Sharjah must wait before roads dry up

Sharjah: Roads will be cleared of water clogging in four days, assured officials from the Sharjah Municipality yesterday.

The municipality declared an emergency to deal with the situation.

Many areas in Sharjah are expected to remain partially flooded until Sunday, confirmed a municipality official yesterday.

"At least 60 per cent of the city's main roads will be clear tomorrow, and it will take up to four days for the rain water to be completely pumped out from all areas," said Abdul Aziz Al Mansoori, Deputy Manager, Drainage Department at Sharjah Municipality.

The areas that are cleared from flooding include Maliha, Shaikh Zayed Street, Wasit, Buheira Corniche, Khalid Lagoon, Al Taawun and Al Mamzar.

Too much to handle

Al Mansoori admitted that the rain proved too much for the municipality to handle, and the diesel pumps need more time to drain the large quantities of water.

He said 152 diesel pumps were placed around the city to cope with this week's heavy rainfall, which was recorded at more than 50mm. Last year's maximum recorded rainfall was between 20mm and 25mm.

The Airport Road from the Industrial Area was reopened yesterday and authorities expect the National Paints Bridge to be cleared from water soon, said Al Mansoori.

The rain has caused huge damages but officials refused to disclose the cost of the damages.

Al Zahra Square and the Immigration Road continued to be a main cause of panic for residents as authorities cordoned off the area due to a malfunction of an underground pump.

Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) closed the area around the Clock Tower yesterday because of a short circuit in an underground pump.

"A lot of smoke was billowing [from the fault] and Sewa collaborated with the municipality to isolate the premises. The damage to the underground pump was responsible for the flooding in some areas of Nasserya as well as the Immigration Road," said Al Mansoori. The pump was fixed in a few hours.

Safety: Keep away from cables

Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority officials urged the public not to approach any cables or transformers and in the case of an electrical emergency, the public should call the hotline number 991.

Ebrahim Bin Deemas, Assistant Director General of Technical Affairs, said technicians having been working the past 24 hours repairing short circuits in homes and commercial areas, to ensure the public does not face any inconvenience.