92fac4f35ea58210VgnVCM200000e66411acRCRDapproved/thenational/Articles/Migration/2009-Q4Blame it on the rain, not the drains82fac4f35ea58210VgnVCM200000e66411ac____The deluge may come once a year, but it rarely lasts for more than a couple of days: hardly enough to get worked up about.<p>The UAE swam to work yesterday. Two days of constant rain have left streets flooded and turned underpasses into subterranean rivers. People have died on the roads; Ras al Khaimah alone has reported 86 traffic accidents. Roofs are leaking like sieves. Those unlucky enough to have poorly designed balconies woke up to find their living spaces under water. The moisture is causing paint to flake off the sides of buildings. Everything seems to be falling apart.</p> <p>The annual deluge is upon us, and residents are wondering how an entirely predictable phenomenon still manages to be so disruptive. Why hasn't anyone planned for this? Why aren't streets engineered to handle rainwater? Why aren't roofs built on a slant so that rain runs off instead of sitting ominously over our heads? It's as if no one plans for rain. And, of course, they don't. After a few days of downpour it is easy to forget that we live in a desert.</p> <p>Rain here is an anomaly. If this were London or Seattle we would rightly be outraged if the municipality failed to provide adequate drainage on streets, or if a landlord rented out a flat that flooded every time it drizzled. But London has its own woes. Snow there is a rare but still predictable annual event, causing public transport to grind to a halt and cars to go careening across skid-pan roads. Cities cannot plan for all eventualities; it just doesn't make financial sense. From a purely economic viewpoint, it would be wasteful to build a drainage system capable of handling a flood, when average monthly rainfall is measured by the thimbleful. And just because it snowed here this winter does not mean we need to invest in snowploughs. Likewise, city planners in the Pacific Northwest don't account for the possibility of sandstorms although, if climate change proponents are correct, the world will be seeing a lot more deserts.</p> <p>Bangladeshis have every right to be upset that their homes are under water every time the monsoon blows in. They live in a rainy country, we don't. The deluge may come once a year, but it rarely lasts for more than a couple of days: hardly enough to get worked up about. Of course, that is hard to remember when you need a snorkel and flippers to reach your car in the morning. But be patient: the sun is never far away.</p> 84YYOPINION2009121400000020091214000000100ARhttp://adedit.ad.atl.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091214/OPINION/712139918571213991820091214100000000