MADINAH — Thirty-four anti-flooding projects in Madinah worth nearly SR600 million have been disrupted or disrupted due to various reasons including the poor capacity of contractors, said Ada (performance), a department that follows up government projects.
“They include 16 disrupted projects valued at SR353.46 million for prevention of flooding in various parts of the region and 18 delayed projects worth SR219.94 million,” the department said.
Al-Madinah Arabic daily observed that the mayoralty began work on the projects five years ago in 1431H. The projects were delayed because of the poor capacity of some contractors, it added.
The mayoralty had warned contractors several times that if they did not complete the project on time it would be withdrawn and handed to new contractors.
Some projects along the main streets were delayed due to the delay in obtaining permission to construct alternative roads. The outflow of ground water was another reason for the delay.
Construction of safer flood path has been one of the main concerns of people living in valleys near mountains, including residents of Aziziya, west of Madinah. They are afraid that the gush of floodwater during the rainy season could cause human and material damages.
The disrupted anti-flooding projects are situated in Yanbu, Badr, Al-Ula, Al-Ais, Hanakiya, Wadi Al-Farae, Aburaka and Al-Hasv in the eastern, southern and western sectors of Madinah region. The performance of projects ranged between 0 and 90 percent, the paper said. It estimated the total delay of projects in the western sector at 347 percent.
The newspaper’s correspondents visited the project sites and found some of them were implemented wrongly, giving little importance to safety measures. The infrastructure to prevent flooding in some districts was weak and did not cope with budget allocations.
“We have noticed several engineering mistakes in Aziziya flood path project. The weak infrastructure could endanger the lives of residents, especially during heavy rains,” the reporter said. The presence of tires and trees in the pathway does not augur well, he added.
Sultana flood path that passes through the center of the city is the largest in terms of length and width, the paper said. However, it lacks safety measures such concrete blocks, lighting and signboards in addition to safety instructions to be followed by the public.
The flood path in the Taibah district remains incomplete, the paper said, adding that heavy rains could block the roads leading to the district. Poor infrastructure blocks completion of the flood path project. Citizens living in the district have urged authorities to implement infrastructure projects required by the district in a way that suits the stature of Madinah.
