was made in line with Article 19 of the 2001 Municipalities Law, which empowers municipal councils to propose local infrastructure projects related to roads, water and sanitation in co-ordination with relevant ministries.
Mr Al Shaikh stressed that the aim was to move away from seasonal emergency responses towards a sustainable, engineered fix.
“Sending tankers every time it rains is not sustainable. Proper drainage connectivity is the only real answer,” he said.
Councillors say they will continue to follow up with the ministries concerned until a permanent drainage connection is implemented so that for residents, rain can once again be welcomed instead of feared.
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