What the rains tell us?

As we ended one year and started another, most parts of the world were plagued by tornadoes, flooding and other severe weather conditions on both occasions.

And Mother Nature, as the CNN Meteorologist remarked, provided her own version of fireworks in the form of thunder and lightning to welcome the New Year.

In Europe, if the year 2022 took off with a bang followed by snow, ice, severe storms, flooding and dropping temperatures, in Asia and other parts of the world including the Gulf region experienced torrential rains along with unexpected episodes of flooding disrupting normal life.

In the Sultanate of Oman, heavy rains continue to soak many areas with flash floods and advisories being triggered since the beginning of 2022. People awoke to wet and windy conditions that deteriorated into spells of torrential rains. Grey skies and strong winds were a feature of much of the days since the beginning of the year.

The torrential downpour triggered strong wadi flows in many parts of the country, impacting vehicular movement, while also inundating low-lying areas. Waterlogged streets and sporadic blackouts added to the general chaos that gripped areas worst affected by the storm.

But what is more shocking is that we are once again experiencing severe weather conditions just a few months after the powerful cyclone Shaheen devastated parts of the Sultanate of Oman. Changes in frequency and intensity of weather events often result in more frequent and intensive disasters such as flash floods.

But why so much rain in the Sultanate of Oman? I remember almost two decades ago what we received were summer rains in both the northern and southern mountain areas, and clouds brought by the summer monsoon along the eastern coast.

Of course, the monsoon, from mid-June to mid-September, was due to wet currents blowing towards the Asian continent, bringing limited effects in terms of rain, but it’s nonetheless able to influence the climate of the country. With the advent of the tropical cyclone Gonu, which heralded a climate change, rains and thunderstorms in the country have become a routine!

Climate change-related threats to the Sultanate of Oman have increased in recent years, evidenced by changes in the number, duration, and intensity of tropical cyclones. The Sultanate of Oman is no longer a stranger to severe tropical cyclones, as recently witnessed by Shaheen.

The country is also well-known for its sweltering summers and low annual rainfall, and it has become even hotter over the past five years. Oman was the location of the world’s hottest low temperature ever recorded.

As mentioned in the Second Nationally Determined Contribution, the mitigation strategy basis is rooted in recognising the need to control a trend of greenhouse gas emissions growth.

Another challenge in the Sultanate of Oman is the ineffective drainage systems built during the city’s infrastructure developments. In particular, local authorities and consultants have identified inadequate planning and a lack of proper maintenance of drainage networks as the main causes of flooding in urban areas.

What is encouraging is the country’s national strategy aimed at mitigating climate change during the period from 2020 to 2040. The strategy is expected to accelerate climate actions’ pace and scale. The strategic context for adaptation is rooted in Oman’s ineluctable exposure to intensifying tropical cyclones, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels.

For protecting the citizens and residents from damages to lives and property, local authorities are already looking at efficient and effective solutions to remodelling current drainage systems or building new ones.