The process will continue for two months, with 150,000 cubic meters of water being transported every day.

The municipality is currently using two of the seven pumps at the dam, while the remaining five pumps will come into operation on Wednesday. The municipality has also awarded a contract to a national company to build a dam in Al-Samir district. The seven-meter-high dam will be 160 meters long and 25 meters wide.

The municipality has asked geologists at King Abdulaziz University to conduct a field survey of the 11km area earmarked for construction in the district.

“The water in the area is not contaminated because it is floodwater. Tests on water samples showed that it is free from contagious diseases,” the municipality said.

Water around the dam would be taken to the pumping site in Al-Samir. It will then go through a cement canal and then through the northern flood canal that leads to the sea.

The floodwater behind the dam resembles a small lake. The amount of water is estimated at 20 million cubic meters, reaching 15 meters high. A large amount of floodwater has already been removed from the area.

The municipality said it expected all floodwater in the area to be removed within 60 days.

“This will enable the area to accommodate rainwater if there is a sudden downpour,” it said.