Shura Council seeks sustainable solution to rainwater accumulation

The Shura Council held its regular weekly session at Tamim bin Hamad Hall on Monday under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

During the session, the Council reviewed the report of the Services and the Public Utilities Committee on the general discussion request submitted by a number of Their Excellencies Council members regarding 'rainwater accumulation and subsequent losses caused'.

In this context, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council praised the advanced infrastructure built over the past years thanks to the attention and directives of the wise leadership which spared no effort in ensuring the availability of a solid infrastructure that serves all aspects of life.

He pointed out that the Shura Council is aware of what everyone has suffered from in recent years due to unprecedented amounts of rain and the losses it caused. Based on the Council's keenness on addressing such issues, this issue was studied and discussed extensively based on the council's commitment to working side by side with the relevant authorities to find effective and sustainable solutions to these negatives, he said.

He added that they seek to support the efforts of these entities to enhance and improve the infrastructure to confront the challenges of climate fluctuations and achieve safety and security for all citizens and residents.

The Council heard the report of the Services and the Public Utilities Committee regarding the rainwater drainage network and its findings after several meetings with representatives of the Public Works Authority.

The committee's report pointed to a number of reasons for the accumulation of rainwater in some locations, including the blockage of the network or the failure of any part of it, and the lack of a rainwater drainage network in some areas since what has been accomplished of the network does not exceed 28 percent of the plan.

The report also indicated that the amounts of rain witnessed by the country sometimes exceed the design and carrying capacity of the network, which leads to accumulations of water during specific periods.

The Council members praised the findings of the report and noted the great development the country has witnessed in infrastructure, appreciating the great efforts made by Ashghal in this aspect.

After extensive discussions, the Council decided to submit a proposal to the government to find realistic and sustainable solutions to the problem of rainwater accumulation.

The proposal outlined the Council's views to address the problem, the most important of which is doubling rainwater withdrawal pumps and water withdrawal tanks, especially in areas where rainwater accumulates, such as tunnels, in addition to developing and activating the governance of procedures used to receive warnings and quickly taking action by all concerned parties, when weather conditions worsen to avoid any losses that may result from the accumulation of rainwater.

The proposal also included a call to review maintenance plans for infrastructure projects to ensure its effectiveness and to continue and accelerate the construction of water drainage networks in all parts of the country.

The Council reviewed a draft law issuing the unified industrial regulation law for the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was referred to it by the esteemed government, and decided to refer it to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee for further perusal and submission of its report to the council accordingly.

The Council also reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 25 of 2015 regarding Civil Defense, referred to it by the esteemed government, and decided to refer it to the Internal and External Affairs Committee for further perusal and submission of its report to the council accordingly.

During the session, the Council approved a draft law on dealing in strategic goods of either military or dual-use, after reviewing the report of the Internal and Foreign Affairs Committee on it. It also approved a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 9 of 2017 regarding the organization of schools.

The Shura Council also reviewed several reports on the participation of its delegations in regional and international parliamentary activities, namely the roundtable held in Jordan last March under the title "Arab Women's Voices for Gaza," and the eighteenth session of the conference of the Federation of Councils of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the accompanying meetings, which was hosted by Côte d'Ivoire last March.

The review also included the report on the participation of the Council delegation in the 148th General Assembly, the 213th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s Governing Council and the accompanying meetings, which were held in Geneva last March, and the report on the participation of members of the Arab Parliament in the work of the third plenary session of the fourth session of the third legislative term of the Arab Parliament, which was held in Cairo last April.

At the conclusion of the session, HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim briefed Their Excellencies the Council members on his meeting yesterday with HE President of the High Council of the State of Libya Dr. Mohammed Muftah Takala and the topics that were discussed during the meeting. (QNA)