Qura University has taken ample precautionary measures and is safe from floods, Dr. Hashim Hariri, Vice President of the university, said here Saturday. The official was referring to the precautionary steps taken by the university administration including the construction of a dam to hold back floodwaters and drain it to ‘Uranah Valley and cutting an 80-meter-wide channel into the rocks. Some time back, he said, floodwaters flowed through the channel allocated for it to Wadi ‘Uranah to mix with floodwaters in Wadi No'man. He said the problem lies in the people who built their homes in the flood course, particularly in Al-Abdiah area. Dr. Hariri said removal of these homes was of utmost importance to prevent any disaster. Hariri called on the Civil Defense to visit the projects department in the university to see the precautionary measures the university has taken. He said the Haramain train station will be within the flood course and this poses a hazard, especially since the dam would force floodwater back to Taif Expressway and it would then enter the university. He lauded floodwater drainage projects carried out by Makkah Mayoralty which had the greatest effect in draining the floodwater from Al-Ghazzah and Al-Ma'abidah areas and Al-Haj Street, which were suffering from flooding earlier.
