It’s more rain and more pain for Sultanate
Rain, hailstorms and thunderstorms hit the northern areas of Oman for the fourth consecutive day yesterday, resulting in overflowing of wadis, flooding of roads and massive traffic jams
MUSCAT: For the fourth consecutive day, the northern areas of Oman, particularly Muscat, Quriyat, Amerat, Buraimi, Sumail, Mahadha, Bid Bid, Yanqul, Nizwa, Barka, Sohar, Sharqiyah, Ibri, and Musandam, witnessed heavy to moderate rain, hailstorms, and thunderstorms yesterday, resulting in flooded roads, overflowing wadis, and traffic jams.
According to sources, Jahloot, near Amerat, was deserted because of the heavy rain and the overflowing of water from two wadis in the area. “Both the wadis in the area were overflowing dangerously. By evening, mobility was impossible. To avoid any untoward incidents, the traffic was blocked and diverted by the police, so no vehicles could come from Ruwi,” Naseer, an excavator operator in Jahloot, told Times of Oman over the phone.
Travellers to Jahloot and Al Hajar said traffic was diverted in Wadi Adai by the police. “I waited in Wadi Adai for more than two hours in the hope of travelling to Jahloot for work. But I had to return,” Shereef Hussain, a businessman in Ruwi, said.
Sources in A’Sunainnah said Wadi Al Khab was overflowing its banks dangerously.
Ibri, Sur, and Nizwa saw light to moderate rain yesterday. “The water levels are receding. But it is cloudy again. If it rains, then life will become quite difficult in Ibri,” a source in Ibri pointed out.
“Tiwi and Qalhat saw light to moderate rain in the Sharqiyah region. So far, we have not heard of any casualties,” Shajahan, a resident of Sur, stated.
Even though no major accidents were reported, an Indian expatriate died in Adam, when the car he was travelling in hit another vehicle head-on. “He was from the South-Indian state of Karnataka and was working here. He was around 50 years old. Slippery roads may have caused the accident,” sources in Nizwa said.
Meanwhile, another source reportedly witnessed a rain-related road accident near Bid Bid. “I