JEDDAH: Saudi experts have called on the government to stop the construction of buildings in the path of floodwaters to avoid a repeat of the Nov. 25 Jeddah floods.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Asheikh, chairman of the King Fahd Project to Store Rainwater, warned the authorities that residential districts that are built in wadis and rainwater pathways are at risk of being flooded and that there could be a repeat of what happened last month.
Al-Asheikh’s warning is significant as climate change has — according to a study conducted by NASA, Stanford University and the Al Gore Group for Environment Studies — increased the amount of rainwater by 900 percent in many parts of the world.
He expects a 30 percent increase in rainwater in the central and eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula. “We should take into consideration the danger posed to people living in low-level areas or in houses and buildings constructed in the pathways of floods and ravines,” he said.
Following the Jeddah floods, the Shoura Council urged the government to take precautionary measures against floods in different parts of the country to protect people who live there.
Quick measures must be taken to prevent flooding in Makkah where millions of pilgrims gather for Haj and Umrah every year. “There is a possibility of flash floods in Makkah within the next 10 years endangering the lives of people living in the city and its suburbs,” said Miaraj Nawab Mirza, professor of geology at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah.
Reports have shown that the amount of rainwater in Makkah has increased in some years, exceeding the 250 millimeters level, said Mirza. Flooding in the past had brought rainwater to the doorsteps of the Holy Kaaba. But recent measures have been instrumental in containing floods.
Adnan Al-Harithy of Umm Al-Qura University urged the Makkah municipality to redraw plans for residential districts in and around Makkah as some of them are located in the pathways of floodwaters. Experts believe buildings and roads in the city would not only see an increase in flooding but also strengthen the force of water.
The Jeddah floods have put rainwater managers in other Saudi cities on alert. A research team at Prince Sultan Center for Research on Environment, Water and Desert has proposed five projects to prevent floods from reaching King Khaled International Airport and other parts of Riyadh.
The team conducted, with the aid of satellite photos and advanced computer programs, a detailed study on the prospects of rainwater floods hitting the airport. It has selected 20 sites to establish rainwater collection projects.
On Sunday, Eastern Province Mayor Daifallah Al-Otaibi inspected rainwater drainage systems in Dammam, Alkhobar and Dhahran and its surrounding areas to make sure they are in place to prevent flooding.
