Doha: With the rains and unstable weather conditions affecting the country, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said in a press release yesterday that it has taken necessary measures to avoid rain waterlogging.
Ashghal said it began preparing for the rainy season in September by coordinating with the Drainage Networks Operations and Maintenance Department, Roads Operations and Maintenance, as well as different municipalities.
A national drainage cleaning company was contracted to clean drainage networks in Doha and other cities. More than 30,000 rainwater effluents in the country have been cleaned since last September, in addition to 4,500 soak ways and collection tanks and surface and groundwater pumping stations tanks and effluents leading to the sea.
Ahmed Mohamed Sharif, Drainage Network Operations and Maintenance Manager at Ashghal, said that while preparing for the rainy season, his team ensured the effectiveness of drainage networks and drainage stations to avoid flooding. The networks were also checked to see if they would be able to receive excess amounts of rainwater, in addition to the normal drainage water.
Sharif said that all rainwater drainage networks in tunnels and key areas like Souq Waqif have been cleaned to avoid any flooding in the areas throughout the rainy season. Additional emergency teams have been formed to clean up any effluent that might be blocked after the rainfall.
Mobile pumps have been distributed in the areas that do not have rainwater drainage networks yet and that might receive heavy rainfall. This was implemented in coordination with the Rain Emergency Committee. Some key areas that might collect rainwater were provided with diesel pumps to pump collected water to the nearby networks or to low areas that are previously identified.
Ashghal has allocated a number of suction tanks by contracting companies, and those tanks will be allocated to meet the drainage network needs in case of a block or flood in the pumping or treatment stations or networks.
Meanwhile, the weather bureau has said in its forecast that the weather will be warmer today compared with yesterday, as the minimum temperature will go up to 25 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorology Department has forecast maximum temperature at 25 degrees C in Ruwais, which would go up to 28 degrees C in Messaid, Wakrah, Al Khor and Doha.
The Peninsula
