The recent heavy rains in Jordan led to the death of a number of people including children. There were also tragic scenes in Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman as torrential rains led to a loss of lives and property. Rainwater drainage continues to be one of the most important and major development challenges faced by Arab governments.

Frequent storms, heavy rainfall and floods make it clear that global warming is an issue that underlines the need for proper infrastructure. This infrastructure is not limited to systems of water drainage, but also includes the need for networks of shelters and warning systems along with rescue equipment and ambulances and staff trained to deal with natural disasters.

Heavy rain, cyclones and hurricanes are no longer unusual climatic conditions but have become the new normal and will certainly continue and become stronger and more powerful, which means that loss of life and damage to property are likely to increase if action is not taken to improve the infrastructure.

It is easy to say that the infrastructure is inadequate because of corruption involved in executing projects. This may be true, but it is not necessarily the whole story, because most infrastructure projects were completed a decade or more ago under specifications that did not take into consideration today’s climatic conditions. The wind speed of cyclones and hurricanes and the volume and quantity of rainwater today was not always taken into consideration. Today the Arab region along with the rest of the world is facing exceptional climatic conditions caused by global warming.

The tragedy caused by heavy rains and the inability to drain rainwater fast enough tends to be quickly forgotten as another news story takes its place. Yet, whenever the rainy season comes, it is the time that the defects in our infrastructure are revealed. Why do Arab cities not have an adequate system for the drainage of rainwater? Look at Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka. They are all poorer cities and face greater and heavier rainfall but they do not have the same rainfall drainage problems as cities in the Arab world.