HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a AED30-billion ($8.1 billion) integrated project ‘Tasreef’ aimed at developing the city’s rainwater drainage network.

One of the emirate’s largest strategic infrastructure projects, Tasreef will help boost the capacity of Dubai’s rainwater drainage system by 700 per cent, covering all areas of the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed emphasised that the continuous enhancement of Dubai’s sustainable infrastructure is integral to its growth and prosperity. The initiative aims to create a drainage infrastructure that is advanced, safe, flexible, and ready to face future challenges.

The strategic project is a continuation of drainage projects launched by Dubai in 2019, covering the Expo Dubai area, Al Maktoum International Airport City, and Jebel Ali.

Unveiling the project, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The largest rainwater collection project in a single system in the region, the initiative will increase the capacity of the drainage network in the emirate by 700 per cent, ensuring the emirate’s readiness to face future climate-related challenges.”

“Covering all areas of Dubai, the project will raise the drainage network’s capacity to more than 20 million cu m of water daily, meeting our needs for the next 100 years. We have directed the immediate implementation of the project, which will be completed in phases by 2033,” he added.

The ‘Tasreef’ project aims to enhance rainwater and surface water drainage services with a sophisticated and highly efficient infrastructure, improving operational efficiencies and reducing costs associated with station construction, operations and maintenance by 20 per cent and increasing the network’s lifespan, said Sheikh Mohammed.

Additionally, the rainwater drainage capacity through tunnels will reach 20 million cu m per day, with a flow capacity of 230 cu m per second, making it the largest rainwater collection project in a single system in the region, he added.

Dubai Municipality will be implementing the project, adhering to the highest global technical and engineering standards.

The project will utilise the latest tunnel boring machines (TBM), the largest of their kind in the Middle East.