Work to clear rainwater in full swing

Rainwater clearance continued in full swing on Monday as rain emergency teams in various municipalities drained out more than 131.17mn gallons of water from Thursday until last evening, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) said.

Safar Mubarak al-Shafi, head of the rainfall emergency committee at the MME, said that work is continuing round the clock to remove accumulated water from all municipal areas.

The water was removed in 26,442 batches, al-Shafi said in a statement issued by the MME on Monday, adding that 545 personnel and 308 tankers were involved in the work.

The official also revealed that the municipal operation room had received 6,052 reports, which would be duly responded to.

The MME also highlighted through a tweet that the “tireless efforts” of rain emergency teams continues as they drain out water from all areas.

“Have patience and co-operate with our workers,” it urged.

Meanwhile, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said that there are no closures caused by rainwater detected on main roads in Doha on Monday and that work is continuing to “remove accumulated water from local streets”.

This came following a spell of rain in the city on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Ashghal advised motorists to slow down when driving in rainy conditions as the “rain may cause vehicles to slip on the road”.

Ashghal also reiterated that, in co-ordination with the MME, tankers had been deployed on main roads and tunnels in different areas in order to deal with any case of water accumulation.

Sporadic rain and strong winds were reported from parts of the country on Monday, too, with the northern areas receiving the bulk of rainfall.

Ras Laffan topped the rain charts on Monday with 33.3mm, followed by 21.4mm in Al Khor, according to information provided by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Jumayliyah received 9.3mm, Sheehaniyah 9.1mm, and Abu Hamour 2.1mm of rain.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI), on its part, on Monday urged people to be cautious and follow safety instructions on roads and at home as thundershowers accompanied by strong dusty winds were observed in different parts of the country, including Doha and adjacent areas.

“As it is raining in different parts of the country, we advise motorists to be extra cautious and drive at a speed that suits the weather conditions,” the MoI tweeted.

As for the forecast, the Qatar Met department tweeted late last evening that the latest updates from the country’s numerical weather prediction model indicate that the chance of mostly light rain would continue on Tuesday – during noon – mainly along the eastern coast of the country.

Thundery rain is expected in offshore areas on Tuesday along with strong winds and high seas, the weather report states, adding that the wind speed may go up to 35 knots during thundershowers in these areas.

The minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be 23° Celsius in Al Khor and 38°C in Abu Samra on Tuesday, while in Doha these will range from 26°C to 34°C.

Monday, a minimum of 23°C was recorded in Al Khor, Sheehaniyah and other places, while the maximum was 38°C in Abu Samra.

The Doha temperatures ranged from 26°C to 34°C on Monday, too.