Dubai Floods, Alarm for the World's Metropolitan Facing Climate Change

Development carried out for the progress of the city needs to be balanced with readiness to face the threat of climate change.

AP PHOTO/JON GAMBRELL

An SUV drives through a puddle on a road with the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel in the background in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday (16/4/2024). Heavy rain hit the UAE that day, flooding some of the main highways and leaving stranded vehicles on the roads crossing Dubai.

The flood disaster in Dubai some time ago conveyed the message that the progress and modernity of a city does not guarantee freedom from the threat of disaster climate change. Massive development carried out for the progress of the city needs to be balanced with readiness to face the increasingly real threat of disasters due to climate change.

The floods that occurred in Dubai and several areas in the United Arab Emirates and Oman on April 16, 2024, caught the world's attention. Astonishment mixed with concern from the citizens of the world directed towards one of the most modern cities in this century. Intense rain that surpassed the average annual rainfall had devastated the big city there and caused at least 20 deaths.

It is ironic when a modern city is disrupted by the onslaught of storms and heavy rain, which are believed to be the result of climate change. With a dry desert climate and rarely occurring rain, floods have not been a major threat until now. As a result, the city's infrastructure design was relatively unprepared to face flood disasters. This is what further exacerbated the occurrence of floods in mid-April.

According to Associate Professor and Programme Director of MSc Urban Planning University of Birmingham Dubai, Mohammad Radfar, the planning of drainage systems to control surface water flow is not functioning well. Additionally, massive development in Dubai has degraded the city's absorption areas. Dubai's land has been converted into roads and parking areas to encourage the massive use of private cars. This exacerbates floods because the built-up surface area causes water to accumulate and not be absorbed by the ground.

The disaster in Dubai serves as an example of how advanced city development in the world is not yet ready to face the increasingly frequent threat of climate change-induced disasters. Without mature mitigation and adaptation from urban areas, disasters will result in material and non-material losses along with massive development and dense populations residing there.

Also read: Dubai Floods, Combination of Extreme Weather and Weak Drainage Infrastructure

AFP/ESN/ATIF BHATTI

In the video taken from AFPTV, a man walked through a flooded street in Dubai on April 16, 2024. Dubai, the financial center of the Middle East, was paralyzed by heavy rain that caused floods in the UAE and Bahrain, resulting in 18 deaths.

The real threat of climate change

What is happening in Dubai is highly likely to be experienced by modern cities in other parts of the world. The real threat of climate change impacts also looms over big cities around the world. This has been projected by the Nespick institution in the 2050 Climate Change City Index. The index measures the extent of climate change impacts consisting of indicators of potential sea level rise, changes in climate and temperature, as well as water scarcity in 85 major cities around the world.

Several modern cities with high-income economies are suspected to be affected by climate change. The highest index score is found in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, with a total score of 84.28. The main reason for Amsterdam's high score is due to the potential for high sea level rise. Amsterdam's potential for sea level rise is much higher than other cities, at 89.56. This is due to Amsterdam's geographic position, which is 2 meters below sea level.

In several other cities, the impacts of climate change that may be experienced by the respective cities in 2050 vary. Melbourne, Australia, does indeed receive a much lower climate change index score than Amsterdam, at 49.53. However, this city needs to be mindful of water scarcity as the score for this indicator reaches 100. This indicates that the limitation of water resources in the future will be highly potential to become a major disaster in the city of Melbourne.

It is a different case for the capital city of South Korea, Seoul. Of the three indicators of the potential impacts of future climate change, the change in climate type is the most prominent. With a score of 91.43, Seoul is at risk of experiencing a change in climate type. In 2021, the climate type in this city is Continental Dry Warm Summer. By 2051, the climate type in this city could potentially change to Temperate Dry Winter Warm Summer.

Also read: Dubai Floods, Even the Most Developed City Subject to Climate Crisis

Sustainable development

From the assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on several advanced cities in the world, it can be concluded that none of the areas are exempt from the global phenomenon. Although the economic capital, technology, and human resources in these cities are superior to other regions, it does not necessarily mean that these urban areas are immune to the threats of climate change. In fact, the impacts could be even more severe due to the potential for a high number of affected victims and greater economic and material losses. Moreover, the massive development that causes an imbalance in the environment adds to the problem.

Therefore, the orientation of urban development and development needs to be directed towards mitigating and adapting to the increasingly real climate change. Urban areas which are the hubs of economy, technology, and governance are at least a reason why this urban area is important to initiate such mitigation efforts. The principle of sustainability in urban development needs to be massively implemented in various sectors.

The sustainability referred to prioritizes the benefits of urban development for future generations and the future. In the context of facing climate change, this is done to adapt to the changes that have already begun and to reduce the more severe impacts in the future.

A number of efforts have been made. In Mexico City, for example, the country's government has a target of installing rainwater harvesting installations in 10,000 households per year. This effort was made to increase the quantity and quality of urban water. Similar to Mexico, Melbourne has also installed rainwater harvesting to irrigate parks and roadside trees. Apart from that, Melbourne is also working to increase the ability of its natural resources to reduce carbon emissions.

Such efforts are worthy of appreciation and serve as an example for other cities to improve their regional resilience in facing climate change. City planning and development should not only accommodate preparedness in facing disaster risks, but also consider the potential impacts of climate change that can strike at any time. (KOMPAS RESEARCH)