Wadi Hatta

Wadi Hatta (Arabic: وادي حتّا, romanized: Wādī Ḥattā) is a valley or dry river with ephemeral or intermittent flow, which flows almost exclusively during the rainy season, located north of Oman, in the Al Batinah North; and to the east of the United Arab Emirates, in the enclave of Hatta (Dubai).

It forms its own drainage basin, covering an area of approximately 548 km2 (212 mi2), and is bordered to the north by the Wadi Al Qor; to the south by the Wadi Fayd; and to the west by the Mahadah drainage basin (Wadi Andhayrah, Wadi Khuraymah, Wadi Mayhah and others, flowing into the large alluvial plain of Madam Plain and the Wadi Yudayyah).

The main wadi, which gives its name to the entire drainage basin, is the Wadi Hatta, with numerous tributaries and sub-tributaries forming an important drainage network composed by hundreds of independent streams, most of them unnamed.

The main tributaries are:

In Oman: Wadi Umm Daqqayn, Wadi al Qahfi, Wadi Nasub, Wadi Massayid, Wadi Khabab, Wadi Sufaydah and Wadi Ashar.

In UAE: Wadi Hadf, Wadi Qimah and Wadi Wahiyah.

Course

The total length of Wadi Hatta is 57 km (35 mi), of which 22 km (14 mi) run in Emirati territory, and 35 km (22 mi) in Omani territory. Its river source is located in the territory of Oman, at an approximate altitude of 1,192 m (3,911 ft), on the southern slope and a very short distance from the summit of Jabal Hatta, also known as Um Alnosoor (1,280 m (4,200 ft)).

In its upper course, during the initial 3 km (1.9 mi), which runs mainly in Oman territory, the Wadi Hatta flows from west to east with a considerable gradient, with sections of gradient of 28%.

Already in Emirati territory, the wadi turns north, and for 12 km (7.5 mi) it runs through the Hatta Mountain Reserve to the dam (Al Hatta Dam), with a much more moderate slope of 3%.

In its middle course, the wadi crosses the urban area of the city of Hatta (previously called Ḩajarayn), and receives from the right the confluence of the Wadi Qimah.