UAE Rain: 'Offices Shut, Roads Flooded, Cannot Step Out Of My Home in Sharjah'

The entrance of the building where I stay is flooded with rainwater.

UAE has witnessed the heaviest rainfall in 75 years.

(Image altered by The Quint/Namita Chauhan)

Due to heavy rainfall, we are witnessing extraordinary situations in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Roads have been flooded, and vehicles can be seen floating. On 16 April, while I was in the office, it started drizzling in the morning but began downpouring heavily by noon. 

When I first saw through the window pane of my office, I thought it was fog, but later, I realised it was raining heavily. According to news reports, since Monday, 15 April, UAE has witnessed the heaviest rainfall in 75 years, surpassing all the recorded rainfall since data collection began in 1949.

I come from Delhi, so we see rain far more frequently than we see here in Sharjah. Many times, cloud seeding is also done here to create artificial rain. The meteorological department informed us that the downpour this time was natural.

Several offices have declared holidays or asked their employees to stay home in the last 2-3 days, and so has mine. Floodwater has completely blocked the entrance to the building where I live. Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to pump out water from all the flooded localities.

Several flights to the UAE have been either cancelled or diverted. Until Thursday morning, 18 April, over 1,200 flights had been cancelled at the Dubai International Airport due to heavy rain. Our daily routines, too, have been disrupted by exceptional rain, as it has become difficult for us to step out to get groceries. Meanwhile, for many people, electricity supply has also been glitchy for the past couple of days.

Considering the weather forecast, the authorities have issued warnings and advisories for the next few days. I hope the situation improves and our lives get back to normal.

(Kritika Sharma is a graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Delhi. She currently resides in the UAE.)

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)