Faisal, Emir of Makkah, played down public fears Monday that the Misk Lake barrier was leaking, saying that the apparent leakage came from floodwaters leaking from a secondary evaporation lake connected with the 10-meter-high main defense barrier of Misk Lake. The leakage did not come through the main defense barrier, and there is nothing alarming as of now, he said. The water level at Misk Lake has decreased, he said. It was believed to have risen to 14 meters, just 4 meters away from the top of the barrier. The prince was speaking shortly after his inspection visit to the lake Monday. He ordered close surveillance of Misk Lake in case of overflowing or leakage. Residents around the lake should be alerted to any danger that the lake may pose, Prince Khaled told authorities, vowing to rid Jeddah of its drainage nightmare forever. Only the residents of Samir 3 District, east of Jeddah, were advised to take extra precautions, Prince Khaled said when he was asked about the evacuation of five districts east of Jeddah Monday after fears of leakage or the overflow of Misk Lake. It was not a warning, but an advisory, he said. The Emir called on the media to halt its campaign against former city officials until investigations have been completed. Prince Khaled earlier visited flood-hit areas in Jeddah Monday starting with the underpass of King Abdullah Road, which was reopened for traffic Monday. The Emir then visited the Civil Defense support and emergency center at the old airport, close to the underpass. A detailed report of riverbeds flowing into the city was presented to Prince Khaled. The prince later inspected these riverbeds from a helicopter. The Civil Defense said that they rescued 2,379 people and sheltered 3,246 following last Wednesday's floods. Prince Khaled also visited the Haramain Highway, a major road in the city that was damaged by floodwaters, and other flood-ravaged areas along old Makkah Road from Kilo Nine to Kilo 14 and the districts of Quwaizah, Sawaed, Abruq Al-Raghamah, and Jamia. Prince Khaled described the situation as a natural disaster aggravated by riverbeds turned into residential areas and the delay of drainage network projects. “The situation of riverbeds will be corrected and committees are looking into mistakes of developed lands in riverbed areas,” Prince Khaled said, vowing that things would get back to normal. The Prince declined to point the finger of blame at any department. The compensation of owners of flood-damaged houses will be paid out soon, he said. Prince Mash'al Bin Majed, Govornor of Jeddah, said those who have come short of their office duty will be questioned and punished. Work plan to fix the situation has already taken off starting at mostly affected areas, he said, appreciating the support of the business community. A desalination plant at Misk Lake was started Monday to treat the sewage water before dumping it into the sea through a flood canal at the Jamia District, said Adel Faqih, Mayor of Jeddah. This will help reduce the water level in the lake, he said. “Floodwaters are being pumped out of the streets,” he said. Over 1,000 flood-damaged vehicles have been towed away from the streets, he added. Many houses have been built on dry riverbeds over the past 20 years, which has made them vulnerable to the damage, he said.
