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Dubai awards $392m Tasreef contracts

14 April 2025

Dubai Municipality has awarded contracts worth AED1.439bn ($392m) for four major projects under the Tasreef project to develop, rehabilitate and expand Dubai’s stormwater drainage network.

According to data first published by MEED Projects, the local firm De Tech Contracting won a package worth $136m.

De Tech won the contract for the West Deira stormwater system upgrade and rehabilitation, which involves the construction of a sewerage network and a gravity stormwater network.

The projects form part of Dubai’s broader commitment “to building sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure”, Dubai Municipality said in a statement published by Emirates News Agency (Wam).

The entire Tasreef project will serve key areas across the emirate, including Nad Al-Hamar, the vicinity of Dubai International airport, Al-Garhoud, Al-Rashidiya, Al-Quoz, Zabeel, Al-Wasl, Jumeirah and Al-Badaa.

“The commissioned works are designed to provide sustainable and innovative solutions to mitigate flooding risks, enhance the efficiency of existing networks, and improve overall service levels,” Dubai Municipality said.

It added: “More than 36 kilometres of new drainage lines will be constructed, linking to the main Tasreef tunnel, which will ultimately connect drainage systems across the emirate.”

In October, Dubai Municipality issued a tender notice for a delivery partner to develop and implement a model tailored to the needs of the Tasreef programme.

MEED understands that the request for proposals is targeted at technical and engineering advisory companies.

The Tasreef programme consists of three streams to enhance the effectiveness of Dubai’s stormwater system:

  • Improvement of infiltration and sustainable drainage systems and artificial intelligence (AI) applications
  • Upgrade of stormwater systems in Deira, Bur Dubai and Jebel Ali
  • Proposed stormwater tunnels in Deira and Bur Dubai, as well as link tunnels in Jebel Ali

In addition, the Tasreef programme will address storm event management, including raising awareness about storm impacts, implementing proactive risk control measures, developing marketing and procurement strategies, and establishing communication plans. 

An early study is under way for Tasreef, which Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, approved in June.

A source familiar with the project said that Dubai Municipality is inclined to consider a public-private partnership (PPP) procurement model for the project.

Sheikh Mohammed’s approval of Tasreef came two months after a storm in April last year inundated Dubai, causing widespread flooding and damage to infrastructure and property in certain areas.

The project will raise the emirate-wide drainage network’s capacity to more than 20 million cubic metres of water a day, which is hoped will meet Dubai’s needs for the next 100 years.

The project is a continuation of drainage projects launched by Dubai in 2019, covering the Expo Dubai area, Al-Maktoum International Airport City and Jebel Ali.

The rainwater drainage capacity through tunnels will reach 20 million cubic metres a day, with a flow capacity of 230 cubic metres a second.

According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the Dubai Municipality Deep Tunnel Storm Water System (DTSWS) was first announced in 2014.

It has several components, and the first two packages covering Jebel Ali were awarded in 2017 and 2018 and completed in 2022.

The remaining packages of the masterplan were on hold before the government’s announcement on 24 June.

The DTSWS project is separate from the Dubai Strategic Sewage Tunnels project, which is being developed under a PPP framework.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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