By Joseph Varghese
Staff Reporter
The heavy downpour that lashed different areas of Doha on Wednesday morning caused serious inconvenience to a large number of people as many low-lying areas were flooded, throwing life out of gear.
Traffic was bumper-to-bumper as motorists had to negotiate the slippery or flooded roads due to the heavy rains that lasted almost two hours.
The residents were happy to receive the rains in the beginning but it turned out to be heavy downpour at a later stage, causing trouble for many.
Many of them found it difficult to reach their offices on time while others had to rush back to the schools to collect their children as the Supreme Education Council declared a holiday for all schools.
Several low-lying areas were flooded and water could be seen reaching the doorsteps of many of the houses.
While many residents found it inconvenient, several youngsters could be seen playing in the water puddles in front to their houses or nearby areas.
Al Mamoura, Al Sadd, Al Waab and Abu Hamour, among others. were some of the areas that were seriously affected by flooding.
Many of the inside roads in these areas were waterlogged and traffic was highly congested. Some residents also complained that their houses were leaking because of the rain.
One of the motorists said he had to drive more than two hours to reach his office which generally takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Several other people echoed similar views suggesting that it was highly difficult for them to negotiate their way to their workplaces.
The Madina Khalifa Health Centre was closed due to certain technical problems, forcing many visitors to look for alternate places for consultation.
There were also areas that were flooded severely and vehicles were diverted through other roads.
The area in front of Mamoura Park was so heavily flooded that several houses had their parking lots filled with water. Moreover, only SUVs could be driven through the road and all the sedans had to take a detour to the nearby areas. People could be seen wading through the water that were thigh high.
However, the situation improved considerably by noon with the municipality authorities taking necessary steps to resolve the problems. Many trucks could be seen emptying water from the flooded areas in a bid to make it easier for the motorists and pedestrians.
