Floods in Sharjah leave trail of lost number plates across streets

Residents in several areas of Sharjah have been witnessing an unusual sight in their neighbourhoods, as hundreds of car number plates were found scattered after being dislodged from vehicles attempting to drive through flooded streets during the recent rains.

Good Samaritans stepped in to help, retrieving number plates from waterlogged roads and carefully placing them along pavements and sidewalks so that owners could easily identify and reclaim them.

A watchman at a building near the Al Khan Road roundabout, close to Qanat Al Qasba, told Gulf Today that he spent most of his time outdoors during the rains attending to parking areas and nearby shops as part of his duties.

“I had seen number plates fall off during previous rains and always wondered about it. Over the past three to four days, I managed to retrieve more than a dozen number plates from the water near my building and placed them on higher ground so passersby could spot them and help the owners,” said Shafeeq.

Sateesh, a delivery rider at a nearby shop, shared a similar experience. “Heavy rains affected motorists the most, as many lost their number plates while trying to drive through flooded roads. I also picked up several plates from different emirates and placed them along the sidewalks to keep them safe,” he said.

At one signal junction alone, more than three dozen number plates were seen lined up after being collected by passersby.

Meanwhile, a long-time Sharjah resident gained attention on social media after collecting around 200 number plates and offering to return them to their owners. His post quickly went viral, drawing praise from users and prompting many vehicle owners to reach out to recover their plates.

On Saturday, several roads connected to Al Khan Road were temporarily closed by traffic authorities for safety reasons after vehicles became stuck in waterlogged areas and had to be removed by recovery trucks.

Authorities also deployed dozens of high-capacity water tankers and suction pumps to clear rainwater from affected parts of the emirate.