Absence of anti-flood systems put 29 cities at grave risk

RIYADH – After five years of adopting the national strategy for disposal of rainwater and floods, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has warned of the seriousness of the situation in 29 cities of the kingdom. These cities lack water drainage systems and the ministry confirmed that it had requested adopting urgent phase of the 1431-36 Hijri strategic costs by SR20 billion and SR700 million dedicated to the implementation of drainage and flood projects and included in the Ninth Development Plan. Sources confirmed to Al-Watan that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs directed secretariats and municipalities to take urgent action to address the lack of sanitation projects and water and flood drainage systems by providing satellite images and reports for the cities received from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology to be used in the preparation of studies on drainage projects. Sources confirmed that the ministry has pleaded for an urgent adoption of phase of the 1431-36 Hijri strategic costs of SR20 billion and SR700,000, which was approved for the Ninth Development Plan, saying it would follow the implementation of what has been approved by the projects in the emergency phase, reaching dependency ratio of 97.5 percent over the past five years of the plan. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs estimated the cost for the drainage projects at about SR93.7 billion during the strategic period specified within 30 years and implemented in four stages.