Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Hossam Al-Roumi

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Hossam Al-Roumi said on Wednesday that Manqaf tunnel is currently operating but will be closed in a precautionary measure. 

At a parliamentary supplementary session called for by the MPs to discuss repercussions of potential downpour, the minister said the tunnel will be considered as a reservoir in the event of heavy rain and potential rainwater reaching more than 30 millimeters to prevent rainwater from reaching the houses surrounding the tunnel.

"We now have large pumping machines and we can drain the tunnel. In the case of heavy rains and high tide where there is no discharge of rainwater despite presence of strong water drainage from the pumps, drainage systems may not be able to absorb the amount of rain, and God forbid, nearby homes may overflow," the minister clarified. 

"So, if the amount of rainwater is increased, the tunnel will be transferred into a semi-tank to protect the lives of citizens and residents, who are the most expensive and most important of all," the minister noted. - Kuna