Baghdad- Iraqi citizen Abu Wissam expressed his anger at the suffering his children are experiencing The capital, Baghdad Due to the recurring phenomenon of street flooding every rainy season.
Abu Wissam said, in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, that he witnesses year after year a repetition of the same scenario, as the streets of Baghdad turn into flowing rivers, which disrupts daily life, causes property losses, and cuts off workers’ livelihoods, not to mention the risks to the lives of students due to wet electricity wires. .
In a recurring scene, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, witnessed, during the past days, a state of chaos as a result of heavy rains that caused most of its main and secondary streets to flood, paralyzing traffic, and disrupting the daily lives of citizens.
Chronic problem
Abu Wissam added that flooded streets are not just a technical problem, but rather an indicator of negligence and poor planning, as he put it. He wondered, “How can a governorate the size of Baghdad be unable to provide the necessary infrastructure to protect citizens from the effects of rain?”
He called on the responsible authorities to take urgent and decisive measures to address this chronic problem, by maintaining and expanding sewage networks, developing emergency plans to deal with heavy rains, and allocating the necessary budgets to implement these projects.
Some governorates in Baghdad announced the suspension of official working hours, while others announced the suspension of school hours only. Military and service efforts were mobilized from last night until the morning, in the streets and alleys, to contain the rainwater crisis.
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The repetition of this scenario raised questions about the readiness of the infrastructure in the capital and the rest of the governorates to face such climate conditions, as citizens called on the concerned authorities to assume their responsibilities and take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such disasters.
Repeated flooding of streets
Environmental expert Muwafaq Saleh explained the most important reasons that lead to repeated flooding of streets, which constitute a major threat to the environment and public health. He said, in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, that one of the main reasons for repeated flooding of streets is the obsolescence of sanitation systems in old neighborhoods.
The same expert explained that the systems are suffering from deterioration and sedimentation as a result of increasing construction activities and urban expansion in these areas, stressing that this deterioration leads to the systems malfunctioning and their inability to drain water efficiently.
He added that the increase in population density in urban areas is one of the main factors that contribute to the frequent flooding of streets.
He said that the house, which used to accommodate only one family with an area of 300 square meters, now contains 4 to 6 apartments, which increases the population density by 4 times. He pointed out that this increase in density leads to an increase in the amount of water flowing in the drainage systems, which increases the population density by four times. Possibility of malfunction.
Saleh stressed that the sabotage of drainage facilities by some of what he called “weak souls,” such as stealing the covers of sanitary manholes and opening them to receive all types of waste, is one of the main reasons for the malfunction of these systems.
In the same context, he reported that this sabotage leads to the closure of manholes and their inability to drain water properly, which increases the possibility of flooding of the streets.
Challenges and projects
For his part, the official spokesman for the Baghdad Municipality, Uday Kadhim Al-Jandil, confirmed that the municipality’s work teams were able to control the accumulation of water in most of the city’s streets within a record period of time, stressing the capital’s ability to deal effectively with the heavy rains it witnessed recently.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Al-Jandil attributed the “achievement” to several factors, including the activation of the central operations room immediately after the rain began, which worked to coordinate efforts and direct the maintenance and rescue teams.
The same official indicated that all pumping stations and emergency lines were operating at maximum capacity to ensure the water was drained “quickly and effectively.”
He said that the Baghdad Municipality is working on “ambitious” projects to develop the city’s infrastructure, in order to face future challenges and avoid the recurrence of such problems.
Among the most prominent projects mentioned by Al-Jandil:
- Police Canal Project: This project aims to increase the city’s ability to drain rainwater and sewage, which contributes to reducing floods and distortions to which some areas are exposed.
- North Al-Kadhimiya Project: This project aims to improve the infrastructure of 17 residential areas in North Al-Kadhimiya, which contributes to raising the level of services provided to citizens.
The same spokesman stressed that these projects, which are being implemented in cooperation with specialized international companies, will contribute significantly to improving the quality of life in Baghdad and reducing the suffering to which citizens are exposed as a result of heavy rains.
Environmental impacts
Environmental expert Saleh pointed out that repeated flooding of streets has serious environmental impacts, the most notable of which are:
- Spread of infectious diseases: As a result of water pollution with sewage and heavy water waste, which increases the spread of infectious diseases and poses a threat to public health.
- Damage to plants and gardens: Flooding of streets changes the environment of plants and soil properties, leading to the death of sensitive plants and exposing gardens to severe damage.
- Spread of unpleasant odors: Flooded streets increase the spread of unpleasant odors, which increase the severity of respiratory diseases.
Saleh stressed that the responsibility lies with everyone to confront these challenges. Considering that citizens are concerned with protecting their areas from encroachments, and informing the competent municipality to fix the defect, municipal departments must conduct regular monitoring and inspection patrols and correct any defect in the sewage systems without delay.
While Abu Wissam stressed the need for those responsible to be held accountable for what he called “repeated negligence,” and for deterrent measures to be taken to prevent the recurrence of such disasters in the future.
