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DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates willspend 500 million dirhams ($136.1 million) on flood protectionand transport infrastructure after intense storms caused damageacross the country this month, Abu Dhabi newspaper The Nationalreported on Tuesday.
Unusually heavy rain flooded roads and damaging houses andother buildings.
Dams and overpasses would be built to mitigate thedisruption caused by flooding, Minister of InfrastructureDevelopment Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Nuaimi was quoted assaying.
"We have learned a new lesson after the last rains, and someprojects have already started," he said.
The report did not say where the dams and overpasses wouldbe built. The UAE consists of seven emirates.
Nuaimi, who has been infrastructure minister since 2016 andserved in the former ministry of public works since at least2005, said the storms were the worst he had seen during his timein office.
Residents in the northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah who wereaffected by the floods will receive compensation, the Nationalnewspaper said in a separate report.
The UAE has carried out at least 17 cloud seeding flightsthis month, according to local media. ($1=3.6728 UAE dirhams)
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))
