JEDDAH: Jeddah Mayor has rejected the accusations that his rain emergency plan has failed following the floods that swept the city over the weekend. Dr. Hani Abu Ras said joint work by his office and other authorities has worked out to have floodwater and rainwater pumped out of the city's major streets within only 24 hours. Abu Ras, who was speaking Okaz/ Saudi Gazette Friday, pledged to disclose all the facts and information about the reality of the situation in his city after completing the work on stagnant pools and bringing the situation back to normal in the city. Abu Ras pointed out that Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, has asked all the relevant authorities in the governorate to hold a meeting to discuss the situation of Jeddah's Umm Al-Khair District, which was devastated by the floods. Asked about the criticism that his rain emergency plan received in the flood aftermath over the past two days, Abu Ras said that his office “is not working alone.” The mayoralty, he said, “is working in collaboration with other government agencies to tackle the situation after the rains.” He thought that they were doing a great job. Abu Ras said that they started before the rainfall last Wednesday and “they are still working till now under the close supervision of the Emir of Makkah region and the governor of Jeddah and the other participating government bodies.” About his evaluation of the plan, Abu Ras said there was no work that could be ever described as “perfect.” “It is too early now to evaluate the plan as we are still executing it,” he said. The mayor said the whole operation would be evaluated after draining all the stagnant pools of floodwater on the main thoroughfares and in residential areas. The Mayor's Office would speak to the press and explain whether the operation was a success or failure, he said. “We will be open about the positive and the negative and what we have to avoid in future,” he said. “The plan is moving as planned up till now. Pumping operations throughout the city are under way,” he added. Asked about the water still inundating the streets, he said due to the large quantity of rainfall that lashed Jeddah on two consecutive days, there were still some stagnant pools. “But if you walk or drive on the main streets, you will notice that they have been dried of all floodwater that was obstructing traffic flow,” he said. Now water pumps and other machinery have been moved to the residential areas to drain the remaining water, he added. Asked about the reason for briefly closing King Abdullah Underpass and whether it was inundated with floodwater, Abu Ras said the underpass “was not inundated with water as some might have believed, but some surface water that gathered there following the rains had to be pumped out to ease the flow of traffic.” “It was mainly a safety precaution and it was briefly closed to traffic with the help of the Jeddah Traffic Department,” he added. As to whether there was a comprehensive review of the rain emergency plan, he said that he asked his colleagues in the mayoralty to meet at the beginning of the next week and take part in a specialist workshop for reviewing what has been carried out during the two days of rain. Abu Ras stressed that the negative aspects would be pointed out and dealt with by laying down the appropriate proposals and solutions so as to ensure smooth handling of safety and rescue operations in the flood aftermath. Asked about the objection of the residents to the dam project site in east Jeddah, he said that work on the project was under way and all efforts would be made to complete it in time because of its importance and vitality. He added that other vital projects like dykes would be completed on the specified date so as to protect Jeddah. Asked about Umm Al-Khair District, he said the Emir of the region has issued directives to hold a meeting Saturday for all the relevant administrations under the chairmanship of Prince Mish'al Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah. The Emir stressed the necessity to find final solutions for the problems and the meeting would implement these directives, he said. About dengue fever, he said specialist teams for combating insects have already started fumigation of locations where water has been collected.
