Less than a month before the start of the rainy season, the Ministry of Works continues preparations in cooperation with the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport to ward off problems of previous years during which many areas were submerged under water and caused loss to property.
Informed sources told a local Arabic daily that the ministry and the public authority together have completed 100% of the urgent and immediate solutions plan for rain, which was approved in the wake of the famous 2018 rains.
The sources said the committee for protection from the repercussions of rain and floods on various regions of the country, includes in its membership about 10 government agencies, and meet continuously to follow up on all preparations for the rainy season for the current year.
The sources stated that the committee proposed many solutions during the past years, in the wake of the 2018 rains, which were developed by members of the scientific team, which included experts from Kuwait University, the KISR and the Kuwait Municipality, after studying the nature of the land in each region and the expected torrential trends.
The sources pointed out that the urgent solutions that have been completed are the construction of 12 earth berms with a length of 14 km, and another berm of 20 km in length in critical areas that were exposed to torrential rains in the past, most notably in the Ahmadi region (south of Sabahiya), as well as the Sabahiya region, especially that the Ahmadi plateau is one of the most important areas in the world. Places that experienced major repercussions at the time.
The sources stated that the Ahmadi area also witnessed the construction of two artificial lakes to collect rainwater, and storage areas were established before each of the dams, pointing to lakes, canals and dams at the intersection of the G-Ring ring with the Doha area; the city of Sabah Al-Ahmad has received great attention at the level of temporary solutions, through the construction of two artificial lakes and an earthen dam to protect it from rain.
The sources added, the number of aggregate lakes that have been implemented is 9, with a total capacity of 3.5 million cubic meters of rainwater; and the solutions also include the construction of water channels, one of which is parallel to the Mangaf Tunnel, which is connected through a sewer to the sea, in order to drain the water directly into the sea, as well as other measures to protect the tunnel.
The sources indicated the solutions include a temporary protective dam in the Al-Mutla’a area implemented by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, noting that there is a plan that includes permanent solutions to protect the critical areas themselves, and PART is working in this area.
The sources indicated the Ministry of Works, since the beginning of last August has been cleaning manholes in all regions, and the works are expected to be completed in the first week of November.
The sources appealed to citizens and residents not to throw construction waste near the manholes, due to the danger of drainage outlet getting clogged.
The sources revealed that the ministry has included the design agreement to build deep tunnels in the current year’s budget and is awaiting the budget so that work can be started to address the problem of high tides during rains and the negative impact on surrounding areas.
