Abu Dhabi to review building rules after storms
Overhaul of regulations expected after freak thunderstorms hit UAE
Abu Dhabi is expected to overhaul its building and infrastructure rules after the storms that swept across the UAE last week, causing widespread damage and flooding.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said that measures to guard against freak weather were being considered, The National reported.
New building codes would be issued to construction companies as part of the review, the newspaper said.
Three days of severe weather last week led to flooded streets, waterlogged buildings and structural damage.
Rhys Steel, a Chartered Building Surveyor in Cavendish Maxwell’s Project and Building Consultancy team, told Big Project ME that many buildings and parts of the country’s infrastructure are not designed for such weather.
“If we have learnt anything from the last few months it is that buildings in the UAE have to be built to withstand the elements,” he wrote.
“They need to be constructed with consideration of high temperatures, heavy rainfall, strong winds and the risk of fire, and insurance needs to be adequate to reflect the risk.”
