Okaz newspaper

WHY some of our roads and tunnels are submerged in water every time it rains. Shouldn›t we fix this problem once and for all the very first time a road or tunnel gets flooded after rain?

I can understand if a pumping motor malfunctioned, or a drainage point in the road clogged up, or did not drain water properly because of a construction flaw. But the city drowning every time it rains is something that is unacceptable because the problem has never been fixed.

It only indicates that the quality of construction work was poor, or there was no regular maintenance, or there were no routine inspections of the drainage points and equipment to make sure they worked.

I agree that much was done in the past to fix so many problems resulting from rain and floods in Jeddah. The damage is far less this year compared to previous years when there were real disasters that resulted in many deaths and destruction. That does not mean that we should not fix all the problems. We cannot fix one problem in one area and leave the people of another area to suffer. Problems should be fixed in all areas at the same time conforming to high quality standards.

We cannot blame the nature each time when the roads or tunnels go under water. We cannot wait until the next day or for the sun to rise to start fixing the problems that resulted from blatant negligence. Nor do we want our municipal officials to wear their hats and hold their walkie-talkies in their hands to show off, because there is nothing to show off in the aftermath of a rain disaster.