DOHA: The flooding on the Lebsayyer Interchange in Shahaniya last Friday was caused by “heavy and unprecedented” rains that exceeded the capacity and design criteria for the drainage network on Dukhan Highway, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday.
Such heavy rains occur rarely in Qatar, said Ashghal. The authority faced severe criticism from citizens after the flooding which led to the closure of the road for several hours. The main reason behind the water overflow was the heavy and unprecedented rain in a very brief period of time in the area. The video footage and site inspections on Friday afternoon showed the intensity of the rainfall, which exceeded the normal average,” Ashghal said in a statement.
Interchange 42, also known as Lebsayyer Interchange, on Dukhan Highway is about 5km from Al Sheehaniya Interchange.
The surface water drainage network on the road had tanks and reservoirs to collect rainwater away from the highway. However, it failed to drain the water due to the heavy rain on the road and surrounding area, which exceeded the network’s capacity and design criteria, said the statement.
Dukhan Highway was completed and opened in 2008, and its surface water network was designed to accommodate the maximum volume of rainfall according to the adopted design standards.
“As per the common practice, in such rare heavy and localised rainfall cases which only occur a few times throughout the decades, rapid intervention was carried out through emergency plans devised specifically for such cases,” Ashghal said.
• The Drainage Operations and Maintenance Department declared a level 1 state of alert on Friday at noon as soon as it learned about the expected rainfall. It notified emergency personnel to begin implementing the rainy season preparedness plan which comprise all drainage amenities in the state.
• At 2.54pm, emergency teams were notified of water overflowing that disrupted traffic at the interchange as a result of the heavy rainfall due to the thunderstorm in the area. The department escalated the situation to a level 2 state of alert and soon to a level 3 state of alert.
• At around 4.30pm, tankers were called in to pump out the water. Ashghal also installed pumps to drain water from the road. Managers from the Drainage O&M Department and Roads Maintenance Department and heads of concerned departments were on site to monitor the situation.
• Police closed the highway in both directions due to high water impeding traffic. A diversion was put in place to avoid the area where water had accumulated until the road was reopened to traffic in the early hours of Saturday after draining the water.
Ashghal said it had completed periodic maintenance works for the surface water drainage network in the area one week before the rainfall.
“As part of its plan and periodic programmes, Ashghal inspects the efficiency of expressway drainage systems and ensures their readiness in the event of rainfall, in addition to carrying out maintenance works and periodic cleaning for all drainage networks in the state,” said the statement.
The Peninsula
DOHA: The flooding on the Lebsayyer Interchange in Shahaniya last Friday was caused by “heavy and unprecedented” rains that exceeded the capacity and design criteria for the drainage network on Dukhan Highway, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday.
Such heavy rains occur rarely in Qatar, said Ashghal. The authority faced severe criticism from citizens after the flooding which led to the closure of the road for several hours. The main reason behind the water overflow was the heavy and unprecedented rain in a very brief period of time in the area. The video footage and site inspections on Friday afternoon showed the intensity of the rainfall, which exceeded the normal average,” Ashghal said in a statement.
Interchange 42, also known as Lebsayyer Interchange, on Dukhan Highway is about 5km from Al Sheehaniya Interchange.
The surface water drainage network on the road had tanks and reservoirs to collect rainwater away from the highway. However, it failed to drain the water due to the heavy rain on the road and surrounding area, which exceeded the network’s capacity and design criteria, said the statement.
Dukhan Highway was completed and opened in 2008, and its surface water network was designed to accommodate the maximum volume of rainfall according to the adopted design standards.
“As per the common practice, in such rare heavy and localised rainfall cases which only occur a few times throughout the decades, rapid intervention was carried out through emergency plans devised specifically for such cases,” Ashghal said.
• The Drainage Operations and Maintenance Department declared a level 1 state of alert on Friday at noon as soon as it learned about the expected rainfall. It notified emergency personnel to begin implementing the rainy season preparedness plan which comprise all drainage amenities in the state.
• At 2.54pm, emergency teams were notified of water overflowing that disrupted traffic at the interchange as a result of the heavy rainfall due to the thunderstorm in the area. The department escalated the situation to a level 2 state of alert and soon to a level 3 state of alert.
• At around 4.30pm, tankers were called in to pump out the water. Ashghal also installed pumps to drain water from the road. Managers from the Drainage O&M Department and Roads Maintenance Department and heads of concerned departments were on site to monitor the situation.
• Police closed the highway in both directions due to high water impeding traffic. A diversion was put in place to avoid the area where water had accumulated until the road was reopened to traffic in the early hours of Saturday after draining the water.
Ashghal said it had completed periodic maintenance works for the surface water drainage network in the area one week before the rainfall.
“As part of its plan and periodic programmes, Ashghal inspects the efficiency of expressway drainage systems and ensures their readiness in the event of rainfall, in addition to carrying out maintenance works and periodic cleaning for all drainage networks in the state,” said the statement.
The Peninsula
