Twelve “urgent solution” projects to drain excess rain and floodwater from Jeddah region have been completed and two special projects in Al-Samer and Umm Al-Khair districts of the city will be completed within two weeks, authorities have said. Apart from these projects, 16 support and emergency centers for residents have also been completed The projects form part of a package of measures to prevent annual flooding in the region which has led to the loss of life in the past two years. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, who is also Chairman of the Subcommittee on Rainwater and Flood Drainage in Jeddah Governorate, commended King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz for their “continuous and close followup of all the stages of the rainwater and flood drainage project”. “Work on the projects continued round-the-clock seven days a week,” the Emir said. Jeddah Mayoralty, he said, targeted these areas as water collects there in large quantities, and poses serious hazards. The flood projects include the construction of dams and drainage canals to drain rainwater and sewage. Ahmad Al-Saleem Al-Saleem, Director General of the Rainwater and Flood Drainage Project, said authorities have also charted out a strategy to tackle the problem of unplanned districts in Jeddah governorate. They will also outline an environmental plan for the governorate and for water and sewage drainage, and they will carry out a study on roads and transport networks in the area. The subcommittee has employed international consultants to study rain and floodwater drainage, the infrastructure of unplanned districts and the remaining sanitary drainage networks. The subcommittee was formed at the orders of the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques. The 12 projects are located at Amir Majid Street and Palestine Street, at King Abdullah Road Tunnel at the intersection with Madina Road, King Fahd Road Tunnel at the intersection with King Abdullah Road, Hail Street junction with King Abdullah Road, Khalid Bin Al-Waleed junction with King Abdullah Road; Al-Andalus Street junctions with King Abdullah Road and Al-Hamra Street; at Amir Majid Tunnel intersecting with Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Street, at junction of King Fahd Street Underpass with Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Street, Amir Majid Road Underpass intersecting with Al-Rawdha Street, Amir Majid Road junction with Abdullah Al-Sulaiman and Bakhashab streets, Amir Majid Road intersection with Ziyad Bin Omar Street, and Sari Street Tunnel Underpass intersecting with Madina Road.
