Faisal, Emir of Makkah and chairman of the executive committee tasked with tackling the threat of rains and floods in the city, has said that 11 companies have been invited to tender bids for rain and flood drainage works and infrastructure works. “The winner of the contract will be announced within three weeks,” Prince Khaled said. The Emir made the announcement at a meeting in Riyadh Sunday of the executive flood and rains committee in which he said that “we have made good and important steps forward which have not been easy”. “We must now get ahead in completing the urgent and lasting projects to protect Jeddah from flood and rain waters,” he said. The meeting approved urgent measures to curb the threat of flooding in vulnerable districts, measures which include completing the north drainage channel and connecting it to the eastern one and continuing its path to the Al-Samir Dam and then on to the central channel, reinforcing the Al-Samir Dam to prevent leaks, removing property lying on the flood course in the Al-Samir district, connecting the course to the central channel, expanding the flood channel in Umm Al-Khair and also connecting it to the central channel, accelerating the completion of the east road and the parallel water channel, and removing all obstacles to valley flood courses. Prince Khaled and committee members also discussed at the meeting the ten points approved by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to confront emergencies and disasters in the region.
