Riyadh plans rain drainage network


Around 70 percent of Riyadh will have a rain drainage network in the next three years. Currently, only 26 percent of the city contains such an infrastructure, said Riyadh Mayor Abdullah Al-Miqbil.
Al-Miqbil said 22 percent of the city is currently having rain drainage systems installed and that 48 percent will be covered within one and a half years. He was speaking on the sidelines of a Saudi-Jordanian engineering forum.
He said that the Riyadh governorate, in collaboration with the Higher Commission for the Development of Riyadh (HCDR), has drawn up an ambitious plan to develop the city center on an area spanning 15 square km.
The area is targeted to become an enormous business and entertainment hub, with greenery, pedestrian crossings and multilevel parking lots, he said.
He stressed that the private sector would be a partner in the provision of public services and construction activities.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has continuously urged engineering offices to give utmost care to quality and excellence in drafting engineering plans, he was quoted as saying.
Hamad Al-Shaqawi, head of the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE), said the forum focused on the quality of engineering products and commitment to the principles of building standards through different stages of construction.
SCE’s Secretary-General Ghazi Al-Abbasi said Saudi Arabia is experiencing an unprecedented developmental boom as part of its overall economic, educational and health infrastructure development.
This, he said, puts a heavy burden on engineers in the local market.
He expressed hope they would implement sustainable projects commensurate with the expectations of the citizens and leadership.