Saudis detain 40 in connection with flooding

Arab News:

More than 40 people including government officials, contractors and engineers have been detained for questioning in connection with the Nov. 25 Jeddah floods.

The high-level committee in charge of investigating the deluge summoned seven senior officials and employees at the Jeddah municipality for questioning on Sunday.

The officials included assistants to the mayor and those in charge of some service departments. They were called to submit their views on the deluge and the reasons why it occurred. Arab News obtained the names of the seven being questioned, but reserved the right to name them.

...

This seems like a strange reaction to an act of God. If they are concerned about the flooding they could find numerous flood control engineers in Houston who could prepare a drainage design and suggest contractors to implement it. That is how Houston handled its flooding problems without detaining any public officials.

My speculation is that normal drainage channels were inadequate to handle the heavy rains. That is not too surprising with a desert environment and relatively flat ground. What is needed is drainage channels that can handle the increased volume and holding ponds to take the increased water. Who knows, in a place like Saudi Arabia they can probably find a use for the excess water.

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