Service
Hydraulic Engineering Expert Witness for Water, Drainage and Flooding Disputes
Independent evidence on how water systems were designed, built and operated — and why they failed — for arbitration across the GCC and proceedings in the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, QICDRC and BICC.
- DIAC
- arbitrateAD
- SCCA
- QICCA
- BCDR
- DIFC Courts
- ADGM Courts
- QICDRC
- BICC
Water causes more damage to buildings and infrastructure than almost anything else. A failed pipe joint can flood several floors; an undersized drainage network can leave a basement, a road or a whole community under water; a poorly designed pumping system can fail just when it is needed most.
In the Gulf, hydraulic disputes take particular forms. Intense, short-duration rainfall events can overwhelm drainage systems designed on limited data. High groundwater and dewatering affect basements and deep excavations. Large water, sewerage and desalination networks carry high stakes, and building water systems operate at high temperatures and pressures.
A hydraulic engineering expert witness establishes whether the system was properly designed, built and operated, and what caused it to fail. We act on building services, civil infrastructure, water and wastewater projects across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
What a hydraulic engineering expert witness does
A hydraulic engineering expert is a water, drainage or public health engineer who gives independent opinion evidence on hydraulic systems. That means:
- Assessing the design — design criteria, rainfall and flow assumptions, pipe and pump sizing, and compliance with the contract and applicable standards.
- Assessing the installation — whether the system was built as designed and to the specification, including materials, joints, falls and testing.
- Investigating failures — leaks, bursts, blockages, flooding and pump failures — and establishing the mechanism and cause.
- Modelling and analysis — hydraulic calculations and, where needed, modelling to test whether the system could perform as intended.
- Separating causes — design, installation, operation, maintenance and extreme events — and whether an event exceeded what the system should have coped with.
- Evaluating the remedy — whether proposed upgrades are necessary or amount to betterment.
“Our overriding duty is to the tribunal or court, not to the party who appoints us.”
Hydraulic issues we advise on
Flooding and stormwater drainage
Whether drainage systems for buildings, sites, roads and communities were adequately designed for the rainfall they should have handled, and why they flooded.
Building water supply and plumbing
Leaks, bursts and failures in hot and cold water systems, pipework and fittings, and the resulting damage.
Drainage and sewerage systems
Blockages, backflow, odour and capacity failures in building drainage and sewerage networks.
Pumping stations and pressure systems
Design, performance and failure of pumps, booster sets, lift stations and pressure systems.
Fire water systems
Hydraulic performance of fire water storage, mains and sprinkler supplies, coordinated with fire engineering specialists.
Groundwater, dewatering and basements
Dewatering design and performance, groundwater ingress and the hydraulic aspects of basement waterproofing disputes.
Water and wastewater networks
Transmission and distribution mains, sewers and tunnels, including pipe failures and network capacity disputes.
Desalination and treatment plant hydraulics
Hydraulic design and performance of intakes, outfalls and treatment processes.
Irrigation and water features
Irrigation networks, swimming pools, lakes and water features in landscaped and resort developments.
Coastal and marine hydraulics
Wave, tidal and flood effects on coastal and waterfront developments.
Hydraulic, building and quantum: working together
Water failures cause damage elsewhere: wet finishes, corroded structure, interrupted operations. The hydraulic evidence explains why the water escaped; building pathology and structural evidence explain what it damaged; quantum evidence values the loss.
We coordinate with those experts so that the cause, the damage and the cost tie together, and the tribunal can follow the chain from failure, to damage, to remedy, to value.
RelatedBuilding Pathology →Construction Defects →Quantum Expert Witness →
How an engagement works
- 1
Conflict check and initial call
A short, confidential conversation about the system, the failure, the parties and the timetable. We complete a conflict check before receiving any documents.
- 2
Scope and letter of instruction
We agree the technical questions, the documents and access required, and the programme and fee basis.
- 3
Records review and inspection
We review design reports, calculations, drawings, commissioning and test records, and operation and maintenance records, then inspect the system.
- 4
Testing, data and analysis
Where needed, pressure testing, CCTV surveys, rainfall and flow data review, and hydraulic calculations or modelling — proportionate to the issues and the sums in dispute.
- 5
Expert report
An independent report on design, installation, operation, the cause of failure and the appropriate remedy.
- 6
Joint meetings and the hearing
Meetings with the opposing expert, a joint statement of agreed and disagreed issues, and oral evidence at the hearing.
Independence and professional standards
Our evidence is prepared to meet the expectations tribunals and courts place on experts in the region, including:
- the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration (2020), where adopted;
- the CIArb Protocol for the Use of Party-Appointed Expert Witnesses in International Arbitration;
- the procedural rules of the relevant arbitral institution, such as the DIAC 2022 Arbitration Rules; and
- the expert evidence requirements of the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, QICDRC and BICC.
Every report includes a declaration of independence and a statement of the expert's duty to the tribunal or court.
Where we act
Arbitration
Institutional and ad hoc arbitrations across the GCC, including DIAC (Dubai), arbitrateAD (Abu Dhabi), SCCA (Saudi Arabia), QICCA (Qatar), BCDR (Bahrain), KCAC (Kuwait) and OAC (Oman), as well as ICC and other international rules with a GCC seat or GCC project.
Offshore courts
DIFC Courts (including the Technology and Construction Division), ADGM Courts, the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, and the Bahrain International Commercial Court.
Where we act: independent expert witness services in arbitration across the GCC and in the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, QICDRC and BICC. We do not provide expert evidence in onshore court proceedings.
View all GCC locationsSectors
- Residential towers and communities
- Hospitality and resorts
- Commercial and retail
- Healthcare
- Infrastructure and roads
- Water and wastewater
- Desalination
- Industrial and process
- Marine and coastal developments
Who we work with
For lawyers and in-house counsel
Flooding and water damage claims often pit designers, contractors, operators and insurers against each other. We separate design, construction, operation and extreme-event issues and give evidence that maps to the pleaded case against each party.
Discuss an instructionFlooding and water damage claims often pit designers, contractors, operators and insurers against each other. We separate design, construction, operation and extreme-event issues and give evidence that maps to the pleaded case against each party.
Discuss an instructionWhat you receive
- An early, candid technical view of the failure and its likely causes
- A proportionate investigation, testing and modelling plan
- A clear, independent expert report the tribunal can follow
- An opinion on whether the event exceeded the system's design basis
- An opinion on the necessary and reasonable remedy
- Clear, consistent oral evidence under cross-examination
Frequently asked questions
Need a hydraulic engineering expert witness?
Tell us about the system, the failure, the forum and the timetable. We'll complete a conflict check and come back to you promptly.
Discuss an instructionPlease do not send confidential documents until a conflict check has been completed. Keep failed components and event data where possible. If there is an ongoing risk to safety or property, contact the relevant authority without delay.