Dr Saif Jumaa Al Dhaheri warned future weather crises would be increasingly complex and recurrent due to climate change
A top UAE official has called for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in predicting weather risks. Current data capabilities must be enhanced to ensure effective disaster management, he said.
“We in the UAE have experienced difficult weather conditions this year that have not occurred in the past 75 years,” said Dr Saif Jumaa Al Dhaheri, director of the National Operations Centre of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA).
He was referring to the unprecedented rains and flooding that swept over the UAE in April this year. It was the heaviest rainfall on record in the country. “We didn’t anticipate the infrastructure’s capacity to absorb this water. If we had this information, we would have been able to prepare better.”
Addressing the ‘Regional Data and Community Development Forum’ in Sharjah on Thursday, Dr Al Dhaheri stressed that the UAE is working in many aspects of infrastructure and the use of technologies that contribute to prevention before risks occur.
“Data makes a significant difference between ideal response and prediction, as well as rapid recovery,” he explained.
Dr Al Dhaheri warned that future crises would be increasingly complex and recurrent due to climate change.
Source: Khaleejtimes
