‘Sanitation system intolerable’; rainstorms, wind wreak havoc

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‘Municipal teams clearing roads, draining rainwater’

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 6, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Hussam Al- Roumi said Tuesday that what happened to the road network and sanitation system due to heavy rain early Tuesday is intolerable.

Minister Al-Roumi said in a statement to KUNA during an emergency meeting held with municipality directors and representatives from the traffic and fire departments that there is a responsibility to be carried out and that this issue will be investigated through an impartial commission of inquiry, indicating that those responsible will be held accountable.

Al-Roumi praised efforts made by the Ministry of Pub-lic Works, Ministry of the Interior, Kuwait Municipality and general authority for roads which assisted in avoidance of traffic issues caused by the rain. A detailed report on the issues will be prepared to prevent future cases, he said.

Meanwhile, Municipal teams are out and about clearing roads and draining water resulting from the heavy rain, which hit the country Monday, said in a statement Tuesday. The teams, especially the ones operating in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate, are working hard with other government bodies to clean roads from any obstacles that might face drivers.

Kuwait experienced a thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain that led to flooding and blockage of some roads. The Ministry of Water and Electricity said Tuesday that no power outages or malfunctions had been reported at power stations because of the heavy rain. Undersecretary of the ministry Engr Mohammad Bushehri said that power cuts in some houses and dwellings might be attributed to water seeping into electrical circuits, which shuts off to prevent damage.

Monitor
The ministry urged people to continually monitor the power board in their respective homes to make sure that no damage has been done, said the official, affirming that emergency teams of the ministry were ready to address any situation.

Kuwait’s Ports Authority said that the navigation traffic in the three ports of Shuwaikh, Doha and Shuaiba are continuing and didn’t halt. It said in a statement to KUNA that wind speeds and horizontal visibility are still at the safe limit for safety of navigation.

It added that all its technical cadres of marine operations managers are ready to deal with any circumstances as a result of the heavy rain that hit the country yesterday. Sea goers are urged to stay away from going to the sea during the current period due to the ongoing unstable conditions, the Interior Ministry announced Tuesday.

The Ministry’s Public Relations and Security Media department called on sea goers to be vigilant and call the emergency number of the Coast Guard at 1880888 in case of any emergency. It asserted its readiness to deal with any emergency situation on the Hotline Number 112.

The Interior Ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Public Works to address the emergency situation caused by the accumulation of rainwater in some roads, causing traffic congestions and floods, said a statement Tuesday.

A press release by the Ministry of Interior said that road users were urged to strictly follow traffic rules and regulations so that police officers could deal with the current situation. The ministry also called on citizens and expatriates to avoid venturing out of their dwellings and asked them to contact the Emergency Number 112 to report any urgent situation.

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