Specifying valves under Dubai's Tasreef stormwater programme

April 2024 reset Dubai's relationship with stormwater. The 142 mm of rainfall recorded at Dubai International Airport in a single 24-hour window — exceeding many years of total annual rainfall — exposed gaps in the existing drainage network and prompted a strategic response.

The Tasreef programme, announced shortly after with a budget of approximately AED 30 billion, is the strategic response. Phase two, valued at AED 2.5 billion, awarded its first five contracts in early 2026, covering 30 key areas across roughly 430 million square metres and serving an estimated population of 3 million by 2040.

What kind of valves does Tasreef need

Stormwater systems are not glamorous, but they are unforgiving on materials. The water carries silt, road runoff hydrocarbons, occasional saltwater intrusion in coastal zones, and sees long static periods between storm events followed by short bursts of high flow. The valve population on these networks splits into a few categories:

• Isolation: gate valves and butterfly valves at network junctions, pumping stations and access chambers.
• Non-return: check valves on pump discharge lines and at pipe outfalls to prevent backflow during tidal surges or pump shutdowns.
• Flow control and metering: dosing valves on disinfection injection points, where reused stormwater feeds non-potable circuits.
• Air management: air-release and combination air valves at high points to prevent vacuum collapse and accumulated-air locking.

Material selection

For below-ground infrastructure of this scale, ductile cast iron (EN-GJS-500-7, DIN 1693) is the workhorse for valve bodies in DN50 and above. Internal coating with fusion-bonded epoxy to a minimum 250-micron thickness is standard for stormwater service. For wetted internals, stainless steel AISI 316 stems and discs are specified to handle the chloride load typical in coastal Dubai installations.

For smaller branch installations, DZR brass and stainless steel (AISI 304 / 316) ball valves cover diameters up to DN50.

Approvals and documentation

Specifiers should expect Dubai Municipality to require, at minimum:

• Federal ECAS Certificate of Conformity from MoIAT.
• Material test reports (3.1 EN 10204) for each valve body batch.
• Pressure test certificates per EN 12266-1 (P10/P11/P12 protocols).
• Coating thickness certificates for buried-service items.

For projects connecting to the DEWA potable network, additional No Objection Certificates apply. Where stormwater is intended for reuse in irrigation or non-potable circuits, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) materials approval framework may apply for emirates outside Dubai.

Working with MT on Tasreef projects

Our project engineering team supports MEP consultants and contractors with material schedule reviews, take-off pricing and substitution proposals where European-sourced equivalents reduce lead time or improve compliance. We can also provide draft tender specifications, suitable for direct insertion into MEP packages, covering the full valve population on a typical drainage project.

Contact us at sales@mtmiddleeast.com with your tender reference and we will route your enquiry to our project desk for a sealed proposal within 24 working hours.