JEDDAH, 22 May 2007 — The Council of Ministers yesterday adopted five important measures to reduce the death and destruction from flash floods. The weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, the regent, also commended the efforts being made by GCC leaders to strengthen the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and reinforce world peace and stability.
According to the new measures, relevant government agencies and departments must review hydrologic studies and engineering designs before approving new housing and agricultural plans in order to ensure their protection from floods. The Cabinet instructed the King Abdul Aziz City of Science & Technology, the Saudi Geological Survey and the Presidency for Meteorology & Environment to conduct studies using satellite, aerial and geographic pictures of areas that are affected by flooding in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs must take into consideration the amount of flooding along its roads while designing plans to construct roads and bridges inside and outside cities. It should also carry out maintenance work for flood drainage networks and bridges before and during the rainy season, the Cabinet said.
Relevant ministries and agencies have been instructed to take steps to prevent construction of houses and other buildings on the verges of valleys and in agricultural regions that are prone to flooding. Contractors must repair the damages caused by them during their work in valleys.
The Cabinet meeting expressed its deep sorrow over the infighting between Palestinian Fatah and Hamas groups and urged them to abide by the Makkah Accord, stand firmly against any violence and work wisely for the good of Palestine and its people, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The meeting condemned the continuous Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and called upon the international community to put an end to Israeli attacks and force the Jewish state to comply with UN resolutions and international agreements.
State Minister and acting Culture and Information Minister Musaed Al-Aiban said the Cabinet meeting also reviewed the developments in Lebanon, especially the gunbattle in Tripoli, and expressed its deep sorrow over the incidents aimed at undermining the country’s security and stability. It called for efforts to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
The Cabinet endorsed an agreement for combined Arab negotiations with regional and other organizations that deal with civil aviation as well as the general agreement with Brunei for cooperation in economic, trade, investment, technical, educational and cultural areas and in sports and youth affairs. It authorized the finance minister or his deputy to sign another accord with Belarus to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion.
