Residents in the Saudi cities of Mecca, Jeddah, al-Baha, and the province of Asir were taken for a surprise today on January 8 when heavy rainfall led to waterlogging with Mecca facing the worst floods.
Images and videos posted by Saudi residents on social media platform X showed vehicles floating on floodwaters and residents forming human chains to safeguard marooned children from heavy waterflow.
So far, there is no loss of life or casualties reported. However, the entire civic administration in these cities is having a tough time responding to the crisis as floods are a rare phenomenon in these arid regions.
The underdeveloped sewage systems in Saudi cities have often been criticised, especially in the light of massive petrodollar wealth accumulated by the Kingdom. Additionally, the lack of preparedness to handle such a massive blitz of rainfall in arid localities adds to the problem.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s National Meteorological Centre has issued red alerts for the affected regions in proximity with the Red Sea coast and has shut down all public spaces, while schools in Eastern Province and Riyadh have switched to online classes.
Responding to a potential public health concern, Saudi Arabia‘s Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) has reportedly increased its readiness.
The floods in Saudi Arabia are reported almost four months after there was a similar deluge in the Sahara desert. Back in India, similar weather observations were reported from Rajasthan as water-deficit regions witnessed water logging in August, this year.
Such uncanny weather events are in consonance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) observations about adversely changing climate. The IPCC reports have repeatedly mentioned that fertile lands are expected to witness desertification while heavy rainfall is going to be a regular affair in arid regions if carbon emissions are not checked.