The Ministry of Environment and Water has revealed that the rain experienced last January 3, 2016 has resulted in the collection of more than 97 million gallons of rainwater from various dams and barriers located across the country, especially in the northern region. The downpour, which ranged from low to heavy, was experienced all over the country, particularly in the northern region of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) and the inclined areas of Al Tawyeen, Naheela, Al Beeah, Qada’a, Ghalila and Shaam.

H.E. Engineer Mariam Mohammed Saeed Hareb, Assistant Undersecretary of Water resources and Nature conservation Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water, led a group of dam management consultants and engineers from the Ministry to inspect  the dams and barriers where the rainwater was collected. The move is part of the Ministry’s implementation of an operational plan to administer, monitor and operate dams and barriers based on technical standards and requirements that the Ministry has adopted in line with international best practices in the continuous monitoring of dams.

 H.E. Eng. Hareb pointed out that the conserved amount of water across six dams in the northern region of RAK reached around 425,000 cubic meters, which is equivalent to 94 million gallons. Rain also showered heavily in the eastern region in Sakamkam Valley in Fujairah, harvesting a total of 15,000 cubic meters (3.3 million gallons). Collectively, the total amount of water collected in  the dams reached around 440,000 cubic meters (97 million gallons).