SGS chief : Emergency projects to reduce flood impact

The 14 emergency projects implemented by the government in Jeddah will reduce the damage from possible flooding in the city, said Zuhair Nawab, president of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS). “We have conducted a detailed study to protect Jeddah from dangers posed by floods,” Nawab told Arab News. He said Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal would soon announce permanent solutions for floods. “The new projects implemented by the government in Jeddah to prevent floods reflect its desire to safeguard the security and safety of citizens and their properties,” he said. Nawab pointed out that new development projects in east Jeddah would have a big impact. He said observation stations in the country would not be able to make predictions about tremors that occurred in different parts of the Kingdom. “Similar tremors have also occurred recently in the Kingdom’s southern coasts,” he said and attributed them to tectonic plate movement in the Red Sea. Nawab said science has not yet succeeded in accurately predicting quakes before they take place. “The recent quakes in Japan and the US are examples of that,” he added. He said the SGS would send specialized researchers to places where earthquakes take place in the Kingdom in order to conduct analytical studies. “We have good contact and coordination with the Civil Defense as we inform them about possible tremors so it can take precautionary measures,” he said.