Dams and lakes at Marsa Alam and Shalatin held 2.49 million cubic metres, governor says

Flood-protection dams and lakes at Marsa Alam and Shalatin have held about 2.49 million cubic metres of water, Red Sea governor Walid El-Barki said on Tuesday, as rain continued over the mountains in the south of the governorate.

The Umm Hureina and Umm Rutayba dams at Marsa Alam, among the works built to protect the village of Sheikh El-Shazly, held about 90,000 cubic metres. At Shalatin, lake B1 took about 1.6 million cubic metres and lake B2 about 800,000, both part of the system protecting the town. The governor said the protection structures were in good condition.

The roads on Tuesday

Water was running at kilometre 120 of the Marsa Alam–Shalatin road at Wadi Lahmy, north of the village of Hamata, flowing from the mountains towards the sea, according to the control centre of the national emergency and public safety network. Traffic was affected but did not stop.

On the coastal Marsa Alam–Berenice road, reports came in that water had crossed the carriageway at kilometre 50 at Wadi El Gemal. The Roads and Bridges Authority moved equipment to the site, cleared silt and pumped water off the road surface. The authority said the work ran from 7am until 11pm on Monday, and that a check on Tuesday morning found the road clear.

At Arab Saleh, kilometre 140 south of Marsa Alam, readiness was raised to its highest level as water began to flow there. The governorate's operations room said traffic on the governorate's roads was moving normally.

Where the weather had settled

In its 8.30pm report on Tuesday, the control centre said conditions had settled at Ras Ghareb, Hurghada, Safaga, El Quseir and Halayeb, and that the rain had stopped at Shalatin. Flows at Wadi Lahmy, south of Marsa Alam, were still being watched.

The control centre warned of lightning and of wind from air descending beneath the thunderclouds, and advised staying away from flood channels and low-lying ground.