Rashed Muhammad Al-Fawzan
These days, we hear the phrase “bad weather” all the time, and how the weather is to be blamed for the recent flooding and pools of rainwater. Let us look at the Ministry of Rural and Municipal Affairs’ statistics on the drainage systems and how much rainwater they can handle, starting with the best systems.
Taif has the Kingdom’s best drainage system and it can get rid of 83 percent of rainwater. What is the secret? Is it because of its mountainous terrain? Perhaps. Tabuk comes in second at 62 percent, followed by Sedaka at 52 percent. In major cities like Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, the percentages are 45, 40 and 30, respectively. In a recent televised statement, the Emir of Al-Qassim said that the drainage system in Buraidah City could only handle 15 percent of the total rainfall.
These are some facts about the drainage systems around the Kingdom. I do not know what kind of methodologies and plans municipalities adopt for flood drainage projects, but I will assume that each municipality completes 10-15 percent of its drainage system every year. If each municipality designs, plans and utilizes any saved amounts in order to complete 20 percent of the project, it completes the project faster and regulates as well as reduces expenses by 2-3 percent. An effective drainage system is part and parcel of the basic services any neighborhood or city needs. The other important thing is that a municipality should not approve any plot of land until it has had all basic services installed. No house or building should be approved if the district does not have full basic services. We should remember that a district is a part of a city.
Instead of continuously saying “it’s the bad weather,” we should say “it’s the bad drainage system.” This is the bitter truth that we should come to grips with. During the recent heavy rains, did you see Tunnel 33 in Riyadh and how it was flooded with water, or did you see some of Jeddah’s tunnels on King Abdullah Road? Some of the cars were almost completely under water and could hardly be seen. We should not put the blame on the fact that the floods came from some neighboring districts and flooded the tunnels.
Justifying it in this way is tantamount to saying that the engineer or the designer who constructed the tunnel overlooked this fact.
Clearly, our drainage systems must have adequate drainage capabilities. Why do the municipalities and the Ministry of Transport not coordinate their efforts on such projects? They can engage the Traffic Department as well. The most important thing here is high quality and efficiency. Mistakes are bound to happen but we should minimize their effects as much as possible. Faltering projects should be completed. Rain is a blessing. Effective drainage projects will stop all disasters and injuries caused by rain these days and allow us to enjoy each and every raindrop.
