MAKKAH, 1 January 2004 — The heavy rain that fell in the holy city during Ramadan has shown the weakness of flood protection measures taken by local officials, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.
Many residents are now demanding that officials find solutions to the problem as quickly as possible, especially since more heavy rain is due to fall during Haj.
With more than two million pilgrims expected in Makkah, further rainfall will create havoc, residents said. They added that officials needed to be better prepared by installing a rainwater drainage system and dams. Furthermore, residents are asking for sand barriers to be removed, as they proved useless during the last floods.
The geography of the city plays a major role in the flooding as Makkah is surrounded by high mountains. Rainwater flows down the mountains and into the residential areas below, destroying houses, felling trees and flooding streets. Many people are left stranded inside their homes after heavy downpours.
Awad Al-Qurashi, a resident, said: “We haven’t seen rain like this in years and we are in desperate need of a rainwater drainage system. We suffer damage to our cars and homes with every heavy downpour. The last flood also killed many children. The municipality has only placed sand barriers with rocks on top of them at neighborhood entrances to hold back the storm water.”
He added that he is now afraid that these rocks will just compound the disaster. The municipality has promised more drainage projects in areas affected by heavy rain, saying that completed projects were working very well and had proven successful.
