Dubai experienced severe thunderstorms on Tuesday, drowning the typically arid city. The heavy downpour caught the city off guard. It received an extraordinary amount of rainfall equivalent to what it typically receives in a year and a half, all within a few hours.
Indian social media users were quick to compare the preparedness of one of the richest city to Mumbai for such extreme weather events.
The aftermath of the rainfall saw a flurry of activity on social media platforms, with people expressing diverse opinions on the city’s response to the flooding. Some users drew comparisons between Dubai and Mumbai, with one commenting on a viral post,”Lol it shouldn’t. Rain is not excepted there hence no prepreation or drainage system yaha (Mumbai) to pata hai har saal baad ati hai to bhi? kuch planning na.”
However, others were quick to point out the differences between the two cities, emphasising that Dubai, unlike Mumbai, is not accustomed to such heavy rainfall and lacks the necessary infrastructure to handle it. One user remarked, “Indians shaming Dubai for not building infra. On [a] per capita basis they have 100 times more infra than India. Prob Even more.”
Another user explained, “They are literally comparing Dubai to Mumbai…Bhai seedhi baat Mumbai expects that much rain. For Dubai it’s a one off incident and the city is not made for such heavy rains!”
A third user offered an analogy, highlighting the absurdity of the comparison, “Dubai was not built for such heavy rains – rains that would flood most cities. A better analogy would be if it suddenly snowed heavily in Bombay, which was obviously not built to handle snow at all. Would people in snowy Oslo mock Bombay?”
Indian businessman Anand Mahindra also sparked online discussions by sharing a video of flooded streets in the capital city of the UAE. Drawing a parallel to Mumbai, he captioned it, “Nope. Not Mumbai. Dubai.”
Indian social media users were quick to compare the preparedness of one of the richest city to Mumbai for such extreme weather events.
The aftermath of the rainfall saw a flurry of activity on social media platforms, with people expressing diverse opinions on the city’s response to the flooding. Some users drew comparisons between Dubai and Mumbai, with one commenting on a viral post,”Lol it shouldn’t. Rain is not excepted there hence no prepreation or drainage system yaha (Mumbai) to pata hai har saal baad ati hai to bhi? kuch planning na.”
However, others were quick to point out the differences between the two cities, emphasising that Dubai, unlike Mumbai, is not accustomed to such heavy rainfall and lacks the necessary infrastructure to handle it. One user remarked, “Indians shaming Dubai for not building infra. On [a] per capita basis they have 100 times more infra than India. Prob Even more.”
Another user explained, “They are literally comparing Dubai to Mumbai…Bhai seedhi baat Mumbai expects that much rain. For Dubai it’s a one off incident and the city is not made for such heavy rains!”
A third user offered an analogy, highlighting the absurdity of the comparison, “Dubai was not built for such heavy rains – rains that would flood most cities. A better analogy would be if it suddenly snowed heavily in Bombay, which was obviously not built to handle snow at all. Would people in snowy Oslo mock Bombay?”
Indian businessman Anand Mahindra also sparked online discussions by sharing a video of flooded streets in the capital city of the UAE. Drawing a parallel to Mumbai, he captioned it, “Nope. Not Mumbai. Dubai.”
Despite the challenges posed by the extraordinary rainfall, it is important to recognize the potential benefits it brings to the UAE. The rainfall not only contributes to boosting the country’s annual rainfall average but also helps to replenish its groundwater reserves, which are crucial for the nation’s water security.