“The system can resist the pressure of rain water for a limited period of time. It can also absorb floodwater that might occur in climate cycles every 50 years,” said a spokesman for the Ar-Riyadh Development Authority (ADA).
ADA is the executive arm of the High Commission for the Development of Ar-Riyadh (HCDA), who authorized the setting up of the system in place. The announcement comes soon after the cloudy and rainy days in the Saudi capital that caused flooding and severe traffic jams across the city.
The spokesman said three standards of water drainage had been used. The first one deals with permanent running water from ground stations in the city.
It has an open water channel that keeps its drainage capability throughout the whole year. The second standard deals with seasonal floodwater. The bottom of the valley was leveled, tilting toward the south and toward the permanently flowing water. Sections of the banks and bottom of the valley have been reinforced to resist floodwater for a short time until it stops flowing.
The third standard deals with floodwaters during climate cycles taking place every 50 years. It removes obstacles on flood ways and from the bottom of the valley and its tributaries.
In a comprehensive rehabilitation project all obstacles from the bottom of the valley were recently removed. Wadi Hanifa stretches 80 kms from north of Al-Ammareya Road up to Al-Hayer in the south. “The project has cleaned Wadi Hanifa and its surroundings to be in harmony with their environment. The valley has become an open space available to all people in the city,” the spokesman said.
