Govt gets cracking on ending rain-related woes

Govt gets cracking on ending rain-related woes

ARAB NEWS | Published ?Monday 19 September 2016


JEDDAH: The Ministry of Interior has issued instructions to the ministries and bodies concerned to address the issues of flooding and other problems due to heavy rain, both in cities and rural areas.
The secretariats of provinces across the Kingdom, ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Transport, Water, Environment and Agriculture, General Authority for Meteorology and Environment Protection and Geological Survey Authority were told to implement nine preventive measures, in accordance with the report of the Civil Defense regarding the situation following the recent rain in the Kingdom.
Informed sources told local media that the first of these actions is to inform the ministries of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Transport to conduct an urgent study on the drainage networks for rainwater. The current drainage system is unsuitable to bear the pressure of the floods whenever it rains heavily.
The sources said that the ministries have been directed to replace the drainage channels used in valleys and roads, which actually impose hazards on the overpasses.
The two ministries will also work on linking remote villages and areas with main roads, taking into account the necessary requirements for the safety of road users, giving it priority in current and future projects.
The directions also included covering all areas across the Kingdom with flood drainage networks.
The General Authority for Meteorology and Environment Protection will follow up on the rain situation and alert and notify the relevant bodies to take the necessary measurements in advance.
The Ministry of Water, Environment and Agriculture must determine the situation of the dams across the Kingdom, and to work out a suitable mechanism to reduce water levels and ensure they do not overflow and spill over to adjacent farms and villages. It should also complete the installation of alarms, and ban construction activity on the sides of valleys.
The directive stressed the importance of cleaning all water drainage channels by the competent bodies.
The Ministry of Transport specified a number of procedures to support projects to maintain and improve mountainous roads, including underpasses and slippery roads, to protect the users of these roads from the dangers of falling rocks during heavy rain.