Wet Weather and Potholes the size of Moon Craters

City experiences a complete wet day Monday, January 14, 2008-->Web posted at: 1/14/2008 4:26:14

Source ::: The Peninsula

DOHA • Windshield wipers moved rhythmically like metronomes yesterday as the city was hit by the first major rain of the season. The rain fluctuated between heavy to a nagging drizzle with a few small breaks in-between. The sky remained a forbidding slate-grey throughout the day and turned a reddish hue in the evening due to the rain clouds.

Parts of the city, especially some of the inner roads, were flooded. The Mountazeh area saw near knee-deep water and several vehicles' packed up as water crept into engine blocks. People could be seen pushing stalled vehicles as the four-wheel drives had a field day.

Pedestrians had to keep a watchful eye out on puddles and worse, inconsiderate drivers insisting on driving through flooded streets at speed kicking up spumes of water. On occasion, pedestrians got drenched as did other vehicles.

Another hazard for motorists was the many potholes covered by water. Some of these are the size of moon craters and many a driver ran afoul to these axle-breakers. Schoolchildren could be seen bundled up in raincoats and woolies as they made their way into school premises. Hooded jackets were all the rage among adults.

The municipalities pressed water pumps into action throughout the country. In total, water pumping vehicles made 1,000 trips throughout the day in Doha and work was going on through the night.

The Department of Meteorology said yesterday the rains will continue until Tuesday, following which there will be strong winds which will bring the minimum temperature down to 10 degrees Celsius from Wednesday. Wind speeds yesterday ranged between 17 to 25 knots.
For today, the Met has also warned of strong winds and rough seas offshore. Yesterday was relatively warm with high humidity of 75 per cent, a Met official said.

There were reports of traffic snarls caused by malfunctioning traffic lights. However, the Accident and Emergency Department of Hamad General Hospital said there was no increase in the number of patients brought in due to traffic accidents.

There were a few minor fender-benders on the city streets. Qatar Telecom (Qtel) said there was no disturbance in its network due to rain. Flight activity at Doha International Airport was also normal.