Oman weather: Many roads cut off in Batinah, Sharqiyah region

Muscat: A series of weather disturbances tracking across the region has resulted in heavy thunderstorms and led to flash flooding, affecting many regions in northern Oman badly.
While water in Wadi Al Kabir Dam in Ibri was reported to flowing towards the wilayat’s centre late in the evening, many roads were cut off in Batinah and Sharqiyah region as wadis (valleys) were overflowing dangerously since afternoon, according to the National Committee for Civil Defence (NCCD). Late in the evening, the NCCD initiated precautionary evacuation in the Al Dreez and Al Maqsooma areas.
“The Al Dreez School for Basic Education shall be the evacuation centre,” the NCCD tweeted.
Dozens of people, who were stranded in the overflowing wadis in North Batinah, were rescued.
Meanwhile, by Wednesday afternoon itself, the Ministry of Education had declared a holiday in all schools in Oman on Thursday, except for those in the Al Wusta and Dhofar regions due to the heavy rain forecast, however, an official from the Indian schools’ board said there would be no change in the Class X CBSE Board examination schedule.
Bader Ali Al Baddaei, administrator of www.rthmc.net, a local Web-based forum that discusses weather in Oman, told the Times of Oman that normal life had been hit in the northern parts of Oman due to heavy rain.
“Heavy rain fell in Buraimi, Sohar, Saham, Kabourah, Suwaiq, Rustaq, Nakhal, Al Ansab, Barka, Seeb, Samail, Baushar, Al Awabi, Quriyat and many parts of Muscat,” Al Baddaei added.
Muttrah Souq (market) traders, who had moved their goods from the shops much earlier, said they hadn’t suffered much loss.
“We moved our stuff by afternoon itself. There were two ships docked at the port. It was a day we would have got good business. We lost it due to the rain. In some of the shops, rain water entered, but it is still flowing,” Hussain Juma Al Balushi, a representative of the souq’s merchants, said.
The Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) has predicted thundershowers, a hailstorm and flash floods on Thursday in Muscat, Musandam, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahira, North and South Batinah, Al Dakhliyah, and North and South Sharqiyah.
According to Oman’s Meteorology Department, Bid Bid received 29.8 millimetre (mm) of rain, Quraiat 21.2mm, Wadi Mawel 29.2mm, Qumaira 19.6mm, Bowsher 25mm, Saiq 19.2mm, Buraimi 24.6mm and Amerat 17.4mm.