ABHA/BAHA — People living near valleys say they are concerned that dams could burst due to heavy rain and flooding. The current rainy season saw heavy flooding that some fear some dams could burst, destroying farms and property and displacing thousands of citizens. Al-Watan daily visited the most important and the largest of dams in the Kingdom to assess the situation by checking the structure, capacity and level of water in them. The high levels of water behind dams have raised a number of questions about how they are managed and the drainage plans adopted by departments responsible for avoiding disasters. This year has seen flooding at Al-Mazlmat dam and Lake Baysh dam causing damage to infrastructure, farmland and villages. The accumulation of silt and sediment behind a dam can push water levels higher and even make dams overflow. Jazan's Beesh dam is currently almost at capacity and poses the greatest risk of overflowing. Fahd dam in Bisha and Hali dam in Qunfudah are both currently half full, while water level in Rabigh dam is at a fraction of its capacity. The former director general of water in Jazan, Hamza Guenai, said prior to the construction of dams studies must be conducted on previous rain levels. In light of that information, the design, implementation and assessment of future investment in dams must be carried out. Guenai said all of the Kingdom's dams are in good condition because they were recently built, bar a few. The official spokesman of the Directorate of Water in Asir, Ali Al-Qasimi, said the region's 110 dams are all monitored. He added that all of them are designed to withstand large bodies of water in accordance with the appropriate technical standards. These dams receive consistent maintenance and are under continuous monitoring and inspection.
