Advisory helps municipalities to take precautionary measures.

Byline: The Dubai Met Office alerts municipalities whenever heavy rain is expected.

Dubai: The Dubai Met Office alerts municipalities whenever heavy rain is expected.

"The advisory is issued so that municipalities can take action against flooding of streets," according to the duty forecaster.

An army of municipal workers go around various emirates cleaning up sewers which over the months get clogged by sand. When streets get flooded, despite the precautions, the municipal water tankers come out and vacuum pumps are deployed.

Despite early warnings, there are many accidents on the roads, says the forecaster. "I blame the motorists," he said. "The road network is wonderful here, but people are always in a hurry. There is indiscipline on the roads and a lack of patience."

"How much rain did we get in a day recently? Fourmm. In this slight rain, six people died. Compare this to Mumbai, India, where 300 mm rain is recorded in a day."

800-900 is a Dubai Municipal hotline. Sharjah Municipality can be reached at 993.

What is Shamal

It is a north-westerly wind blowing over Iraq and Arabian Gulf States in summer. It is strong during the day raising huge dust storms in the open areas and reducing visibility. The first major shamal usually occurs around May 25 and is known as Al Haffar or driller, as it drills huge depressions in the desert.

The second occurs in early June. According to folklore it is known Barih Thorraya (after Thorraya, Pleiades, star cluster also known as Seven Sisters). This event is said to be more violent and fishermen usually remain at port. Near the end of June, the last shamal arrives, known as the Al-Dabaran.

Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2009. All rights reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company