Municipalities mobilise teams to mitigate adverse weather effect
Muscat, Dakhliyah and North Batinah municipalities have ramped up their efforts on Tuesday to bring back normalcy, after severe weather conditions during the past two days threw life out of gear.
In North Batinah, the response came in the wake of a mountain collapse near the town of Al Dhuwaihar in Wadi al Sarmi, disrupting local traffic and necessitating immediate action.
According to a statement from North Batinah Municipality, emergency teams swiftly addressed the mountain collapse by clearing debris to restore traffic flow towards Al Dhuwaihar.
Additionally, efforts in Saham and Liwa involved reopening road crossings, removing fallen trees, and pumping out accumulated water following heavy rains.
Dakhiliyah Municipality has also joined the efforts, with Sulaiman bin Hamad al Sunaidi, Director General of the Municipality, reporting significant progress in reopening roads affected by the rain.
He informed that the teams have been successful in removing sand and water accumulations in various wilayats, including in Nizwa, where roads in Al Wasit area, Al Ain neighbourhood, Nizwa Market Square, Al Ghaftin area, Wardat Al Bu Saeed, and the commercial area in the village of Firq were cleared.
In Muscat, the municipality deployed field teams equipped to handle any situation arising because of the weather condition. Actions included the rapid clearance of flooded areas, ensuring the safety of rainwater drainage systems on key roads to facilitate smooth traffic, and street cleaning to remove debris.
Many precautionary measures were taken on a war footing, which included the closure of Al Jabal Street (Amerat-bawshar Road) to traffic in both directions and extensive cleaning of wadi streams, drainage crossings, and water channels before the weather worsened. Water pumps were distributed in areas anticipated to get heavily impacted by rainfall.
Muscat Municipality has embarked on several rainwater drainage projects across the governorate aimed at devising longterm solutions to manage water drainage efficiently and prevent damage to infrastructure and service facilities.
Communication channels were active round the clock to address citizens’ and residents’ concerns, with the Muscat governorate’s communications centre (1111) handling reports and coordinating with various municipal directorates and the Royal Oman Police to tackle waterlogging issues promptly.
Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid wadi streams, low-lying areas, and beaches during such weather conditions, and to report any emergencies to the Muscat Governorate Call Centre (1111) or via official social media channels.
The concerted efforts of municipalities and related government entities underscore their commitment to ensuring public safety and minimising the impact of adverse weather on the community.