ALKHOBAR: The Eastern Province has received rain on three consecutive days and the region is getting soggy. The light rain on Sunday was welcome, but heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday morning resulted in flooding in some areas and the loss of electricity and telephone connections.
“What we are facing are the standard problems for the winter season in the Kingdom. First comes the rain, then come the repair trucks,” Ali Bajnaid, a local trader said sarcastically. “The telephones won’t work again until the network dries out in March. The roads are being resurfaced now in the wet weather, so they’ll crumble by summer. Mechanics and car washes will prosper. This is the situation every year. Did you expect anything different?” Somehow, every year people do expect that things will improve — after all it is 1431H.
“The only reason that the Eastern Province hasn’t suffered major damage is that the rain hasn’t been continuous for the last three days and there has been time for some of the water to dissipate,” said Abu Nawaf, a Saudi company employee. “But the old parts of Dammam have been hit hard. Electric power was out in some areas of Dammam on Monday for six hours and fires broke out as well. The flooding is not just a problem in Jeddah and Riyadh. In truth, the entire sewage and drainage network in the Kingdom needs enhancement.”
Hazzaa Al-Shehri agreed. “The authorities need to look into the problems caused by rain and make immediate disaster plans to handle any catastrophes that arise until longer-term infrastructure rebuilding can be carried out. For example, we need more pumping trucks to get rid of the water faster and police should immediately mobilize to low lying areas when it rains to handle the traffic. City planners should bear in mind that while it doesn’t rain often in Saudi Arabia, that some years have seen considerable precipitation, especially for a desert country where the soil doesn’t hold the water well,” he said.
In a final point, Abu Nawaf said, “I wonder too why there isn’t better use of the Kingdom’s meteorological agency to warn people when rain is expected — especially since flooding is a reality in Saudi Arabia.”
Amjad Istafil, a taxi driver from Dhaka thought that the problems in the Eastern Province after just three days of rain were ridiculous.
“So little rain wouldn’t cause any problems at all in Bangladesh, but here in Saudi Arabia it’s crazy. The roads flood after the first half hour and people don’t know how to drive in such conditions. I was taking students to King Faisal University and they insisted that I had to reach there even though all the roads were flooded. I turned around and took them back home. They were angry, but what to do? The car doesn’t float!”
Residents in the Eastern Province should expect worse flooding over the next two days as the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment is predicting more rain on Wednesday and thunderstorms on Thursday. Fog is on the forecast for Friday.
Despite all the problems that the rain brings, not everyone is unhappy with the weather. The parks along the seaside in Alkhobar were being enjoyed by dozens of people Tuesday afternoon.
“Actually, I am so happy about the rain,” said Carluz Francia, a lifeguard.
“I work and live at Half Moon Beach and we don’t have any problem at all with the rainy weather. Half an hour after the rain finishes, the area around our living quarters is dry. In the Philippines we have rain all the time. Maybe, it’s not good to say it, but I wish it would rain every day.”
