Municipality urged to look into flooding of lanes in Darsait
Residents of Darsait have urged Muscat Municipality to look into the matter of flooding of lanes which pass through a wadi.
Residents say regular flooding of these lanes on rainy days puts them in inconvenience. Even when it does not rain, the absence of a permanent crossing or bridge over the wadi causes problems for pedestrians as water keeps flowing 365 days a year.
Residents and regular visitors to the area, which lies beside the Darsait street towards the Aint beach have expressed their unhappiness over the lingering issue. Sami S, a resident of the area, said, “A wadi flows parallel to the Darsait street. Beside the wadi, many families live in the residential area. There are offices too. To reach that area, there are multiple lanes that criss-cross the wadi.
“Come heavy rain and this Darsait street wadi overflows causing nightmare for residents and visitors to the area. We cannot use the lane to reach our home as it gets flooded and ROP officials warn us from crossing as it could be risky to our lives. It rained last week and I had to put up at a friend’s place in CBD. So, you have two options - either stay indoors or wait on the either side of the overflowing wadi before the water flow subsides.”
He said that even if it does not rain it’s an ordeal for people including schoolchildren and teachers to negotiate water flowing from unknown sources the whole year. “Some wooden planks are placed on the wadi bed so that children and parents can use when the water flow is less. Even those are removed when the water flow is more. If only all lanes or at least one of them had an elevated structure it would be much easier for us.”
A teacher with Indian School Darsait said, “Hundreds of students of the junior section have to cross the wadi using the wooden planks every day. Most of the children stay in this area only and it’s a daily ordeal for them. At a personal level just last week it rained and my wife had to stay at her friend’s place. I have a sedan car and it’s not advisable to drive through the wadi when the current is strong.
“It’s time the authorities looked into the matter.”
Raghav B, a resident of the area who deals with this ordeal the whole year, said, “It is a big problem for my children and people who reside in this area. On rainy days, my children even miss out on school. The wadi has water flowing even on non-rainy days. We do not know the source of this water. This is a problem for many families. Muscat Municipality should come up with some solution.”
Salem, another resident of the area, said, “There have been days when I, my wife and children have slept in our car as we could not cross the wadi. I have seen many families doing the same as they could not reach their homes as the wadi overflowed. At least a bridge should be built to tackle the problem.”