By Saeed Haider
DAMMAM — Following the torrential rains that played havoc in the cities of the Eastern Province, normalcy is limping back with relief and repair work on full swing. The work is in progress on the specific instructions from the Eastern Province Emir, Prince Saud Bin Naif, to restore full normalcy in the region at the earliest.
The worst affected was Saudi Railways which also saw a derailment on Friday morning in which 18 people were injured few of them seriously. The Saudi Railway Organization has announced cancelation of total train operation between Dammam and Riyadh via Al-Ahsa due to the major damage to railway tracks near Dammam.
A spokesman of the Saudi Railway Organization, told Saudi Gazette that work is in full swing to repair the damaged tracks. But logged water and swamp-like conditions near the track is making the task difficult. He hoped that by Thursday all the damaged tracks will be repaired and SRO will have a trial run.
“We are not going to take any chance. Once we are fully satisfied with the repair and longevity of the track only then services will resume,” he said. It is expected that the normal train services between Dammam and Riyadh will resume from next Friday.
The cancelation of rail services has greatly affected trade as goods worth millions of riyals, some of them perishable items, are lying at King AbdulAziz Seaport waiting to be transferred to Riyadh dry port. Every day Saudi Railways transport millions of goods between Riyadh and Dammam.
The port authorities are having a tough time in clearing the congestion at the port terminals. Many large companies are deploying trucks and trailers to lift goods from Dammam port and ferry it to Riyadh.
Meanwhile, reports of heavy damage to the agriculture are pouring in from Al-Ahsa, Sihat and Qatif. According to Ali Al-Saihati, businessman from the Eastern Province crops of tomatoes and other products have totally perished in last Thursday torrential rains. The Eastern Province Governorate has instructed insurance agencies to immediately compensate all those cultivators who have incurred huge losses due to rains.
Dammam and Al-Khobar Municipalities are working overtime to clear of the low lying area of Thughba, Khobar and Old Dammam from clogged water. Some areas in Rakah, Khobar, and Thuqba are still flooded with rain waters.
The Thuqba Industrial area, a hub of automobile repair in the region, is a scene of complete chaos due to rain waters. Many workshops are still closed and most of the opened ones are not accepting major jobs.
Many flyovers and under passes have also been heavily damaged and municipalities in collaboration with other departments have undertaken repair work on a war footing.
Schools and colleges resumed normal functioning today with almost all international schools reporting normal attendance.
Weather forecast for coming days are “normal and sunny” but Friday might witness another downpour, according to the weather forecast from Observatory at the King Fahd International Airport.
