Torrential rains hit the United Arab Emirates this week, triggering flash floods that caused air travel delays, school closures and flooded homes.
Dubai International Airport – recently named the world’s most luxurious airport – diverted planes on Tuesday evening until weather conditions improved, according to a statement.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show a heavily flooded tarmac, with large passenger planes taxiing in several meters of water.
The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider regarding the videos.
Vehicles drive on a flooded road during torrential rains in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, April 16, 2024. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images
Dubai received more than 10 cm of rain Tuesday evening, about the usual amount over an entire year, CNN reported, citing United Nations data.
The United Arab Emirates played the role of rainmaker by sowing the clouds
While images of extreme flooding can show the consequences of the climate crisis, this particular event was made worse by a direct attempt to play rainmaker – literally.
To address water shortages in the typically dry country, the United Arab Emirates began using a practice called cloud seeding in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Cloud seeding is a method designed to increase the amount of water that falls from a cloud. This involves identifying suitable clouds and then using aerial or ground generators to introduce a chemical agent to facilitate the production of snowflakes.
Cloud seeding has been used in countries around the world, including drought-facing western U.S. states such as California, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Texas.
Vehicles are stranded on a flooded street following torrential rains in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on April 16, 2024. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images
The practice has long been controversial, with critics dismissing it as an attempt to “play God” or as potentially harmful to the environment or public health. Scientists have not documented the harmful effects of cloud seeding, and recent studies suggest that the practice works.
But according to Bloomberg, cloud seeding operations in the United Arab Emirates directly contributed to the heavy rainfall that fell this week.
Ahmed Habib, a specialist meteorologist at the UAE National Center for Meteorology, told the media outlet that two aircraft conducted cloud seeding operations on Monday and Tuesday and seven seeding missions were carried out in two days.
“For any cloud suitable for the UAE, you do the operation,” Habib told Bloomberg.
A machine submerged after heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024. Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images
Despite warning citizens to stay at home during the heavy rains, the UAE government’s press office said it was “rains of kindness” as the country faced an increase in heat-related illnesses and deaths, which some hope can be mitigated by increased numbers of people. precipitation.
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