Dubai Municipality has awarded contracts for four new projects worth a combined AED 3 billion to expand the city’s stormwater collection and drainage network, strengthening infrastructure against heavy rainfall and reducing the risk of flooding.

The contracts form part of the third phase of the Tasreef programme, which aims to increase drainage capacity and enhance Dubai’s preparedness for severe rainfall.

Under the projects, around 100 kilometres of main stormwater pipelines, with diameters of up to 3 metres, will be built or expanded. The works will increase the capacity and resilience of Dubai’s drainage network.

Projects to cover key residential, commercial and tourism areas in Dubai

The four new projects will cover nearly 100 square kilometres across key economic, commercial, industrial and tourism areas of Dubai.

The areas include Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al Safa, Al Manara, Al Quoz, Al Barsha, Al Wasl, Zabeel, Al Badaa, Al Satwa and Al Marmoom.

Under the announced plan, stormwater collection systems and networks in these areas will be built or expanded and connected to Dubai Municipality’s main drainage network.

According to the municipality, the projects will increase the network’s water conveyance capacity, improve infrastructure resilience and support sustainable urban development.

Dubai’s AED 30 billion programme to tackle flooding

The new contracts are part of the wider AED 30 billion Tasreef programme, which aims to expand and strengthen stormwater collection and drainage networks across Dubai.

Contracts for the programme’s first phase were awarded in April 2025.

Dubai Municipality subsequently awarded contracts for five additional projects under the programme’s second phase on February 26, 2026, with a combined value of AED 2.5 billion.

These included three construction projects and two contracts covering studies and the design of drainage systems in selected areas.

The second-phase contracts were awarded to international infrastructure companies, including DeTech Contracting and China State Construction Engineering Corporation, alongside specialist consultancy firms.

Network to cover 30 areas and serve 3 million people by 2040

The second-phase projects are designed to serve 30 key areas of Dubai covering approximately 430 million square metres, with around 3 million people expected to benefit by 2040.

The projects include the construction of a main stormwater collection tunnel with a diameter of up to 4 metres, connecting areas along Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Al Yalayis Road to the main network.

The phase also includes plans for an integrated network extending more than 27 kilometres across the area between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Jamayel Road.

Another part of the programme involves building a drainage tunnel, a modern pumping station and a strategic stormwater collection lake along Dubai–Al Ain Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street.

Contracts have also been awarded to design an integrated system for collecting and draining stormwater and groundwater in Al Marmoom and Saih Al Salam.

Strengthening Dubai’s infrastructure against climate change

Dubai Municipality said the Tasreef programme is being implemented in line with the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to develop advanced and resilient infrastructure capable of meeting the city’s needs for the next century.

The programme also aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and the UAE’s national carbon-neutrality goals.

The projects aim to improve the drainage network’s ability to manage heavy rainfall, reduce the risk of water accumulation in urban areas and strengthen Dubai’s infrastructure preparedness for the effects of climate change in the years ahead.